Creating Compelling Copy: How to Change Minds With Just an Article

Writing content is not just about hitting that word count target or inserting the required number of links. For your copy to be memorable and compelling, it has to speak to the reader. But how do you do that? Well, there are a couple of techniques and methods you can use. Keep reading this article to learn more!

Do your research

Getting to know your audience is key when it comes to advertising. Whether you’re writing a small poster ad or a blog article, you must know who you’re writing for.

Most people nowadays have developed advertisement blindness. If they see a tag that says ‘sponsored,’ they won’t read the article. Most banners on the subway go unnoticed. To avoid this, you need to speak directly to the audience, make them do a double-take. 

Researching the audience is paramount. Writing copy for the Boomer generation is vastly different from an article that targets Gen-Z. The chance that a Boomer would want to pay someone to do research paper is minimal. On the other hand, most Gen Z are students by now, so having a service that they can rely on in a pinch is more than relevant for them.

Set a goal

Every piece of content that you put out into the world needs to have a targeted intent. 

• Raising brand awareness
• Collecting leads
• Making sales
• Increasing attendance at a store
• Growing the newsletter

Here are some of the goals your copy might be trying to achieve. 

Often, it’s not up to the copywriter to pick an objective. In that case, make sure to read the technical task carefully or ask your employer directly about the objectives of the content.

Create a sense of urgency

Sure, this is the oldest trick in the book, but it does work. Flash sales attached to certain holidays or events are one of the most effective methods of pushing a product. Phrases like ‘limited offer,’ ‘just a few items left,’ or ‘don’t miss out’ trigger FOMO. 

Most people want to be included, aware of what’s happening and in on the latest trends. In shopping, that translates into making purchases they otherwise wouldn’t have made.

Triggering FOMO can also be done by indicating the number of items sold. Amazon and AliExpress do it for every product. It also instills a sense of trust in the product because other people are there to back the purchase up.

Leverage the psychology of exclusivity

Not so long ago, marketing used to be way more superficial and generalized. However, these days, it's much more about making every part of the brand's marketing personalized to what their customers and prospects need, and content is not an exception.

According to stats, 71% of customers now expect companies to deliver personalized content that actually resonates with them. Not keeping this in mind while creating your copy can hinder engagement, brand loyalty, and, of course, revenue.

Here’s what you have to do instead – know your readers and exploit the psychology of exclusivity. Address your readers’ needs and pain points in your articles in a way that makes them feel special, heard, and taken care of.

Appeal to emotions

Emotions have always played an empirical role in advertising. By appealing to them, brands can capture their prospects and turn them into loyal buyers. Moreover, certain emotions can lead to spontaneous purchase decisions, hence affecting conversions. That’s why using them in your writing is also a good way to make your copy compelling.

Earlier, we’ve mentioned how you should create a sense of urgency in your content. This, in fact, is a part of appealing to your readers’ emotions, making them not want to lose a good deal because of procrastinating their purchase decisions. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg when we talk about leveraging readers’ emotions.

In reality, your copy can appeal to nearly all emotions, including:

• Joy
• Sadness
• Fear
• Anticipation
• Surprise

Any of these emotions can play to your benefit if used right. To leverage them, you need to add deeper layers to your content - set the scene and create experiences that are familiar to your audience. Where applicable, implement sensory details. Use words like “You” and “I” to create a sense of personal communication and leverage storytelling.

Use data

Data, statistics, and percentages put you in a position of power. You know something that the reader doesn’t. This makes you qualified to sell to them. However, don’t just go around making up stats. Once your lie is eventually uncovered, you’ll lose all trust, and it will be very hard to earn it back. People don’t like being lied to.

This brings us back to our first point - do your research. Whether you’re trying to sell a book or writing about the health benefits of fruit, backing your words up with real data will make your content stand out from the rest.

Expert tip: While using third-party data can help you boost the authoritativeness of your copy, which is great, one way to gain even more benefit is to leverage unique data from your company’s experience. 

Unique statistics, data from case studies, and other pieces of information that can’t be found anywhere else on the web can make your content even more unique while also emphasizing the authority of your brand and maybe even bringing backlinks, which is great for marketing!

Include a powerful call to action

Remember how we discussed that every piece of content should have a specific goal behind it? Now, how do you ensure that your copy accomplishes the set goal? Of course, by integrating a call to action (or CTA)!

A CTA is an explicit phrase or statement that encourages readers to perform an action (complete the goal you’ve set for your copy). Without it, your content can end up being purposeful, even if it’s great, because it’s not converting readers. So don’t ignore this tip.

In order to make a CTA, think about the goal you’re trying to accomplish and the action your readers need to take to help you achieve it. Then, create a clear and concise CTA that asks your audience to take that action and make it powerful by speaking the language of your readers’ benefits. 

Make it readable

Whether you’re writing a 4000-word article or an ad poster, it has to be eye-catching. When it comes to long-form copy, make sure to break it up into small paragraphs. Three or four lines per paragraph are enough. This makes your text easy to read and skim.

Let’s be honest, nobody reads a long ad. Even if someone happens to open a long read, they won’t actually read it. They will skim over it to catch the main points. 

This is why you need to break your content apart into pieces that are easy on the eye.

When writing short-form content, make sure to highlight keywords. Make them bold, use a different font if appropriate; in other words, make them visible.

Wrapping up

Creating a copy that will be seen is not easy. But if you have a few tools in your arsenal, it’s not that hard either. Make sure that you know who you are writing for. Set goals for your writing. Determine whether you’re trying to sell, increase awareness, or something else. Make them an offer they can’t refuse. Back it up with a string of data. And finally, make your text readable. Now, you’re all set.

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