You may be wondering: why bother learning copywriting? Simply because it frees you.

Yes, you can hire copywriters, but that takes time: your favorite copywriter is busy, and if you need him for every tiny marketing chore, your competitors will eat your lunch.

So here are five tips for effective copy:

1. Use "YOU" to talk directly to your prospect

Using "you" makes your copy personal. You're talking directly to your prospect. Consider the difference between:

* "We've been in business five years...."; and

* "You know you can rely on us, because you ..."

You'll find that when you use "you" in your copy you get right on your prospect's wavelength. You start thinking from his point of view, rather than your own, and this is vital for effective copy.

2. Postscript power - remember the P.S. and make more sales

I love junk mail. Part of my affection for it is professional curiosity; I want to see how other copywriters handle copy, but a major part consists of pure interest too. I love a great offer.

However, my time's limited. So I read the headline of the sales letter, and the postscript. If they don't grab me, I toss the letter.

So when writing sales letters, focus on the headline, and on the postscript. You'll make more sales.

3. Long copy or short? Your choice

Copywriting is salesmanship. When you're wondering whether to write short copy or long, think about how you would approach the sale in person. What would get the prospect's attention?

Sometimes of course you're constrained by the medium. You can't write a two-page sales letter if you're creating a quarter-page magazine display ad. But if you're writing a direct response letter, or Web sales page, you can write long, or short. Your choice.

Here's a tip: beware of "laundry list" copy - long lists of benefits of your product. You can lose control with laundry-list copy easily, so aim to keep your buyer reading by using suspense.

4. Knowledge counts - use the product, evaluate the service, talk to users

Fake copy is easy to spot. Lack of knowledge of the product is the reason you see so much "cheesy", hype-ridden copy on the Web. You must know what you're selling. Touch the product. Use it if possible. Evaluate the service, and talk to users.

You need direct knowledge of a product to write effective copy. Get that knowledge any way you can.

5. Pay attention! Get noticed

If your prospect ignores the headline, you've lost the sale. So your first aim in writing copy is to get attention.

Because they're so important, headlines can be difficult to write, but write your headline you must, because the rest of the copy flows directly from the headline. So write your headline, and assess it when you've finished writing the copy.

Often the perfect headline will only come to you once you've completed the copy, as a flash of inspiration.

So there you have five easy copywriting tips. Use them for effective copy, and make sales.