Writing an effective copy headline is a challenge if you know you”re going to issue a call to action in the end, and that action is something that people will be initially reluctant to do like subscribing to an e-newsletter or buying a product. If you want your readers to do something, you need to convince them right away and starting with the very first word of your headline.

Offer Something Right Away

If you have something to offer to your readers, something they need and in exchange for what you”re going to ask them to do, make it immediately clear with your headline. When people start reading something online and they aren’t actively seeking information, they want to know what they”re going to get if they continue reading and they want to know what it is right away.

Make It Urgent

People are generally prone to take action if they know they”re running against time. Create a sense of urgency with your headline by telling your readers that your offer only stands up to a certain date or that you”re fast running out of stocks. You can also make it a do-or-die offer; if they let this opportunity slip them by, it’s gone forever.

Take care, however, when using this type of headline as it comes with certain responsibilities. Make sure you withdraw your offer at the stated time. If you”re going to extend the deadline, you better have a good explanation ready so as not to lose your credibility.

Keep It Simple and Powerful

Online copies have to be simple and as headlines are a part of the copy, it stands to reason that they have to be simple as well.

Don’t bother using long and difficult words. They won’t make a difference if no one comprehends them. Aim for powerful words instead. These words inspire action and call strong images immediately to mind. “Make Your Business Live Longer” as a copy headline can be improved, for instance, if you replace passive-sounding words with forceful ones. “Make Your Business Survive” has greater impact compared to the previous headline, don’t you think?

Keep It Short

Yet another requirement for online copies is brevity and naturally, headlines must follow the same rule. As a rule, online readers scan what they read and consequently, they”ll be able to understand a five-word-headline more quickly than a ten-word one.

For a good copy headline, try to lessen the use of particles, prepositions, linking verbs, and other words that won’t make a difference to your readers.

Don’t Try Too Hard

Naturally, funny and witty headlines are better but trying too hard could backfire on you. If there’s no way to make a headline funny or clever then leave it simple. If you manage to get your message across then you’ve done your job.

Use Numbers

They”re easier to recall and they sound more impressive. Instead of simply headlining a copy with “Tips for Gardening”, you can substantially improve it just by adding a digit. “6 Tips for Gardening” encourage people to read more because they know they have six (more than one’s many!) tips to look forward to in a single article.

Review and Revise

You may think you’ve made a perfect headline upon typing the last word, but give it a minute or two and you”ll be able to view it more objectively. Good luck on writing those headlines!

A common mistake that many people make when writing web copy or website content online is to assume that all their readers have all the time in the world to read a lot of words and go through an entire sea of text. Another common assumption is that people believe and remember everything that they learn online. However, the online writing arena is so much more competitive than the offline world: printed words are meant to be read, but online words are meant to be skimmed.

When you are writing copy, you need to speak your reader’s language. This requires knowledge of both tone and structure. In terms of structure, you need to follow your reader’s thoughts: your reader is thinking in terms of ideas, so present them quickly and in palatable shots. Have all your salient points ready and available in subheadings or bullet points. This can make it easier for your reader to skim through your copy and find what he or she needs. This also makes it more inviting for your reader to actually go through the work: by providing white space, you also give your readers” eyes the chance to rest once in a while.

Now that you have drawn your readers in and made them stay, it’s time for you to speak their language. Now this is a rather tricky deal: a lot of different parts of the population speak language differently, and every single person has his or her own native language that he or she is most fluent in or most comfortable using. You will need to tap into the most general of these languages: this means research on your part, say by doing a marketing study by looking at how people talk in different forums and mailing lists. You need to look at how people talk and find a way for you to sound like them, but not too much: remember, if you try too hard, your writing will show it.

Here are a few more tips on how to make your readers hear themselves in you:

- You need to make your visitors excited about your products and services, so excited that they will shell out some of their hard-earned money to buy them. This means that you need to keep your copy excited: be upbeat and enthusiastic, and avoid language that is depressing or dull, or that is bland and commonplace. Avoid going for negative statements: say what a thing is, not what it is not; better yet, say what a thing can offer. Give statements of potential and promise, and entice your reader.

