Four Copywriting Tips

Posted On: 2013-01-31

Wow it's hard to believe that you can pack so much into one week but when I look back on the last seven days it just amazes me at how much has happened.

It really has been just a week since I wrote my last column but in that time ... where I live ... we've had torrential rain and high winds for almost 24 hours straight ... we've had flooding and tornadoes ... we've been cut off from the civilization thanks to the flooding ... we've had food shortages and power outages ... and somehow we've managed to get some work done too.

Yes it's been quite a week and it got me thinking about how any adult webmaster would survive if the things that they depended on for the success of their business was suddenly taken away. I wrote about that earlier in the week over on Porn Resource and it's definitely something that you should be thinking about.

We get lulled into a false sense of security when things are going smoothly but when things go wrong what do we do to recover? What do we do to ensure that we can go on making money and getting our work done?

I would encourage you to read my column over on Porn Resource and to make sure that you have plans and strategies in place just in case your comfortable world gets turned upside down with no warning.

Here, today, on Rated Hot I don't want to dwell on all those dramas ... it still amazes me that we got through relatively unscathed but after seeing all that destruction around us it scares me too and I don't like being scared.

So today I'm going to talk about copywriting ... making those words that you put on your web pages actually work for you. I guess the first thing I should say is that I'm not the copywriter in my business. Sure I put plenty of words on each web page that I create... words that I think will work ... and then I give it to my partner and listen to him grumble as he reads my copy and starts changing it to what he knows will work.

Of course, not being a copywriter means that I can't really talk too much about the art so I've picked my partner's brain ... not a terribly hard job ... and come up with four basic tips that he suggests you need to think about as you're adding text to your website.

1. Don't talk about yourself ... nobody who looks at your marketing websites cares about what you think or who you are or what you do ... unless of course you're somebody famous. If you're like most of us then you're not famous, you're basically a nobody and so no one is interested in you.

Words like 'we' and 'I' should be avoided and instead you should talk about the person who is looking at your web page. Talk about what they get if they buy what you're selling ... talk about how they will feel ... what they will see ... how much better their life will be if they buy what you're selling.

Use the word 'you' in your copy and you will be speaking directly to the person who is reading it.

2. Don't ramble ... keep your text tight ... keep your sentences short ... and in the text on a gallery or free site page focus on one main point rather than trying to cover everything. The shorter and sharper the message the more chance you have of getting it embedded in the brain of whoever is reading it.

By all means weave a story with your copy but keep it focused.

3. Know you're target market ... and what makes them get all hot and excited. Don't use terminology that's cool just because you can. Use language that's appropriate to your target market and understand what those people want to see and read about.

You should also understand what other things there are that might dance around the edges of your target market's desires. For example what else appeals to males or females who are turned on by mature sex?

Know your target market and you won't be wasting your time or efforts.

4. Read all you can about copywriting. The basic art of copywriting hasn't changed in over 100 years so don't be afraid to read old books on the subject. My partner swears by 'The Copywriter's Handbook' by Robert W. Bly and it was first printed in 1985.

And if you don't like reading books then spend some time surfing the Net ... there are some excellent sites out there that will help you learn the art of copywriting.

Copywriting is an art you can learn ... it's not something you are born with ... so learn the art and increase your sales.