Copywriting Checklist

There is no single definitive copywriting checklist.

You always want to seek better ways in composing your wondrous words. You never want to sound like everybody else.

Usually copy should have your personality or your client's personality. They may be similar to others but find the uniqueness.

Don't rely on formulaic lists - spin them for originality.

And...

A 17 point list won't have everything you need. And my current but ever increasing (as I discover something I hadn't) 256 list will be a touch overwhelming.

With any copy -

Sometimes you need to include something.

Other times you needn't bother with something.


So you want your very own always evolving list so you can pick and choose precisely what you need.

How do you compose such an opus?

From books, courses, seminars...

And those golden moments when have an epiphany - "for goodness sake the copy needs this!" and quickly write it on a napkin (I've found those moments often occur in diners and coffee shops).

So how do you start creating this Master LIst?

Without intending to be in any anyway factious - all you have to do is -

Google - "Copywriting Checklists"

And you're on your way to creating your own.


Steve

Here we go.

Is your ideal prospect (target)? A customer, client, or consumer?

McDonald's and Walmart have customers.
A lawyer has clients.

A therapist has both clients and consumers. Consumers are normally people who repeatedly use service providers, a lot of overlap, but it helps to distinguish who you are making your offer to.

So who is your idea prospect? M or F? Age? Income? Locale?

Where will your product or service INTERSECT with them, in other words, how are you
reaching them, ads? email? direct mail?

So first thing on YOUR checklist, is a thorough knowledge of who is going to use, buy or consume what you have?

Along with WHERE, when, how.

Once you know WHO and WHERE, then your checklist is about why, when and how.

WHY would your ideal target want what you have to offer? What are the BENEFITS for them? At the same time, you can make a list of the features of your offer, in the case of a service provider, the features might look like:

MSW from Cleveland State University, over 10 years experience working with ADD/ADHD children. See?

Those are features, so the experience one brings can be used to build the benefits.

Someone doing anything for 10 years brings that experience to the table.

So, you make some BULLET POINTS: Feature/benefit
* Our company has been in biz since 1968, reliable, trustworthy with a lot of repeat customers
* Full satisfaction guarantee
* Etc, etc, and so on and on

So, for your checklist, you have clearly identified your IDEAL prospect, you know who she is and where you are going to intersect with her.

Now, how will you intersect? Maybe a Facebook ad? A youtube video? An email to a list? How and where is the point of contact?

Now you are into the PROMOTION part of your checklist. What is the big benefit for her you will emphasize? What sort of PREOCCUPATIONAL INTERRUPTER will you use? A HEADLINE, a VIDEO, an email subject header?

How can you join the conversation going on in her head? So, if you are selling a cream to help with stretch marks, you do a JV with Kylie Jenner to her group, she endorses it, you get rich pretty dang quick?

As you create the promotion, you can keep it simple with the AIDCAS formula, OR as has been noted, you can use any of a dozen formulas.

I keep it this simple

What? Product or service?
Who? Ideal target?
Why? Why her/him?
How? Will I intersect with them?
When and Where? How to create the time, place and promotion for maximum effect.

One thing, you can get bogged down with a lot of slop and mess, get way too involved in any given element, overthink, procrastinate and never get a round tuit.

So, keep your checklists simple, create one specifically for what you have to offer, to whom, when, where and how.

OK?

GordonJ

If I were you I would try to get my stuff from the old job.
Reconstruct what I had before. Buy Amazon Kindles
on copywriting and marketing checklists for 99¢. Build
my collection of as many copywriting/marketing books
as I could get my hands on.

Good luck with your new job.