How is great sales copy different from a general article?

Hello everyone,

I'd like to get some feedback, if possible, on how great sales copy differs from a general article. That is, if the same writer wrote a piece of copy and then an SEO article, how would his/her mindset change, how would he/she brainstorm, how long would he/she spend writing the piece?

From a readability standpoint, what changes? Does the 2-3 sentence guideline still apply? How does the writer keep the reader interested in either case?

From a business standpoint, how does pricing differ? I'd definitely like to hear from some more experienced writers as well as those who have just started out but are getting work.

Thanks!

 

The style of writing is definitely different, assuming you mean the article to be informative rather than a sales page by another name.

Sales copy has a climax as its goal, with the sole objective of securing a sale. The same isn't true for an article. An article could have any one of several different objectives. For example, one article might want to show the reader how to achieve a particular goal. Another may recount the history of an event, product or place. These 2 articles take on very different forms (as you'd expect), and neither has to culminate in enough desire and excitement to generate action (i.e. overcome doubt and human inertia).

An article can take an entirely negative view. Sales copy can never be entirely negative, though it can use negatives to serve its own purpose.

The techniques used to attract attention, and maintain interest are similar in nature. The good old fashioned hook still has a place! I tend to allow myself the luxury of longer words and sentences in articles. In my ad copy, I use short punchy words. I'm more inclined to stick to traditional grammar in article copy too.

I suspect this is enough to give you a good idea of how I approach the two different forms of writing.

 

megaresp,

What if one is using those articles for Internet Marketing? Wouldn't the goal of the article then be to have them click through?

Thanks for the useful information on using "short punchy words".

 

No. Then the goal of the copy in the resource box is to get them to click through.

 

Great reaponse Megaresp! SEO is still important in sales copy, but it should be a secondary objective. Chances are, you will be using articles, blog posts, Twitter, etc to point people to your sales page anyway.

 

Sales copies are supposed to be appealing to the general reader. Normal content is basically meant to be food for the search engines. Picture it this way-
GENERAL CONTENT- Helps your visitors in reaching the landing page.
GOOD SALES COPY- Is what is there at the landing page- it should prompt your prospects into taking an action.
There are a number of ways in which one can orient sales copies- my favorite is the AIDA method.
A- Attention
I- Interest
D- Desire
A- Attention
These are the perfect ingredients for a perfect sales copy!

 

Actually, that's only for SEO Web content.

Content in general is meant to educate, inform, or entertain a reader, whereas copy is designed to influence or persuade, even if subtly.

 

Copywriting is selling. It's most important to know the target, the product and what it offers in terms of a solution for the target.

 

I would like to get into copywriting as I believe I have a definite flair for it and it appeals to me immensely. I see it as a challenge to structure words in a way that you grab someone' interest, hold it, and then get them to follow you down a path to a place where they take the action you want them to. My question is this: how does one start getting copyright jobs to prove yourself when you're new to the business? It's the old catch-22 situation: no one wants to use you because you don't have the experience, and you can't get the experience and prove yourself because no one wants to use you!

 

AceWriter09 - First, please learn the difference between copyright and copywriting. Not knowing that can get you infractions if you post copyright issues / question in this section of the forum. Also, please take your question to its own thread rather than hijacking someone else's.

 

Apologies to all regarding my thread about how to get started in Copywriting!!! I am new to DP and obviously have much to learn about the rules! Didn't realize I was hijacking someone else's thread, sorry. Just thought seeing as you guys were dispensing valuable info to newbies regarding copywriting, I could get some advice. Humblest apologies!!!

 

jhmattern:

Very good point, and one that I agree with. One might argue, however, that a good article prepares the reader for the resource box. That is, without a good article, the reader won't stick around for the resource box.

I believe, after reading these responses and doing my own research, that if there is one thing that copywriting and article writing have in common, it is to get the next sentence read. Then the next. Then the next. There's a copywriter who's name escapes me that created this idea of continuity in reading.

