Copywriting will be a highly sought-after skill in 2020. Copywriting can make up to $100k per year.

Why? Any business can benefit from a great writer of copy. Every business, big or small, needs to have copywriting.

You can become a copywriter regardless of your background. 

This guide can help you get started with copywriting.

What’s copywriting?

Copywriting refers to the art and science behind creating marketing text. 

Copywriting is designed to persuade people to take a particular action.

Copywriting comes in many different forms–advertisements, web pages, brochures, white papers, social media content, and company taglines would all fall into the copywriting category, and that’s just barely scratching the surface.

Copywriting goes beyond words. It tells a compelling tale that represents your brand.

Copywriting doesn’t sell products or services. It sells emotions, lifestyles, and lifestyles.

Google Trends reports copywriting is a hot subject worldwide according to search data over the past ten year

Copywriting skills are essential today.

10 Elements of Great Copywriting

What makes great content? You have years of experience managing copywriters and copywriting, so you understand what it takes to succeed in this industry.

A piece of copy can be improved by adding elements. 

1. Grammatically correct

Even though this should be obvious, I am still amazed at the errors in my copy. Spelling and grammar mistakes can hurt your final goal.

When they see errors in copy, especially in short form, people have a negative perception of a brand or product.

It’s okay to make mistakes, but it doesn’t mean I’m perfect. A spelling error on a sales email, or homepage, that’s only a few lines in length can have a significant impact.

Do not rush this step.

2. Persuasion

Use persuasive copy to persuade people to do the right thing. 

Why should someone buy your product? What should they do to sign up for your newsletter?

You’re not selling watches. Identify the emotions that you want to evoke in the reader, then search for the right word combination 

3. Jargon-Free

Make sure you leave out industry-specific terms in your copy.

A lawyer should understand your words, even if they have no legal training. A doctor must be able to understand your text.

Avoid acronyms, slang, and other jargon. 

Great copywriters can simplify complicated subjects and make them understandable for fifth graders.

4. Strong Call-to-Action (CTA) 

It’s not enough to explain your brand, products, and mission. You must also give your audience a clear plan of action.

What’s the ultimate goal of your copy? This should be obvious to everyone who reads it.

Get the message across. Use CTAs to convert.

5. SEO Friendly

This element can only be found in the website copy.

Search engine-friendly content is always in your best interest. Keywords to help you rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs).

High-ranking content is not just about keywords. SEO-friendly content is only one factor. There are many other factors.

6. Direct

Great copywriting is clear and concise. Use short sentences and brief paragraphs.

Use short sentences to make your copy engaging and punchy. 

I’ve already mentioned the importance of writing grammar-free copy. To illustrate, you might use three sentences each with one word.

7. Captivating Lead

Great leads are the foundation of all great copy. Grab the attention of your readers by using a captivating headline, subheader, or subject line.

Use action words to grab attention. You can start by using a statistic or number.

Copywriting that says a headline must grab attention to get people to read it is old advice

8. Channel Specific

Copy that you create cannot be reused across all marketing channels. Emails must contain different copies than social media posts.

It is crucial to have unique content for every distribution channel, even if you promote the same product or promotion.

Your copy will need to be adjusted according to the channel. Copy tends to get longer as you go down the sales funnel.

This is not a rule to be followed but it will apply in most cases. Product pages will contain more information than landing pages.

Email copy can differ from landing pages and product pages.

Do not write a copy without understanding how it will be used. 

9. Audience Awareness

It is also important to know how to distribute your copy.

A person who visits your homepage might not be familiar with your brand. It is a waste of valuable text that can quickly lose an audience’s interest.

Be specific in your content. A business selling skateboards and surfboards has a different audience than a SaaS-selling company. 

10. A clear understanding of the Offering

Many beginner copywriters make the error of jumping right into the writing process. Make sure you understand the product and/or services before you start to write.

Let’s say you are a freelancer hired by a company for landing page copy. Depending on the complexity of the offer, it could take hours to create a landing page copy

If you don’t know what the offer means, it’s hard to convey it to someone.

Examples of good and bad copy:

Let’s take a look at some real examples of great copywriting after you have read about the qualities of great copywriting.

I’ll show you my favorite copy and explain why it is so great. Let’s also talk about some lesser-than-great examples.

Basecamp — Good example

Basecamp: Did you know it existed? Let us find out after reading some copy from the Basecamp homepage.

This is a great copy. The header clearly defines the target audience (remote workers) and explains everything about it in less than ten words.

This text is in a simple format: problem (before Basecamp), Solution (after Basecamp). It’s easy to understand and gives the reader an idea of the benefits of the product.

Basecamp does not sell product management software. They are selling a remote working solution.

Basecamp can be a great choice for people who want to make an impact.