However, be careful, as being too exciting can actually make you look desperate and hard selling. Desperation shows up easily online, so don’t be too uppity-up. Upbeat does not mean hyperactive, and neither does it mean reckless excitement.

- Grab attention at the beginning of your copy and do not beat around the bush. You will reinforce this at the end, but start your copy so that people know the point of it immediately. The best content, therefore, should be at the start and end of your web page, in order to grab attention, and then keep it and allow your visitors to take something home. Moreover, keep your ending memorable and upbeat, as this is what your visitors will remember about you.

- Keep it short and simple. If you are able to get the ideas out in a few words without your website visitors having to scroll ever so many times to get what you mean, then you have it made.

The whole idea of the marketing and sales is to play with the psychology of the consumers. In any campaign, efforts should be made it make it so influential that the decision making of the customer is totally in the favor of the company.

There are some tactics to manipulate the mind of the consumers, which can be utilized by not only ordinary sales person, but can be used by larger firms. Although they are used unknowingly, there is no set list.

Mutual exchanging is the first and powerful tactic. The company can start with giving something for free to the customer. He will take it for the first time, but from next time he will feel obliged and will try to return the favor. Offering the product for free initially can do this. And if the customer is satisfied with the product, he will buy it for himself from next time. Some salespersons get confused with this principle.  For example, it is ineffective and wrong according to this principle, to quote “Spend over $25 and get a free t-shirt”. The offer is not free; the customer has to spend something to get the free product. The product being given should be totally free without any condition to be fulfilled. For example, the line “Get the latest lipstick shade absolutely free” will do the trick. If the shade is really good, they will buy it the next time and might even think of buying other shades of lipstick.

On a personal note, Schick just sent me their new razor “Hydro” via direct mail.  I have used it a handful of times and I began looking at the different prices of  razors between Schick and Gillette. They are just a couple of dollars less than the “Gillette Fusion” that I have been using for years, but I don’t know if i want to change. Getting a consumer to change their buying habits, there has to be a very compelling offer. One or two dollars off to me is not compelling.

The next tactic is to present something as of high value, but the company should incur only small or no amount in producing it, like information. It can tempt the customer by saying that the information provided to them is a big time secret and is not known to anyone at all. But some mess it up, by saying that they are providing very valuable information, but it turns out to be another advertisement.

Another example is giving out free sample to the targeted customers. Again the mistake made here is that companies distribute samples of poor quality or rejected products. This certainly lowers the customers liking towards the product and he will assume that’s the way the product is actually and won’t go ahead to buy it.

Use words, which initiate immediate action, like “Limited time offer”, “Offer ending soon”, and “Offer till stocks lasts” are really motivating. The customer gets the impression that the offer will end really soon as the products are limited edition and he should go out and buy it at the very first chance. This works well specially with customers who have an interest in collecting antiques, collectibles and anything which are not easily available.

Getting the customer to make a commitment is another next good method to increase sales. The tactic  is to make the customer to take small steps toward the goal, without realizing about it. Like when the customer requests for some information, provide them with the relevant information for free and make them fill a form and take contact information from them. This is like committing to get offers and information about products in future. Do not advertise in this step. In the next step advertisements about products and services can be sent to the customer to the address provided by them. Conducting surveys is another example.

There is a great deal of direct response copy writing in the world today. Direct response copy writing can take several different forms. It could encompass a direct-mail campaign as well as direct response ads. Within this article today on direct response copy writing, we will look at what this entails and where you can find more information about direct response copy writing.

To learn more about direct response copy writing, you should look at one of the masters: Dan Kennedy. He has written many books which you should look into. Dan has done many different areas of copy writing but direct response copy writing is one of his specialties.

When you talk about direct response advertising, there is a great deal of competition. Many companies employ direct response copy writing so you must make sure that you have different ways for your advertising to stand up. When you are doing direct response copy writing, you should make sure that you are writing to your prospects as you would write to a friend. This will be slightly formal but informal in the sense that you are writing to the person in a conversational tone. You do not need to stick to a certain length of space within your writing but rather write until what you need to say has been said.

