Page 17 - 100 Great Copywriting Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

2 REMEMBER, YOU’RE
SELLING

Perhaps because a lot of people who write copy do it because they
love words, they can sometimes forget why they’re writing in the first
place. Here are a few things we’re not doing. Impressing our reader
with the depth of our vocabulary. Making them laugh. Producing
literary fiction (or any other kind for that matter). Writing prose
poems. Now here’s the thing we are doing. Ready?

Selling.

Remember, we’re only writing copy because visiting each of our
prospects personally is beyond our resources. And if we were able
to do that, we’d spend our time selling, not passing the time with
beautiful but pointless conversation.

What does selling mean? OK, without writing another book, how
about this: selling means identifying who’s in the market for your
products and services, identifying why they might want it, why they
might be holding back, persuading them of the value, then closing
the deal.

The idea

From Waitrose Wine Direct, a supermarket’s mail-order wine
offering
When you’re writing copy about something fun, or entertaining or
enjoyable—such as wine—there’s a real temptation to go off on an
extended bit of color copy. You know, you just let your mind go, pour
a glass of the product (for research purposes, naturally) and before
you know it you’ve written three or four hundred words of fancy

8 • 100 GREAT COPYWRITING IDEAS