Copywriting tips to drive up sales | Hacker News Reader

Copywriting tips to drive up sales

blog.hsoub.com

13 pointsHsoub11 comments

Don't always believe that bit about sell the benefits, not the features. It depends on your target market. Robert Bly, author of The Copywriter's Handbook et al., has written several good pieces on marketing to technical people. In one, he described how he fell flat "selling the benefits" in marketing high performance cars. It's an audience that craves features and doesn't give a rat's ass about glib benefit-speak. I don't have a link for that one, but here's a great piece about marketing to engineers:

http://www.bly.com/Pages/documents/STIKFS.html

The majority of the market for high-performance cars does not (and cannot) appreciate the major features of those cars. How many BMW buyers really understood the difference between the US and the Euro manifold, or understand the different kinds of variable valve timing systems?

My point here is, it may not be that the tech market wants to be sold based on features and not benefits; instead, it may be just that he was selling the wrong benefits.

It is a benefit (albeit one we tend to be derisive about) to have the most feature-packed, cutting-edge, sophisticated variant of something. To make the case for that benefit, you probably have to name lots of features.

But that's not the same thing as marketing based on features. For instance, the specific features you market may not matter, so long as you exceed the bar for "enough awesome sounding features to be the feature-leader in your category".

What are some good, popular books on learning effective copywriting?

The author of this piece is also the author of an industry bible for copywriters, The Copywriter's Handbook: http://www.amazon.com/Copywriters-Handbook-Third-Step-Step/d...

My wife is teaching herself copywriting and liked this book, although a lot of the copywriting books are getting dated in light of the Internet - lots of references to fax machines, print writing, etc and little on SEO/writing for the web ("The web might be a fad, we'll know after 1995 if it'll be big..." type of copy). Would not be surprised to see references to typewriters or carrier pigeons in some of the dustier tomes.

Anyone know any good Internet/SEO oriented copywriting books for beginners?

Edit: Not to say the old classics aren't worth reading, there's principles of communication that have been the same for thousands of years. Just skip the parts on optimizing your telegrams...

"Just skip the parts on optimizing your telegrams..."

Or bend it to optimize your tweets.

Also good blogs/websites?

Some good points here. As I mentioned in the article, focusing on the benefits is 'virtually' holy writ. B2B selling and selling to specialists is a bit of an exception because for this market, features are important. For the trade buyer, being in the industry themselves, features can be important because they automatically make the link to the benefits due to their expert knowledge. However, trade buyers are generally price and speed conscious and so your copy would need to focus on how you can get them the goods quickly and cheaply - the correct benefits for this market.

High performance car experts (and experts in any field) are another interesting market. They too can make the link between features and benefits that bit more easily than the non-expert. However, doesn't having a car packed with high-end features satisfy their need to show-off their knowledge and spending potential to their friends (feelings of pride)? It is less features over benefits in this case but more features as being synonymous with benefits (and there's always that old cliche about the husband who is irritated because his wife won't accept his chosen car because it isn't available in pink!) Nhebb is right - it all does depend on the target market but tptacek is equally right - you have to focus on the correct benefits.

And as for a good copywriting course - the AWAI course is highly recommended by many top copywriters. You can check it out at http://www.awaionline.com/go.php?af=1380873

NB. If you want an example to discuss, check out the inside cover of this week's Independent magazine. There is an ad for the Skoda Fabia which details plenty of features (17" alloys, 7 speed DSG gearbox, etc.) The Independent is clearly not a specialist car publication so why are the advertisers spending expensive ad copy on these features? Hint: imagine reeling off these features to your impressed city colleague. Also, note the blending of features and benefits I mentioned earlier ('a mean 180PS, twin charged petrol engine'). Now ask yourself, what attracts you to the ad? Why might some people buy the car? Visit meanorlovely.com for more insight into the brand. Why do you think the car/brand is predominately green in colour? Does it make consumrs think it is an environmentally friendly choice?

1. Brain Audit - Sean D'Souza

2. Advertising Secrets of the Written Word - Joe Sugarman

However, the best thing to do to learn copywriting is follow the advice of the late copywriting ace Gary Halbert.

Buy a book of control salesletters. ("Control" is an industry jargon which means that its a salesletter that has won in split tests with other versions of salesletters selling the same product.)

Then copy and write the salesletters down by hand. Because copywriting is essentially writing. You can read everything about it and yet be a so-so copywriter. Or you can just copy 30 or so control salesletters and learn more than you would by reading voraciously on the topic.

My swipe file book of control salesletters of choice is World's Greatest Direct Mail Sales Letters by Herschell Gordon Lewis. But its out of print. And second hand copies sell for $200-300 or so.

Another good and more affordable book of control salesletters is: Million Dollar Mailings by Denny Hatch

Thank you!

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