A Message from Kelly

Welcome to The Copywriting Connection! This week we're looking at some specific ways you can put more emotion into your copy. The psychology of advertising tells us that people buy based on emotion, not logic. Logic tells us we don't need to spend $4.50 on a cup of coffee, our emotions tell us we do. Logic tells us we don't need a $50,000 car to drive the kids around town. Our emotions tell us we do. This week's feature article gives you some tips to easily write copy that appeals to your reader's emotions.

Speaking of emotions, this copywriter needs a writing break. I've been going nonstop for a month -- its spring break in Colorado and I'm taking two of the kids skiing at my Dad's in Steamboat. One of the great things about copywriting is you can run your business from anywhere - even the Rocky Mountains! Freedom rocks!

Happy Copywriting!

Kelly

Five ways to put emotion into your copywriting

Putting "emotion" into your copy is something that most marketers and copywriters don't talk about. It's not always the easiest or most natural thing to do. The natural thing to do is for you to talk and sell to prospects logically. We usually do this by talking about a product/service features.

The sales messages you write should talk to your prospects like you would talk to a friend. One way to do that is to use your prospects name often. But in an advertisement, newsletter, or other mass communication you may not be able to call your prospect by their name -- but there are other ways to "talk" to the reader in a more personal tone.

Here are a few different ways you can put emotion into your marketing messages:

1. Don't talk in corporate speak. Use terms like "you" and "your" rather than "the". For example, "your coffee" versus "the coffee".

2. Have a clear idea of who you are talking to. Picture one specific person you are talking to, not the variety of people that will be reading it. I tell my copywriting students to actually put a photo of this person on their monitor while they're typing so they remember to talk to that one person. The picture helps you stay focused.

3. Talk to your customers and prospects like you would a friend. Be conversational. One way to check your copy is to read it out loud. Does it sound like you talk or does it sound like you write? They are different. In school we are taught to "write" scholarly, not conversationally. Throw everything you learned out the window – write like you talk for your marketing pieces.

4. Let your personality shine through. It's ok to be different – people like you for it. People "see" you because of it. If you like to travel, have three crazy kids, or love bungee jumping – share that with your readers. Your personality will make you stand out from the other 3,000 advertisements your readers are exposed to each day. A great example of this is my friend Michelle. Check out her web site at www.mlsalater.com. Can you tell what she loves to do in her spare time?

5. People buy based on emotion, not logic. While it is important you include logical reasons in your copy to justify a purchase that, those logical reasons should be a small part of the actual selling you do. Talk to prospects emotions by addressing the benefits your product provides. Talk emotionally about how it will help them.

© The Copywriting Connection. All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article for your e-zine or web site? No problem! Just let us know at support@thecopywritinginstitute. We'll send you a short bio to include at the end of the article.

Copywriters Challenge

We challenge you to take one piece you've written from over three months ago and see how you did. Do you appeal to the readers emotions or was your copy feature based? Could you do better? Go back and rework it. Another exercise is to look at your own website – how did you do?

Word of the Week

This week's word of the week is magnanimous [mag-nan-uh-muhs]. Magnanimous means generous in forgiving an insult or injury; free from petty resentfulness or vindictiveness; generous in forgiving; eschewing resentment or revenge; unselfish.

Tools for your Success

www.gofreelance.com - Gofreelance.com is an online database where you can find freelance jobs/projects. You can also sign up for The Freelance Job Report for project updates and two bonus gifts.

If you have any other great resources you'd like us to share with everyone, let us know and we'll check it out. rachel@thecopywritinginstitute.com

Special Offer

We are excited to announce four new copywriting classes offered at The Copywriting Institute!

We believe the best way to learn a skill like copywriting is by DOING, not by reading about how others did it successfully. For that reason we've developed individual copywriting courses where YOU write the copy, we give you feedback, and, if necessary, you go back and rewrite it again. In fact -- you keep rewriting until you get it right, an opportunity you don't have with clients!

We want you to offer these highly sought after and high-paying copywriting services to clients and have CONFIDENCE that you can help them. That you can present your ideas to them in a professional manner, and that you've learned best practices for writing smart, effective copy.

After completing the course from The Copywriting Institute, you'll know what format to present the content in to your client, what questions to ask to get the information you need up front, all in a safe and nurturing learning environment.

Learn to write copy for:
Web sites
Advertorials
Brochures
Short, educational articles for corporate publications

In each class you'll learn:

• How to present copy to your client (formatting, etc)
• Questions you should always ask your client
• Specific steps to take to ensure your client likes your ideas before you write anything
• What should be in your copy
• What you should NOT ever put in that specific medium
• How to ensure your copy inspires action
• What the copywriters objectives should be when creating for that medium
• The role photos play

And tons more….each class has its own individual learning concepts. We recommend you visit the individual pages for specifics.

Who Should Take the Course?

• Aspiring copywriters
• Copywriters interested in learning to write specific pieces
• Marketing, Communications, and Human Resource employees that want to become better at specific mediums or add a new medium to their expertise
• Entrepreneurs
• Coaches, marketers and entrepreneurs interested in adding supplemental income to their business.

Caution: These courses are not for the thin-skinned writer. Our graduates leave this class knowing how to write effective copy. If you're copy isn't up-to-snuff we will tell you. Our feedback is honest and tough. You keep writing your piece until it is good enough to graduate from this course. You don't have that luxury with a client, but you do with us.

How do these courses work? You'll receive your coursework via email upon registration. You have three months to write the copy and submit, via email, to us. Some courses require prep work or developing outlines to present to clients before writing the actual content. Written feedback is provided for each course.

Don't Wait! Start adding literally thousands of dollars a month to your copywriting business today!

Register now:
Web sites
Advertorials
Brochures
Short, educational articles for corporate publications

Do they all sound great? Save yourself time and money by purchasing the entire 10 course class in bulk with our Learn the Ropes Copywriting Class here.

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