What are some little, easy things that can have dramatic results with your copy? When it comes to the actual writing of sales copy, here is a simple trick that can really pack a wallop!
A lot of people, when writing tend to veer towards ‘flat copy‘. Who wants to read copy like that? It is boring, uninspiring, and tedious. NOT something I’d want to read for sure!
Wanna know why? Stale verbs my friend. It’s like eating crackers with your bowl of chili that were left out for two days straight. YUCK. Or getting a Nacho Bell Grande, only to bite the first chip and want to spit it back out because they were less than crisp!
Listen, verbs are what gives a writing piece movement. They are what makes something interesting, entertaining, engaging, and enjoyable to read.
Did you talk to a crowd? Or did you enchant a crowd? Thunder down on the crowd? Command the crowd?
Talk is such a boring verb. Don’t use it, if possible. So is walk. So is said. And try. And do. Get the picture?
Even verbs that imply benefits get overworked. People want to increase their muscle mass, the amount money they make, the pleasure they experience with the opposite sex, etc.
But if you keep using increase over and over and over again, it’s going to lose power. There is almost always a better word than increase to describe exactly what your product does.
Maybe it fattens, swells, avalanches or bloats. See the difference in using stale verbs and power verbs?
There are a number of ways you can ramp up your copy with power verbs, and ditch the stale verbs. Try the example below the next time you are feeling stuck on a piece.
Power verbs for ‘instant’:
Instant…
immediate, right away, simultaneous, within moments/seconds/minutes/hours, fast, in a jiffy, wink of an eye, without delay, straight away, straight off, at once, promptly, shortcut, in a flash, go like the wind, shake a leg…
Then have a seat and ask:
What immediate benefit does your product give them?
What else can they do right away after using your product?
What other results will it give them within moments of using it?
etc., etc.
Once done, you should be left will all sorts of instant gratification results that your product induces. Now you have just the right words you can use when you are ready to sit down and write your copy.
Another way you can use power words is when you’re reading through the copy. If you notice you’re using the same word over and over again, try to find a better word or words to put in as a replacement. Sometimes ‘Speed of light’ does your copy better justice than ‘instant’.
Always remember that people are motivated by two things: to increase their pleasure and to decrease their pain. So consider using power verbs in both ways.
One example of this is humiliate. So you could show how by getting your product you humiliate the competition. But then you can also show the prospect how by NOT getting your product they will face humiliation.
Then of course, use several different power words to describe exactly the types of humiliation they will experience! 😉 Happy writing!