Businessgrl's Guide to Writing Compelling Ad Copy
By Julé Rizzardo,
Published by Business Marketing Matters at Smashwords
Copyright 2010 Business Marketing Matters
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Notice of Rights
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in whole or part, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, except for brief excerpts included in articles or reviews.
Notice of Liability
The author has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, due to the changing nature of online technology, the author assumes no liability for damages caused by the instructions contained in this book.
FOREWARD
Numerous ways exist to make money online through affiliate programs, selling advertisement space, writing articles, blog flipping, and other freelance pursuits. What makes some more profitable than others? Advertising phrases written to establish credibility and encourage buy-in.
Be more successful in any online business by writing advertisement copy that compels readers to action. This eBook will transform your perception of writing style. It will show you tips and techniques to write like an advertiser, even if you possess few writing skills. If you are a seasoned writer, learn how to rewrite your existing content for maximum impact and profit.
This eBook is divided into 5 chapters, each structured for specific types of online writing or online marketing techniques. Each chapter includes examples to help implement the techniques. This eBook is designed to allow you to jot down thoughts as you read and practice what you learned at the end of each chapter. Print out a hard copy if you choose to use the workbook features.
Learning to write for an online audience can be a difficult paradigm shift for new and seasoned writers and advertisers. Let this eBook help you begin the journey into online writing that engages readers and gets results.
SPECIAL THANKS
A special thanks to those who helped with the editing process and provided valuable comments:
Celeste Stewart, Freelance Writer and Author of some excellent eBooks on Article Writing
http://www.celestestewart.com
Manuel Morales, CEO of Culvert Inspection, Inc.
http://www.culvertinspection.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Promotional Writing Styles for Article Writers
While keywords are important for search engine optimization, there are other techniques good article writers should learn. Learn how your choices of words can establish credibility with readers, help brand products, and generate targeted online traffic.
Chapter 2: Writing Techniques for Blogging and Blogvertising
Develop blogs that maximize readership, advertisement revenue and click through rates.
Chapter 3: Marketing and Branding Using Social Media
Write Tweets and Facebook updates that generate buzz and click-throughs. Build a social media presence and brand.
Chapter 4: Writing Adlines for Capture Pages, Email Marketing and Autoresponder Campaigns
Email autoresponders are an integral part of email marketing. Write short, compelling ad lines for your next campaign. Produce brief, engaging content for capture pages
Chapter 5: Online Press Releases: Bringing it All Together
Close the loop on your online money making pursuits by writing press releases to advertise articles, blogs, and eBooks. Don't ignore this last critical step of online advertising.
Chapter 1: Promotional Writing Styles for Article Writers
So you have a topic and an audience, but are you really ready to site down and write an article to publish online? Your article may provide excellent information, but doesn't rank well enough in online searches to be found by potential customers.
Whether or not you intend to promote a product or service, when you write an article, your choice of words has tremendous impact. The right words establish credibility among potential buyers and encourage purchases. With the help of this chapter, learn to write articles that sell products. Learn how to structure paragraphs and use the right words to generate relevant inline and sidebar advertisements. Develop marketing before you start to write.
Article Structure
* Begin each article, or article preview, with information that sells the topic. The first paragraph should include statistics, experiences and information that answer questions like:
* How much money does this insider knowledge save?
* How does this process increase efficiency?
* How does the product or service actually work?
* What will happen if the reader doesn't read the article?
* When is the article's information best used?
Example 1.1: Start the article's lead sentence with a compelling statement
The rewritten sentences quantify specific benefits and make the information easy for the reader to understand. The rewritten lead sentences appeal to the reader's need to save money and do things more efficiently. When quantifying benefits or claiming improvements, be careful not to overstate the performance of the product or service. Consider using testimonials or government statistics to support numbers.
Try what you've learned. Rewrite each article's lead sentence:
Example 1.2: You have been tasked with writing an article on company X's newly launched productivity tool, but don't know how to begin.
The initial introduction does include specifics and talks about helping companies increase profit. But it doesn't establish company credibility or show specifics of which type of companies can benefit.
The rewritten introduction establishes the product and company as credible and dependable. It quantifies the results of product testing and encourages the reader to learn more by reading the rest of the article.
Example 1.3: Write an article on the importance of life insurance.
The initial introduction uses a scare tactic to grab the reader's attention and makes the reader think about their own mortality, something which they have no control over.
The revised introduction presents life insurance as a smart lifetime investment and puts control in the consumer's hand on making an informed decision.
Example 1.4: Write an article to advertise an anti-aging product.
Not everyone may care about the appearance of wrinkles, but everyone does care about the health of their skin, including skin cancer and other damaging effects of sun exposure. The revised introduction opens up the audience to men and women, and emphasizes the prevention aspect of anti-aging products.
Article Content
The internet is overflowing with information about keywords and search engine optimization, and how content is king. While keywords do play an important role, you also need to consider providing unique content within your article. Check out your competition. If there are millions of articles about how to train your dog, write an article about a unique aspect of the topic, to help in making your article stand out from the crowd. Here is an example:
Example 1.5 Selecting a Title and a Subtitle on Dog Training