Copywriting for advertising has a rich history, with pioneers like David Ogilvy, Victor Schwab and Eugene Schwartz leading the way.

And they all held one tenet…

That copywriting was pivotal in your advertising efforts.

Copywriting for advertising can cover a plethora of marketing tools such as:

• Website content
• Email newsletters
• Print ads
• Physical advertising spaces
• Landing pages.

Let’s walk you through six tips when you’re copywriting for advertising.

By the end, you’ll have everything you need to get typing!

1.  Focus on your audience

An adage when it comes to advertisements goes like this…

“When you try to appeal to everyone, you appeal to no one.”

Essentially, this means that you need to specialise.A question you could ask yourself is…

Which group in society really benefits from your product/service?

Research your audience and find out what makes them tick.

Are they cat lovers? If so, what other problems do they face apart from the one you’re trying to solve?

Ultimately, understanding the customer’s plight will ensure that your copy hits the intended target.

2.  Stick to the AIDA method

The AIDA method is an invaluable marketing tool that helps copywriters structure their writing. And when it comes to copywriting for advertising, it’s beyond vital. For those who don’t know, this is how it goes…

Attention – This is the most important part of this model, as it includes piquing the reader’s interest. What draws them to you? The headline. It’s common for websites to use  FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). This is where you impress a deadline on the customer. Imagine things like ‘limited stock’ or ‘X hours left on this sale’.

Interest – This is where you bring the customer into the equation, with personal stories or pain points. What problem do they face? And consequently, how will you quickly fix it for them? Now you’ve captured their attention, you can lay down stats, figures and data to impress them further.

Desire – This aspect of AIDA focuses on the benefits and features that you’re providing to the reader.

• What will the customer get from working with you?
• Are there any immediate benefits?
• How many features does your product/service have?

Action – The customer has perused what you’ve got, and they want in…how do they do that? By going for the call to action. This could be a button or a link. The main idea is that it’s clear and concise.

3.  Your written voice – what does your brand sound like?

What do we mean when we say, ‘written voice’?

Well, the written voice is the personality that’s on display when you’re interacting with customers. Take Nike, for instance. Their voice is inspirational, due to their customers looking to exercise.

Copy needs a consistent voice, as it inspires loyalty in customers. This is especially important in copywriting for advertising. Another example of an effective brand voice is Mailchimp. They take the emotional state of the customer into consideration. Are they confused and need help and advice? Or are they curious? With off-brand humour and a relaxed disposition, Mailchimp achieves two things:

1. They stand out from the competition and make an impact on their customers
2. They provide a plainspoken voice in marketing, which is famously muddled with confusing terms.

So, consider this for a moment.

If your brand voice was a person…

Who would they be at a party?

Would they be a quietly confident person, having in-depth discussions with people?

Would they be an extroverted individual, cracking jokes and enjoying banter with others?

And then consider your customer base – who would they appreciate more?

Once you find the right voice for your customers, you’ll find them warming to your service/product offerings.

4.  Creating the right story for your copy

Some of the best ads across history have centred around a narrative. People’s attention tends to be captured around a story as opposed to cold, hard info and stats. Consider some of the John Lewis ads, or some of the Sainsburys advertisements. They all touched our hearts. Indeed, their ads were so infamous that people started to anticipate them at Christmas. So, finding the right story for your product or service can inspire loyalty in your customer base. Ultimately, when emotion enters the equation, customers find it easier to be convinced to purchase something.

5.  Adapting your copy for the medium

For effective advertising, you’ll need to tailor the copy to whatever is needed. For instance, some copy works better for blogs, and some works better for landing pages. Practice trial and error in finding the best fit for your copy. For example, the copy in an engaging social media post won’t work for a landing page. The sooner you’re educated on this, the more confident your copywriting for advertising will be. Now, it may be daunting if you’re copywriting as a small business. But with practice, you’ll begin to notice how your copy changes according to the medium.

In summary

So, we’re here at the finish line on our blog around copywriting for advertising! We’ve covered a good amount of content in this blog, so how about a recap?

• Focusing on your audience – Keeping the audience at the centre of your copywriting for advertising.Making sure that you know exactly who you’re speaking to.
• Sticking to the AIDA method – A marketing method that helps structure copywriting for advertising. Grabbing Attention with headlines, capturing Interest with stories and data, inspiring Desire with product features, and motivating Action with CTAs.
• Your written tone and voice – Understanding the difference between brand tone and voice. Ensuring that your voice is consistent, but your tone adapts to your customer’s emotional state.
• Creating the right story for your copy – Taking the cue of companies such as Sainsbury’s and John Lewis to customise a narrative for readers. Inspiring an emotional response in your customers to show what’s good about your product/service.
• Adapting your copy for the medium – Using trial and error to get the right fit for copy. Understanding the difference between social media copy, email marketing copy, landing page copy, etc.

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