8 Clever Copywriting Examples for Effective Content

What is Copywriting

Copywriting is the process of going from an idea to content that will resonate with (and most importantly, convert) readers.

Every business needs copywriting skills and copywriting examples for their marketing strategy in order to create compelling content and get the attention of potential leads or customers. These days, people are bombarded by ads on a daily basis, so it’s difficult to capture their attention.

Importance of Copywriting

Copywriting isn’t just about putting words on paper or a screen. Be it copywriting or scriptwriting, it’s about getting the message across in an engaging way that will convince it’s about getting the message across in an engaging way that will convince readers to take action—whether they sign up for your newsletter, buy from you online, call you for more information, donate money to your organization or anything else you want them to do.

In most cases, copywriting is not about telling people what they already know; it’s about sparking their curiosity and getting them interested in what you have to say so that they will listen to what you say next.

For instance, you wouldn’t tell your readers that they should buy a new car or replace their kitchen countertops. You would say something about how the sleek lines of this model will make them feel like royalty, and then offer to drive over so you can see it in person and answer any questions they might have.

The goal is not to write an article or a blog post, it’s to engage the reader and get them interested in what you have to say.

The Difference Between Content Marketing and Copywriting

Content marketing is the act of creating content that your target audience finds interesting and engaging. It’s about getting someone to read your content, not just because you told them they should do it but because they want to know what you have to say next.

Copywriting, on the other hand, is all about telling people what they need to do or buy, and is often associated with sales.

This distinction can be subtle in many cases, but it’s the crux of how copywriting differs from content marketing- you want people to read your article for its own sake while a copywriter creates something that will convince someone else to take a certain action.

Content marketing is about giving people information that’s valuable to them, while copywriting is all about convincing them to want something.

8 Copywriting Examples to Improve Your Content

Knowing how to write copy your own sales pitches isn’t as easy as it seems. Depending on the type of audience you are addressing and the overall reputation your brand enjoys, there are conventional and unconventional methods that may or may not apply.

This is why having good copywriting examples is crucial to sales success.

However, your Return on Investment (RoI) depends heavily on the judgment calls your editors, writers and marketing staff makes when creating these emails. 

Let’s take a look at some of the universal rules that might cost you sales and revenue should you break them in your email sales pitches.

1Features + benefits before products

Writing sales emails usually consists of what the industry likes to call “cold emailing”. This technique entails that the person receiving your email doesn’t have a clue as to who you are or what you want. Not to mention how you came about their email in the first place.

Writing cold call emails is difficult, which is why you should always focus on the important aspects of your sales pitch before introducing additional information. In practice, this means that you should list, describe and possibly demonstrate the product or service that you are trying to sell.

This should usually be done without mentioning the product or service by name. Trying to explain it to the reader without showing them images, videos or other forms of multimedia content can be difficult if you don’t have the experience and the know-how. That’s why we are here now.

Focus on the features of your sales pitch first and then move on to the technical details. Using the “Why, How, What” model is also a good idea if your readers have submitted their emails willingly. If they are expecting you to contact them, you have the necessary benefit of the doubt needed for them to read the email thoroughly.

2Individualize the reader

There is an unwritten rule in copywriting that states that your copy should individualize the reader in an “80:20” ratio. This means that 80% of your text should be directed at the reader themselves and addresses them as “you”, “yourself”, “your family”, etc. The remaining 20% are open to you, often including “we” or “ourselves” as a brand or a company trying to deliver a good sales pitch via email.

There is a strong psychological truth to the “80:20” rule, meaning that most people prefer to be the center of attention when reading private correspondences. As we all know, emails are usually read in the privacy of a home or an office computer where the reader has your full attention for several important minutes.

Use that opportunity to address them with professionalism, actionable information, and value which you can monetize as a salesperson.

3Be a storyteller

Presenting raw information and asking for the money to fall from the sky never worked as a sales strategy. As copywriters, we are often asked to write stories and formulate testimonials. These vital tools can help the readers identify themselves with the email they are reading.

Storytelling techniques have often been implemented in sales emails, letters, and pamphlets throughout history. Learning from these examples is important because it allows us to mitigate the mistakes they may have made before us.

