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My copywriting research strategy

by DaCato
13 replies
I go to amazon.com and look at product reviews for items in my target industry.

For example, if I am writing sales copy for a diet product, I go to Amazon and read a whole bunch of customer reviews for diet books.

These reviews are chock full of good ideas and tones for your diet copy, because you can spin their feedback into benefits for your product.

Of course, you don't want to lie, so you can only use benefits that are actually true.

But I find that this technique puts me in the right customer mindset, so that my copy can enter the conversation in my demographics mind.
#copywriting #research #strategy
  • Profile picture of the author JRVogt
    Good tactic. Forums that address those specific issues or products are another great place to browse about. People can reveal lots of personal struggles and desires in those places.
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    • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
      Both are good.

      Another good source is the successful sales copy of your competition. Not only do you get to see what benefits they're claiming, but often times the driving emotions they're targeting are stated.

      Alex
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      • Profile picture of the author DaCato
        Originally Posted by Alex Cohen View Post

        Both are good.

        Another good source is the successful sales copy of your competition. Not only do you get to see what benefits they're claiming, but often times the driving emotions they're targeting are stated.

        Alex
        Agreed.

        Sometimes I find this difficult though, because it's hard to gauge how long they have been running a certain sales copy test for, without following their website with regularity.

        Do you have any tips on you how determine if a sales copy is successful for your competitors?

        I'd love to keep this discussion going!
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        • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
          Originally Posted by DaCato View Post

          Agreed.

          Sometimes I find this difficult though, because it's hard to gauge how long they have been running a certain sales copy test for, without following their website with regularity.

          Do you have any tips on you how determine if a sales copy is successful for your competitors?
          Sure.

          If your niche has Clickbank offers, look for the products with the highest gravity. Gravity is calculated over an eight-week period, so the top ones will have been converting well for a while.

          Another way is to install the Alexa toolbar. Then as you're researching your competition, notice which sites have the best Alexa ratings.

          Alex
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      • Profile picture of the author Headstart
        Originally Posted by Alex Cohen View Post

        Both are good.

        Another good source is the successful sales copy of your competition. Not only do you get to see what benefits they're claiming, but often times the driving emotions they're targeting are stated.

        Alex
        Yes, from there I typically look at multiple sales letters and check what they have in common.
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    • Profile picture of the author DaCato
      Originally Posted by JRVogt View Post

      Good tactic. Forums that address those specific issues or products are another great place to browse about. People can reveal lots of personal struggles and desires in those places.
      Do you have any tips for finding niche forums?

      Or is it just a simple Google search, like "<your niche> forums"?
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  • Profile picture of the author The Copy Nazi
    Banned
    Using Amazon for Copy Research and ideas
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  • Profile picture of the author JRVogt
    Google is the easiest way, for sure. Sometimes googling a question like "How do I break through a weight loss plateau" or a statement like "I need a diet that actually works!" can lead you to forums where those specific needs are being discussed in-depth. Of course, they can also lead to sales pages claiming to provide the solutions.

    There are also forum directories that can help highlight some of the major options, such as:
    Message Boards and Forum Directory
    Forum Directory - The Forum Finder
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  • Profile picture of the author DaCato
    Lots of great strategies here guys.

    When I first started writing copy, I thought that it made sense to focus on learning "formulas" and compiling swipe files.

    Now, I see that great copy can only be derived from great preparation. The techniques in this post are gold for prep!

    How does that old saying go again...? If you have 6 hours to chop down a tree, spend 5 of them sharpening your axe?
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    • Profile picture of the author Raydal
      Originally Posted by DaCato View Post

      Lots of great strategies here guys.

      When I first started writing copy, I thought that it made sense to focus on learning "formulas" and compiling swipe files.

      Now, I see that great copy can only be derived from great preparation. The techniques in this post are gold for prep!

      How does that old saying go again...? If you have 6 hours to chop down a tree, spend 5 of them sharpening your axe?
      Don't dismiss the formulas and swipe files, that is the correct
      place to start. As you learn the formulas then you'll build
      from there into your own style. But you need/ed the
      formulas to get the structure on which you built your
      copy.

      Every piece of copywriting follows a formula. Without
      one your copy will be a disorganized mess.

      -Ray Edwards
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  • Profile picture of the author madnanbashir
    It is an effective strategy to get the job done- better.
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  • Profile picture of the author Shazadi
    You'll probably find some of these from a Google search, but Yahoo Answers is pretty handy as well. What are the questions people keep asking, what are their frustrations?

    Magazines - they're the masters at coming up with attention-getting headlines, and do plenty of research on what their market is interested in.
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  • Profile picture of the author sethczerepak
    Originally Posted by DaCato View Post

    I go to amazon.com and look at product reviews for items in my target industry.

    For example, if I am writing sales copy for a diet product, I go to Amazon and read a whole bunch of customer reviews for diet books.

    These reviews are chock full of good ideas and tones for your diet copy, because you can spin their feedback into benefits for your product.

    Of course, you don't want to lie, so you can only use benefits that are actually true.

    But I find that this technique puts me in the right customer mindset, so that my copy can enter the conversation in my demographics mind.
    Dude, great suggestion, thanks.

    It's easy to forget that the customers speak a different language when than us when talking about benefits. This is a good way to get into their heads.
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