Copywriting is the art of writing persuasive textual content which is capable of capturing the attention and interest of users. Writing a captivating copy, that is at the same time easy to read, understandable and able to remain imprinted in the minds of consumers, is not easy; quite the opposite. For this purpose, the role of copywriter was born: a professional figure in the field of communication who writes texts of various kinds to help brands communicate correctly with their target audience. To celebrate World Copywriter Day, which occurs every year on September 30^th, we delve into the secrets to creating perfect copy.

Try to imagine the word “home”. What comes to mind?
The set of graphemes, the smallest graphic units of a language which – in this case – are the alphabetical letters H – O – M – E, has certainly appeared in your head. The reason is very simple: writing is the basis of our civilization.

Walter Ong, a professor whose greatest interest was exploring how the transition from orality to literacy influenced culture and changed human consciousness, states that modern man, literate for millennia, no longer has the ability to imagine communication based on sound.

If at the time of the ancient epic poems culture was passed down orally, today learning only by listening to sounds is extremely difficult.

We learn by reading and this is why those who deal with writing, at any level, have the task of doing so in such a way as to facilitate the memorisation process as much as possible.

Written words are a very powerful weapon, the strongest communication tool in everyone’s hands.

In an era in which advertising is the protagonist of the global market, knowing how to write appropriately becomes a priority. This is how copywriting was born. This word is used to indicate the art of writing texts that leave a mark in the brains of the recipients. If we want to communicate effectively, we must write efficiently. To do this, it is not enough to know the grammatical and spelling rules, but it is necessary to put into practice some tricks that will make our writing interesting and memorable.

Let’s delve into the secrets of writing effective copy together.

Brand identity: to tell a story, you need to know it

Have you ever heard of an author of biographies who writes one without knowing the life and times of the main character? I do not believe so.

The first step consists in asking ourselves who we are. Our goal is to tell our story, but what is our story? What do we think if we reflect on our identity? These questions are very important in order to define what we want others to know about us. The essence and identity of our brand must be clear: only in this way will we be able to correctly communicate and transmit its mission and vision.

Target: you can’t tell a horror story to children

We shouldn’t tell a horror story to children, just as we shouldn’t talk to a lawyer about gardening tools: it would be useless.

Identifying the target audience is essential to achieve targeted communication.

For this reason, in order write high-performance copy it is useful to identify buyer personas – which are the ideal recipients of our message. These typical users are identified through an analysis that takes into account the user’s personal, psychological and demographic data, allowing to outline their objectives, fears and frustrations.

Tone of voice: ministerial decrees are not written in the language of the people

If the former Prime Minister during the pandemic had presented the Decrees speaking in dialect during a national live broadcast, we would all have had a great laugh.

This is because every context requires a relevant tone of voice.

TOV (acronym for Tone of Voice) is the way in which a brand expresses its identity through words, as well as one of the most salient aspects to take into consideration when we want to write good copy.

Therefore, after having defined our identity and the target audience, we will have to understand what is the right way of communicating, which must be unique – in order to give coherence to the company.

The TOV is an element that, if kept constant, allows us to present a corporate image relevant to the mission and vision of the brand.

Editorial plan: the page of a book makes no sense without the others

Think about reading the page of a book and trying to understand the whole story: it is impossible!

Within the communication of a brand, an essential tool is the editorial plan. It serves to place the individual copies in a coherent communication path, as well as to specify publication dates and distribution channels, along with content usually made up of copy and visual elements such as images or videos.

To complete the editorial calendar, it is useful to insert topics and headings.

With a continuous and organised communication strategy, the individual textual content will take the form of a meaningful message from time to time.

Storytelling: the instruction booklet is not memorable

You will certainly have had to read an instruction booklet, but what if we asked you to remember the various steps explained within it? You probably wouldn’t remember them and the reason is very simple: it is an apathetic text, devoid of emotions.

Writing successful copy presupposes the use of principles of rhetoric and narratology, which are fundamental elements when it comes to storytelling. It is a persuasive communication technique, in which the brand creates a relationship with its audience through emotion and empathy.

In short, the narrative must be engaging and must appeal to the instincts and needs and desires of the audience.

Different formats, different copy: it is not possible to write a novel on the label of a jam jar

Imagine going to the supermarket and finding a product description containing 15,000 characters or, vice versa, reading a history manual consisting of a short sentence: insane!

As obvious as it may seem, in the world of communication the mistake of not paying attention to the peculiarities of each channel is often made when drafting texts.

Using sentences that are too long for the captions of a post on social media or forgetting the calls to action in promotional texts can seriously compromise a communication project.

Following particular precautions for each means of communication is essential when we write copy. If we are addressing the social media audience, it is best to opt for short texts with simple vocabulary.

If the chosen channel is a blog, it is necessary to pay particular attention to the division of the article into paragraphs, avoiding the excessive use of gerunds, passive forms and negative sentences.

On the other hand, for an effective copy of a product sheet we need conciseness, accuracy in describing details and a good dose of persuasive writing.

At this point, all you have to do is start writing or, alternatively, you can continue to take care of your business and rely on copywriting experts, just like us. We will accompany you in all phases of the communication campaign, designing and creating high-performance texts and copy.

Contact us, your brand will thank you!