Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions

© Alan Sharpe
www.sharpecopy.com

Copywriting Defined Part 1

Copywriting is text that advertises a product, service or brand. The word is easier to understand
if you first understand what "copy" is. In the newspaper business, "copy" is the words that
journalists write. Don't ask me why it's called copy. I don't know. But in the newspaper business,
reporters write copy, and copy editors edit copy.

In the advertising business, the words used to promote a product, service or brand are also called
copy. When you pick up a magazine and start reading one of the advertisements, you are reading
advertising copy. When you leaf through a product brochure, you are reading brochure copy.
When you read a product page on an e-commerce website, you are reading copy.

What is copywriting? Copywriting is simply the act of writing copy. Copywriting is the act of
creating the text that used to advertise or market a product, a service or a brand.

So how copywriting is different from other types of writing?

The one thing that makes copywriting different from other writing is its intent. Copywriting aims
to sell something. That something might be a car (a product). It might be a restaurant (a service).
Or it might be a brand (Nike). Regardless, if copywriting is involved, that copywriting is
designed to sell something.

Typically, copywriting asks the reader to do something, such as buy a product, visit a website, or
call a toll-free number to place an order. If a piece of text does not ask the reader to do anything,
it is probably not copywriting. Creative writing entertains, technical writing explains, news
writing informs, but copywriting asks readers to do something.

Copywriting also differs from other kinds of writing in its tone. Marketing copy tends to be
informal rather than formal. It takes liberties with grammar. One. Word. Sentences. For.
Example.

As for style, copywriting tends to feature simple words, short sentences, short paragraphs.

Copywriting also has a sense of urgency about it. The sense you get in reading effective
marketing copy is that you face a challenge or a problem, that there are consequences you want
to avoid, and that the advertiser has a solution for you. Copywriting tends to end with an
imperative. Call now! Buy today! So, I'm going to end this lesson with a call to action. Enjoy the
rest of this course!
Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
© Alan Sharpe
www.sharpecopy.com

Copywriting Defined Part 2

What is copywriting? Copywriting is any words in any medium that are designed to sell something. That
includes print, online, mobile and broadcast. Any message designed to sell something or market something
features copywriting. Promotional messages include:

Newspaper ads, magazine ads, brochures, factsheets, flyers, catalogs, online banner ads, online text ads,
sales letters, promotional postcards, television commercials, radio commercials, billboard
advertisements, bus shelter advertisements, product packaging, point-of-purchase displays, mobile
advertisements, Facebook and Twitter advertisements, YouTube commercials, promotional messages on
the sides of commercial vehicles, slogans, product names, company names, radio and television jingles,
product video scripts, company promo video scripts. I think you get the idea.

COPYWRITING SELLS BRANDS, NOT JUST PRODUCTS AND SERVICES.

Apple, for example, makes a product called the iPad. They offer a service called iTunes. But the Apple name
is the brand. The company is the brand. Someone sat down one day and created that brand name. It might
have been Steve Jobs. It might have been Steve Wozniak. Or it might have been a copywriter. Copywriters
create brand names as part of their copywriting duties.

Slogans are also copywriting. Apple, for example, once used the slogan, "Think Different." That slogan was
likely created by a copywriter. Good slogans feature good copywriting. They capture the essence of a brand
or a customer problem or a unique product benefit in a few words.

COPYWRITING INCLUDES THE WRITTEN WORD AND THE SPOKEN WORD.

Someone once defined copywriting as "salesmanship in print." There are two things wrong with this
definition of copywriting, of course. Sales people aren't just men. Women also sell. And copywriting is no
longer limited to print. Copywriting is seen offline and online. But the essence of this definition is
correct: Copywriting is selling with words. A copywriter is a sales person behind a keyboard.

Copywriting can feature the written word and the spoken word. Promotional messages in a newspaper ad or
an online ad are there to be read. Promotional messages in a radio commercial or television commercial are
there to be heard. But those promotional messages, whether read or heard, are copywriting in action.

COPYWRITING IS ALSO A PROFESSION

Writers who write promotional messages are called copywriters. The profession they are in is called
copywriting. One writer may say, "I want to get into technical writing." Another might say, "I want to get
into script writing." And another might say, "I want to get into copywriting." Some colleges offer courses in
copywriting, and some colleges include a class on copywriting as part of a diploma program in marketing.
Most copywriters learn the craft on the job, either as freelance copywriters, or working as copywriters at
advertising agencies.

I learned the craft first as a senior copywriter at an ad agency, and then improved my skills as a freelance
copywriter. If you apply yourself, you too can learn the craft of copywriting.
Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
© Alan Sharpe
www.sharpecopy.com

Types of copywriting
There are five main types of copywriting: print, outdoor, online, broadcast, branding. As a
copywriter, you may be asked to write copy for any of these channels.

Print copywriting, as the name implies, is copywriting that appears on printed sheets of paper.
Print copywriting includes newspapers, magazines, both consumer and trade, brochures,
factsheets, specification sheets and other sales collateral, point-of-purchase displays, promotional
messages in theater programs, promotional messages in retail flyers, direct mail, case studies,
catalogs, telephone directories (such as the Yellow Pages).

Outdoor copywriting is promotional messages that appear in public spaces. Outdoor includes
billboards, bus shelter ads, ads on the sides of buses, subway ads, portable sign ads (the type
placed on the side of the road in front of a business), elevator ads, signage, vehicle signage,
telephone booth ads.

Online copywriting is promotional messages that appear on, or are sent through, the Internet.
Internet copywriting includes banner ads on websites and social media platforms (such as
Facebook), online text ads (such as Google AdWords ads), online display ads, promotional
messages sent by email, mobile ads (that appear on smartphones), text ads (that appear in texting
apps on smartphones), e-commerce product pages.

Broadcast copywriting is promotional writing that is broadcast to an audience using electronic

means. It includes radio ads, television ads, television infomercials, cable television ads.

