Do You Exclude Any of These Six Essentials in Your Copy?

A good copy is like using Lego blocks to build a house. You need all the building blocks. Without any one of them, you can’t finish your house.

The opening

This gets the reader’s attention by fitting in with his current problems in his mind. The job of an opener is to establish a point of contact with their interests. If the opening can excite his curiosity, it can prompt him to read further. 

After the title, the opener is the most important part of the copy.

The description or explanation

This draws your proposal to the reader by first outlining its important benefits and features. And then you fill in the necessary details. 

The reader is more interested in the benefits he can get than in the features. Most copywriters highlight the feature too much, and the reader loses interest.

The motive 

Here, you need to outline why he should buy your product. This creates a longing in the reader’s mind for what you are selling. Or it impels him to do as you want him to. 

You describe  —  not your proposition but what it will do for him — the comfort, the pleasure, the profit he will get from it. 

You have to show the picture of what the reader will become by using your product, and only then can you spark the interest and emotion in them.

The proof or guarantee

This offers the reader proof of the truth of your statements or establishes confidence with a money-back guarantee if not satisfied.

You can also add testimonials from similar customers or businesses to gain trust. If you add a testimonial from a vastly dissimilar customer, the customer will think this product is not for him or her and move on from your copy.

The snapper or penalty

Most customers suffer from indecision. The moment someone thinks “maybe later”, is the moment you lose the sale. 

The mind is lazy. You have to help people make decisions. You have to create fear of loss in money, prestige, or opportunity in the reader’s mind.

If he does not act at once, he will be in a worse position. That will compel him to take immediate action. 

The close 

This tells the reader just what to do and how to do it. The close makes it easy for him to make the purchase. 

Conclusion

These rules, of course, are for beginner copywriters studying the art of writing effective copy. After some time, they become second nature. You may even mix them all so that to the beginner, they will seem not to be there at all. 

Rules, however, are merely the start. They are the mechanics of a copy. Real copywriting only starts there. 

It is getting the feel of your message that counts. When you have an idea to start with and you convey the idea to the reader effectively, that’s when you know you are a proficient copywriter. However, That’s a topic for another article.