Copywriting that works, luckily for you, usually sticks to a pretty straightforward formula. Some more experienced writers do enjoy breaking this formula up and trying new things, but you don't need to worry about that.
What you need to do is find out what works and then use is again and again.
Funny thing about copywriting, at least as far as your copy is concerned, is that innovation isn't usually rewarded. People pretty much always buy for the same reasons (you and I included) so play to those reasons and you'll get your sales.
Now, if you're ready to get over your unreasonable aversion to the written word and get on with this lesson, here are my 5 tips that make up the successful fitness copywriting formula.
Copywriting Tip #1 - Use "You"
Okay, now listen up: Copywriting, my young aspiring marketer, is never, ever about you. It's always about the prospect.
Your overall focus, your central theme, each section of your copy, even each individual sentence, must always be about the reader and never the speaker (which is you or your business).
The easiest way to do this is to find every sentence in your copy that uses the pronouns "I, me, we, our," and "us," and change them to sentences that use "you" and "yours" instead. Get the picture here?
No prospect will be interested in your training just because you said you were cool. Instead, always remind them how you will help them, change their lives, improve their happiness. Make it all about them.
Copywriting Tip #2 - Use Short Sentences
The internet is not a great place for long sentences and block paragraphs. Websites don't usually do our eyes any favors when it comes to scrolling and scanning, and screens come in all shapes and sizes, most of which don't favor long paragraphs.
When prospects see huge blocks of texts or when they stumble through long run-on sentences, they're most likely never going to read a word of your copy or, if they do, they'll just read the first few lines before they quit.
But take that same amount of copy and break up it up into smaller paragraphs and even smaller sentences, and it's more likely to be read.
Take it as reasonable, take it as a sign of our illiterate times, take it however you want, I don't care. Just don't make your copy unreadable otherwise you'll never make a cent.
People love a great story. It's how we're wired. Why do you think our myths, legends and fables have survived thousands of years as the foundational building blocks of our culture? Because we love stories! So use them!
And, as you probably know full well living in this age of social media, famous YouTube vlogers and celebrity obsessions, people love to hear personal stories.
Which means that your copywriting is, contrary to what you may have been thinking, the perfect place for you to share genuine, personal stories about your own life.
When you make personal connections with your prospects they'll be much more likely to trust you which will eventually encourage them to buy from you. Plus, a compelling story compels people to read, which will make prospects more likely to read past your story and into your sales pitch. See how that works?
Copywriting Tip #4 - Master the Art of the Headline
Any copywriter worth their salt will say you should spend as much time working on your headline as you do on your entire copy body. That's right, half of all the time spent copywriting should be spent making your headline absolutely perfect.
Some of the greatest content will never be read because it's introduced by a terrible headline. And some of the worst copy will make huge sales because it's prefaced by a fantastic headline.
You've got to learn how to make your own offers irresistible and click-worthy.
Look, there's only so much I can give you here– there have been books written on this topic (which I suggest you read) but I only have a few lines to help you out. However, I do have some power tips for you:
Keep it direct, keep it simple, and communicate benefits very clearly. Favor clarity over cleverness and don't be afraid to tell them exactly what you're offering and exactly how it's going to improve their lives.
Copywriting Tip #5 - Model Success
Don't reinvent the wheel here, just roll with it.
Become a connoisseur of great copy. Find out what works on you, what works well for the best marketers, and recreate that in your own copy. It's not cheating, don't worry, that's just how this industry works.
Besides, the best way to learn more about copywriting is to read copy! Analyze, find out why it works, and emulate it.
Make use of all these tips, practice regularly and get plenty of constructive feedback, and you'll start to find yourself a remarkably better writer than you previously thought possible.
