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Copywriting Mistakes, and How to Avoid Them

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Written by Ray Edwards

Tuesday, 06 May 2008

by RayEdwards

Most copywriters make these same three mistakes that hurt the effectiveness of their copy, resulting in fewer opt-ins and fewer sales. Of course, the goal of the direct response copywriting game is to get as much response as possible.

By correcting these three specific problems, you can instantly increase sales and opt-ins.

Check out today's resource at www.WebCopyWritingExplained.com. Visit my site to download free copywriting videos that will help you write better copy.

What are the three mistakes to watch out for? I'm not talking about grammatical errors or spelling mistakes, though you need to watch for them, too. These are errors in your basic approach, and they can have a major impact on your results.

Here are three common mistakes you should avoid:

Not Writing to the Reader. Direct response great Robert Collier says that you must join the conversation that is already taking place in the mind of the reader. In my experience, most copywriters - especially online copywriters - do not do this. They don't take the time to understand what is going on in the mind of their prospective reader. Get to know your audience and learn to write words that echo the thoughts, feelings and dominant emotions that they have. That's the only way you can hope to influence their behavior. Eugene Schwartz in his landmark book, Breakthrough Advertising, says "You cannot, with your copy, create desire. You can only channel desire that already exists."

Writing Copy That Sounds Like Copy. A lot of copywriters are guilty of this! We read great copy, we get inspired by it and we want to emulate the style, the flow, the rhythm, the language, even if our product or service is nothing similar. This doesn't mean you shouldn't use good craftsmanship, it just means if you're writing material that you hope other copywriters will think is cool, that's probably the kiss of death for your promotion.

Not understanding the product they are selling. Eugene Schwartz wrote many book promotions. Before he began writing, he would take time to read the book. And he didn't just read it once or twice - he read it several times, making pages of notes. He didn't start to write his copy until he understood the book intimately. Too many copywriters skip this step, trying to write copy for a product or service that they don't understand. What a terrible mistake! This isn't just a disservice to the reader, but to the client as well. You can get better copy (and increased sales) by knowing your product, inside and out.

About the Author:

For an inside look at the techniques of a sought-after web copywriter, visit the site of Copywriter Ray Edwards. Claim your podcasts, marketing tips, videos and copywriting advice.

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