Tactics to make your copy get results

Whether you're creating ads, newsletter articles, or sales letters-good copy is key to helping your audience understand a great offer, and most importantly, getting them to react to what you are offering.

Here are some tips to command high response rates from your sales copy:

1. Know your audience. Pay close attention to who your target audience is for each piece and speak directly to them about their most important issues. Keep it relevant to your members' needs, and they'll keep reading.
2. Tone is everything. Use an attention-getting headline and opening line to set the stage for the offer. A personal, positive tone will help you create a bond with the reader and gain their trust.
3. Length Issues. How long is too long? Your copy should be an appropriate length for the message and should use every opportunity to compel the reader to take action-without being repetitive.
4. Call to action. State your call to action early and reinforce frequently. Make it easy to respond with clear, concise directions, boldly presented throughout your piece. When creating e-mail, remember to place the call to action in the top half of your copy.
5. Do you have appeal? Keep your copy succinct. Don't overwhelm your audience with lengthy sentences and paragraphs. The reader will find your pieces much more approachable if they're broken down into short statements. Take advantage of bullet points, subheads or standout copy.
6. Benefits first. Your readers are likely to skim your piece, so how can you ensure that the advantages of your product are understood? Express the benefit at the beginning of each sentence-that way the benefits of your product aren't missed.
7. Offer vs. Product. Bottom line, you want your audience to respond to your offer. Shifting your focus from "selling the product" to "selling the offer" takes the burden of having to do it all in one shot. Concentrate on getting your audience's response first. Once you have their attention, you can focus on pitching the sale.

Compliments of Copy & Art Express.