Once Upon A Time Copywriters Used Storytelling
The Lost ART Of Writing
Compelling Ad Copy
When was the last time you read a compelling page out of the dictionary? Oh, there is a LOT of information there. And it's all factual. Why, it's even quite descriptive. But to sit down and read one full page of a dictionary would be grueling!
Sadly, a lot of today's ad copy is almost as grueling to get through as that page in the dictionary. In fact, much of what we see today is merely a lackluster regurgitation of the features and benefits of a given product. To make things worse, much of today's content is littered with predictable cliches and a monotonous droning that belies a deficiency of caring, creativity, or passion. Once upon a time, copywriters used storytelling to create compelling ad copy that would sell!
Is the "Art" truly lost, or is there still a way to keep the tradition alive? Listed below are five suggestions on how to create compelling ad copy! Ad copy that draws an audience in and holds their attention. Ad copy that not only SELLS but does so by telling a story. Read below and learn how you can create ad copy that is not only effective but artful as well!
IT ALL STARTS WITH A PLAN!
WHAT do you want to say? WHO do you want to say it to? HOW do you want to say it to them? Knowing the answers to these questions is essential before you ever sit down to write a word!
Say, for instance, you design and build websites. You want to communicate to small businesses the importance of a well-designed professional website. Or, you are a small, woman-owned handbag re-seller. Or, maybe your business is a male-owned online beard oil and shaving accessories website. All of these have something to say to their clients or prospects, but do you say it to them the same way? No, absolutely not! You need to plan your message to reach all of them in the most effective way possible! A way that meets them where they're at. A way that grabs their attention and holds on to it by addressing their individual pain points and offering them solutions to ease their pain.
GRAB THEIR ATTENTION WITH YOUR HEADLINE!
Let's use one of our examples above. Your client is a woman-owned handbag re-seller. You could title her ad "Why You Need A Stylish, Well-Designed Handbag," or you could title it…
"Let Our New Handbags Carry You Away!"
You are not telling her clients and prospects that they need a stylish, well-designed handbag. They know that! No, you're simply saying that HER handbags will give her CLIENTS what THEY want, and you're speaking that simple message in a language THEY understand. You've just grabbed THEIR attention; now let’s keep it!
TAKE THE NEXT STEP. APPLY THE PAIN!
Now that you've grabbed the audience's attention let's take the next step! Let's start building our story. For the foundation of your story, why not start with the customer's pain points? Take the example of the beard oil and shaving accessories online store above. He has prospects that don't even KNOW they need his products. He needs to apply some “pain” to these people! Perhaps he could speak to the misery of an itchy beard. In business meetings, their itchy beard is quite the distraction. In social settings, many eligible ladies are put off by a guy constantly scratching his hairy face. This itchy-faced guy also notices (as do others) that little white sprinkling of beard dandruff on his dark-colored clothing.
Or maybe your client's prospects can't imagine how smooth a shave can be with your client's "Steel-Blue" Shaving Lotion. The prospect always thought that a scraping or a pulling shave is just how shaving is supposed to be. So, they always keep the septic stick or a little toilet paper nearby to stop the bleeding.
Put the audience right in the middle of these uncomfortable experiences with a painfully descriptive narrative that plunges them into the depths of despair. Then…
THEN, OFFER THEM RELIEF!
Yes… Just when you have dragged the audience down into the oppressive throws of pain, suffering, anger, and strife, offer them the soothing relief that is your client's gentle, sweet solution. Talk about your client's solution not based on features and benefits but about how your client's solution eases the pain, lessens the suffering, softens the anger, and stifles the strife.
By the time you finish with your audience, you will have taken them from the depths of despair to the soaring heights of joyful elation! And what a trip it's been! A roller-coaster of emotion. Just like a riveting novel that you just can't put down! All brought to you by… YOUR CLIENT'S SOLUTION!
DON'T FORGET AN EFFECTIVE STRUCTURE!
When it comes to good storytelling, one of the most effective devices is the clever structuring of your narrative! A good storyteller knows how to draw in an audience and keep them until the very end of the tale.
A good storyteller starts off with a BANG! Remember how the James Bond stories always started with an over-the-top car chase, boat chase, or fight? Ian Fleming used this trademark technique in all of his stories to immediately grab hold of the audience and pull them into the story. Do the same thing with your title and your first paragraph!
Next, start offering your audience little bits of information as you begin setting them up for the crescendo of your story. You can do this with those pain points. Start with the least and build to the most painful. Until finally, BANG! The big payoff…
YOUR CLIENT'S SOLUTION!!!
The structure of your story is vital to your storytelling. You not only grab your audience with a good opening structure, but you also hang on to them with a structure that continues building until your final word! THIS is the art of using good storytelling to create COMPELLING and SELLING ad copy.
LET WORDMUSERS HELP YOU!
Even if you sell cheap widgets in one color only, you still have a compelling story to tell. The WordMusers can help you find that story and can help you tell it. We need none of the credit. Our reward is making YOU look good! So contact us today and let us know how we can help you look your BEST…
WordMusers COPYWRITERS