Copywriting – the art of persuasion

7 hours to go. 7 unfamiliar and expectant faces, an oval table, a knobo-board and a projector in a featureless room in a London Bridge office block. Sounds a little uninspiring right? The day was exactly what I needed.

As a business development manager, what do you spend your annual personal development budget on? – another LinkedIn ‘master-class’ that insists cold calling is dead (it so isn’t by the way) or a life-sucking dip into ‘database management made simple’ (please no) – OR – a full day to explore the art of persuasion using the written word? = no brainer.

If you are currently in or have ever done a business development role, you know your output will always outweigh what you get back. Those without a slightly perverse fusion of the gambler, hunter and masochist, need not apply here. We are the metal detectorists of the business. We know that next hoard is just round the corner…IF we’ve covered enough ground. This continuous output can be pretty exhausting and as Q4 looms, I realised my professional fire was in need of fresh fuel.

I have always loved writing – so like anyone with a decent English A-level, enthusiasm and a deadline, I’ve ‘felt my way’ through numerous copy briefs with good results. At Tilt, I write sales emails, collaborate on proposals, blog copy (like this), case studies, copy for social, award entries and reports. Practically everything I write is external facing, so it needs to be high impact and correct.

With said personal development budget to invest, I looked for a course that would challenge me and teach me the proper rules of the road. Copywriting for Freelance Journalists delivered this – and much more.

Our tutor Jackie Barrie , is a savvy business owner herself with a degree in psychology and 30 years of copywriting experience. Jackie walked us through a packed but highly engaging schedule, incredible  value for £275!

We all take-away the tools, tips and tricks that mean the most to us, so here are mine:

• Copywriting v journalism = building a house v building a house to live in
• Work out what the most desired response from your customers is – this is your CTA (call to action)
• Understanding that in business know-one cares who you are until they know what you can do for them
• Headlines are responsible for 80-90% of written results
• People read print in a Z pattern and screens in an F pattern, so copy-write and design layouts accordingly
• The 20 most persuasive words in advertising according to ad-land legend David Ogilvy
• Start at the end and work backwards – people want the current situation before the background
• Use ‘bottom up’ not ‘top down’ language to speak to your audience e.g. bottom up words (you, your) top down (I, we, our) – e.g. We offer a wide range of skirts – NO You can choose from a wide range of skirts – YES
• People are either: Away from (a problem) e.g. “save money on your telecoms expenses” / “what would you do if your home burned down” Towards (a goal) e.g. “how can we add to your bottom line” / “ultimate insurance cover for complete peace of mind”
• Use ‘Continue reading’ rather than ‘read more’ links in articles. This is more customer POV

Thanks to Jackie, I’m feeling much more confident. I’m re-thinking and re-working the way I communicate with prospective customers, cross-channel – and I will never look at an ad the same way again.

I highly recommend Copywriting for Freelance Journalists to anyone looking to improve their skills and get some good honest ‘rulesy-rigour’ into their communication. You won’t regret it.