15-Step Guide To Writing Your First Real Copy

Writing the first draft is hard. I know because writing my first draft was incredibly difficult. But it’s also fun, which makes it worth it in the end! If you want to write a better copy but don’t know where to start, this guide will walk you through the process step by step. 

We’ll talk about everything from finding your voice to writing engaging headlines and compelling descriptions that sell.

Key Takeaways
1. Start with thorough research on your target audience and the product/service you’re promoting.
2. Craft a compelling headline that grabs attention and communicates the value of your offering.
3. Develop a clear and concise value proposition that addresses your audience’s pain points and needs.
4. Focus on creating engaging and customer-centric content that resonates with your readers.
5. Utilize persuasive storytelling techniques to connect emotionally with your audience.
6. Highlight the benefits and features of your product/service while addressing potential objections.
7. Incorporate social proof and testimonials to build credibility and trust.
8. Create a sense of urgency to encourage immediate action from your readers.
9. Craft a strong call to action that guides your audience on what to do next.
10. Pay attention to the tone and voice of your copy, aligning it with your brand personality.
11. Break up the content with subheadings, bullet points, and visuals for better readability.
12. Edit and proofread your copy for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.
13. Test different variations of your copy to optimize for better performance.
14. Continuously analyze and refine your copy based on audience feedback and data.
15. Stay up-to-date with copywriting trends and best practices for ongoing improvement.

Step 1: Read All The Articles

You’re going to need to read a lot of articles on copywriting to get the hang of it.

I mean, let’s be honest: you don’t know what you don’t know until you learn something new. When it comes to writing sales copy, there are no shortcuts you have to read a lot before your words start sounding funny in your head (or if they sound too familiar).

So where should you start? Well, I’d recommend reading as many different types of articles as possible no matter how much or little time you have available for reading.

Embarking on your legal writing journey? Our Legal Writing 101 guide offers essential tips and insights to help you start strong and build a solid foundation in the world of legal writing.

Here’s a list of some excellent places where I’ve found some great content about copywriting

Books  – There are tons of great guides out there that can help teach beginners how not only to create their first product but also how to write their first sales page! Check out this list for some recommendations 🙂

Blogs – Blogs can be an awesome way for beginners looking for more information about writing sales pages because they tend to offer free advice from experts who already understand the importance of creating quality content before launching any campaigns myself included!

Step 2: Write A Crappy First Draft

First, you must write a crappy first draft.

This part is so important that it’s worth repeating: the goal here is not to create a perfect piece of writing. It doesn’t matter if your first draft makes you cringe or cry with frustration (in which case, go ahead and cry). 

The point is just to get as many words out of your head as possible onto paper or into Word as quickly as possible. You’ll come back and revise later on; right now, speed is more important than quality!

Don’t worry about word count either just write until you feel like stopping or until your brain hurts from thinking too hard about what comes next in this story that isn’t yours yet anyway (remember?!)

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Step 3: Trim All The Fat

Now that you have done your research and gathered some information, it’s time to trim the fat. What do we mean by this? We mean that now is the time to start cutting out all of the unnecessary, unhelpful information from your outline.

What makes something “fat”? Well, anything that doesn’t support one of your central claims. For example: if you’re writing about why people should buy a particular product or service, don’t include background information about how long the company has been in business.

Focus on what makes them different from their competitors and why those differences matter for potential customers.

Trimming the fat is important because it allows you to focus on telling an effective story and conveying key ideas; writing with too many words is going to make it more difficult for readers (especially busy ones) who are looking for ways to make informed decisions about their finances or other needs. 

You want them focused on what matters most: how they can solve problems related directly back to whatever problem they were having when they first started reading!

Step 4: Find Your Voice

This is where you find a style that works for you, your audience, your brand, and your niche. If you’re writing about fitness, it’s different from writing about fashion and both are different from writing about business. 

I know what some of you are thinking: “If my brand just did something fun/unique/funky then people would love us!” Maybe they would but maybe they also wouldn’t. The point is to find a voice that fits into their world as best as possible while keeping them engaged enough to keep coming back for more!

Step 5: Figure Out Your Writing Process

Now that you know the basics of copywriting, it’s time to start writing. But where do you begin? How will you know if this is working for you?

It’s time to figure out a writing process that works best for your style and personality. To do this, try different methods until one sticks.