Branding copywriting is promotional writing that promotes an organization or an event, as

opposed to a product or a service. Brand copywriting includes creating names for companies,
creating names for products, creating names for services, creating slogans, creating themes for
conferences, conventions and other meetings.

As you can see, there's lots of variety in copywriting. That's one of the things I like about the
profession.
Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
© Alan Sharpe
www.sharpecopy.com

Specialized copywriting
Some promotional messages are easier to write than others. A simple point-of-purchase display,
for example, is easier to write than a 12-page product brochure. But there are also a few types of
copywriting that require their own level of expertise.

SEO copywriting involves writing for the internet in such a way that the copy stands the best
chance of being ranked well in search engine results. SEO stands for Search Engine
Optimization. SEO copywriting is the act of writing copy that is optimized for search engines.
This is a special skill. SEO copywriters must write their headlines, subheads, body copy and
links using the keywords that consumers enter into search engines, yet without using tactics that
the search engines penalize (keyword stuffing, for example).

Then there's direct response copywriting: An industrialist once remarked, "Half the money I
spend on advertising is wasted. The problem is, I don't know which half." Direct response
marketing aims to solve this challenge by using only those tactics that can be tested and
measured. Direct response copywriting is writing designed to solicit an immediate action from
the prospective consumer, an action that can be tracked. Direct response copywriting includes
direct mail and direct response television.

By using coded response mechanisms (such as reply coupons in direct mail packages and
designated toll-free phone numbers in direct response television commercials), direct response
advertisers track the response they get from each promotional message in each channel (print,
mail, email, online, for example). Direct response copywriters must understand the types of
appeals and types of offers that appeal to their target audience. They must understand how to test
messages, formats, offers, and so on. And they must know how to interpret results (response
rates, open rates, cost of acquisition, and so on).

Then there's radio and television copywriting: Selling products and services through radio and
television commercials requires a set of skills unique to these mediums. Radio, for example,
relies entirely on the spoken word, music and sound effects to communicate with potential
buyers. Radio is also a format that limits promotional messages to 15-second and 30-second
spots. Copywriters who specialize in writing radio commercials must develop expertise in
writing for the ear, and writing to the clock.

Television has the same time constraints as radio (commercials are typically 15 seconds and 30
seconds long), but has the added challenge of motion. Print ads are stationary. Television
commercials move. Television copywriters write messages that are accompanied by moving
visuals. Like radio, television commercials have a start, a middle and an end. Writing effective
television commercials (commercials that generate sales, that is) is a rare skill.

The final type of copywriting that requires expertise is business to business copywriting:
Selling to a businesses requires a different skill set than selling to consumers. For one thing, you
Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
© Alan Sharpe
www.sharpecopy.com

invariably have more than one audience. Software firms that sell design software to Fortune 500
firms, for example, must make a business case for their product that all stakeholders buy into.
The designers have to want the software. The folks in IT have to be able to install and update the
software. Management has to calculate the return on investment. The folks in finance have to
approve the purchase. Each of these audiences has a different need from the same software
product, one that effective B2B copy will address.

Sales cycles for business purchases tend to be longer than sales cycles for consumer products. A
consumer looking for a new laptop will research online, compare features between brands and
models, compare prices, and then make a purchase. Total time: one week.

A business with 10,000 employees scattered across North America, on the other hand, will not
buy 10,000 new laptops in a week. They will spend time researching manufacturers, preparing a
request for proposals, reviewing proposals, interviewing select vendors, negotiating with their
chosen vendor, thinking about their decision, and then placing a purchase order. Total time:
months (years in the case of some purchases, such as aircraft and municipal construction
contracts). Copywriters who specialize in business to business copywriting understand these
challenges and develop skills that meet the unique needs of business buyers.

The main thing to remember about specialized forms of copywriting is that you can charge more
when you are a specialist. I started out as a generalist. Then I narrowed my focus to specialize in
business-to-business copywriting. Then I narrowed my focus even further to specialize in
business-to-business direct response lead generation. One year, I earned six figures, more than I
ever earned as a generalist. That's the beauty of specializing.
Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
© Alan Sharpe
www.sharpecopy.com

Two main audiences for copywriting

Advertisers aim their promotional messages at one of two audiences: consumers or businesses.
These two types of copywriting are usually referred to as Business to Consumer, or B2C, and
Business to Business, or B2B. Consumers and businesses are your two main audiences for
copywriting.

Business to consumer copywriting is copywriting that is written by a business and directed at

a consumer. That consumer is generally an individual. John Deere, for example, manufactures a
line of riding lawn mowers that the company markets directly to homeowners. In consumer
magazines, John Deere places advertisements that are written for individuals who are in their
target market of individuals who might want to buy a riding lawn mower. These ads are business
to consumer ads, and stress the benefits that individuals enjoy by buying a John Deere riding
lawn mower, such as comfortable seating, easy operation, and good fuel economy.

Business to business copywriting is copywriting that is written by a business and directed at a

business. In keeping with our example, John Deere also markets this same line of riding lawn
mowers to John Deere dealers and retailers. John Deere promotes its line of mowers using
business to business promotional messages, such as product announcements, sales
letters and promotional announcements. These messages are business to business messages, and
stress the benefits to the dealer or retailer of selling the John Deere line of products, such as
generous wholesale pricing, easy financing, simple return policy, reasonable payment
terms and a great warranty.

My recommendation to you is that you specialize in one of these two areas. Specialize at selling
to consumers. Or specialize at selling to businesses. Find the audience that you enjoy writing for,
then focus on helping businesses reach that audience with great copy.
Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
© Alan Sharpe
www.sharpecopy.com

What copywriting is not

What is copywriting? Copywriting is any words in any medium that are designed to sell
something. But what isn't copywriting? What kinds of writing are there that people confuse with
copywriting? I'll tell you.

Content marketing writing is not copywriting. Writing a blog post is not copywriting. Writing
an article is not copywriting. Writing that is designed simply to inform or to educate (as most
content marketing writing is designed to do) is not copywriting. Copywriting always sells
something.

