If you’ve ever pitched a product or service, you know that it can be a nerve-wracking experience. You’re trying to convince someone else to buy something from you and trust that it will solve their problem and the stakes are high!
However, with careful planning and the right words, your pitch can help secure new customers while also building trust between yourself and potential clients. Here are 35 copywriting tricks (plus one bonus tip) that will help improve your pitches:
Takeaways |
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1. Crafting a compelling pitch involves understanding your audience’s needs and pain points. |
2. Incorporate storytelling techniques to engage and resonate with your target audience. |
3. Utilize persuasive language and power words to create a sense of urgency and excitement. |
4. Keep your pitch concise and focused, highlighting the most impactful aspects of your message. |
5. Test and iterate your pitch to fine-tune its effectiveness and adapt to different situations. |
Define The Problem You’re Solving
The first step to writing a compelling pitch is to define the problem you’re solving, and explain why it matters. This will help readers understand how your product or service can improve their lives.
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Here’s An Example From Lean Startup Machine
“I was working as an engineer at Google when I realized that most people are not getting the results they want from their jobs. They feel stuck or frustrated with their work, but don’t know where to turn for help.”
“So I started working on something called “The Productive Engineer Program,” where I teach people how to be more productive at work.”
Establish Trust With A Powerful Headline
The headline is the most important part of your pitch. That’s because people read it before they decide whether or not they want to read more. If a headline doesn’t grab their attention, they won’t continue reading and if you don’t have people reading your copy until the end of the first paragraph, you’ll be less likely to convince them of anything.
Your headline should be clear and concise, interesting and relevant to your audience (whether that’s bloggers or investors), catchy and easy to remember, specific enough for people who’ve never heard of what you’re pitching before but still broad enough for those who have been following it closely for years and finally.
Relevant to the article itself so that readers don’t feel like they’re being tricked into reading something unrelated just because they clicked on a link labeled “this article.”
Crafting copy that sells isn’t a mystery. Learn how to create persuasive content that can sell practically anything by diving into our guide on Writing Copy that Sells Anything & Everything.
Keep Your Pitch Short And Sweet
Your pitch should be short and sweet. Why? Because you have very little time to impress a potential client, and if you don’t get your point across quickly, they’ll lose interest.
To Keep Your Pitch Short And Sweet
Make sure your main benefits are at the front of the script (or video). You need to immediately highlight why they should choose you over other freelancers. This can help you stand out from the crowd of other proposals they receive every day and it will save them valuable time as well!
Keep sentences as short as possible by using active verbs instead of passive ones when possible–this keeps them engaged with what’s happening in their own lives rather than focusing on an abstract idea like “passive voice.”
Clear Text Is Compelling Text
To write a clear copy, you’ll need to use short sentences and paragraphs. You should also use simple words instead of complicated ones. Avoid jargon and technical language whenever possible. These tips will help you write clear, concise copy that people can easily understand:
Use lists – Lists are a great way to organize information in an easy-to-digest format (see the example above).
Include subheads – Subheads are major points broken into their categories, allowing readers to quickly scan through what’s most relevant to them.
Using subheads is also an excellent way for writers who may not be as confident with their written skills or vocabulary level.
It allows them to break up longer pieces into shorter segments, which makes it easier for readers’ eyes to skip around if they want only a brief overview of something instead of reading everything from start to finish like some people do when they’re reading something long-form online (i.e., a magazine article).
Use bullet points – Bullet points are another good way for writers who aren’t confident about their writing ability or vocabulary level because they allow them to go into detail without having too many words on one line/sentence/paragraph which would look cluttered rather than streamlined if done incorrectly.”
Enhancing your legal writing skills involves mastering various techniques. Discover the top strategies that can elevate you as a legal writer by exploring our article on 11 Things That Will Make You a Better Legal Writer.
Find The Pain
Once you’ve found the pain, you can use it to your advantage. When people are in pain, they’ll do whatever it takes to make their lives better whether that means buying a product or service or just getting away from their current situation. The key is knowing what type of pain you’re looking for and where to find it.
Pain points are often emotional rather than physical: Your client may not know exactly how much money they’re spending on something until they see the numbers written down on paper in front of them.
Or maybe they’ve always wanted to launch a business but never had the time or resources; when someone else steps in and offers those things up as part of your service package, suddenly those dreams feel more reachable than ever before!
Pain points can also be financial: Maybe someone’s credit card is maxed out because of expensive services they’ve been paying for month after month; maybe there’s an annual fee associated with one particular brand that makes customers cringe every time they look at their bank statement; maybe even worse:
Maybe someone feels like no matter how much money he saves up over time (or earns through his job), he still won’t have enough for everything important in his life and so he keeps putting off major purchases until “someday” comes along.
Tell Your Readers What To Do
Here’s the formula:
Write a clear, concise, and compelling call to action. Tell readers exactly what you want them to do and how they can do it. If you’re pitching an offer, including a link will make it more likely for people to take action. For example: “Click here for a free download of our most popular guide.”
Make sure that your CTA is at the end of your email so that it doesn’t get overlooked by distracted readers who may have skimmed through your message while sipping their morning coffee or checking their inboxes during lunch break at work (you know who you are).
