Copywriting 101: How to Write a Killer Closing

The age of social media has made us believe that engagement is the key goal of copywriting and marketing. But the main job of a copy is to sell, not engage. Engagement is a side effect of a good copy.

To sell effectively, you have to write a killer closing. As the tail is to the kite, as the rudder is to the ship, so is the closing to any important copy. 

It may be a perfectly good copy or advertisement aside from that. It may fit right in with the reader’s thoughts and interests. It may spur him to action, but if it does not tell him what to do and does not provide a penalty for his not doing it, your prospect will slip away from you like a fish off the hook.

There is only one reason why anyone ever reads a copy. He expects a reward. That is the key to holding readers’ interest.

All through your copy, you keep leading him on, constantly feeding his interest, but always holding back something for the climax or closing. 

You come to it. You make your special offer. Your reader is impressed. He promises himself he will give it favourable consideration. But you do not want favourable consideration. You want an order or a payment. 

How are you going to get it? 

Trigger his impulse to make the purchase.

But if that does not work, what then? 

Provide a penalty! There are only two reasons why your reader will do as you tell him to in your letter. 

The first is that you have made him want something so badly that he reaches out for his wallet to get it. The other is that you arouse in him the fear that he will lose something worthwhile if he does not do as you say. 

It may be a negligent debtor in fear of losing a credit rating or of court action. It may be a buyer fearing losing his chance at a bargain. It may be the businessman fearing losing your business. It may be the youngster fearing losing an opportunity for career advancement. 

But unless your closing can arouse in your reader the fear of losing something worthwhile if he does not do as you tell him, you will get no results.

So when you want to inspire fear, be definite! If you are threatening court action, tell your reader that unless you have his payment or a satisfactory reply by a certain date, you will engage your lawyer.. 

If you are going to raise your price and want to gather all the orders possible at the old figure, set a definite date for the price increase. Or if you have only a few items left, give the exact quantity. It carries conviction.

You must make your reader feel that this is his last chance. Keep your penalty dangling before his mind’s eye, the money saving lost, the opportunity missed. The closing must create the fear of consequences in the reader’s mind.

Finally, you have to tell him what to do. You can’t leave him to decide. We are all mentally lazy. If he is to do certain things, describe them. 

Make the next step very simple and easy for him. Tell him to enter his credit card details, or call your customer service number. Make the spending process easy, and you get the sale.