9 copywriting tips for beginners

Copywriting is a key aspect of digital marketing – it aims to establish a brand voice as well as sell products and services. Copywriting is a very persuasive form of writing, as you are trying to convince readers to make a purchase or to get in touch. Read on for nine copywriting hacks that are perfect for beginners.

1) Include a strong call to action

What action do you want your readers to take? Whether it’s contacting you or making a purchase, you should always give readers an extra push with a clear call to action. The ultimate purpose of your writing should be clear to readers and, hopefully, convince them to behave how you want them to. Oftentimes, customers want guidance on how and what to buy, so make sure this is extremely clear and simple in your call to action. Let the reader follow your lead!

2) Make it SEO-friendly

SEO stands for search engine optimisation, and it’s essential for generating website traffic and getting your content to rank higher on Google. Copywriters should be aware of how to structure and write content that will be favoured by search engines. This can be choosing the best keywords to include, or writing meta descriptions and alt text to make content more user friendly. There are lots of free and easy ways to learn about SEO – our Content Hub is full of useful tips and tricks of the trade.

3) Understand your audience

Copywriting means trying to meet the needs of your audience, so you should always consider them first. What do they want to gain from reading your content? If it’s the answer to a question, be sure to answer it in the best way you can. Ultimately, you should always have your audience at the front of your mind when copywriting to avoid going off track or missing any key information.

What’s more, you need to know who your audience is. If you’re writing for a more formal brand, then a formal tone of voice is needed, as well as possibly more sophisticated language. If writing a general guide to a product, it’s best to remain conversational and helpful – this is easier to read than masses of complicated text. This remains the same when considering other characteristics of your audience – if writing for younger people, remain more informal. If you are writing for a US audience, try not to include British jargon or try to win people over with a cup of tea. It might be what you want to read, but not particularly relevant to your audience.

4) Check your spelling and grammar

Spelling or grammatical mistakes in content can look unprofessional and may make a reader trust your authority less. Always proofread your work before publishing it to the internet – this way you can correct any small mistakes. Although most word processors come with a spell checker, this often doesn’t pick up on grammar mistakes or may not pick up on a spelling error that’s been spelt as a different word. For example, a spell checker may not notice that you’ve mentioned “fog” in a post about Cocker Spaniels. Typos are easy to make – so be sure to check your work a good few times before posting it.

5) Be persuasive, but not intrusive

There’s a fine line between persuading a reader and pressuring them into a purchase. Whilst good copywriting is persuasive and prompts readers to engage with your product/service, you shouldn’t push this too far. Readers may be put off if copywriting is too forceful, and this can become very invasive. Not every click will lead to results – in fact, a lot of people may just read the content and move on. However, subtle and clever persuasion can result in a purchase without being too sales-y and losing the trust of your customer.

6) Be consistent with tone of voice

All brands should have their own distinctive voice – be it chatty, formal, witty, or otherwise. The key to establishing this voice is to consistently use it throughout different forms of content. For example, users will be confused if one product description is filled with puns, yet another is formal and standoffish. Customers want to know where a brand stands and what its personality is like, so a consistent tone of voice will let them know what to expect. This is essential for building trust with customers and to keep them coming back. Luckily, we’ve got a blog post all about how to get your tone of voice spot on.

7) Try to keep it simple

Unless you’re appealing to an incredibly niche audience, copywriting should be written in a way that’s accessible to everyone – including beginners. Don’t assume what your audience knows, and write so that anyone would be able to benefit from reading your content. This means explaining any jargon or industry-specific terms, so that your readers don’t feel out of their depth. You should also avoid long, heavy sentences and paragraphs. Break up your text into simple blocks that are easy to skim read, without overwhelming the reader.

8) Focus on benefits rather than features

Let’s say you’re writing a product description for a new energy drink. Instead of listing the ingredients, let readers know how they will benefit from trying this product. Will they feel energised? What are the health benefits? How will they feel when they drink it? These are all things a customer will want to know, rather than simply what’s in the drink. It’s the job of a copywriter to sell a product or service, so think of how best to relate to customers and persuade them to try your product.

9) Spend lots of time researching

If someone is reading your content, chances are they are looking for more information. So, it’s vital that you know your stuff and are able to provide correct, reliable information to readers. This doesn’t mean you have to be an expert in everything you write about. In fact, thorough research can allow you to write about most things, even if you have no prior knowledge on the topic. The last thing you want is to misinform or mislead your reader, so spend plenty of time researching before you begin to write. Once all the facts have been gathered, it’s much easier to write informative and helpful content that will win the favour of your readers.

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