Therapeutic copywriting

 

It hurts, doesn’t it?

You’ve hit a metaphorical brick wall and are at a loss as to what to do.

You’ve tried all sorts of things, asked for advice and scoured the internet for inspiration.

Finally, you’ve landed on my website, and I have the answer you’ve been looking for.

Yes, the copy on my website has shown and convinced you that my product/service is the panacea you need.

How did I do that?

Pain = motivation

Pain is one of life’s great motivators. If you burn your hand on the oven, you’re highly motivated to remove your hand to stop the physical pain you’re feeling.

Within the business world, it’s unlikely to be physical pain, but there is pain nonetheless:

  • Inadvertently breaking rules
  • Being rejected
  • Having your secrets stolen by a disgruntled employee
  • Losing money

These are all strong motivators that can be used within your copywriting to convince your readers you have the answer they’re looking for.

A balancing act

Banging on and on about the pain/challenge your reader is facing won’t serve as a motivator, it’ll just depress them.

That’s why it’s so important to get the balance right.

So how do you do that?

Here’s a cheesy headline that shows what I mean:

Have you ever wished that….

This is a gentle lead in and shows them that you understand the problem (pain point) they are experiencing. This empathy will prove that you’re a company that cares and one that wants to help.

Then, as you get into the meat of your copy, you can continue with…

Well, now you can with our …..

So within a few seconds, you’ve not only shown you understand their issues by highlighting the problem they’re facing, but you’ve also immediately demonstrated how you could make that problem disappear.

An alternative is to make a statement giving statistical evidence that highlights the size of the problem they have, such as:

The UK’s fire service is called out to over 600,000 fires that result in over 800 deaths – we don’t want you to be a statistic

This is a bit more shocking and will make the reader stop and think about their fire alarm systems.

The trick is to:

  • Empathise with your reader
  • Show them you understand the issue they’re facing
  • Show them how your solution will benefit them
  • Tell them what to do next

They don’t want fluff and flannel – just plain talking and a solution that works.

Make sure your content is structured to flow without repeating itself.

Your headline should immediately show what you do and how you can help.

Then your first paragraph will show the solution you offer and its primary benefit.

You can then go on to talk more about the product/service making sure to highlight how it will help the customer at all times.

If possible, give further illustrations through case studies to provide social proof that it works. Then, round it all off with a strong call to action to tell the reader what they should do next.

Don’t get carried away

It’s tough writing about your products and services because you tend to see them from your point of view rather than your customers’.

This is when you need a professional copywriter. They can see the value of your product/service from a customer point of view and therefore are better placed to create content that will highlight the benefits that matter.

In-house content tends to focus on the business and features of the product/service rather than the customer and the benefits they will enjoy.

If you are going to write it yourself remember to focus on the needs of the customer.

Plus, it doesn’t matter whether you’re writing for a B2B or B2C market, businesses and consumers all have problems they want solving so the structure of your content will be the same.

 

Sally Ormond is an international copywriter who works with big brands and SMEs to create the content their customers want to read.