I think where they differ is the goal (at least when it comes to internet marketing): In the case of an article the desired end result is to have a reader click through the resource box; when referring to copywriting, the desired end result is a sale.

Perhaps I should have mentioned that I was referring to articles and copy in the context of internet marketing.

 

That's precisely why your article must inform, educate, or entertain. If you do that with your content, then it's up to the copy in your resource box to convert that general interest into trust (by mentioning your credentials) or clicks -- either way making people want more, and showing them how and where to get it.

On a side note, copywriting is about influence and persuasion, but that doesn't always mean sales (even in Internet marketing). It's like an About page on a website. It's not generic content. It's copy. It serves a marketing / PR function by convincing people to trust you or your company (how long you've been in business, special credentials of the execs, etc. all help to do that). Too many companies don't understand that, so they toss up generic drivel that does nothing for them. Press releases are another form of copy, and heavily used in internet marketing (even though they're a PR tool). They're not about driving sales. But they are about visibility, trust, exposure, and even traffic when it comes to online use. Too many people associate copy only with sales. That's just as incorrect as confusing it with basic content.

I said it before, and I'll say it again.

Content = inform, educate, entertain
Copy = persuade, influence

The moment your "article" becomes about getting sign ups, getting people to click, making a sale, etc. you're not content writing anymore, you're copywriting. Unfortunately, a lot of folks who use that type of copy can't differentiate between what content and copy are supposed to do, so they don't get the best conversions they can. If you're looking for something solely for a marketing purpose, your best bet is to go with a copywriter who understands how to research and appeal to a given market. Most content writers don't know how to do that well.

 

jhmattern, you are the ubergoddess of term definition for the sake of arguement. :-P

Seriously, though, that's the best differentiation between the two I've seen. It's also easy to understand.

How, then, does an article writer switch gears to copywriting? I have a sales background, but verbal persuasion is very different, isn't it?

 

Not really. In both cases you have to understand the buyer, and then persuade them to buy. With copywriting, you'll do a different kind of research than with content. You'll need to spend a good amount of time understanding what you're writing about (let's say a product) and what would motivate the clients customer base / market to actually buy it. Then you'll use the copy to appeal to those motivating factors - through benefits to the buyer in this case.

 

Sales writing basically comes down to the level of persuasion, either overt or covert. Learn how to persuade through your writing, and you're at least a little way to becoming a decent sales writer.

 

Its actually AIDA:
A - Attention
I - Interest
D - Desire
A - Action

You already have their attention ;-) Now you need to convert...

 

rushy, thanks for the breakdown. Can you give me examples of these elements? I'll try to come up with what I think are good examples, but that doesn't mean anything.

Attention - a shocking page headline, a bright graphic, an interesting email subject line
Interest - a compelling story, a piece of little-known information
Desire - An income figure possible, a benefit (time freedom, etc)
Action - a call to action, like "purchase this product now"

Are any of these correct, or am I off?

 

It's also important to remember the difference in audience when differentiating between sales copy and articles--people who want to read articles specifically are terribly annoyed when they're fed marketing materials instead. When you go to Wired.com, you're looking for a different sort of material than you expect to find at Amazon.com, for example. Everybody knows the marketing hype is waiting for them at sales-oriented sites

 

Hi,

yeah, that about sums it up. its actually a mnemonic that was associated with traditional marketing but the theory can be applied to internet marketing too.

If you view any good sales page, you'll see all 4 of these elements clearly.

A - a good headline, normally see it in bold red at the top ;-)
I - a point of interest, a sneak peak at what could be (a video perhaps or screenshot of money earned)
D - now that youve shown people how much you're making, make them want it too...
A - a call to action, a timely positioning of the buy it now button or susbscribe to my list form.

I also agree with what Joe Wallace said in the post prior to this one. In every example you must always consider your audience and meet its needs first. The end user of any page (whether that be a spider or a human) should always be considered.

I'm sure some will argue the two are the same and in many ways they are but we all know people churn out spider food regardless of what is best practice....