BillVannot.com

While some will argue that good copywriting is a skill to be learned and practiced again and again, others believe it’s a matter of following a formula. Either way, it seems people new to copywriting make the same mistakes.

Here are some of them:

1. Spending too much time studying HOW to write sales copy.

Yes, you should learn what’s involved in writing good copy, but studying is not going to get your copy written. Once you have the basics down, the best way to get good at sales copy, is to write sales copy. Then rewrite it, ask for critiques, and rewrite it again.

Write copy for your next product, split-test it, analyze several other really good sales pages, tweak yours and so on. Learning copywriting is an ongoing process and you have to apply what you learn, and actually write your sales pages.

2. Not presenting the actual offer in a clear cut manner so people understand what is being sold.

How many times have you started reading a sales letter and given up because you’re confused as to what the product actually is? Is it a membership site or a one-off product? Wait… is it a trial offer and forced continuity? What comes with it? Be clear!

3. Using gimmicky false scarcity tactics.

Please… saying you’ve only got 25 copies left of a digital product is so see-through it’s not even funny. Legitimate scarcity is okay, made-up scarcity is not. If you want to limit the number of sales because you don’t want everyone knowing your methods, or you’re only selling 25 copies at a really low price in order to get feedback, then those are legitimate reasons.

You can even say you’re only selling 25 copies for a low price because that’s the number of copies you want to sell at that price before you raise the price. That’s a "just because I want to" reason and it’s fine too.

4. Using long sales copy because you’ve been told to use long sales copy.

The length of copy is not something you should get hung up on. The copy should only be as long as it needs to be to sell your product. Don’t ramble on and on, just because some guru says sales copy should be 20 pages minimum. Be direct, hit all the buttons you think you need to convey your message and close.

5. Making it long-winded, boring, and all over the place.

Read it out loud as if you’re the customer. Would you want to buy from you? Focus! Follow a format of some sort. There are various sales page templates out there, so it’s your job to decide which one works in your situation (through split-testing) and follow it. Problem/Agitate/Solve is one example.

6. Not making your sales page pleasing to the eye.

It’s not about over-the-top graphics because you can actually have a really simple look. The key is not to look amateurish because you want to build trust. Be sure the font isn’t tiny and hard to read, and use bullet graphics (which you can pick up for free). There should be margins on both sides, plenty of white space, and it should look okay in the different browsers.

7. Giving features instead of benefits.

People want to know how they’ll benefit if they purchase your product. While explaining your gadget has 4 gizmos on it may be nice – what really speaks to the potential customer is explaining the gadget will shave 30 minutes off their housecleaning time, save them money on their food bill, drastically increase their chances of getting a date with the hot chick next door, etc.

Features are what a product can do or what comes with the product, and benefits are what’s in it for the customer.

Copywriting is important because it’s what sells your product. If you’re new to copywriting, avoid the above mistakes so you can be on your way to writing good copy.