I am about to share with you 8 quick ideas and suggestions to dramatically help you improve your copywriting skills as you get going.

You can use these tips when it comes to creating offers, E-mails and sales letters that grab people’s attention.

So without further ado, here they are!

Number one:
Always write your sales letter with the individual in mind.

Whenever you’re writing a sales letter or an E-mail, you want to write that E-mail or sales letter as though you were talking to one person.

Number two:
Pull them in with the first line.

You’ve got to create interest with the reader, the very first line that they read.

Number three:
Use bullets.

People like to scan, they like to quickly read things as fast as they can, and using bullets makes that whole process a heck of a lot easier. So use them.

So what makes good copywriting?

Good copywriting must follow five basic rules:

1. It must grab the readers attention with a compelling headline.

2. It must hold interest, by immediately delivering what was promised in the headline.

3. It must be absolutely clear what your message is.

4. It must have a strong guarantee.

5. It must produce the desired results.

Let’s examine each of the five rules, one at a time:

Grabbing the reader’s attention should be your #1 objective. On the Internet, you must assume the reader is merely “scanning” your sales copy. Therefore, it is absolutely imperative that your sales copy forces readers to stop scanning and start reading your copy!

So, the first two or three words of your headline are critical. Research has proven that certain words or phrases that quickly get the reader involved, are the best “stoppers” or attention-grabbers for headlines – power words or phrases like:

FREE…ANNOUNCING……AMAZING…ATTRACTIVE…EASY…SECRETS…GUARANTEED…WIN… DISCOVER…MAKE MONEY…LOOK YOUNGER, LOSE WEIGHT, etc.

However, whatever words you use as attention-grabbers in your headline, keep in mind, you only have a few quick seconds to grab scanning readers by the eyeballs and pull them into your copy. So choose your words carefully and TEST, TEST, TEST!

After your headline does its job of pulling the reader in, your copy must keep the reader interested, by immediately delivering what was promised in the headline. Don’t try to be cute, and don’t string your readers along. For example, did you notice how I immediately got right into telling you about “5 Rules Of Good Copywriting?”

Always respect your readers time.

Next, it must be absolutely crystal clear what your message it. Don’t turn simple words into rocket science. You will only confuse your readers, and confused readers don’t buy.

That’s why it’s a good idea to “dumb down” your copy, and write so that a child can understand it.

That means staying away from big words or words that a child can’t figure out what they mean.

It also means staying away from long paragraphs, and long sentences.

If your copy looks too daunting, it won’t get read.

Do you see how easy it is to read this article? Write like that. Why? Because In the United States alone, one in seven people (more than 40 million people) can barely read a job offer or utility bill, which arguably makes them functionally illiterate.

The aforementioned figures don’t even take into account the illiteracy rates of other countries.
Unfortunately, many adults who surf the Internet lack good reading and comprehension skills. That’s why your copy should be simple and direct without actually “talking down” to readers. Did you know, research has shown that the longer and stronger your guarantee is, the fewer returns you’ll have? It’s true.

Unfortunately, many businesses shy away from making strong guarantees because they think that a large percentage of their customers will take them up on it. This is a myth.

Unless your product or service is absolute garbage, at most, only about 1-2 percent of your customers will ever take you up on your guarantee.

These percentages have remained constant for decades.So if you’ve been using a 30 day guarantee, up the ante and try 60 days, 90 days, or 6 months. This will give readers more confidence in your offer, and produce more sales.

And finally, it’s all about results. It’s not about style points. It’s not about writing award-winning copy. It really doesn’t matter what someone else thinks about your writing. None of those things matter. The only thing that matters are results.

Is your copy getting the desired results – whether the goal of your copy is making sales or pulling in leads, traffic, etc.?

For example, I’ve seen sales copy advertised in magazines and newspapers, that I felt was horrible.
But then I kept seeing those same ads repeated over and over again. That’s a clear indication that those ads are making money. Offline media advertising is expensive. Most businesses can’t afford to keep repeating their ads, unless they’re making money.

In closing, you don’t necessarily need to be the next Woodward or Bernstein to write good copy. Just follow the 5 basic rules presented in this article, and you’ll be just fine!

Dale King is the owner of GuruKnowledge.org – The Ultimate Internet Marketing Resource!

If you’re tired of all the money-making hype, lies and scams…read this!
http://guruknowledge.org/pages/The-Super-Affiliate-Handbook

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Want to improve your website copywriting without hiring the professionals? Follow these 5 simple rules and transform your copy.

1 – Keep your language and your writing style simple. The web is a very informal medium, so keep sentences short, avoid jargon and make sure you avoid ambiguous statements or overblown language. It’s harder to read from the web than on a page, so write in short chunks. Use headings and sub-headings, bullets and tables to help break up any long paragraphs. It’s also useful to highlighting key words and sentences by making them hyperlinks to other information. Cut your words down by 50% for the web by cutting out any redundant words, waffle and repetition.

