I have a homework assignment for you.
I want you to write a few lines promoting a swimming pool safety fence.
I’ll give you a full briefing about the fencing… what it looks like, how it can be installed, taken down, and so on.
And then it will be up to you.
This is one of the 6 homework assignments I give students of my Conversational Copywriting course.
And when I look at all the submissions, I can divide them fairly neatly into two categories.
Imagine you’re tasked with writing a short sales page, pitching a home security package.
The package includes security cameras, motion detectors and an app for a phone or tablet. There’s a panic button function too.
But here’s the twist…
Once you’ve done writing, you’re going to read this sales copy to your grandma.
And you’re going to read it while sitting across the kitchen table from her, looking her in the eye.
You can’t deviate from the script or improvise. You can’t make excuses and say, “But hey, this is my grandma.”
I want you to think about how you would write this sales copy with the prior knowledge that you WILL be reading it to your grandma.
If you want to avoid any awkward moments while doing that, here are 5 tips that might help.
In this post I get to interview best-selling author and Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs, Ann Handley.
I’ve known Ann for over 20 years, ever since she first invited me to write for ClickZ, a website she co-founded with Andy Bourland back in 1997.
Through working with her and reading her books, I know we agree on most things when it comes to writing for the web.
That’s all very nice, but could also be a problem. Mutual appreciation interviews can get really boring, really fast.
So… I thought a little harder and came up with a slightly non-obvious line of questioning.
I don’t know what Ann’s answers will be. But I’m really looking forward to finding out.
Let’s get started.
When they read my writing on conversational copywriting, some marketers think I’m talking about a soft, nice-to-have skill.
They see the conversational approach is being attractive, but optional.
I think they’re totally wrong.
From what I’m seeing, conversational copywriting is fast becoming an essential marketing skill. Not an option, but a necessity.
And the need for conversational copywriting isn’t being driven by me or any other individual. It’s being driven by some massive technology trends that show no signs of slowing down any time soon.
Let’s take a look at these trends one by one.
In this post I get to interview Nancy Gettridge, founder and principal of Phenomenal Image.
Nancy took my course on conversational copywriting. While going through the course every student is invited to submit some homework assignments. And Nancy’s writing caught my attention for a couple of reasons. First, it’s really good. Secondly, there’s something very visual about it.
It was the visual, picture-painting aspect of her writing that prompted me to reach out and ask here about her process.
And what started as a simple email exchange quickly grew into a full-blown interview.
I’m trying to think of a reason why you might want to write a headline that doesn’t attempt to engage your readers in some meaningful way.
I guess if you’re just making a product launch announcement, you might simply want to get the message out and be done.
You could write something like:
NEW! Nick’s Peanut Butter available in stores today!
But most of the time we’re trying to do more with our headlines.
We want to hold the reader’s interest and attention beyond just the headline itself. We want people to keep reading.
How do you keep them reading?