Killer Copywriting Techniques...Round #1
Posted 3rd November 2008 at 08:57 PM by zapseo
Well, first of all...I have to wonder...
What portion of the population get excited by the idea of "killer" copywriting techniques?
(We'll assume that our "population" actually knows what "copywriting" is...)
Now why do I wonder that?
Well -- such references as "killer", "explosive", "hammer", "rocket" and the like -- tend to be more appreciated by the male of the species.
Now I know John Carlton can write female-oriented copy. But the markets he usually writes for -- golf, self-defense and the like -- tend to be male-dominated. So the pieces of copy that most people reference tend to come across as a bit testosterone-driven.
But then, so does "Raiders of the Lost Ark."
(Incidentally, my former copywriting coach, Harlan Kilstein, was ordered by Carlton to go read romance novels to develop his "softer" side, LOL.)
Does that mean women don't like "Raiders of the Lost Ark"? Ummm...I don't think so.
Nor does it mean that women don't appreciate such Carlton masterpieces as the "One-Legged Golfer."
But it does harken to a very important question that's important to every single piece of copy.
My friend Robert Plank wrote about the important questions to ask a client about copy: tone, length and style.
Rather than asking those questions directly of a client, I think a better question is -- "Who is your target audience?"
And then...
"How are you planning to market your product?"
Will result -- directly or indirectly -- in the same information. However, it depends upon who is assumed to have the greater marketing savvy: the client, or the copywriter.
It's probably a combination of both. The client (hopefully) brings the knowledge of how he or she has been marketing their product, or planning on marketing their product -- and why.
But a professional copywriter -- generally -- should have a broader understanding of a variety of marketing strategies to apply to any marketing situation.
So while the client may propose, the copywriter may dispose, or re-shape, or keep, at the copywriter's discretion. (In consultation with the client, of course!)
(Actually, the question I mentioned on Robert's blog that I think MIGHT trump the others -- "What is your offer?"
But that would also imply that the client's answer would include the "why" of the offer.
In other words, what is it about the offer that would make some segment of the population drop whatever they are doing and pull out their credit card in order to purchase.)
Okay...so much for "Killer Copywriting Techniques...Round #1"
I gotta question for you...what do you think would be a more female-oriented subject for this post, conveying approximately the same idea?
Live JoyFully!
Judy Kettenhofen, Profit Strategist/Copywriter
NextDay Copy
What portion of the population get excited by the idea of "killer" copywriting techniques?
(We'll assume that our "population" actually knows what "copywriting" is...)
Now why do I wonder that?
Well -- such references as "killer", "explosive", "hammer", "rocket" and the like -- tend to be more appreciated by the male of the species.
Now I know John Carlton can write female-oriented copy. But the markets he usually writes for -- golf, self-defense and the like -- tend to be male-dominated. So the pieces of copy that most people reference tend to come across as a bit testosterone-driven.
But then, so does "Raiders of the Lost Ark."
(Incidentally, my former copywriting coach, Harlan Kilstein, was ordered by Carlton to go read romance novels to develop his "softer" side, LOL.)
Does that mean women don't like "Raiders of the Lost Ark"? Ummm...I don't think so.
Nor does it mean that women don't appreciate such Carlton masterpieces as the "One-Legged Golfer."
But it does harken to a very important question that's important to every single piece of copy.
My friend Robert Plank wrote about the important questions to ask a client about copy: tone, length and style.
Rather than asking those questions directly of a client, I think a better question is -- "Who is your target audience?"
And then...
"How are you planning to market your product?"
Will result -- directly or indirectly -- in the same information. However, it depends upon who is assumed to have the greater marketing savvy: the client, or the copywriter.
It's probably a combination of both. The client (hopefully) brings the knowledge of how he or she has been marketing their product, or planning on marketing their product -- and why.
But a professional copywriter -- generally -- should have a broader understanding of a variety of marketing strategies to apply to any marketing situation.
So while the client may propose, the copywriter may dispose, or re-shape, or keep, at the copywriter's discretion. (In consultation with the client, of course!)
(Actually, the question I mentioned on Robert's blog that I think MIGHT trump the others -- "What is your offer?"
But that would also imply that the client's answer would include the "why" of the offer.
In other words, what is it about the offer that would make some segment of the population drop whatever they are doing and pull out their credit card in order to purchase.)
Okay...so much for "Killer Copywriting Techniques...Round #1"
I gotta question for you...what do you think would be a more female-oriented subject for this post, conveying approximately the same idea?
Live JoyFully!
Judy Kettenhofen, Profit Strategist/Copywriter
NextDay Copy
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