2 – Turn features into benefits. “Sell the sizzle, not the sausage”
Always ask yourself what is a benefit to your reader. Concentrating on features themselves is boring and dry – So what if you’re selling a wallpaper stripper, so are thousands of other people, but if you show people the benefits of using your products or services, they’ll be interested. What about the time and effort it’ll save, or the nice new wallpaper you have when you’ve finished stripping

3 – Don’t keyword spam. Too many keywords in a document will make it unreadable, and the search engines don’t like it either. All too often, people make the mistake of writing for search engines and forget that real people are actually going to be reading the copy.

4 – Always write for your audience. Research who the audience is and what they want to hear. You’re not writing for yourself or your boss but for your customer. Keep your audience at the forefront of your mind. Also think about why are you writing what you’re writing? You want your audience to do something specific when they read your copy, so what message do you need to get across to them? If you’re trying to sell something, remember that you want people to buy it while you’re writing. Keep it clear, direct and simple. Don’t let anything detract from the message.

5 – Choose your font carefully – On a website, underline means a hyperlink. It always does, so make sure you only underline hyperlinks. Also try not to use italics too as they are difficult to read on screen. Remember accessibility issues too. Keep headings and links logical and clear. A link should not just say “click here” but should tell you where you’re going when you click on it. Also keep links short but make sure they still make sense – So if your text said “Visit a copywriting agency and see what they can do”, you’d make “copywriting agency” the link.

Peter bletchen from the copywriting agency – http://www.thewritingagency.com

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Any one of the seven website copywriting secrets I’m about to reveal can increase your conversion rate by itself. But use ALL of them together and you’ll create an unstoppable online salesperson that will sell your product or service 24/7!

1. Write to a Targeted Audience

Know EXACTLY who your niche market is. Then target your sales copy to precisely what they’re looking for.

You can learn about your site visitors by looking at your server logs.

• What’s your most popular page?
• Where do visitors stay for the longest time?
• Where do people most often click away?
• When do most people visit?

Also consider the questions or comments you get from customers after a sale.Armed with hard information, you can write sales letter and website copy that addresses their specific needs. And you can answer any questions or objections they might have, just the way a sales rep would in person.

2. Create an attention-grabbing headline

A winning sales letter headline gets straight to the point and promises an answer to the problem your visitor is trying to solve.

Here’s an example of a sales-winning online sales letter headline:

Now, In Just 9 Easy Steps, You Can Transform Ordinary Fabric Into a Handmade Quilt That Your Family and Friends Will Love, Admire and Cherish -Even If You Have Never Made a Quilt Before!

Notice how the headline addresses precisely what the target web site visitor is looking for. If you keep your headline highly relevant, simple, and specific, your reader will read on.

3. Establish Credibility

Your visitors are just two clicks away from dozens or even hundreds of other websites similar to yours. Why should they believe what you have to say? You have to prove what you’re about to tell them can be trusted. So:

• Give your credentials
• Tell a story
• Feature testimonials
• Add a strong guarantee

4. Talk About Benefits, Not Just Features

Your potential customers want to know how your product or service will make THEIR lives easier. Drive this home by focusing on benefits and answering the question, “What’s in it for me?”

Here’s an example:

Feature: “The Grade A Gardening Shovel is ergonomically designed to remove weeds more efficiently than traditional shovels.”

Benefit: “Get your weeding done in half the time AND reduce wrist soreness!”

5. Add a Sense of Urgency to Your Online Sales Letter for Immediate Sales

You need to give your prospects a good reason to buy NOW rather than later.

Here are 4 urgency-builders to nudge prospects into pulling out their credit cards:

• Only a limited number available
• Available for a limited time only
• Limited-time coupons or discounts
• Special bonus in limited quantities

6. Format for Easy Scanning

People scan online rather than reading word by word. To keep your readers’ attention you must break up your website sales copy text. Here’s how…

• Use bulleted lists and subheads
• Make short, chunky paragraphs of one to four lines — and mix them up
• Emphasize important points with bolding, highlighting, or italics
• Use a plain font like Arial or Verdana
• Use only relevant graphics and images
• Put your text on a plain white or light background

7. Ask for the Order

Once you’ve drawn your readers through the sales process by explaining the features and benefits of your product or service, you need to spell out EXACTLY what you want your reader to do.

For instance:

• To order now and receive your copy within minutes, click here!”
• “Click here to take advantage of this limited time offer!”
• “To get your widget — backed by our 100% risk-free guarantee — click here now!”

If you don’t make the next step absolutely crystal clear for your readers, there’s no telling how many sales might slip through your fingers.

When it comes to your online business, your website and online sales copy is your one and only chance to communicate directly with your potential customers and tell them WHY they should buy from you. So use these seven online copywriting techniques wisely to make sure your online sales copy actually sells.

About Author:
CEO of Internet Marketing Center, Derek Gehl educates over 1.8 million Internet business owners per month on how to create incomes of $100,000 to $2.5 MILLION or more per year online. Now you can discover the powerful and proven copywriting and Internet Marketing strategies Derek uses to Quickly, Easily And Automatically make $10.42 for every $1 he invests in online marketing! Get it now at: http://www.marketingtips.com/tipsltr.html

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