Technical writing is not copywriting. Technical writing is designed to explain how something
works. Some copywriting promotes products and services that are technical (software, for
example), but that is not technical writing. That is technical copywriting.

Public relations writing is not copywriting. Someone writing a new release is not writing copy.
Someone who writes speeches, position papers, media briefs and news releases for a living is not
a copywriter. They are not involved with copywriting. That's because the goal of public relations
writing is to inform, to persuade or to change perceptions. But the goal of copywriting is to sell
something. The end result of copywriting is that someone buys something.

The easiest way to understand the difference between copywriting, content marketing, technical
writing and public relations writing is to see them in action. Let's say that Netflix offers a new
service that costs $91 a month and requires a router (piece of hardware) that you attach to your
TV.

A copywriter writes a promotional message that advertises the service and asks people to start
their paid subscription. The goal of the copy is sales. That's copywriting.

A content writer crafts a blog post about how this service compares with competing services. The
goal of the writing is education. That's content writing.

A technical writer writes a guide that explains how to connect and set up the router. The goal of
the copy is understanding. That's technical writing.

A public relations writer writes a new release that invites the media to the launch event. The goal
of the copy is publicity. That's public relations writing.

If you want to earn your living as a copywriter, remember that your job is to persuade people to
buy something. You may occasionally be asked to draft a news release, or write a blog post. Just
remember that your job as a copywriter is to sell something, to someone, using some words.
Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
© Alan Sharpe
www.sharpecopy.com

How to write great copy by deadline

Someone once asked Margaret Atwood, the famous Canadian author, how to write a great novel.

"Oh, that's easy," she replied. "To write a great novel, you just sit in front of your keyboard until
drops of blood appear on your forehead."

Writing good copy is hard for two reasons: You always start with an empty page with no words
on it, and you always have a deadline to meet.

That's the reality of being a copywriter—you are expected to create terrific copy from scratch,
and you are expected to do it before lunch.

The prospect of starting each day with a blank page and having to fill it with one thousand words
before lunch fills some copywriters with dread.

Writing copy from scratch is tough enough. But writing copy to deadline is even harder.

So, here's the secret. You don't have to sit in front of your keyboard until drops of blood appear
on your forehead. Instead, you have to ask seven simple questions.

Once you have the answers you need, you have what you need to start writing great copy.

These seven questions, taken together, form what is known in the advertising and marketing
world as a creative brief.

A creative brief is a written document that tells you, the copywriter, what to write about, to who,
and why. Every project you work on must feature a creative brief. You can't write effective copy
without one.

If you write for an advertising agency, the creative brief you receive from you client will likely
be three or four pages long, and it will usually describe everything you need to know to start
writing.

If you freelance for smaller clients, the creative brief you get from your client will likely be
much shorter and less thorough.

In my experience, you rarely get the brief you need the first time around.

For example, a client will come to me and say, "Alan, I need a brochure for my new product. It's
for a trade show. The brochure needs to be eight and a half inches by eleven, and fold twice. I
want it to have a picture of the product on the front, and I want it to list the product features
inside and have our website address and phone number on the back." That's it. That's all they tell
me.
Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
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www.sharpecopy.com

But that isn't enough information for me to write a brochure, is it? For example, who buys the
product? Who is the prospective customer? Why should they buy the product? How does the
product compare to competing products? What evidence can we show to potential buyers to
persuade them that this product is superior?

You get the idea. Your job, before you write a single word of copy, is to get the answers you
need from your client. By asking seven simple questions, you get two vital things—facts, and
insights. All good copy contains concrete, compelling facts. And all good copy contains at least
one insight into why prospects should buy the product or service.

Here are the seven questions.

Where are we selling? First, you need to discover if you are writing for an offline audience or
an online audience. Then you need to drill down and discover what medium you are writing for,
such as a print brochure, a direct mail sales letter, a Facebook ad, or a landing page. But you also
need to discover where in the sales cycle you are selling.

What are we selling? Naturally, you need to discover if what you are selling is a product or a
service. But you need to go way beyond that. Good advertising always sells a solution to a
problem. Your job is to find out what that problem is.

Who are we selling it to? Yes, you have two main audiences—businesses and consumers. But
you need to know a lot more than just that. You need to discover every relevant fact and insight
about them, such as their gender, their age, their income level, where they live, and what they
think is important.

Why should they buy it? People buy for rational reasons and for emotional reasons. You need
to discover both. You also need to discover every feature, and every benefit for every feature.

Who is our competition? You face three main competitors. Inertia (the buyer doesn't want to do
anything). Your other products (your potential buyer is happier with buying one of your older
models). Your marketplace competitors.

What do we want the prospect to do? All good copy is designed to change behaviour. You
want your reader to think something or feel something or do something. What is it?

What is the single thing we must communicate or demonstrate? Effective copy is single-
minded. It communicates a single sales proposition. You must discover the one thing that your
copy absolutely has to communicate.

Take my word for it, if you ask these seven questions before you start to write, and if you keep
asking questions until you get the answers you need, you'll never be afraid of a blank screen, or
of a deadline, every again. AS A BONUS, YOUR COPY WILL BE MORE EFFECTIVE.
Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
© Alan Sharpe
www.sharpecopy.com

Question 1: What Are We Selling?

When you buy a ticket to see a movie, what are you buying?

Are you buying the opportunity to sit for 90 minutes in a dark room eating overpriced popcorn?
Are you buying the services of a producer, director, screenwriter and actors? Are you buying a
product or a service? What are you buying?

When you buy a car, what are you buying? Are you buying an engine, four tires, two doors and a
moonroof? Are you buying a necessity? Are you buying transportation? Are you buying
convenience, or safety, or utility, or something else?

As a copywriter, one of the most important things you need to know is what you are selling. The
answer is rarely simple. Movie theatres don't sell movies. They sell escapism. Car manufacturers
don't sell automobiles. They sell convenience, utility, transportation and a mobile way to express
your values.