A good example is Jack Daniels and their humorous slogans, stories and advertisement campaigns. They are making sure that the customers feel as if they were old friends, not just people that buy their products.

Storytelling can be done in several ways, including fictionalized scenarios that implement your products or services in their situations or by simply paraphrasing or formatting actual testimonials that you may have gathered over time.

Use every tool at your disposal to breathe some life into your sales email and help the reader identify themselves with your brand and product.

4Use the K.I.S.S.

Writing simple sales pitches when you have a lot of features and technical terms to go over can be difficult. That is why copywriters often employ a technique called K.I.S.S., or “Keep It Simple, Stupid”.

As the name would suggest, this technique emphasizes simplicity and straightforward information over convoluted jargon.

Individuals that are genuinely interested in your product will likely pursue further information without receiving a data dump in their inboxes. Copywriters often look for help with online writing services and their colleagues that specialize in developing K.I.S.S. sales pitches.

This is sometimes a good idea if your copywriter is new on the job or simply inexperienced to deliver a simple yet cohesive sales email.

Failing to capture the audience’s attention on the first try sometimes results in a complete failure of the sales campaign, so be careful as to how much your information is really necessary. It’s likely you won’t get a chance for a do-over.

5Edit, delete, rewrite

Self-confidence is an important feature of every salesperson, apart from when it represents blind confidence. Editing, rewriting, deleting and otherwise fixing the initial draft of your sales pitch is an extremely important part of the writing process.

If you think that you wrote a perfect sales pitch and an email on the first try, think again. Consider sending it to your coworkers, family members or a colleague copywriter to see what they think about it.

The truth is that the sales creation process only begins once you are absolutely confident that what you have created represents the final product.

If you are ahead of deadline and have some time to spare, take a breather and come back to your copy a bit later. Clearing your mind and distancing yourself from the sales email you just wrote can be difficult.

Objectivity is essential if you want to deliver revenue and not a loss of investment to your company.

6S.L.A.P. the reader

Think of your favorite movie or a TV show scene. One in which a character slapped another character across the face in a moment of anger, desperation or surprise. Then, think of the reaction the receiving character made shortly afterward. The S.L.A.P. method in copywriting consists of demanding attention and action from the reader and translates to:

• Stop
• Look
• Act
• Purchase

This simple train of thought and action can help you gain the attention you need. Say what you need to say and actually have the reader pay attention to your copy.

You can do this by including discount codes, additional value for quick replies or similar extra features. Doing so might incentivize a reaction from your reader.

Allen Edmonds, an American shoes company has done a great job implementing their customers’ testimonials into marketing. Applying the S.L.A.P. method and combining it with K.I.S.S. can give you great results as seen on the image below.

The company was able to induce a state of nostalgia and homeland warmth with their readers. All by using vintage decoration and a real-life story. Writing a sales email that is both simple and effective from the get-go isn’t easy, and you will have to pay close attention to the opening lines. This is usually where users decide whether or not they will continue reading.

Don’t be shy of showing your readers exactly what you have to offer as a brand. Be confident in your own product. If you don’t like what you are selling, why should the audience care for it? Love what you are doing and S.L.A.P. the reader with it firmly and confidently.

7A sense of urgency

The number one rule of sales is to create a sense of urgency with your reader. If you tell them they have all the time in the world to make a purchase or order your product, chances are that they won’t bite anytime soon.

Make sure to include limited-time offers. Or first-come-first-serve features as well as limited quantity offers that may or may not actually be true.

You are not lying to your audience by stating limited quantities. By actually telling them that is the case, there is a much greater chance of them actually making a purchase.

We are constantly surrounded by sales and discounts in retail stores and online e-commerce websites. It’s only natural to use the same technique to benefit your sales emails and establish direct communication with your potential buyers.

8Use calls to action

Just as it’s important to start your sales email on a good note, so it is important to end it on an even higher one. The last sentences your reader receives in a sales email are the ones that will stick with them the longest should they consider making a purchase.

This is where copywriters often include calls to action as a means to ensure that the reader makes a purchase instead of just considering one. Calls to action can be anything from a question to the reader or a demand punctuated with an exclamation point. Telling the reader to make a purchase now instead of later is an essential part of online sales – why would you do with it otherwise?

