One thing we haven’t done a whole lot of here on the blog, is talk about copywriting.
I figured I would dedicate this week to the craft and hopefully help some of you decide if this is a career you wish to consider.
What I will tell you is that I have been a copywriter for 5 years. I’ve made a living from it, I work at home, make my own schedule and I have some really amazing clients.
There are good and bad points, too. I have had a lot of tough times and a lot of great times. But, I have more freedom that I ever thought possible.
Copywriting isn’t for every one. If you are skilled with words and like to write, though, it is a viable option.
While the weekly blogs will cover more details about the process and procedures, I figured we would start the writing prompts with a few exercises that all beginner copywriter’s out there should be practiced in.
When deciding where to start, I chose to start at page and ad structure.
There are several different writing models that copywriters have crammed down their throat. The most popular of which is called AIDA.
AIDA is an acronym, obviously. It stands for Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action.
In short, this model follows a certain flow the reader should take. And today, you are going to practice it. Let’s take a look.
June 01
Pick an ad from a magazine or an article on a website trying to sell you something. Read through the article several times and identify the four parts of AIDA.
You can’t do what you don’t know, right? So let’s take a closer look at the prompt.
You want to find a long-form ad or article. This is something that is highly common on Facebook ads and Amazon affiliate websites. They have a lengthy pitch designed to draw you in and make you take an action.
Here is your first free lesson. Copywriting isn’t always about sales. Although that is the ultimate goal, the final aspect of AIDA is Action. That action can be to buy the product. But it can also be any action.
You want your audience to do something. Take an action. Fill out a form, click a button, visit a website, sign up for a newsletter, etc. The action can be to buy something, of course, but it is about taking some action, any action (other than leaving).
So find your long-form ad page, post or advertisement and try to spot the four areas of AIDA.
Awareness
The first step is to get the readers attention and make them aware that you are there, you want them, specifically, and they need to be aware of what you are selling.
This can be a headline, an image, even a sound. The A for Awareness can also be used to stand for Attention. How does the ad you’re reading get your attention?
Interest
Next, there has to be a reason the reader or target audience is interested. You want them to get to the end of your copy where there is the opportunity to take action. To get through the rigmarole, they have to be interested.
This is the section where the product or service is introduced. Usually there is a connection story, a tale, a wow factor or even the old favorite “I was where you are now I am where you want to be,” aspect.
Some form of interest and connection is made between the writer and the reader. Can you spot where this happens in the ad you are using?
Desire
Now that you have the reader’s attention and they have shown interest, you need to push the product so they see it as something they have to have. You must create desire.
It is easy for me to sell you a toothbrush. Not because you know you need one. It is because you know what happens if you don’t have one.
Through showing you the benefits, or consequences of your actions, you can create desire. Maybe people don’t know why they need a toothbrush.
For these people you can show them the benefits of your toothbrush compared to some other brand. Why does your longer bristle design make for better brushing? Show the reader the benefits of your stuff.
Can you spot the benefits and consequences in the ad you are using for this prompt?
Action
Finally the action part. Here is where you give the reader teh opportunity to take some action. If it is a Facebook ad, for example, the action may be to click a link to learn more, or to go to a specific Facebook page to like and follow.
In an ad it can be a buy now button, a sign up button, a form to fill out, etc.
What is the action request and method of deployment found in your ad?
Think you have it all? Write down the major components of each section of AIDA and review it. You can copy the ad (screenshot, save image, etc). To review a few times if you need to.
Try to find them all, though.