Direct response copy writing is a complex subject so you should read more about this subject because a formula has been developed that you can use. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel when you’re copy writing because that involves more work on your part and people have taken the time and effort to test the different parts of the letter to maximize the current formula and wring out the most sales possible with a direct response copy writing campaign.

There are three main parts usually to a direct response letter. These are the headline, the offer, and the postscript. The headline is the most read part of your sales letter so you must make sure to grab your prospects’ attention immediately. If you do not grab their attention, you’ll find that your direct response copy writing letter is at the bottom of the trashcan along with many other junk letters. The second most important part of the letter is the postscript. This is where you will be giving an incentive for someone to respond immediately to what you have to offer. With the offer, you want to make sure that this explains in great detail what a person will receive if they take you up on your offer. The postscript will offer further incentives so that the person will respond immediately.

Hopefully this article on direct response copy writing has benefited you. The key behind direct response copy writing is that you want the person to immediately respond to the offer that you have presented. Good copy writing is done by following the formulas that have been established. By focusing upon the three main parts such as the headline, the offer, and the postscript, you will be setting yourself up to have a high success rate. Direct response copy writing can be very effective and produce great sales for you or your clients if you do it correctly so be sure to continue to learn more about the subject.

To learn more about direct response marketing master Dan Kennedy – click here. I subscribe to his monthly newsletter and it is invaluable. This is not an affiliate link and I make no money recommending the newsletter. But if you want to make money, I would recommend you subscribe.

Proofreading is more often than not a neglected responsibility by many copywriters. If you value, however, the opinion of your readers then proofreading is but a small price to pay for the success you enjoy because of them.

Knowing What to Look for

Before anything else, proofreading can only be made possible if you know what to look for. This means having a considerable grasp of all the intricacies of proper grammar and punctuation as well as solid knowledge on spelling. If you fail in any of these counts, you need to work on them because they can make a huge difference with the quality of your copies as well.

Appropriate Environment

Proofreading is a job that requires great concentration, so find an environment suitable for the job. Get rid of all possible sources of distraction as well.

On Paper

It’s easier to overlook errors when you are proofreading with your computer so do print your copy on paper whenever possible. It might be more costly this way, but don’t you think the sales you can generate for a well-written copy can easily offset the expense?

The Right Mindset

The best way to proofread your copy is to have clear expectations of finding errors. If you think of your work as flawless, you”re more liable to overlook errors. Remember: a positive outlook – even if it means finding errors in this case – always helps in getting a positive outcome.

Read

Resist the temptation to read in the pace that you”re used to. Instead, read your copy slowly and read it out loud if possible. Reading will help you find errors in the style and cohesion of your writing.

When you”re done reading from start to finish, try reading it backwards. The brain tries to automatically correct any spotted error in the content, making you read what you think you see instead of what you”re actually seeing. By reading backwards, you prevent your brain from correcting on auto-mode and view your work for what it really is.

Appearance

Proofread includes correcting the look of your copy. Pay attention to wrong spacing and margins, irregular font styling, and improperly capitalized words. Indeed, pay greater attention to words in uppercase as it’s more difficult to see errors in that format.

Consistency

Proofreading includes making sure that everything about your copy is consistent. Uniformity, after all, makes a web copy more attractive. If you use a certain name for reference, be sure to use that name at all times rather than confuse your readers with various synonyms sprinkled across your text.

Grammar and Spell Check

The options for these mechanisms provided by your processor are not always right. And no, this doesn’t mean that you”re smarter but they”re probably not configured correctly. In any case, don’t rely on them to do your work for you.

Over and Over

Proofreading is not a one-time process. You need to do it over and over and at properly spaced intervals to make sure your copy is entirely error-free.

Another Point of the View

Last but not the least, have someone else – preferably one with the necessary knowledge and experience – proofread your work. You don’t have to pay a professional to do it. If you know other copywriters, you can strike a deal and proofread each other’s work.

A fresh pair of eyes, not to mention unbiased as well, can help find the last few errors in your copy.

Plus the Top Ten Power Words according to Yale University

Words cannot only influence the minds of people but can completely change their perception abut a particular thing. Words have the persuasion power to entice and motivate. They are used by the politicians, public relation folks, and even by parents to pass on their message. These words are known as power words and they can do wonders when used in advertisement.

