You may be the best person to do it. Discover how to write your own copy in this article.



Copywriting is the art of persuasion: you convince someone to do something you want him to do. When you hire a copywriter, he does the persuading, and in order to do that, he has to understand both the product and the audience.

Therefore, much of the time the writer devotes to your project is taken up with research. Depending on a copywriter's knowledge of your industry, that time can be short, or lengthy. Either way, it must be done, and you pay for the writer to get up to speed.

Since you know your own product, you start out way ahead of any copywriter, even the best in the business. And because you do have all this inside knowledge, you already have many of the tools you need to write great copy.

The copy you write may not be as good as the copy a copywriter produces, but "great copy" is not your aim - your aim is to persuade and to sell.

So here's a guide to writing great copy in five simple steps. For the purposes of this article, we'll assume you're writing a Web sales page. However, the same basic formula will work for many kinds of copy.

1. Remind your reader of his problem

Before you introduce your product, you must remind your reader (or viewer in the case of video or radio) that he has a problem. Therefore start your copy where your reader is: in pain.

Make a list of reasons or triggers which have led people to buy your product, or similar products. Find the pain.

2. Establish your credibility as someone who has the solution to his pain

Next, you must establish your credibility. You can do this in any way you wish. Producing customer testimonials is a common way, or you can tell a story - why you developed the product, and how it's helped others.

3. Introduce your product and its benefits

You've reminded your reader of his pain, and have established your credibility as someone who provides the relief the reader wants. Now it's time to introduce your product.

Since you know the product, sell it as you'd sell it in person. Chat with the reader, revealing the product's benefits. At this stage, you've aroused the reader's curiosity, and are beginning to stimulate his desire to eliminate his pain and buy your product.

4. Convince the reader your product offers real value

The next step in this process is delicate. You need to convince your reader that your product offers real value, and that he won't regret his purchase.

Offer evidence - compare your product with others, or refer to testimonials again.

5. Get the response you want - make your offer

You've brought your prospect along with you every step of the way. Now, finally, you make your offer.

Once your offer's made, stop selling. Just tell the reader how to make the purchase, and what happens as he moves through the purchase process. Give him all the information he needs, but no more.

So there you have it. Five simple steps to copywriting for your own products: you may be the best person to write your own copy, now you know how.