The first thing you need to do when answering this question is to find out if you are selling a
product or a service. Again, the answer isn't always obvious. At Home Depot, for example, you
can buy scaffolding or you can rent scaffolding. One is a product, the other is a service.

For example, a contractor buying scaffolding asks different questions than a homeowner renting
scaffolding. A contractor wants to know the load factor, or how much weight can be placed on
the scaffolding. A contractor wants to know about the strength of the steel, how easy it is to get
replacement parts, and the type of warranty offered.

A homeowner, on the other hand, has different concerns. How much does it cost to rent the
scaffolding for a half-day? Will Home Depot deliver the scaffolding to my home, and pick it up
when I am finished?

Your job is to know whether you are selling a product or a service so that you can write copy that
sells what your customer is looking to buy.

Whether you're pitching a product or a service, you need to remember that what you're selling is
a solution to a problem. You need to think of what you are selling from your prospective buyer's
point of view.

As someone once said, carpenters don't need a one-inch drill bit. They need a one-inch hole.
Their problem is that they have a piece of wood and they need to put a one-inch hole in it. They
need a one-inch hole. So, they buy a one-inch drill bit to make that hole. The hardware store isn't
selling a drill bit. It's selling a solution to a problem.

Let me give you another example. Let's say you're buying an old house. Your realtor
recommends that you hire a home inspector to go through the house to discover any faults or
Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
© Alan Sharpe
www.sharpecopy.com

hazards that will cost you money to repair. You are someone with a problem. You want to buy
the house, but you don't want to buy the house if doing so will endanger your life or empty your
bank account through costly repairs. The home inspector isn't selling home inspection services.
He's selling a solution to a problem.

Now let's talk specifics.

Your copy is going to be specific rather than vague. And it's going to be concrete rather than
general. The only way to make your copy specific and concrete is to discover every fact you can
about the product or service that is likely to influence a buying decision.

There are plenty of features of every product and service that the client cares about -- but that
potential buyers don't care about. Manufactures of industrial products, for example, often have
large engineering staffs that want every product feature -- no matter how obscure -- to be
included in their promotional messages. Not a good idea.

Your job is to gather all the facts about the product or service, and rank them in order of
importance to your potential buyers.

Start by creating a simple table featuring two columns. In the left column, put a product feature.
In the right column, put the benefit of that feature. Continue this exercise until you have an
exhaustive list of features and benefits.

Then sit down with the folks in sales and marketing and discover which features and which
benefits are most important to potential buyers. Move these to the top of the table. Put the most
compelling feature and benefit first, followed by the second-most-compelling feature and
benefit, and so on, right down to the end of the table.

For example, let's say Apple has asked you to write some promotional copy to launch the new
iPad Pro. So, you ask them to list the features and benefits of the new iPad.

They tell you the following:

The10-point-five-inch display is 20 percent larger than a standard iPad.

The refresh rate is 120Hz compared to a standard LCD display, which is 60Hz.

It features an A10X Fusion chip.

What are the benefits of these features?

The larger display gives you more room to work with, and delivers a full-size keyboard, so you
don't have to switch back and forth between the letters and special characters

The faster refresh rate means the Apple Pencil feels even more responsive and natural. No other
digital pencil lets you write, mark up, and draw with such pixel-perfect precision
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The faster chip means you can edit 4K videos on the go, render elaborate 3D models, and create
and markup complex documents and presentations

Once you have completed this exercise, you will know what you are selling. And you will know
what your buyers are buying.

Whenever a client asks you to write copy to sell something, always take the time to discover
what you are selling. Go beyond the obvious specifications and features to discover what the
customer is really buying. AND ALWAYS DISCOVER THE PROBLEM THAT THE
CUSTOMER IS LOOKING TO SOLVE BY BUYING THE PRODUCT OR SERVICE THAT
YOUR COPY IS PROMOTING.

Question 2: Where Are We Selling?

You can't write good copy in a vacuum. You need facts, and you need insights. You get these by
asking questions. And one of the first questions you ask is this: Where are we selling?

Sometimes the answer to this question is obvious. Your client approaches you and says, "I need a
direct mail sales letter to mail to lawyers." Where are you selling? You're selling offline,
business to business, through the mail.

Or, your client says, "I need you to write a landing page for me, for my new line of pet
shampoo." That's straightforward. You're selling direct to consumer, online, with one page on a
website.

This question is important because it tells you the SCOPE of your project . . . . . . For example,
if your client wants you to write a billboard for them, and only one, you know immediately that
the amount of copy you are going to write is small.

On the other hand, if your client wants you to write all the copy needed to launch a new product,
you know that the scope of the project is likely large . . . . . . . You may be writing a print
factsheet, a direct mail postcard, a news release, an online product page, a Facebook ad. You get
the idea.

The first thing you need to discover is the channel you are working in. The four main channels
are offline, online, mobile and broadcast.

Then you need to discover which tactic you are using.

For example, if you are writing offline copy, are you writing a brochure, a white paper, a case
study, a direct mail sales letter, a catalog or something else?
Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
© Alan Sharpe
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If you are writing online copy, are you writing a banner ad, a Google AdWords ad, an email
sales letter, a landing page, a Twitter ad or something else?

If you are writing for mobile, are you writing a pop-up ad, a text-only ad or web copy that is
optimized for mobile?

If you are writing copy for the broadcast channel, are you writing a 30-second radio commercial
or a 60-second commercial, are you writing a TV commercial or an infomercial, or something
else?

Which brings me to my next point . . . . . . . This question you are asking includes the mechanics
of the piece. Your creative brief has to include the specifics of what you are being asked to
deliver.

If it's a sales letter, how many pages does your client want, what size is the mailing envelope, are
you writing the reply device, is there a buckslip, will the package include a business reply
envelope?

If it's a landing page, how many words does your client want, how many images will there be,
does your client want you to caption the images, and so on?

If it's a mobile ad, how many words does the client need? How many is too many?

If it's a radio commercial, how long is it? Is the voice talent going to say a bunch of legal stuff at
the end that reduces the length of your script? Is there a budget for sound effects?

