The dreaded question my wife and I need to answer every Saturday morning. The kids need to get out of the house. And so do we.
Last weekend it was me who asked the dreaded question. Luckily Ilse had something in mind.
"La Pineta."
It's only 13 minutes away, and it's got a kids area. I'm sold.
I carefully park the pram against the wall next to our table (he's sleeping). And that's when I see it:
The portrait next to our table.
A little portrait that caught my eye. And one I thought was very good copy.
When is copy very good?
Copy is good when it makes a sale.
And this little portrait made me buy a glass of wine (we usually take soft drinks or milkshakes), AND it made me buy desert (something we rarely do at restaurants, apart from special occasions, of course).
Now let's look at why it's good, and what you must do to write good copy on repeat:
The hook: Life's short.
Instantly relatable, and true. Short enough for me to read it in one second, and keep me reading.
The call to action: Buy the shoes. Drink the wine. Order the desert.
Actionable verbs (order) with an object (the desert) I can visualise in my mind. And the longer I'm in the copywriting game, the more I try to to create a descriptive scene for the prospect.
This portrait created a scene for me.
I could imagine myself having a glass of white wine with my wife after a brutal week. I could see myself enjoying a pudding because "life's short", and we deserve it.
And I could see myself writing about this little, 4-sentence portrait to you today.
Fascinating isn't it? And you, too, can write good, fascinating copy.
What you must do to write good copy:
Pull up every purchase you made in the last week.
Look at the copy.
Notice the hooks & headlines.
See the way sentences are structured to pull you.
Look at the elements that persuaded you.
Check the call-to-action.
Look how it made you feel.
Take a picture, screenshot, or save the link somewhere safe.
Study it. Read it again and again. Replicate it. Say it out loud.
If copy moved you, then it may move others, too.
Thank you for reading!
Did you enjoy this lesson? Any questions or comments, please REPLY.
Jacques du Toit - Founder, Copywriter & Content Marketer
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