Writing copy is an art, it’s not merely writing words. It’s a study of how people behave and make decisions.It requires extensive research, an understanding of the brand you’re working with, and a perspective of selling the product/service without explicitly promoting it.
Copywriting sells, it uses a persuasive approach to sell the customer a product by putting forth a value proposition.It could be 300 words or 3 words, but the idea is to persuade, sell and compel the consumer to buy the product.
Here, when you’re a writer, you can’t write as yourself. You need to be in the customer’s shoes to understand what will make them want to purchase a product and why.This thinking mixed with the brand’s personality together defines what you write and if it will persuade the consumer.
A very simple approach I follow while writing copy for any brand is:-
- Ask the right questions
- Study the right resources
- Analyze like a customer
- Write like a brand
As a writer who works with different kinds of brands, you can’t let the same perspective guide you. I can’t write like Komal, I must write like X brand and to write like the brand, you need to understand every tiny detail about them.
This could be their story, journey, clientele, brand personality, customer relationships and employees. Along with this, it includes 3 important aspects of a brand:
- What,
- Why,
- For whom.
Once you’ve understood a brand, identifying its value proposition and creating a story behind it is very important. Even if you use 4 words to write a copy for an ad, it needs to convey a message which has a story and evokes a certain emotion.Copy is such that it makes the consumer want to stop, stare and take an action
With a truckload of content creation and consumption on digital media, breaking through the noise is difficult. But when you listen to the audience, think like a customer and write like a brand, it can do wonders.Stories sell. If your brand can evoke an emotion through its story and convey that through words, there is nothing better than that.
While you may write a 1000-word blog post in a day, a 10 word tagline may take you 2-3 days because you understand the brand, the competitors, the customers and then frame your thought process.
A major effort in copywriting is the mindset you have towards writing a particular piece of copy. This mindset is formed by:
- Asking your client questions
- Going through all the brand’s resources to understand it in depth
- Analyzing the competitors
- Understanding the brand’s voice and personality.
- Studying the target audience and their habits
- There is no such thing as a perfect copy, but making it near to perfect is the idea. When it addresses the customer’s pain points, evokes emotion, communicates intent and persuades the consumer to take an action, you win!
Copywriting requires an open mind, a will to explore, and a mindset of equilibrium which portrays the copy in a perfect balance of:
What the brand wants to offer vs what the customer wants
It’s a skill, a form of art and a salute to creativity!
