Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps

Don't Just Say It Sell it!

You don't need a professional ad agency or copywriter to create kick-ass marketing copy. This hands-on guide takes you step by step and shows you how to create marketing messages that capture attention and boost profits.

"Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps is a must-read for any small to midsized business owner. It translates difficult writing ideas into everyday language and empowers the average business owner to write more persuasively in a simple, step-by-step process. My advice? Buy this book and read it twice!"
Dean Reick, direct marketing copywriter, DirectCreative.com

" ...Susan's warm, engaging style and emphasis on real-world specifics will make even the most writing-phobic business owners feel more confident in their advertising efforts. Susan packs plenty of useful copywriting tools, illustrations, and checklists between the covers, too. Her full-featured 'Copywriting Outline' is surely worth the entire price of admission. Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps is a superb addition to any small-business owner's ready-reference shelf."
Roberta Rosenberg, "The Copywriting Maven" and President, MGP Direct Inc.

"Susan Gunelius has created a simple-to-understand guide to writing effective and hard working copy for nonprofessionals such as small-business owners and others who recognize they need to develop this essential skill to promote their business. Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps covers virtually every topic the aspiring copywriter needs to know, from the crafting of impactful copy, to where best to run it. Ms. Gunelius' book should be on every small business owner's bookshelf.
George Parker, creative consultant, author of MadScam, and advertising blogger at Adscam and Adhurl

• ADVERTISING TIPS TO HELP SMALL BUSINESSES CAPTURE HOLIDAY SALES

• Irvine, CA--Tis' the season for Thanksgiving coupons, Christmas sales and overwhelming holiday crowds! Every holiday season, advertisers are gifted with endless opportunities to reach active consumers.

• Here are a few advertising tips from Susan Gunelius, author of Kick-Ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps ($21.95, Entrepreneur Press, September 2008), to help small business owners cash in on the Christmas crowds.

• Tip #1: Exploit Your Product's Benefits

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  In your ads, announce the benefits of your product rather than the features. Your advertising shouldn't focus on what your product or service offers (e.g. online banking, added vitamins, low carbohydrates), but rather what your product does for your customers (e.g. saves time, gives hair a healthy shine, keeps your body in shape).
  

• "The easiest way to start creating benefits is to first make a list of all your product's features," explains Gunelius, "Then, next to each feature describe how it will benefit or help a user."

• Once you define the benefits of your product or service, personalize them and explicitly tell your audience what each benefit can do for them. Use compelling descriptive language. For example, rather than "We have delicious food," write "Let yourself indulge in our mouth-watering entrees and decadent desserts."

• Additionally, as you identify your product's features and benefits, you should also determine how these features and benefits relate to consumers' emotions. Think about your own emotional triggers when you make buying decisions, then create a list of emotional triggers that could affect customers who buy your product. Examples of emotional triggers include desire for more free time, desire for trust and desire to be better.

• Tip #2: Exploit Your Competition's Weaknesses

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  "To write compelling copy, it is essential that you know what differentiates your product from the competition," explains Gunelius. "Once you know your competitor's weaknesses, you must make sure your audience knows them and understands why buying your competitors' products would be a terrible mistake."
  

• Thoroughly research your competition and understand what they offer in terms of products and services. Next, list the elements of their offerings that are inferior to your own and quantify them.

• For example, if your competitor offers a one-year guarantee on their product, but you offer a five-year guarantee, shout it to the world in your copy.

• "Johnson's Baby Shampoo and their ad copy that promises, 'No more tears' is an example of exploiting the competition," says Gunelius. "Not only does it differentiate Johnson's Baby Shampoo from the competition but it also creates a great benefit for customers."

• Tip #3: Avoid TMI (Too Much Information)

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  Never risk losing the attention of your audience by providing too much detail in your copy. Effective copywriting tells your audience what they need to know to act and make a purchase or how to contact your for more information.
  

• "Extraneous details clutter the minds of your audience, which increases the possibility of them forgetting the most important aspects of your advertisement or marketing program," states Gunelius. "Unless you're advertising a prescription drug, highly technical equipment, or an exceedingly regulated or complicated product, the best rule to follow is K.I.S.S.--Keep It Simple Stupid."

• The best way to determine the most important aspect of the message for your target audience is to work backward by pretending you're one of your most valuable customers. Now select the key sentences and phrases that will appeal to your customers based on the amount of space your ad provides.

• Gunelius recommends, "Edit your copy. Then edit it again and again to ensure you've deleted filler words and extraneous details. What's left should be clear, concise copy that drives your target audience to action."

• Susan Gunelius has spent more than a decade developing and executing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. She is a freelance writer, copywriter and professional blogger on the topics of business, branding and marketing.

• Kick-Ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps: Build the Buzz and Sell the Sizzle is a hands-on guide for small business owners. Business owners learn step by step how to create marketing messages that capture attention and boost profits.

Susan Gunelius has spent more than a decade developing and executing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. She is a freelance writer, copywriter and professional blogger on the topics of business, branding and marketing.