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Copywriting Infographic PDF
Copywriting Infographic PDF
COPYWRITING
INFOGRAPHIC
Copywriting defined
Desired
Audience Customer Aim
Reaction
Who will read the copy? What do we want to
What do we want people
What are their likes, priorities, achieve with this copy?
to do, think or feel when
worries and dreams? they read the copy?
What situation will they be in
when they read the copy?
Benefits
Copy Strategy
How do the features How are we going to
relate to the audience’s present the features in
needs and desires? order to achieve our aim?
How will the product or Which features/benefits
service help them? are most important?
Features
What does the product or
service do?
How does it work?
What is new, different or
unique about it?
Slogans
Slogans are one-line promises of value. The value might be boldly
stated or subtly shaded, but it has to be both clear and believable.
Slogans should ‘talk to’ their visual context. Copy and design should
come together to form a sum greater than their parts. Neither should
try to say something that would be better said by the other.
Can draw the reader in if it Can be intriguing or Can jolt the reader out of
talks to their personal compelling, but risks their comfort zone if used
concerns. pretension or irrelevance. effectively.
‘Does your memory ‘Who knows the secret of ‘Would you be more careful
let you down?’ The Black Magic box?’ if it was you that got
Black Magic chocolates pregnant?’
‘Don’t leave home without it’ ‘What will you send?’ ‘Always there for you’
American Express Post Office Hyundai
‘That’s just what I need’ ‘Never seen that before’ ‘What’s this all about?’
Save time ey
Sensory pleasure
Reduce costs
The Independent Politically neutral Readers seen as ‘It is. Are you?’
discerning and intelligent
Interflora Get flowers delivered Delight loved ones ‘Say it with flowers’
People defer to experts People follow the herd People act on their People want what they
commitments can’t have
‘Guinness is good ‘8 out of 10 owners ‘Like X? You’ll love ‘Quite frankly, the
for you’ said their cats Y!’ American Express
Guinness preferred it’ Soft Return card is not for
Kitekat everyone...’
American Express
Confucius Yoda
12 3
Break down your content into a Examine the same situation from Start at the general level, then
set number of points or a range of different viewpoints. move iteratively to deeper levels
sections. of detail.
For example, copy for a car
Choose a reassuring cardinal insurance provider could look at Works well when the reader
number (3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 15, 20, the viewpoints of each party in a must understand some technical
25), not a discomfiting one motor accident. points to see the benefits
(2, 9, 13). (consumer electronics, personal
finance etc).
Calls to action
Calls to action guide the audience towards a real-world
action. They set a boundary on readers’ ‘information
gathering’ experience, encouraging them to move into
the ‘doing’ phase.
(‘DCR’ = Desired Customer Reaction.)
Identify the DCR. State the DCR clearly and Keep the DCR consistent
simply. throughout the piece.
What single action do you want
people to take when they’ve Command the reader directly. You can say it in different ways,
finished reading? but you should always say the
Don’t obscure the message by same thing.
saying ‘please’, ‘why not’ etc.
Productive tactics
Sometimes, it's hard to get started. And sometimes it's
hard to finish the job. Use these tactics to mix it up when
things just aren't coming together.
Read it Use a
Write for
Discard your out loud. pencil.
someone
favourite.
you know.
Write Delete
Read it Change Start in your first
anything,
off paper. venue. the middle. paragraph.
edit later.
Change Sleep
the font. Too simple? on it.
Too obvious?
It’s finished.
Sales letters
Sales letters are sent to businesses or individuals to promote
a product or service. A sales letter must capture and hold the
reader’s attention, even when they are not in ‘buying mode’.
Offer a benefit in the headline. Get straight to the point (no ‘I’m Finish with a call to action.
writing to let you know…’).
Use a PS to offer a new twist on
Express, or explain, all features the key benefit (time limit, free
as benefits. trial etc).
Information documents
Informational pieces such as how-tos and help articles
are primarily intended to help the reader, but they also
serve to build the authority of a brand. The more useful
they are, the more the brand will benefit.
Organise thematically: answer Use informative cross-headings Aim for a reading age of 10. Use
the reader’s likely questions, in so people can scan and jump in. Word’s readability statistics.
order.
Use all the tools in the box: Make it as short as it can be, but
Organise chronologically: tell bullets, tables, diagrams, no shorter.
the story of using the graphs.
product/service.
Web pages
Planning Writing SEO
Know each page’s purpose, It’s hard to read a lot on screen. Identify target keywords for each
and stick to it. Use short sentences and make page.
paragraphs one to three
How does this page help the sentences long. Include keywords in main
reader? heading, HTML page title and
Aim for 300–500 words overall. text (but never unnaturally).
Where does this page fit in the
overall user experience or user Use keywords in internal links
journey? where possible.
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Strategy Concept Copy and design
Who is the audience? The creative concept dramatises Show, don’t tell. Involvement is
the key benefit. interest. Make the reader join
What is their situation? the dots.
Find your angle. How can you
What is the key benefit? compare it, contrast it, link it, Imagery, headline, body and
invert it, make it fresh or say it signoff should each sing a
differently? different part of the same
harmony.
Copywriting Text, design and images © 2012 ABC Copywriting, except for
third-party trademarks, slogans and quotations, which are the
property of their respective owners.