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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Persuasive Copywriting summary
Andy Maslen
Cut Through the Noise and Communicate With Impact
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Key idea 1 of 6
4.3 (157 ratings)
18 mins
6 key ideas
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What is Persuasive Copywriting about?
Persuasive Copywriting (2019) is a valuable guide to the world of copywriting, with tips on how to get the attention and keep the interest of customers, as well as generate those all-important sales for your client. Author Andy Maslen takes time-tested techniques that have proven reliable for generations and shows how these are being successfully applied in an online world that’s increasingly focused on content marketing.
About the Author
Andy Maslen has been a sought-after teacher of copywriting techniques for many years and is the CEO of the Andy Maslen Copywriting Academy. He’s also the managing director of the corporate communications agency Sunfish. His clients have included The Economist, the New York Times, BBC Worldwide and the London Stock Exchange.
© Andy Maslen, 2019. This Summary of Persuasive Copywriting is published by arrangement with Kogan Page.
Table of Contents
Key idea 1 of 6
Good copy should appeal to the reader’s emotions, not the writer’s emotions.
If you’re a copywriter these days, you’ve surely heard people go on about how much has changed since the focus has shifted away from paper and ink towards social media and content marketing.
But while the places where copy is used may have changed, people remain fundamentally the same. Today’s customers have many of the same emotions, fears and desires that their predecessors had 50 or even 100 years ago. And what good copy has always done, first and foremost, is tap into a customer’s emotions. So in this respect, copywriting hasn’t changed that much.
The reason good copy will evoke certain emotions in a reader is because emotions are at the center of our motivations. Every copywriter wants a customer to take a certain action, whether it’s to make a purchase, provide a donation or sign up to a newsletter.
Therefore, the aim of every copywriter should be to evoke the emotion that will motivate the customer to take the desired action. To put it another way, you want to engage in empathetic copywriting.
Empathetic copywriting isn’t about being obvious and forceful; it’s about persuading readers who are considering how to spend their time and money. What the copy shouldn’t focus on are the emotions you, the writer, are experiencing.
For example, let’s say the copy is about a 10 percent discount offer. What you don’t want the copy to say is, “We are overjoyed to offer you an amazing 10 percent discount…” The reader didn’t open an email or click on a link because they were curious about your emotions, nor is the reader necessarily going to believe that any sort of discount offer is truly amazing. Visiting the Grand Canyon or witnessing the aurora borealis is amazing, so when you use this word to describe a sales offer you’re essentially diminishing its meaning. By doing this, you’re disrespecting the intelligence of the reader and doing a disservice to your copy.
So, instead of exaggerating your emotions with words like “overjoyed” and “amazing,” focus on the emotions you want your reader to feel by using more honest and effective words like “exclusive,” “members only” or “one-time-only.” By giving your reader the sense that she’s being made part of something exclusive, you’re tapping into her emotions in a way that will lead her to take your desired action.
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Who should read Persuasive Copywriting
- New and experienced copywriters
- Marketing and sales professionals
- Writers eager to engage readers
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