New or improved words create a sense of curiosity. The customers get an impression that the product is something that is different from others and he tries to get it before anyone else does so as to have edge over others. The laundry products have always been advertised as new and improved, from years. Although it can be either new improved version of the existing product, but the power of both the words and the product reinforces each other’s strength.

Take for instance the line “Money back guarantee”, these power words helps gain the trust of the customer. It is a must to print these words at the closing line of an advertisement. After this sentence, the methods of payment and how money will be returned if the customer is not satisfied should be stated.

Most of the successful advertisements have a little known secret that surely generated curiosity within the reader. People are knowledge thirsty, they want to know what others do not know. They think that there is some vital information they are missing because of which they haven’t gained success in something particular.

Words “Insider say that”, is similar to ‘secret”. It gives out information from some expertise that is still unknown to the outside world and only if the customer gives money, information will be divulged to him.

Free word in the headline of the message simply does wonders. The reader easily absorbs the message, unless and until something free is given to the customer in reality. By any change, if the company tricks the customer into paying money for something, which was supposed to be free, the trust of the customer is lost instantly. Usually the word FREE is spelled as FR~E on websites as ISP filters blocks messages having the actual word, considering it to be some kind of spam.

You is a very important word to be used in an advertisement. It directly points out the advantages to the customer, if he buys a particular product or service. Step into the shoes of the customer and try to note down the points which will be of benefit and what points will decrease the interest. The advantages then should be referred to the customer by addressing them with “you”. The customer feels that he is being directly talked to.

The word “Immediately” rings in the emergency. It can be interpreted as “Don’t wait any longer, get it now!” This motivates the customer to take some necessary and quick action.

Power in itself is a powerful word. Give that power to the consumer and see the magic. This gives the consumer a feeling that he can get possession of something that he lacked till now and this could make him achieve the impossible.

The basis of a successful ad is to understand the consumer’s needs and then design the ad accordingly. Just stating the advantages of using the product or service of the company isn’t enough. Sentence should be so designed that the customer should see his advantage in the product. For example, when advertising for a digital camera, just stating that the in-built memory of the camera is of 1 GB, won’t do the trick. Instead, the sentence should be changed to “enough memory to store 350 pictures or 50 videos”. The solution to the problem of the customer is reflected in this sentence. Ideas can be taken from advertisements of other similar brands like how the sentences are written and placed in an advertisement. After the sentence framing, adding power words to spice up the advertisement will definitely make a winning ad campaign.

Top 10 Power Words You Should Use in Your Advertising

According to the psychology department at Yale University, some words in the English language are more powerful than others. Here are their top 10 most powerful:

10. New — It’s part of basic human makeup to seek novelty.

9. Save — We all want to save something.

8. Safety — This could refer to health or long-lasting quality.

7. Proven — Helps remove fear from trying something new.

6. Love — Continues to be an all-time favorite.

5. Discover — Presents a sense of excitement and adventure.

4. Guarantee — Provides a sense of safety at the time of purchase.

3. Health — Especially powerful when it applies to a product.

2. Results — Works in rationalizing a purchase.

1. You — Listed as the #1 most powerful word in every study reviewed. Because of the personal nature of advertising copywriting, you should use “you” in your headline, opening line and as often as possible. In fact, many copywriters will throw out a headline if “you” is not in it.

Having great website content is a must in today’s crowded Internet arena. You always need to write well, and present a lot of information in a manner that will not only allow people to learn, but give them a benefit for visiting your site. This latter part is very important: what is the benefit to the visitor?

But first you need the visitor to not click away immediately from your website. Look at your own behavior when you are surfing the web. If you don’t see something that catches your eye immediately, you are probably going to leave that site. You need to plan your website content so that it catches your prospective visitors’ eyes. You need to hook them at first glance.

In particular, you need to answer four basic questions when writing web copy. First, why are your visitors at that website and why should they be there? Are they in need of a product or service? Do they fit a particular demographic that needs your help?

Second, what should they do? Should they buy your product or service? Should they call you? Provide your visitors with a road on which to travel instead of telling them that they should get to a destination by their own terms.

