A copywriter must be …

A copywriter must be …

… able to tell a product’s story in an interesting way that can differentiate it and make it successful. 

… a fierce editor, judging their copy by its ability to generate the desired response.

… knowledgeable about what keeps their target audience up at night.

… aware that if the rhythm ain’t right, the words have less impact.

… a voracious reader, understanding that immersing themselves in good writing is one of the best things a writer can do to become a better writer.

… cognizant that making an emotional connection with their target market gives their words more power to influence their audience and persuade them to take action.

… intimately knowledgeable about the rules so they can bend and break those rules specifically to their best advantage.

… one part writer and one part marketer.

… able to deliver value to their clients by delivering value to their prospects/customers.

… focused on how the targeted audience will respond to the message, not how well written or clever their writing is.

… comfortable using the power of regret to help the prospect see themselves in a picture they want to avoid

… aware that copywriting doesn't start or stop with just the words.

… willing to build a deep understanding of the target consumer and their emotional and intellectual triggers.

… willing to occasionally break the unwritten rules of how things are “supposed” to be done.

… focused on a defined goal for each piece of copy, making every word contribute towards that goal.

… able to write how their clients’ customers talk.

… knowledgeable of why the buyers of a product or service are excited about what they get from it and then get potential buyers to feel that enthusiasm to the point they will buy it.

… anything but boring.

This post was inspired by world-class copywriter Eddie Shleyner who was "doing some research for a neat project" and wanted folks to finish the sentence: A copywriter must be … 

He wanted one answer. I came up with these 18 and sent him 3.

Content That Gets Devoured by Your Readers

How To Create Free Articles, Reports, And Blog Posts That SELL!

Before I show you how to sell with your content, let’s do something your competition is ignoring.

Let me show you how to write so your content gets …

Devoured by Your Readers!

Check out this page for example.

Ignore the actual content for a minute and notice how it “feels” to your eyes.

As you can see, it’s easy to read.

It’s punchy. It has short sentences. And best of all …

It Has Short Paragraphs!

And that’s really important because when your eye first “scans” the page, it calls up your brain an says, “Hey! this is easy to read!”

And your brain, in turn, decides to check it out.

Another cool thing about this article is that it’s telling two stories at once.

How?

Simple.

These "Sub-Heads" Tell A Story of Their Own!

Try it.

Scroll up to the top real quick and just read the subheads.

You can get complete “picture” of what this is all about just by scanning them …without actually reading the text.

It’s a technique called “dual readership path” and I learned it (and so much more) from Dan Kennedy.

The reason it’s important is because

Everybody Skims The Page Before Their Brain Commits To Reading It!

That’s totally normal.

And what’s main thing that jumps out at the “scanning brain”?

That’s right. It’s the headline and the sub head.

So what’s really going on is

These Sub-Heads Are “Selling” The Brain On The Idea Of Reading The Whole Page!

Pretty cool, right?

See how easy this is to read?

And if you’re just scanning the page, you’ll still get an idea of what it’s about.

And here’s another thing about this article.

See the article isn’t really about “writing articles”.

Instead,

This Article is Really About YOU!

And more specifically, it's about you influencing more people by creating content that's easy to consume.

After all, if they don’t actually read what you’re putting out there, how can they learn about all the benefits you have to offer?

So now that we’ve got them reading your stuff, let me show you

5 Ways To Influence Your Readers So You Can Make More Sales

1. First, make sure to read the rest of this article (and there's a lot of good stuff in there) at: https://frankkern.com/how-to-sell-in-articles/ 

WHY

Although Frank Kern has a lot more to say in this article, I'm just showing you the first part to demonstrate a style of using short sentences, short paragraphs, and subheads to make your content easy to consume.

KERN

FYI, Frank Kern, the author of this article, is a highly successful direct marketing consultant and copywriter. You can find out more about him here: https://frankkern.com/about/ 

NOTE

If you felt this was interesting/helpful, check out this blogpost about Writing with Rhythm

Writers Read

We writers tend to read a lot. And we’re always happy to suggest those books that most impacted our writing.

Ask a copy or content writer about favorite book and they’ll list off half a dozen before you’ve finished asking. Don’t be surprised if the name Ernest Hemingway is on the list.

 But what if you asked Hemingway for a recommended reading list?

Hemingway gave this list to aspiring writer Arnold Samuelson in 1934 with the instructions:

Here’s a list of books any writer should have read as a part of his education… If you haven’t read these, you just aren’t educated. They represent different types of writing. Some may bore you, others might inspire you and others are so beautifully written they’ll make you feel it’s hopeless for you to try to write.

 The Blue Hotel - Stephen Crane

The Open Boat - by Stephen Crane

Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

Dubliners - James Joyce

The Red and the Black - Stendhal

Of Human Bondage - W. Somerset Maugham

Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

Buddenbrooks - Thomas Mann

Hail and Farewell - George Moore

The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

The Oxford Book of English Verse

The Enormous Room - E.E. Cummings

Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë

Far Away and Long Ago - W.H. Hudson

The American - Henry James

Interestingly, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, the book that Hemingway referred to as “the best book an American ever wrote,” was not on the list.   

