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Are You Really Writing Haiku?
Haiku is originally a Japanese style poem, however it has changed into a favorite of many young adults. One problem though, most who claim they write haiku, generally don't. Haiku is a strict style of writing that consists of a 5 7 5 style, meaning...
Energize Your Writing and Increase Your Output
Every writer can benefit from a study of the effectiveness of their individual writing process. You can write more and you can write better by making some adjustments in your writing strategy.
Recently one of my writer friends complained about...
How to Improve Your Writing Without Writing a Word
Many an ad, business letter and TV commercial comes into being slowly, even painfully. Maybe because some of us write as if we were still using an IBM Selectric, wite-out and a badly worn Webster's. For that matter, maybe some still are. And that's...
Ten Tips to Help You Finish Writing Your Novel
1. Set aside a time to write and keep it sacred.
Make this a time when you know you are at your best and feel most creative -- Saturday mornings, late at night, whatever works for you. Make writing a priority and arrange other parts of your...
Writing Made Them Rich #1: JK Rowling
Joanne Kathleen Rowling was born in Chipping Sodbury, England in 1965. She began writing at the age of 6 with a story called 'Rabbit', which she never finished. In high school her favorite subject was English. From High School, Rowling went to...
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Copywriting Is Not One-Size-Fits-All
by Karon Thackston 2004
http://www.copywritingcourse.com
I was in shock. Honestly, I shook my head when I read his email. I meant no disrespect; I just couldnt believe he really felt that way.
Karon, I want you to write the sales letter for my site. How much will it cost me? read his note. After looking at his home page and evaluating his target audience, I didnt feel a sales letter would be the best type of copy for his site. When I sent him my suggestion he replied with something along the lines of, No sales letter? What other kind of copy is there?
Was he a fan of sales letters? No, not especially. Did his question come with a sarcastic tone? No, it was a genuine question. A lot of what he had been exposed to online was sales letters. So much so that he thought this was the *only* type of copy to have on a website. Thats what all the gurus were telling him, so it must be true. Even though he had been to countless sites that did not have sales letters, he never realized the differences.
I pointed him to several sites that had a wide range of copy to show him some of the other styles.
Catalog Copy - (one of my favorite types to write!) http://www.gortonsfreshseafood.com
Long Sales Copy - http://www.copywritingcourse.com
Short Sales Copy - http://www.landmarkcreations.com
Brochure Copy - http://www.toyota.com
Shopping Cart Copy - http://www.amazon.com (works especially well for books)
Of course, these are just a few. What was his response? Now I feel stupid! Of course,
there are several types of copy. I dont know why I thought I had to have one particular kind for my site.
From there we worked together to better understand his audience and create copy that would appeal to them.
Copywriting is not one-size-fits-all. Im not saying sales letters dont work. Like every other type of copy, they do, given the right environment and the right product/service. What I am saying is you shouldnt box yourself in by assuming you *have* to have a particular type of copy. Just because one style of writing works well with someone elses site doesnt mean it is right for yours. Just because another person is selling a similar product or service doesnt mean you have the same audience therefore it doesnt mean you should use the same type of copy.
In fact, there may be several different types of copy that work equally well for your site/customer. After all, diversity is part of advertising. Take the time to investigate your product, service, and customer then research copywriting styles. When you do, youll likely discover that you have several options. Test those options in order to find the one that pulls the best response. *Thats* the type of copy that works best for your site.
About the Author
Copy not getting results? Learn to write SEO copy that impresses the engines and your visitors at http://www.copywritingcourse.com. Be sure to check out Karons latest e-report How To Increase Keyword Saturation (Without Destroying the Flow of Your Copy) at http://www.copywritingcourse.com/keyword.
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| www.nanowrimo.org |
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