Use your best judgment depending on the type of audience you are dealing with. Try to balance the fact that you are demanding an action from the reader while still giving them an illusion of choice in doing so.

Writing sales emails without a call to action included at the end is a wasted opportunity that will cost you precious sales almost every time.

6 Copywriting Mistakes to Avoid at All Cost

Copywriting is hard even if you have copywriting examples to guide you. That’s why it’d be best if you know the mistakes to avoid.

1. Using the structure that strangles your copy

Sure, it can be tempting to use multi-column layouts for your content. But they’re not for everyone. In fact, a structure like that rarely converts.

Therefore, using a single-column layout for your content is a much better option, as it provides clarity and simplicity.

Do you need help with your copy?

LeadFuze is a company that provides copywriting services to businesses of all sizes. It knows how important it is for companies to have quality content, and it’s here to make sure that happens. Its team of expert writers will work with you every step of the way, from brainstorming ideas to finalizing drafts.

You can rest easy knowing your business has an expert on its side who knows what they’re doing when it comes to writing compelling copy. With LeadFuze by your side, you won’t ever have to worry about hiring another writer again! It also offers additional services like editing and proofreading if needed.

2. Thinking you’re like Twitter (or Facebook)

Twitter and Facebook are totally different from email, so don’t just copy what they do.

In email marketing, you have to think about the recipient’s reading experience as well as your message in order to make it successful. This means that you should avoid using constant scrolling of an infinitely long page. Instead, break up your content into smaller chunks.

Your email isn’t a blog post, so don’t act like it is

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you’re going to be able to write an in-depth article for your readers. Your emails need to be short and sweet – just enough information for them to want more, but not too much detail. If you want to write a blog post, do so on your own time.

3. Forgetting to flip positives into negatives

If you’re trying to sell a product, one of the most common mistakes is forgetting that people don’t want what they can have. Flip your positive messages into negatives and think about what it would be like if someone already has everything in front of them:

“Buy this!” becomes “Don’t buy this! It’s not worth your money!”

“Buy this from us!” becomes “Don’t buy this from us! It’s not worth your money!”

It can be tempting to think that it would make sense, but the reality is that people want what they don’t have. And if you’re trying to sell something, flipping negatives into positives will actually turn more potential customers away.

4. Failing to test long copy

Testing long copies in various formats is a great way to make sure that your copy performs well with different audiences. For example, does it perform better when you’ve got more serious and less conversational? Or do people respond better when the content stays lighthearted but still conveys your message effectively?

Some of us may be tempted to think we already know what will and won’t work, but the reality is that testing will help you learn more about what audiences respond to best.

5. Assuming mathematical literacy

If you’re writing for a mathematical audience, it’s not enough to just mention the math. You’ll need to explain in detail what that means and how it works

For instance, if you’re trying to show 50% deals and that leaves 25%, you might write:

“Half of the money is not being spent at all.”

As opposed to, “Two-thirds are going to charity and one third goes home with me.”

The first sentence tells what’s happening in a straightforward way. The second would require more explanation for most people to get it right.

6. Neglecting the most persuasive conjunction

Neglecting the most persuasive conjunction will make your writing less effective–if more people are less persuaded, your writing will be seen as weaker.

If you’re reading a sentence with the word “but” and it’s not followed by an explanation, then that conjunction is more likely to be seen as weak. For example, “The product is expensive but it does not work.”

It’s more persuasive to say something like this: “You know those high-end products are often pricey and sometimes you get a bargain. The price of the product might be one thing that turns people off from buying it, but there are other things to consider when they’re trying to decide whether they want it or not.

Conclusion

It’s important to note that these techniques, rules, and copywriting examples can and should be combined depending on your individual needs. Relying solely on one of them might not work if your product is multifaceted and not straightforward like books or video games.

Don’t overstay your welcome with the readers. Only include the essential information needed to make a decision whether or not to make a purchase.

Teasing the hidden features and benefits of a product is sometimes better than sending information dumps to your mailing list and hoping for the best. Maximize your sales email efficiency by making smart decisions and by following universal copywriting rules that can be applied to almost any niche out there.