Page 104 - 100 Great Copywriting Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

You also pick up the characteristics of the prospects (your reader,
in other words). Their age, sex, attitudes, outlook, hopes, fears,
motivations, spending power, way of talking, favorite reading
material . . . whatever it is that defines them.
Having got to grips with whatever it is I’m selling, I need a route
map for the document I’m writing. This is where I divide up the
writing between the various points I want to make, the sections I’m
going to need, my opening, call to action, PS, and response device.
Only when all this is in place do I feel confident enough to begin the
task of choosing words and arranging them on the screen.

In practice

• Don’t kid yourself that you can write without a plan. You

will need to spend time thinking before you start writing.
That’s planning.

• Create a written plan for each document you write. Bullet

points, Post-Its, spider charts, it doesn’t matter. Find what works
for you.

100 GREAT COPYWRITING IDEAS • 95