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The Way I Write My Copy Might Not Work For Other People, But Here Are Some Things I’ve Found Helpful

Find a time of day that works best for the type of writing I’m doing. For me, mornings are when I have the most energy and can think straightest; evenings leave me too tired by the end of them (and also too tempted by Netflix). It’s important to find what works best for your brain chemistry!

Find a place with no distractions or as few distractions as possible where I can focus solely on being creative without having my attention drawn away by other things going on around me like traffic or construction noise outside my window (I live in New York City). 

The library is usually quiet enough so that this isn’t an issue (and it adds an interesting twist on research since at first glance people think they’re just watching TV shows).

But there are also plenty of coffee shops around town where people aren’t constantly coming in with agendas or business cards trying to sell something… just don’t sit next to someone who keeps talking loudly into their phone while they drink their latte unless they ask permission first!

Step 6: The Ugly Truth About Perfect Spelling And Grammar

Pardon the interruption, but I must make a confession: I am a terrible speller. In my defense, while many people consider spelling to be a matter of intelligence and personal character, it’s more complicated than that. 

While many people are both intelligent AND good at spelling (you know who you are), there are also plenty of intelligent people who struggle when it comes to spelling. As such, you cannot simply assume that if someone is struggling with their grammar and/or spelling that they’re dumb or lazy they just might have dyslexia!

Here’s the thing: everyone struggles with some aspect of writing at some point in their lives. Some people struggle with grammar. Others struggle with punctuation or even sentence structure itself (I’m looking at you comma splices). 

But one thing everyone has going for them is the ability to learn from their mistakes everyone is capable of getting better over time through practice and repetition. The only way we grow as writers is by exposing ourselves repeatedly to our weaknesses so we can gradually shore up those weaknesses until they become strengths instead!

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Step 7: Start With A Bang (Or Don’t)

Start With A Bang.

Don’t start with a bang.

People think that if they start their copy with a bang, it will set the tone and make the rest of their copy sound better. They also think this is how to get attention and make people pay attention to what they have to say. But that’s not true at all!

What this means is that you should start your copy in such a way that it doesn’t feel like you started at all it just flows out of your fingers like magic onto paper… or computer screen, whatever floats your boat 🙂

Step 8: Write For People, Not Search Engines

To write for people, not search engines, you have to know who those people are.

If you’re selling a product or service, you need to know who your customers are and what they want from your business. If you sell dog food online, for example, your customer is probably someone who owns a dog and wants to feed it healthy food. 

That person might be looking for information about how much protein dogs need or whether they could use chicken breast instead of ground beef in the recipe they make at home each week. 

If these things aren’t obvious yet (and they very well may not be) take some time right now to do some research so that you can identify who exactly makes up your audience and why they want what they do from YOUR business/product/service specifically!

Step 9: Don’t Be Afraid To Break The Rules! (But Make Sure You Know Them First)

You’ve probably heard this before, but I’ll say it anyway: The rules are meant to be broken.

This isn’t an excuse to do whatever you want and call it copywriting. If you want your writing to stand out in a sea of boring content, then you need to truly understand why certain conventions exist in the first place. 

Once you understand why things are done one way (and not another), then go ahead and break those rules but make sure that breaking them is intentional and has a purpose behind it!

Step 10: Make It Sticky

You’re almost done! Congratulations for sticking with us and making it this far. Now that you have the basics down, let’s take a look at how to make your copy sticky. When people read your copy, they should be able to do one or more of the following:

Call-to-action (CTA). This is what makes someone click on an ad or link. It could be something like “Click here to learn more” “Click here to get our whitepaper” or even just something simple like “Get Started Today!” As long as it has some sort of actionable direction your audience can take, then you’re good to go!

Reason why. Find out what questions need answering for readers to understand why they should care about what you have to say before they start reading any further (remember our goal?). Are there problems that still need solving? Think about how many times our friends have asked us things like “Have you ever tried…? 

How did it work out for you? Did I miss anything important if I skipped over those steps? Did something else happen when I was away from home that made all my efforts useless because none of them were successful without help from others nearby who know how these things work better than me maybe next time just don’t try alone without asking.

First, just in case someone else knows better than me because I’m only human after all! Sorry everyone else who isn’t me =) haha jk but seriously don’t forget about safety precautions next time when using equipment such as power tools etcetera xoxo <3 😛 😉  

When done right this step will give readers confidence in whatever happens later on their journey towards understanding themselves better thanks mainly due primarily due primarily

Step 11: Write From Inside Out

Write from inside out, not outside in.