Third, answer why your visitors should even do anything. Should they buy a product or service to get themselves out of a financial rut? Should they buy something from you so that they can enjoy life better?

Finally, what should they do next? Should they go out and buy things, save money, ask for more help? What should they expect from you?

Remember these four basic questions when you set up your copy. You will need maintain consistency in your look and tone, moreover, so that when people read through your copy, they will feel comfortable and not have their brains scattering all over the place, what with the multitude of ideas that you present.

Those are the basic four questions you need to ask when writing copy. In addition you need to practice targeting: this means that you have to fashion your statement so that visitors of a specific demographic and with specific needs can have these same needs filled by the products and services that you provide. You need to know your target market. When you know your target market, you can step into its shoes better. You will know where to look for it online. This includes going to the proper online forums and mailing lists in order to see what your target market wants, how much money it’s willing to spend for certain products and services, and the language that it speaks.

It is this language and attitude that is especially important for you. You need this information in order to get a profile of your market, and know what your prospective customers should be like. When you have this profile, you can better make web copy that is targeted toward the needs and tastes of this target market. So now that you have the target, you can start sharpening weapons: you can outline your plan for making that precious web copy.

Remember: you need to catch attention within seconds, so get straight to the point. Keep your tone even, and make sure that it adheres to the tastes of your target market. This will make you appear as though you are engaging them in convincing, enlightening conversation. Moreover, don’t beat around the bush: be straightforward and easy to understand. The key is to talk to your target market and meet its needs, and to be in this specific mindset at the very beginning.

I was going through some old files on a dying computer and I came across this article. If you write ad copy or sales presentations there is some useful information here.

Add sales punch to describe your merchandise or sales offer – use one of the following words. It may be helpful, used alone, or with other words. They have been selected from successful ads for your convenience in preparing copy.

Absolutely. Amazing. Approved. Attractive. Authentic.. Bargain. Beautiful. Better. Big. Colorful. Colossal. Complete. Confidential. Crammed. Delivered. Direct. Discount. Easily. Endorsed. Enormous. Excellent. Exciting. Exclusive. Expert. Famous. Fascinating. Fortune. Full. Genuine. Gift. Gigantic. Greatest. Guaranteed. Helpful. Highest. Huge. Immediately. Improved..Informative. Instructive. Interesting. Largest. Latest.. Lavishly.. Liberal.. Lifetime.. Limited.. Lowest.. Magic.. Mammoth.. Miracle.. Noted.. Odd.. Outstanding.. Personalized.. Popular.. Powerful.. Practical.. Professional.. Profitable.. Profusely.. Proven.. Quality.. Quickly.. Rare.. Reduced.. Refundable.. Remarkable.. Reliable.. Revealing.. Revolutionary.. Scarce.. Secrets.. Security.. Selected.. Sensational.. Simplified.. Sizable.. Special.. Startling.. Strange.. Strong.. Sturdy.. Successful.. Superior.. Surprise.. Terrific.. Tested.. Tremendous.. Unconditional.. Unique.. Unlimited.. Unparalleled.. Unsurpassed.. Unusual.. Useful.. Valuable.. Wealth.. Weird.. Wonderful.

70 PHRASES STIMULATING ACTION

Close your ad with an action-getting phrase. Give the reader something to write or do. Here are 70 suggestions for ways to get action. Study them. They will help you prepare your copy for better results.

Act now!.. Send your name.. All sent free to introduce.. Amazing literature.. Free.. Ask for free folder.. Bargain lists sent free.. Be first to qualify.. Booklet free!.. Catalog included free.. Complete details free.. Current list free.. Dealers write for prices.. Description sent free.. Details free!.. Dime brings details.. Everything supplied!.. Exciting details free.. Extra for promptness.. First lesson, 99 cents.. Folder free!.. For literature, write:.. Free booklet explains.. Free plans tell how.. Free selling kit.. Free wholesale plan.. Free with approvals.. Full particulars free.. Get facts that help.. Get started today!.. Get your copy now!.. Get yours wholesale.. Gifts with purchases.. Illustrated lists free.. Interesting details free.. Investigate today.. It’s Free!.. Act Now!.. Literature free.. Mail material to:.. Money making facts free.. No obligation! Write!.. Offer limited!.. Send today.. Order direct from:.. Order Now!.. Don’t Delay!.. Particulars free.. Postcard brings details.. Request free literature.. Revealing booklet free.. Rush name for details.. Sales kit furnished.. Sample details free.. Samples sent on trial.. See before you buy.. Send for free details.. Send for it today.. Send no money.