Keep It Real
Don’t exaggerate your product or service. Keep it real. Don’t try to be someone you are not. It’s okay if you’re not an expert in everything under the sun, so don’t pretend that you are when pitching your business! Instead, tell them what you know and where it comes from. Remember: honesty is always the best policy when selling something (or writing copy).
Offer A Solution To Your Problem In The Form Of Your Product Or Offer
This is the most important part of your copy! You have to offer a solution to the problem in the form of your product or offer. Don’t be afraid to tell them exactly what they will get from using your service or buying your product. Make it easy for readers by providing everything they need to know about how they can get started with you and how it will benefit them for example:
- A clear description of what you are offering
- How much does it cost (if any) and/or when does it expire?
- How do people contact you (phone number, email address)?
- Freebies like a free consultation or trial period
The power of a well-crafted legal brief can’t be underestimated. To learn how to draft impactful legal briefs that command attention, delve into our guide on Writing Legal Briefs that Rule.
Make It Clear How Much You Charge For Your Product Or Service
When you are selling your product or service, make sure that the price is clear and easy to understand. If a potential customer has to read through several paragraphs of text to find out how much they will have to pay, they will not bother reading all of it and will most likely move on to the next company that offers their services at a better price.
Make sure that your prices are fair and competitive, so that customers will be happy with what they pay for.
Make It Easy For Readers To Get In Touch With You
While it’s important to make your pitch stand out in some way, it’s also important that readers can get in touch with you.
While this might seem counterintuitive, consider that the more ways they have of contacting you, the easier your life will be. If they want to reach out by phone or email, great! But if they want to comment on social media or visit a physical location (like a store), those options are available too.
You’re making their lives easier by providing them with multiple options for contact and ensuring that one method doesn’t dominate over others.
Think About How You Can Add Value With A Download Or Demo
You can also offer a free demo or download.
For example, if you’re pitching an idea for a content marketing strategy, start by explaining what value you can provide to the company. Then mention that the next step is putting together a proposal so they can see exactly how it works.
After that, you could tell them about all of the research and time spent on their project to make sure it’s perfect for them and then suggest offering a sample proposal so they have a better idea of what their budget will be going toward.
Finally, close with something like “So if this sounds like something that would help your business grow quickly and efficiently without breaking your budget, let’s schedule some time this week so we can discuss it further.”
List The Benefits Of Your Offering
One of the most common mistakes I see in sales pitches is that they don’t list the benefits of what they’re offering.
If you’re not familiar with this concept, here’s an example:
“This product allows you to increase your sales by 20% in 90 days.”
That’s too vague! What does “increase your sales” mean? How much? What kind of time frame are we talking about? Is it going to take longer than 90 days? The answer is probably yes, because…well…it’s hard for anyone to commit to a goal like “increase my sales by 20%” without knowing how much time or money it will require.
And when it comes down to it, no one wants to spend hours or dollars working on something without knowing what they’ll get out of it. That’s why in copywriting (and when selling anything) clarity is key!
Always Be Testing
You don’t have to be a copywriting master to know that testing is the best way to improve your results. The best copywriters are always experimenting with their content, changing it up constantly, and trying out new things to get better results. After all, what works for one audience may not work for another and every test you run on your ads will help you figure out how to optimize them for each market segment.
There are tons of different ways you can do this: try using different headlines, different types of offers or value propositions, taglines for your brand, etc., but make sure that everything is tested against control groups so that you can track improvements from one experiment over another!
Curious about the lesser-discussed aspects of copywriting? Find answers to intriguing questions you might have never thought to ask about copywriting in our informative post on Questions and Answers About Copywriting.
Conclusion
You’ve probably heard that a strong pitch is a key to getting investors to invest in your startup, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. A good pitch needs to be concise, impactful, and persuasive enough to convince people that they should trust you with their money—and you don’t want them thinking about any of those things as they listen because it means they can’t focus on what you need their money for.
So how do you make sure your pitch is perfect? By following these copywriting tricks!
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources to further enhance your copywriting skills:
Email Copywriting Tips: Discover effective strategies for crafting compelling email copy that engages your audience and drives action.
12 Magic Copywriting Tips from David Ogilvy: Dive into the wisdom of advertising legend David Ogilvy with these 12 transformative copywriting tips.
Power Words: The Art of Persuasive Copywriting: Learn how to wield the power of words to create persuasive copy that resonates with readers and drives conversions.
FAQs
How can I improve my email copywriting?
Improving your email copywriting involves understanding your target audience, crafting concise yet impactful messages, and employing persuasive language that encourages action.
What are some key copywriting tips from David Ogilvy?
David Ogilvy emphasized the importance of headlines, research, simplicity, and storytelling in effective copywriting. His insights can help you create compelling and memorable content.
What are power words in copywriting?
Power words are emotionally charged terms that have a strong impact on readers. They can evoke specific emotions, spark curiosity, and encourage readers to take desired actions.
How do I make my copywriting more persuasive?
To make your copywriting more persuasive, focus on addressing the needs and desires of your audience, use compelling language, provide social proof, and create a sense of urgency.
How do I choose the right words for my copy?
Choosing the right words involves understanding your audience’s preferences and emotions, aligning with your brand’s voice, and selecting words that convey your message clearly and effectively.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.