The final reason you need to ask this question before you start writing, is you need to know the
context of where and when you copy appears.

Most of the copy you write is part of a sales cycle . . . . . . At the beginning of the sales cycle, you
write ads and other messages that focus on raising awareness and branding. Further into the sales
cycle, when prospects are comparing products, you write spec sheets, sales sheets and other
collateral. And late in the sales cycle, when prospects are ready to buy, you craft offers, email
announcements, online ads and other pieces that have strong calls to action.

Before you start writing, you need to know where in the sales cycle your prospect is when they
see your copy. If you are writing for someone at the start of the sales cycle, your copy needs to
raise awareness. But at the end of the sales cycle, your copy needs to drive sales.

One simple question gets you started towards writing great copy. Ask your client, "Where are we
selling?" and you'll discover the scope of your project, the mechanics of what you are going to
write, and the CONTEXT OF WHERE YOUR COPY IS APPEARING IN THE SALES
CYCLE.
Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
© Alan Sharpe
www.sharpecopy.com

Question 3: Who Are We Selling To?

In the world of sales and selling, they have an expression to describe a salesperson who has
superior selling skills. They say, "That salesperson could sell ice to Eskimos."

That's a funny thought, obviously. Eskimos live above the arctic circle, where they are
surrounded by ice and snow for 10 months of the year. They don't need ice. So, any salesperson
who could sell ice to Eskimos must have superior selling skills.

But you and I both know that any salesperson who tried to sell ice to Eskimos would be a fool.
Eskimos don't need ice. They don't need an ice salesperson.

Any salesperson who tries selling ice to Eskimos is guilty of the one of the dumbest mistakes in
sales and marketing—not knowing your customer . . . . . . Before you can sell anything to
anyone, you need to know who you are selling it to.

We call this group of people "potential customers," "prospective buyers," or "prospects." Your
job, before you write a single line of copy, is to learn as much relevant information as you can
about them so that you can sell them what they want.

The main question you are trying to answer is this, "What type of person needs and can afford
what I am selling?"

Start with your existing customers, and build a profile of what a typical customer looks like . . . .
Look for common denominators among your customers.

Start with demographics . . . . Demographics describe WHAT people are . . . . Things like
gender, age, income level, profession and where they live.

Now move onto psychographics . . . . . . Psychographics describes why people are what they are,
and why they do what they do . . . . . . It includes beliefs, values, fears and motivations.

Finally, look at transactional metrics, such as when they buy, how much they buy, where they
buy and how they pay.

The best place to find answers to these questions is your frontline sales people . . . . . . They
know your customers better than anyone.

The best way to make sense of all of the data you collect is to create a persona for each type of
potential buyer you are hoping to reach with your copy. Give the persona a name. And describe
them using only those details from your research that are relevant to engaging your prospect in
your sales cycle.
Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
© Alan Sharpe
www.sharpecopy.com

For example, let's say you are writing copy to promote the iPad Pro. Look at the data about
Apple's current customers. Talk to the sales people in the Apple Stores. Then create a persona for
what a typical buyer looks like. Here's an example of what I mean.

Meet Amanda. Gender: Female. Age: 26. Profession: Freelance photographer and videographer.
Lives in: New York City. Annual income: $80,000.

Psychographics . . . . Amanda is a free spirit who likes being creative in visual ways. She
sketches, draws and shoots all day long . . . . She voted for Bernie Sanders, donates to Planned
Parenthood, and bicycles everywhere . . . . Amandaowns an iPhone 6, an iPad 2 and an Apple
Watch.

Problem that Amanda needs to solve . . . . Amanda needs a way to store, organize and edit her
photos and videos while she is on the go . . . . . She needs a device with a large display because
the images and videos she works on are large. . . . . . She needs a long battery life because she is
away from the office for hours at a time. . . . . . Weight is important to Amanda, because she is
tired of lugging a heavy laptop around all day.

Transactional data. Amanda buys the hardware and software she needs to shoot, edit and produce
amazing photography and videography. . . . . . She upgrades to the latest version of Apple
hardware within six months of release. . . . . . She uses the Adobe suite of imaging products. . . . .
. Amanda prefers using industry-standard tools over cheaper competitors, and prefers quality
over price.

Notice that everything in this profile is relevant.. . . . . We have left out all sorts of things that we
might know about Amanda but that are not relevant to helping her make a buying decision. . . . . .
For example, she was born in Albany, has three siblings, is married, and hates Seinfeld. . . . .
Not relevant.

Your job as a copywriter is to craft a profile like this for every major type of prospective
customer you are reaching with your promotional messages. . . . . . Remember, you can't sell
something to someone who doesn't need it, doesn't want it, can't afford it or can't buy it right
now.

So spend your time, energy and creativity only on the people who are likely to buy what you are
selling. . . . . . When you know who you are selling to, and when you know what they are looking
to buy, YOU ARE READY TO START WRITING GREAT COPY.

By the way, at the beginning of this lesson, I mentioned the expression, "Selling ice to Eskimos."
. . . . . . Just for your information, the indigenous people of Canada's north hate being called
Eskimos. . . . . . . They call themselves "Inuit." . . . . . . If you ever have to sell anything to the
Inuit, you need to know that.
Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
© Alan Sharpe
www.sharpecopy.com

Question 4: Why Should They Buy?

Your greatest enemy in your copywriting is inertia. . . . . . . Inertia is the tendency of a body to
resist acceleration; the tendency of a body at rest to remain at rest or of a body in motion to stay
in motion in a straight line unless acted on by an outside force.

Your prospects are likely to resist your sales pitch.. . . . . . If they are doing nothing, they are
likely to continue doing nothing. If they are walking past your ad in a straight line, they are likely
to continue walking past in a straight line. That's the problem with inertia.

Your copy has to overcome this inertia. And the most effective way to do so is to answer the
question, "Why should my prospective customer buy what I am selling?"

Customers will buy from you if they believe you. So, your job as a copywriter is to find out why
customers believe you, and why they don't.