BONUS !!! THE 100 MOST THREATENING SPELLING WORDS in the Order of Their “Threat” to You

occasion.. recommend.. occurred.. principal.. equipped.. accommodate.. disappoint.. possession.. privilege.. proceed.. inconvenience.. accept.. business.. necessary.. personal.. receive.. reference.. separate.. their.. whether.. questionnaire.. criticism.. description.. effect.. extension.. judgment.. quantity.. similar.. undoubtedly.. height.. immediately.. stationery.. foreign.. fourth.. government.. omitted.. weather.. personnel.. existence.. analysis.. across.. appearance.. loose.. pamphlet.. practical.. preferred.. unnecessary.. affect.. attendance.. incidentally.. apparent.. calendar.. professor.. strictly.. principle.. already.. coming.. its.. oblige.. opportunity.. original.. paid.. probably.. referring.. referred.. there.. too.. writing.. among.. arrangement.. practically.. convenient.. canceled.. really.. using.. beginning.. especially.. volume.. committee.. confident.. difference.. endeavor.. explanation.. except.. sincerely.. experience.. benefited.. conscientious.. eligible.. acquaintance.. controversy.. exceed.. laboratory.. omission.. procedure.. acknowledgment.. Wednesday.. guarantee.. February.. schedule.

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Sales copy online can make or break your business. A good sales letter must lure visitors, create trust and motivate readers to purchase. You can spend millions of dollars on ads and still have low or no response. But just pay a little more attention to your sales copy and then watch the response you get to your advertisements. Here’s some fundamental rules you could apply to see some magic work with your ads:

· No matter how “wow” your words are, you have to have a good product for sustainability. Keep away from false claims, over exaggerations, just put in pretty terms what your product really does and why people should buy it.

· Your first copy will not be absolutely brilliant. You will have to play around with it and make changes. Test it. Ask for opinions. Select a pilot market to test effectiveness. All this takes time, hence plan well

· Follow the well known AIDA strategy [source: Strong, E.K. (1925). "Theories of Selling". Journal of Applied Psychology] – Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. Your copy must grab the intention of people at just one glimpse of it. It should create an interest to probe in further. It should make the customer want to really buy the product and most importantly, now and not later!

· You should have a killer headline. It should really make the reader go over to the next line. Headline says it all. It should really be a class apart. Here is a great headline tool that I written about and use quite often. Headline Analyzer Tool – Check out the score of the headline above.

· Go in a descending order in terms of your product features – put the best ones on top and the less interesting ones in the end. The ones right on top grab interest and create desire.

· Stories always inspire. So tell a story and connect it with your product. The convincing power of stories is greater.

· Answer all the queries that you think your buyers might have. Your copy should not leave out any information. Think of prospective doubts and apprehensions and steer them clear by offering a good, valuable explanation to them. This way, you will earn trust and the customer will feel like you have really understood them.

· Use bullet points for each feature. It is just easier on the eye. Bold and italicize whatever is most important. Do not over use these features though.

· Set time limits. Example: limited period offers! This will get your prospects to act now, and not read and forget about it.

· Show testimonials. This is a wonderful way of convincing people, especially if the testimonial is from a well known or important person.

· Make the process of buying simple. The process should not require the buyer to spend loads of time online, looking for your product which is just lost somewhere in your website. Design the buying process in easy steps.\

· Substantiate your facts with proofs and numbers– Eg: Research carried out by the well experienced team of professionals here shows that our products contain the highest amount of natural compounds in cosmetics in comparison to others available in the market.

· Ensure you take opinions from a lot of people before actually releasing your copy.

These are some of the tips you could follow to make your copy better than it looks now. Understand your prospects and give them what they want rather than what you want to thrust on them.