So how many of the books on Hemingway’s list have you read? Would he have considered you educated?

 

The Rule of Three

We’re hard-wired to respond positively to groups of three.

People who study these things tell us that three elements get a message across best, indicating that the brain remembers things easier if they are grouped into threes. Basically, our brain process information by seeking patterns, and three is the smallest number of pieces required to make a pattern.

In design, odd numbers are considered to be more attractive and effective. Typically, we see one as not enough, and five, seven or more as too much. Three allows us to find the center point. That's why you'll see the rule of three everywhere from  photography to architecture to interior design.

As a writer, this rule of three is important to remember whether you are writing a story or a slogan. 

Writers create patterns with words. It helps us be organize information and be concise. It helps our audience understand and remember our messages. It can help the reader take action.

Think about it ... nobody's ever said "second time's the charm" or talks about the two musketeers. Doesn't the genie always offer 3 wishes when released from the lamp?

When Julius Caesar announced his victory he said, "Veni, vidi, vici." He didn't say, "I came and I conquered." He said, "I came. I saw. I conquered." The rule of three helped the message stick.

And it's not just Julius Caesar.

Abraham Lincoln: "We can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground."

Winston Churchill: "Never in the history of human endeavor has so much been owed by so many to so few."

Barack Obama: "We must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America."

Dale Carnegie: 'Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you just told them.” 

Writers will tell you the same thing:

 

“Trios may or may not be more persuasive, but they can create a sense of poetry and rhythm, making our content more pleasurable to read and adding stress to a statement.” - Henneke Duistermaat

 

"If you want something stuck in someone's head, put it in a sequence of three." - Brian Clark

 

"A piece of writing has to start somewhere, go somewhere, and sit down when it gets there. You do that by building what you hope is an unarguable structure. Beginning, middle, end." - John McPhee

"As a communications coach, I strongly recommend using the ‘Rule of 3’ in all areas of communications: marketing, pitches, and presentations." - Carmine Gallo

 

You'll apply it in marketing writing:

For copywriters: Problem. Agitate. Solve.

 

For content writers: Point. Illustration. Explanation.

So. Now you will remember to use the rule of three in your writing.

Nothing more needs to be said.

Except, I'm gonna take it too far, with way too many more examples to lock it in your head that the rule of three is a thing. A thing that works. And that's the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. See what I did there?

On your mark, Get set, Go! 

gold, silver, bronze

3 strikes, yer OUT!

snap, crackle, pop

3 periods of time (past, present, future)

3 Stooges

Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

3 Amigos

3 primary colors of light (red, green, blue)

3 Little Pigs

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

3 blind mice

3 witches

3 wise men (Magi)

The Pep Boys (Manny, Moe, Jack)

3 color tone properties (hue, saturation, brightness)

The good, the bad, and the ugly

Me, myself, and I

Three's Company

Government of the people, by the people, for the people.

Huey, Dewey, and Louie

Faith, Hope, and Charity

Charlie's Angels (Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith, and Kate Jackson)

location, location, location

Futurama (Fry, Leela, and Bender)

Friends, Romans, Countrymen

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (Ferris, Cameron , Sloane)

3 astronomical bodies that have a direct effect on our lives (Sun, Moon, Earth)

Star Trek (Kirk, Spock, McCoy)

3 persons in grammar [1st person (I/we), 2nd (you), 3rd (he/she/it/they)]

The Powerpuff Girls (Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup) 

blood, sweat, and tears

The Chipmunks (Alvin, Simon, Theodore)

3 main constituents of air (nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide)

The Three Gryffindors (Harry, Ron, Hermione)

Breakfast, Lunch (Dinner), Dinner (Supper)

Three coins in the fountain

Tigers, lions and bears (oh my!)

 

3 French Hens

3 sheets to the wind

The three bears 

animal, vegetable and mineral

Shrek, Fiona, Donkey

Columbus’ ships (the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria)

Yakko, Wakko, and Dot

Liberté, égalité, fraternité 

Stop, Look, and Listen

Stop, Drop, and Roll  

Faster, Higher, Stronger (Citius, Altius, Fortius)

Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh (the triad of gods in Hindu mythology)

Freud - Id, Ego, Super Ego

Dante’s Divine Comedy - Paradise, Purgatory, and Hell

Mind, Body, Spirit

And, to end on an intellectual note:

3 qualities of the universe (time, space, matter)

3 laws of motion (Newton’s laws)

3 laws of planetary motion (Kepler’s laws)

3 major branches of chemistry (physical, inorganic, organic)

3 spatial dimensions: height (up/down), width (left/right) and depth (forwards/backwards)

3 types of particles in the atom (protons, neutrons and electrons)