This is the most important writing advice I can give you. Writing from the inside out means writing about your passion, what you know and what you want to learn. It means writing about what you want to share and teach others. 

Write about the things that are meaningful to YOU as a human being and that make YOUR world go round – because if it doesn’t matter very much for YOU then why should anyone else care?

Step 12: End With A Bang (Or At Least A Whimper)

This is the part where you show your audience that you’re confident in your product. You’ve given them a ton of reasons why they should buy it, but now, you have to close the deal. This is what I like to call “the little extra push.”

At this point, they’ve read through everything else and considered all that information. They know what they want, but just need that final push to get them over the edge and into action mode.

It’s also important at this stage not to forget any contact details or links so that people can reach out if they have questions or would like more information about your service/product/etcetera. This will increase your chances of making sales down the road as well!

Step 13. Cut, Cut, And Cut Some More

Every writer knows the feeling of seeing his or her work and thinking, “There’s too much. I need to cut some stuff out.”

In this step, we’re going to go through your copy and cut the fat. Not just any fat the fluff that exists only because it has always been there. 

The boring parts that you have been putting up with because they were easy to write and didn’t seem like anything was wrong with them at first glance (but now they do). The unnecessary words, sentences, and paragraphs even sections or entire chapters if needed!

Step #14. Use Internal Linking As An Excuse To Write More Content! [Bonus Tip]

Linking internally is also a great excuse to write more content. If you’re already publishing an article on your site and want to link it up with another piece of content, go ahead and do what you need to do.

Linking internally means linking from one article on your site to another article on your site (ex: “Check out these tips for using internal links”). This can be a great way of driving people back into older articles that might have slipped under the radar or been overlooked by readers looking for something new.

Linking externally means linking from your website (or blog) to other websites with related content:

Links within this sentence are external links because they point outside of our blog platform (which is WordPress)

Links within this sentence are internal links because they point inside our blog platform (which is WordPress)

Ready to embark on your copywriting journey? Follow our comprehensive 15-step guide to writing your first real copy and unlock the secrets to creating compelling and persuasive content.

Step #15. A/B Tests Are Your Friend. And Your Enemy. [Bonus Tip]

A/B tests are a great way to figure out what works. They can also be used as a tool for learning what doesn’t work, and that’s where things get tricky.

A/B testing is a great way to help you get your audience engaged with your content, but it can also lead you astray if you’re not careful. 

A/B testing has the unfortunate side effect of making people think they’re doing something right when they’re doing something wrong (or vice versa). If you don’t pay attention, it’ll tell you everything is fine when in fact everything is falling apart at the seams!

Conclusion

Writing copy is one of the most challenging and rewarding things you can do as a marketer. It’s also something you can never stop learning about. We hope that reading this article, even if only parts of it, will help you improve your writing skills over time! The best way to learn is by doing it yourself so get out there and start writing some awesome copy today!

Further Reading

A Short Guide to Writing Good Copy Short Description: Explore this concise guide that delves into the essentials of crafting effective copy that resonates with your audience.

How to Write a Book: The Complete Guide Short Description: Discover the comprehensive guide to navigating the process of writing and publishing a book, from inception to completion.

How to Write Copy That Sells: A Step-by-Step Guide Short Description: Learn the step-by-step approach to creating persuasive copy that drives engagement and conversions.

FAQs

How to Write Effective Copy?

Crafting effective copy involves understanding your audience, highlighting benefits, and creating a compelling call to action. Start by identifying your target audience and tailoring your message to their needs and desires. Showcase the value of your product or service and guide readers towards a clear action.

What Are the Key Elements of Persuasive Copy?

Persuasive copy relies on a strong headline, clear value proposition, and compelling storytelling. Your headline should grab attention, your value proposition should communicate benefits, and weaving a relatable story can engage emotions and drive action.

How Can I Improve My Copywriting Skills?

Improving copywriting skills requires practice and learning from experts. Study successful copy, analyze what works, and experiment with different styles. Seek feedback, keep refining your writing, and stay updated with industry trends.

How Do I Balance Creativity and Clarity in Copy?

Balancing creativity and clarity is crucial. While creativity can engage readers, clarity ensures they understand your message. Use straightforward language, avoid jargon, and employ metaphors or analogies to simplify complex concepts.

How Can I Measure the Effectiveness of My Copy?

Measuring copy effectiveness involves tracking metrics like click-through rates, conversion rates, and engagement levels. Utilize analytics tools to assess how well your copy resonates with your target audience and whether it drives the desired outcomes.