Start with the rational reasons. . . . . . . Is your product the fastest, slowest, lightest, heaviest,
smoothest, roughest? Is your store open longer? Is your warranty better? Are your prices lower?
Is your quality better?

Are you the market leader? Do you sell more units than any competitor? Have you won more
awards? Is your product safer?

You get the idea. List every reason a buyer chooses you over a competing product or service.

Now turn to emotional reasons.. . . . . . Does your product make mothers feel safer? Or seniors
feel younger? Or teens feel older? Or men feel more masculine?

Does your service help buyers avoid pain? Or prevent them from losing money?

List all of the emotional reasons people buy your product or service.

Now rank both lists in order of importance to your customers. Put the most compelling reason at
the top of each list, followed by the second-most-compelling reason, and so on.

Let me give you an example. Let's say you are writing copy for the Apple iPad Pro. So, you
create two lists of reasons that people buy.

You do your research and discover that people buy the iPad Pro for the following rational
reasons:

One, It delivers a better experience with the Apple pencil

Two, It has a larger display

Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
© Alan Sharpe
www.sharpecopy.com

Three, It has a faster processor

Four, It has a faster refresh rate

Five, It's more powerful than most laptops

Now you list the emotional reasons people buy the iPad pro:

One, It's the latest product from Apple

Two, "I did a presentation in front of a client on my cheaper tablet, and it was sluggish and
clunky. I was embarrassed. I don't want to feel that way again."

Three, Owning an iPad Pro makes me look cool

Four, I'm afraid of being out and about and not having my laptop with me because it's so heavy
to lug around

Now you talk to the folks in marketing at Apple, who know which of these reasons are most
important to potential buyers, and you rank the reasons accordingly.

The number one rational reason is the larger display, followed by the refresh rate, and so on.

The number one emotional reason is fear of buying a sluggish machine . . . Followed by the fear
of needing the power of a laptop while on the go, but not having it.

This simple exercise is one of the best uses of your time as a copywriter. Once you do it, you
have an accurate picture of why your potential buyers should buy from you.

By the way, the easiest and least expensive way to gather this information is to speak with your
sales people and your current, satisfied customers. . . . . A more time-consuming and more costly
method and is to conduct surveys or focus groups.

As a bonus, one of the advantages of talking with existing customers is that they often phrase
their answers in memorable ways. . . . . Some of the best headlines, subheads and opening lines I
write are variations on statements made to me by satisfied customers when I asked them why
they bought the product. . . .

After a while in this business, you DISCOVER THAT CUSTOMERS WRITE THE BEST
COPY.
Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
© Alan Sharpe
www.sharpecopy.com

Question 5: Who is Our Competition?

Before you sit down and write a single line of copy, you need to discover who you are competing
against. . . . . . . Every product and every service has competition. . . . . . . Your job as a
copywriter is to learn as much as you can about your competition so that you can explain why
your product or service is better.

You face four kinds of competition: . . . . . . other brands, other options, your own brands, and
those who do it in house. . . . . . . Let's start with other brands.

When I say other brands, I'm talking about the other companies who manufacture a similar
product or who offer a similar service. . . . . . . When you hear marketers talking about
competition, this is usually who they are talking about—other brands, other companies.

Your potential customers likely know who these competitors are. . . . . . . They see their
commercials. They read their ads. They see their names turn up in search results. . . . . . . And
because your potential customers know who your competitors are, you must know who they are
as well.

The first thing you want to know when you are writing copy for a product or service is the names
of the top five competitors for what you are selling. . . . . . . Then you need to create a simple
table that compares your product or service with what the competition offers.

What you want to accomplish with this exercise is to discover where you have a competitive
advantage and where your competitors have a competitive advantage. You aren't simply looking
for differences. You are only looking for differences that matter to your potential buyers.

Let's look at an example.

Imagine for a moment that you are writing copy to sell the Apple iPad Pro. . . . . . . You create a
table with the iPad Pro in the first column, followed by its competitors. Down the left side, you
list all the features that are most important to your potential customers. . . . . . . You rank them in
order of importance.

In this example, we are dealing with just one aspect of the Apple iPad, and that is the display. . . .
. . . Down the left hand side you see a list of the features of the iPad display, compared with its
three closest competitors.

As you can see, the iPad has the largest display size in inches. It also has the finest resolution.

As you go through this exercise, you will discover that there are some things that set the Apple
iPad apart, and there are some things that don't. . . . . . . Your job as a copywriter is to know the
difference, so that you can spend your time and energy describing the features and benefits that
make the iPad Pro a better choice than its competitors.
Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
© Alan Sharpe
www.sharpecopy.com

Now let's talk about another kind of competition you face. . . . . . . I call it "other options."

Sometimes you'll be asked to write copy for a product or a service that can almost be replicated
by something else. . . . . . . For example, manufacturers of small utility trailers have two types of
competition: other trailer manufacturers, and pick-up trucks.

A pick-up truck isn't a trailer, but it does the job of a trailer. . . . . . . Someone who owns a small
car and who regularly needs to buy a utility trailer might instead just sell their car and buy a
pick-up truck.

You need to be aware of this type of competition. Vfor example, if you are selling utility trailers,
you have to discover why having a car and a utility trailer is better than having just a pick-up
truck.

The third type of competition you face is your own products. . . . . . . In the example we just
looked at, for example, the iPad Pro, this 12.9-inch model competes against Apple's other iPads.

Why buy the new 12-inch iPad when you can instead buy the smaller, cheaper iPad?

You need to be aware of any other models made by the same company that you are competing
against. . . . . . . You need to be able to persuade potential buyers why one model that you sell is
better than another model, and, ideally, without hurting the sales of the other model.

The fourth and final type of competition you face is the do-it-yourself crowd, or the folks who
think they don't need what you are selling because they do it themselves.

This type of competition is more common in services than it is in products. . . . . . . Not that many
people build their own tablet computers, for example. That's something they have to buy. . . . . . .
But plenty of people mow their own grass, do their own taxes, clean their offices themselves, and
change the oil in their cars themselves. . . . . . . Some businesses even write their own copy.

