Direct Response Copywriting For Dummies
If you want to earn a good salary as a freelance copywriter then it's a smart strategy to improve your direct response copywriting skills. The simple reason is because direct response copywriters are the best paid. The success of their copywriting is measured exactly, unlike when writing a website, press release or brochure. Every response is counted and linked directly to a promotionr's success.
Becoming a direct response copywriting is possible as long as you are ready to dedicate yourself to studying the craft.
First of all, read all the classics by the world's finest copywriters. This includes books by David Ogilvy, Joe Sugarman, Eugene Schwartz and John Caples. The lessons they teach are as valid as they were decades or even 100 years ago.
The next step to take is to collect samples of well-known direct response adverts and sales letters. There are many ways of finding these online with some quick searches in Google. You can also looking in Google images for PDFs of famous direct response adverts and sales letters. After making a swipe file, examine every sales letter and advert and write down the copywriting tactics used and why it was profitable.
Finally, practice relentlessly to improve your expertise. Write out successful direct response sales letters and adverts by hand. This helps you to know the thought process when the copywriter wrote them. Next try writing your own sales letters and adverts using everything you've come to understand from the last two steps.
There are many types of direct response copywriting. While the format and delivery mechanism might vary, they all have the focused aim of making cash. Some examples include:
Email - Spamming by unethical marketers has given marketing by email a bad reputation. But email can be a powerful way of generating profits if you make the right offer. When people respond it means you have earned their interest. Writing direct response emails might also look uncomplicated, but being able to produce a punchy, concise email that gets a reply requires a great deal of copywriting expertise.
Direct mail - These are the letters and post cards you get in the post to promote time shares, magazine subscriptions and other deals you didnt ask for. In each case, their purpose is to persuade you to react and confirm your interest in the offer, whether done by phone, email or posting a reply card. Composing direct mail isn't as simple as it may appear. People receive piles of direct mail each day, so your message must sound appealing to get people to read and reply. It is for this reason that direct response copywriters are the highest paid.
Sales letter writing - Direct response copywriters are employed to write the very long web pages used to sell training courses, eBooks and other online products as well as for print sales letters. These direct response letters are often sent as an introduction with a brochure, or as a sales piece on their own. These can span from a single page up to 10 pages or even more, particularly when trying to sell a high priced product. Writing letters spanning many pages that are engaging to read and profitable at getting readers to act in response and buy the product needs a level of expertise every copywriter aims to achieve.
Advertorial writing - You may have seen these and thought they were ordinary articles in a newspaper or magazine. They usually have headlines announcing a startling fact or miracle breakthrough, much like the other articles in the newspaper or magazine. The big distinction is that after commenting on the subject discussed in the headline they subtly transition to a sales pitch, describing a solution to the problem mentioned previously. They are also easy to spot because there will be a response form or telephone number at the end.
So there you have it, you are going to have to practice and learn a lot to be successful at writing the types of direct response copywriting explained above. The hard work pays off though, both monetarily and with the sense of achievement when you produce a lot of sales for a client. So if attaining the status of a direct response sales writer is something you aim for, start studying all the books by the most highly respected copywriters and developing your sales writing skills.
Becoming a direct response copywriting is possible as long as you are ready to dedicate yourself to studying the craft.
First of all, read all the classics by the world's finest copywriters. This includes books by David Ogilvy, Joe Sugarman, Eugene Schwartz and John Caples. The lessons they teach are as valid as they were decades or even 100 years ago.
The next step to take is to collect samples of well-known direct response adverts and sales letters. There are many ways of finding these online with some quick searches in Google. You can also looking in Google images for PDFs of famous direct response adverts and sales letters. After making a swipe file, examine every sales letter and advert and write down the copywriting tactics used and why it was profitable.
Finally, practice relentlessly to improve your expertise. Write out successful direct response sales letters and adverts by hand. This helps you to know the thought process when the copywriter wrote them. Next try writing your own sales letters and adverts using everything you've come to understand from the last two steps.
There are many types of direct response copywriting. While the format and delivery mechanism might vary, they all have the focused aim of making cash. Some examples include:
Email - Spamming by unethical marketers has given marketing by email a bad reputation. But email can be a powerful way of generating profits if you make the right offer. When people respond it means you have earned their interest. Writing direct response emails might also look uncomplicated, but being able to produce a punchy, concise email that gets a reply requires a great deal of copywriting expertise.
Direct mail - These are the letters and post cards you get in the post to promote time shares, magazine subscriptions and other deals you didnt ask for. In each case, their purpose is to persuade you to react and confirm your interest in the offer, whether done by phone, email or posting a reply card. Composing direct mail isn't as simple as it may appear. People receive piles of direct mail each day, so your message must sound appealing to get people to read and reply. It is for this reason that direct response copywriters are the highest paid.
Sales letter writing - Direct response copywriters are employed to write the very long web pages used to sell training courses, eBooks and other online products as well as for print sales letters. These direct response letters are often sent as an introduction with a brochure, or as a sales piece on their own. These can span from a single page up to 10 pages or even more, particularly when trying to sell a high priced product. Writing letters spanning many pages that are engaging to read and profitable at getting readers to act in response and buy the product needs a level of expertise every copywriter aims to achieve.
Advertorial writing - You may have seen these and thought they were ordinary articles in a newspaper or magazine. They usually have headlines announcing a startling fact or miracle breakthrough, much like the other articles in the newspaper or magazine. The big distinction is that after commenting on the subject discussed in the headline they subtly transition to a sales pitch, describing a solution to the problem mentioned previously. They are also easy to spot because there will be a response form or telephone number at the end.
So there you have it, you are going to have to practice and learn a lot to be successful at writing the types of direct response copywriting explained above. The hard work pays off though, both monetarily and with the sense of achievement when you produce a lot of sales for a client. So if attaining the status of a direct response sales writer is something you aim for, start studying all the books by the most highly respected copywriters and developing your sales writing skills.
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