What is Copywriting?
Picture this: you’re scrolling through your favorite website, and a headline catches your eye. It’s compelling, intriguing, and before you know it, you’re clicking through, eager to read more. That’s the magic of copywriting – a craft that’s all around us, yet often unnoticed.
In the bustling world of marketing and advertising, copywriting stands as a silent hero. It’s the art and science of strategically delivering words (whether written or spoken) that get people to take some form of action. From the captivating ads in glossy magazines to the persuasive emails in your inbox, copywriting is the voice of brands, big and small.
But what exactly is copywriting? Is it just about writing catchy phrases or is there more to it? In this post, we’ll dive into the world of copywriting, exploring its nuances and understanding its pivotal role in the digital era. Whether you’re a budding writer, a business owner looking to amp up your marketing game, or simply curious about this often-overlooked art form, you’re in the right place.
So, grab a coffee, settle in, and get ready to unravel the enigma of copywriting. You might just find that it’s not just about selling products, but about telling stories that resonate, persuade, and inform.
A World Without Color
What would a world without copywriting be like? Websites with blunt, uninspiring text, commercials that are just plain facts without any flair, and billboards that hardly catch your eye. Sounds pretty dull, doesn’t it? This is the unseen power of copywriting – it transforms the mundane into the extraordinary, the ordinary into the memorable.
But wait, there’s more to it than just making things look and sound appealing. Copywriting is the backbone of effective communication in the business world. It’s not just about being creative; it’s about understanding psychology, market trends, and what makes people tick. In essence, it’s a delicate dance of words, emotions, and facts, all choreographed to engage, persuade, and inspire action.
Master copywriting without spending a penny with my free "Ultimate Swipe File." This is a collection of the greatest copywriting over the past century, all curated and assembled into a single file. Click here to get the guide.
Have you ever wondered how a simple phrase can evoke a strong emotion or prompt you to take action? Or how certain brands have managed to become household names through their catchy slogans and compelling narratives? That’s copywriting at work – an invisible force that guides our choices and shapes our perceptions.
In the following sections, I will peel back the layers of this fascinating craft. From the basics to the secret techniques used by the pros, we’re going to uncover what makes copywriting an essential skill in today’s digital landscape. Whether you’re looking to break into this field, hone your writing skills, or just satisfy your curiosity, you’re in for a treat.
Prepare to be surprised, enlightened, and maybe even a little entertained as we decode the mystery of what copywriting really is. It’s not just writing; it’s a way to connect, convince, and convert – and it’s all around us, in ways you might not even realize.
Understanding Copywriting
Copywriting is using words to get the reader to take an action. That can be something as simple as continuing to read or as powerful as getting the reader to cut the advertisement out of a magazine and mail it in with a check and wait six weeks for your purchase to arrive.
Copy is always written with a specific goal in mind.
Every commercial, magazine ad and sales page was written using the power of copywriting. The more successful the advertisement, the better the copy was.
In essence, copywriting is a critical tool in the arsenal of marketing and advertising. It shapes how we perceive brands, influences our purchasing decisions, and plays a pivotal role in the digital landscape where content reigns supreme.
Copywriting Through the Ages
Copywriting has been around a lot longer than TikTok and it will be here long after. If there is one skill that I wish I’d learned earlier in my career it’s copywriting. It is the one skill that will continue to be valuable even if the entire Internet crashes and we go back hundreds of years in technology.
People will always want to buy and sell things to keep the wheels of commerce spinning.
I’m a big fan of historical copywriting because it had to be so powerful. Copywriting these days just needs to get you to click a few buttons while you’re motivated to make that purchase. Before the Internet, you needed someone to take major action. To either drive to the store and make a purchase or to send a check from the post office and wait more than a month for that purchase to arrive.
The Early Days
Copywriting’s roots can be traced back to the emergence of mass printing in the 15th century. However, it truly began to take shape with the advent of newspapers and magazines in the 18th and 19th centuries. Early advertisements were straightforward and informational, primarily focused on announcing the availability of products or services.
The Golden Age of Copywriting
The 20th century marked a golden era for copywriting, especially with the boom in radio and television advertising. This period saw the birth of iconic slogans and jingles that are still remembered today. Copywriters became master storytellers, creating narratives that connected emotionally with audiences, making brands household names.
The Digital Revolution
With the advent of the internet and digital technology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, copywriting underwent a significant transformation. The rise of search engines and social media platforms introduced new dynamics to copywriting, such as SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and content marketing. This era demanded a more nuanced approach to writing – one that balanced creativity with technical know-how, like keyword integration and audience targeting through digital channels.
Today’s Copywriting Landscape
Today, copywriting is an indispensable part of content creation and digital marketing. It has expanded beyond traditional advertising to encompass email marketing, web content, social media posts, and more. The modern copywriter needs to be adaptable, tech-savvy, and always in tune with the latest trends and consumer behaviors.
From print ads to virtual reality experiences, the evolution of copywriting reflects the ever-changing landscape of communication and technology. It’s a field that continually adapts and evolves, mirroring the progress and shifts in how we connect, communicate, and consume information.
Copywriting is a part of every business no matter how small. From choosing the text that goes on a Pinterest pin to selecting the image at the top of this blog post, it is all designed to get someone to take an action. With the power of AI tools, it is now possible for everyone to quickly become a great copywriter and take control if of their own destiny.
Art versus Science
Most of the time when we think about copywriting we think about coming up with the perfect magic words. We almost think of copywriters as wizards who speak spells to get customers to purchase.
This is the art part of copywriting and fortunately it is the least important.
Great copywriting comes from science. That means it’s predictable and repeatable.
The Critical Components
Every sales page has the same elements and when one is missing, sales can plummet. How well would a sales page do if without an order button? How about if there is no headline? Would you even read the rest of the page.
I sell a lot of books on Amazon. And that book listing is a sales page. Everything from the cover of a book to the description is all part of copywriting. When a page is missing something, the book never sells.
Think about how you shop right now. What do you do if there is an interesting book or product but only three reviews? Will you still make the purchase or does something hold you back? Great images and great copy aren’t enough to make up for that missing section.
The Order of Things
Not only do you need to have the right components, you need them in the correct order. One of the biggest mistakes new copywriters make is putting the price right at the top of the page. When people see the price before they’ve been convinced they want the product, they jump ship.
They won’t even read the rest of the page.
The headline needs to be at the top and the buy button needs to be at the bottom. Not every ad has the exact same components. Some of my sales pages are longer than others, but they all follow the same structure.
This is a good thing. It means you can start from someone else’s structure and create a decent sales page without any secret spells or linguistic mastery.
Start Your Copywriting Journey
The best way to get started is to read other sales pages and advertisements. Copy them by hand and you’ll start to memorize the components and structure of great sales pages. This is the way many great copywriters started and the best part is that it doesn’t cost a single penny.
I love ads from the 1950s and earlier. I’ve collected my favorite ads to model and study into a single PDF called the Ultimate Swipe File. Copying these ads into a notebook is exactly how I finally learned copywriting and stopped having to pay other people to grow my business.
Master copywriting without spending a penny with my free "Ultimate Swipe File." This is a collection of the greatest copywriting over the past century, all curated and assembled into a single file. Click here to get the guide.