If the product or service you are promoting is something your potential customers can do
themselves, then your potential customer is your competitor.

And that brings me to my final point. In many cases, your potential buyer already has what you
are selling. . . . . . . You will be selling cars to people who already own a car. You will be selling
tablets to people who already own a tablet. . . . . . . So your competition isn't just other brands, or
similar offerings, it's the status quo. Your competition is inertia.

Bear that in mind when you are getting ready to write your copy. . . . . . . Because the copy that
you write has to be better than the copy that your competitors write. Even copywriters have
competitors.
Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
© Alan Sharpe
www.sharpecopy.com

Question 6: What is the Most Important Thing to Say?

When I landed my first job as a copywriter, back in 1992, the Internet didn't exist. . . . . . .
Companies promoted their products and services mainly through print advertising, printed
collateral and direct mail. . . . . . . Those who had the budget, also used radio and television to
advertise.

In those days, I was always given a word count to work from. . . . . . . If I was writing a full-page
ad for a trade publication, and if the page was eight and a half inches by eleven, I knew that
space was limited. . . . . . . There was a limit to how many words I could write for a print ad.

Same goes for brochures, direct mail and radio and television. . . . . . . My copywriting was
always constrained by how much real estate on the page I had to work with, or how many
seconds of air time I had to work with.

I learned quickly that I could never say everything I wanted to say about a product or service I
was promoting. Th. . . . . . ere wasn't enough space, or enough time. . . . . . . So how did I know
what to write?

I asked a simple question. . . . . . . I asked my clients, "In this promotional piece that I am writing,
what's the most important thing to say?" . . . . . . Or, I sometimes phrased it another way, . . . . . .
"After a prospect has read this ad, or this direct mail piece, what is the one thing that we want
them to understand and remember about our product or service?"

That question forced my clients to focus their attention. And it forced me to focus my writing.

Today, of course, on the Internet, space is technically unlimited. . . . . . . A webpage can have
unlimited words. . . . . . . An email sales letter can have unlimited words.. . . . . . Except that
online, the new problem is attention span. . . . . . . A webpage can contain an infinite number of
words, but your potential customer does not have infinite patience. . . . . . . Your prospect's
attention span is limited.

That's why you must always discover what the most important message is for each project you
work on.

My goal is to get my clients to articulate their unique message in one sentence. . . . . . . Some
people call this a single-minded proposition. . . . . . . Others call it a unique selling proposition.
The key thing to remember is that your message should be singular and unique.

By singular, that I mean that you should have one main message to communicate, not three. . . . .
. . And by unique, I mean that your message should be something that your competitors can't
claim. . . . . . . That uniqueness might be a product feature. It might be a benefit. It might be a
promise you make to the buyer.
Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
© Alan Sharpe
www.sharpecopy.com

Here are some examples.

"M&M candies melt in your mouth, not in your hand."

"At Sleep Country, we will beat any competitor's advertised price by 10 percent."

"The new iPad Pro is more powerful than most PC laptops."

You can see how these phrases all answer the question that you should pose to your clients: . . . .
. . "After a prospect has read my copy, what is the one thing that we want them to understand
and remember about our product or service?"

Your client will answer, we want them to understand that, "At Sleep Country, we will beat any
competitor's advertised price by 10 percent." . . . . . . We want them to remember that, "The new
iPad Pro is more powerful than most PC laptops."

You may be thinking that having a narrow focus like this is limiting. . . . . . . You may think that
it limits your creativity. . . . . . . But you'll discover, as I did all those years ago, that having a
narrow focus boosts your creativity. . . . . . . When you know that your copy must communicate
just one compelling idea, your mind goes into overdrive.

Avoid the pressure from your clients to say as much as you can about the product or service you
are promoting. . . . . . . Effective copy is tight copy. . . . . . . Make your clients focus their thinking
on the one message that they simply must communicate to their prospective buyers.

They may resist at first, but they will thank you soon enough. WHEN YOUR COPY STARTS
GENERATING MORE SALES FOR THEM.
Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
© Alan Sharpe
www.sharpecopy.com

Question 7: What Do We Want Prospects to Do?

The main difference between copywriting and just about every other kind of writing is that
copywriting is designed to make people do something. . . . . . . Good copywriting doesn't just
inform people. It motivates them to take action. Such as download a white paper, call a toll-free
number, visit a website or buy a product.

This means that your copy must always have a goal.

Imagine that your copy is a soccer ball. And you are playing a competitive game of soccer. . . . . .
. Do you have a goal for your copy? Yes, your goal is to kick the ball into your opponent's net. . .
. . . . The ball serves no purpose if you and your team mates just kick it around the soccer pitch
for 90 minutes.

Same goes for your copy. . . . . . . Before you start writing, you need to discover what the goal of
your copy is. . . . . . . The easiest way to find this out is to ask your client, "After reading the
copy, what specific, measurable action do we want the prospect to take?"

The goal of your copy must be specific, as opposed to vague. . . . . . . An example of a vague goal
is, "After reading the copy, we want the prospect to become a new car buyer."

That's a vague goal because no one, including your client and including you, is sure about just
how that is going to happen.

If you make this example specific, it sounds like this, "After reading the copy, we want the
prospect to visit our dealership this week and buy a new car."

That goal is specific, and it's also measurable. . . . . . . The car dealer can measure how many cars
are sold in the week after the copy appears, and know for certain if the copy generated any sales.

You need two things when you set a goal for your copy: . . . . . . a call to action, and a method for
responding.

The call to action tells your prospect what to do. . . . . . . The method tells your prospect how to
do it.

Common calls to action include: . . . . . . buy now, order now, order your free sample now,
subscribe to our newsletter, join our frequent flier program.

These calls to action tell you what to do, but they don't tell you how to do it. . . . . . . You need to
add a method.