Cards Against Humanity — An Excellent Example

Have you ever tried to learn a new board game? This can be frustrating, especially when you’re playing with others

It doesn’t matter how many people you ask for the rules, it can take a while before you understand them all.

This Cards Against Humanity product description explains how to play with just four sentences.

This copy targets a specific audience. The tone and style of the copy are clear. It is described in the opening sentence as “a party game “.

Cards Against Humanity might not be right for you if this is offensive to you.

The second paragraph describes how simple the game’s gameplay is. There are two CTAs: Download Now or Buy Now.

Bad example — Cultivated Wisdom

Cultivated Wit Entertainment is a comedy company. They have the best “About Us” page I’ve seen on the Internet.

I like the email opt-in copy on the homepage.

I find this copy very clear. Ironically, it’s so vague, but the words make it clear.

This text is also problematic because it doesn’t say much.

It is funny but I don’t think it would encourage me to join their email club. This is what this copy was designed to accomplish.

Bad Example — Discovery Channel

My favorite Discovery Channel channel is I love that I can watch science and technology shows all day.

This Discovery Channel advertisement could have some minor improvements.

It is hard to understand what is happening here. Although it appears that tickets are available at the bottom right, it is unclear for what purpose the CTA is.

A lead could be rewritten and a verb added.

An example of a line might be “Take a sneak peek inside Dead Sea Scrolls”. This is just a collection of words that have been taken out of context.

10 Copywriting Formulas

If you’re new to copywriting, you can use different formulas to learn it. I have distilled the list down to ten to make it easier for you to understand.

These copywriting strategies can be viewed as a quick template or cheat sheet.

1. FAB Formula

This is the best copywriting strategy. Instead, focus on the result and let users know what they will be getting.

• Features – What features do you offer?
• Advantages — How does it solve a problem?
• What are the benefits to readers?

FAB is an excellent formula for a copy that refers to products and services.

2. BAB Formula

The BAB formula is great for storytelling. It pinpoints pain points that the reader feels.

• This is your life before
• After — This describes how you’ll feel once the problem is solved.
• Bridge — This will take you there.

Basecamp provided a copy of this guide as an example of the BAB formula.

3. The 4 P’s Formula

• Picture – Draw attention to the reader with a picture that inspires curiosity.
• Promise — Describe how the offer meets that need.
• Prove — Give evidence to support it.
• Push — Get your reader to agree.

The 4P formula is an original way to convert. This copy convinces readers to trust you by making promises.

4. The 4 U’s Formula

• Useful — How can you help the reader?
• Urgent — Create a sense of urgency.
• Unique — Explain how these benefits are special.
• Ultra-Specific– Be very specific

The four-letter formula works well for advertising and social media copy. Use FOMO to create urgency to get your readers to act quickly.

5. Formula 4C

• Clear — Make your copy as clear and concise as possible.
• Concise – Keep your message concise and to the point
• Engaging — Get attention and stimulate interest in a compelling way
• Credible — Explain why your readers should trust your brand or product.

These guidelines are not meant to be followed with a copy. Beginners can use the 4 C’s to help them prioritize.

6. ACCA Formula

• Awareness — Recognize and address the problem.
• Comprehension — Describe how the problem affects your life.
• Conviction – Persuade your readers to accept your solution.
• Action — Make a strong appeal for action

The “comprehension phase” of the ACCA formula is different than the other. Tell people about the CTA and how it affects them. 

7. Formula “So what?” “

This formula is simple. Every time you make statements, ask yourself “So What?” This will make it easier to explain the benefits.

We create the best web content!

We can help drive more traffic, convert customers, and rank higher in SERPs.

The “so why?” part of the copy is not necessary. 

8. OATH Formula

Copy must be audience-specific. The OATH formula can help create unique copy based on market awareness.

• Unaware — The reader doesn’t know anything about your brand or offer.
• Apathetic – They don’t care about you but are aware of your existence.
• Thinking — The reader identified the need.
• Urgent — They are experiencing an urgent problem.

The copy should differ depending on the stage you are trying to reach.

9. PAS Formula

• Problem – Identify the problem.
• Agitate — Discuss the negative consequences of this problem.
• Solve — Offer a Solution.

The PAS Formula does more than identify a problem. The PAS Formula instills fear by describing the consequences of not solving the problem.

10. “Objections Formula”

Create a copy that addresses common objections your readers may have regarding your offer.

Do you have a busy schedule? This takes just 15 minutes.

Tips to Improve your Copy Now

Practice is the best method to improve copy. It’s possible to improve your writing skills by practicing.

Start with a short copy before you move on to larger projects. The headlines and value propositions are the most important.

Think like a conversationalist. Spend more time researching and planning than writing. 

Take note of the amazing elements of copywriting that I have already discussed in this guide. If you’re having difficulty, you can always consult a template.