"Call 1-800-565-7854 and buy now. . . . . . . Order your free sample now by completing this form
and returning it to us in the postage-paid envelope. . . . . . . Subscribe to our newsletter. Just enter
Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
© Alan Sharpe
www.sharpecopy.com

your email address and click subscribe. . . . . . . Join our frequent flier program. Visit
www.frequentfliers.com."

If you want your copy to be successful, don't write to inform, or entertain or lecture. . . . . . .
Write to inspire action. . . . . . . Inspire action by giving your copy a goal. . . . . . . Make that goal
specific. Make it measurable. And then tell your prospective customer what to do, and how to do
it.

HEY, I JUST FINISHED THIS LESSON WITH A CALL TO ACTION!

How to Discover Creative Ideas through Research

Should you spend three weeks writing a headline? Probably.

When David Ogilvy landed the Rolls-Royce account, he spent three weeks learning about the
car.

In his reading, Ogilvy came across this statement, written by an engineer: . . . . . . “At sixty miles
an hour, the loudest noise comes from the electric clock.” . . . . . . Ogilvy made that elusive fact
the headline for what became the most famous car advertisement of all time.

All great ads contain a big idea well executed. . . . . . . But how can you find that elusive big idea
for the product or service you are promoting? . . . . . . Through exhaustive research.

Learn first-hand
If it’s a cruise, take it. . . . . . . If it’s a car, drive it. . . . . . . If it’s a drink, swig it. . . . . . . If the
shoe fits, wear it.

Visit the manufacturing plant.. . . . . . Work in the store. . . . . . . Read the label. What, exactly, is
anti-bacterial fluoride? And why should your prospective customers care?

Ask questions
Talk to customers. . . . . . . Why do they buy the product or service?

Schmooze with dealers and distributors. . . . . . . How does your product compare with competing
products? Advantages and disadvantages? . . . . . . What single benefit motivates customers to
gladly hand over their cash?

Sit behind the one-way mirror during focus groups. . . . . . . Participants often say things that you
can take word-for-word and turn into winning headlines and subheads.
Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
© Alan Sharpe
www.sharpecopy.com

Talk to salespeople who move the product for a living. They usually have the best grasp on what
differentiates the product in their marketplace.

That’s what Rosser Reeves did when he worked at Ted Bates and Company on the M&M
Candies account. . . . . . . He interviewed the president, John MacNamara. . . . . . . Only after
careful questioning did Reeves discover that the creative idea for M&M’s advertising was
inherent in the product. . . . . . . M&M’s were the only candy in America that had chocolate
surrounded by a sugar shell. . . . . . . Thus was born the memorable (and profitable) positioning
line, “M&M candies melt in your mouth, not in your hand.”

Study the literature

Read the marketing plan—how does your product or service stand out from competing
offerings?

Read the company annual report—look for pithy testimonials from satisfied customers.

Read articles about the company. . . . . . . What does the trade press say about your features and
benefits? Customer service? Reliability? Warranty? Reputation?

Read questionnaires and surveys conducted with customers and partners. . . . . . . Why are they
satisfied? Or upset? . . . . . . What can your advertising do to change that?

Read the ads, brochures and sales letters produced by your competitors. . . . . . . How do they
position themselves against what you are offering. . . . . . . What can you do in response?

Bud Robbins had well-known competitors. . . . . . . He worked for an ad agency on the Aeolian
Piano Company account. . . . . . . The national sales manager for the firm explained to Robbins
that the only real difference between an Aeolian grand piano and a comparably priced Steinway
or Baldwin was the shipping weight—the Aeolian was heavier. . . . . . . Robbins asked why. “The
Capo d’astro bar,” replied the sales manager, who proceeded to crawl under the piano, and point
to a metallic bar fixed across the harp and bearing down on the highest octaves.

“It takes 50 years before the harp in the piano warps,” said the sale manager. . . . . . . “That’s
when the Capo d’astro bar goes to work. It prevents the warping.”

Robbins took that product feature and made it the differentiator in his first ad, which was so
successful that it created a six-year wait between order and delivery.

Study the category

Visit libraries and bookstores. . . . . . . Review books that describe the category that your product
or service occupies. Discover what consumers are doing, what they are buying, and what appeals
to them.

Read the consumer and trade publications that your target audience reads. Discover the issues
that affect their lives, and think of ways to position your product or service to meet those needs.
Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
© Alan Sharpe
www.sharpecopy.com

Visit industry websites, looking for changes in consumption and purchasing behaviour that you
can capitalize on.

Read white papers, looking for technology trends in your industry (the wireless revolution, for
example, or the imminent disappearance of 35mm film in favour of digital photography).

You can’t jump from nothing to a great idea. You need a springboard. And the best springboard
around is the INFORMATION YOU GATHER THROUGH EXHAUSTIVE RESEARCH.
Copywriting for Beginners Part 1 - Seven Questions
© Alan Sharpe
www.sharpecopy.com

Study Your Prospect More than Your Product

The sweetest sound in any language is the sound of your name. . . . That's why the most
important word in copywriting is "you."

Since your prospective customers care about themselves more than they care about you or what
you are selling, your copy should make your prospects the hero.

Which means your prospect is more important than what you are selling. . . . . You can commit
to memory every feature of your product . . . but if you fail to discover who your prospect is and
what she wants and why she buys, you will walk home without a sale.

So, study your prospect more than your product.

What problems does your prospect face that you can solve with what you are offering?. . . . What
keeps her awake at night that you can solve with what you are offering?. . . . What is he afraid of
that you can solve with what you are offering?. . . . What is she angry about? Who is she angry
at?. . . . What are their top-three daily frustrations that your prospect faces that you can solve
with what you are offering?. . . . What trends is she facing in her business life or personal life
that you can solve with what you are offering?. . . . What does she secretly desire most that you
can give her with what you are offering?

See where I'm headed? Your job -- as someone who sells on paper and in pixels -- is to
understand your buyers and what makes them buy -- and not buy. . . . . As you know, the most
important factor in your success is your target audience. . . . . WHO you pitch to is more
important than WHAT you pitch.