How Do You Know if Your
Copywriting Needs Help?

1) Do people often read your marketing, then come back and ask, “So, what exactly do you do?”

If so, this is a sure sign that your copy is not communicating effectively. If your marketing materials don’t tell people what they need to know, or convince them why they should buy from you instead of anyone else, then they aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on.

2) Is your copy overly egocentric?

Effective copywriting is all about your customer and how you can solve their problems or fill their needs. Because prospects care less about what you can do than about what you can do for them. And to be brutally honest, your client cares way more about themselves than they do about you. They are human after all.

Here’s how you can tell if your copy is overly egocentric? Read through it and count the number of times you use I, we, or your company name. Now go back through and count the number of times you used you or your. And give yourself two points each time any of these words when they are used in a headline, subhead or the beginning of a sentence.

If your I’s and We’s total up to way more than You’s or Your’s, you’ve got a problem.

3) Have you published ads or sent out sales letters that got little or no response?

If so, don’t feel bad. I see this happen all the time.

Mainly it’s because most people don’t realize that direct response copywriting in particular (writing anything where you expect the reader to respond by taking action IE picking up the phone, sending in a coupon, buying your product, etc.) requires a very specific, scientifically tested style of writing. So unless you’ve taken the time to learn the rules—and practice—chances are you won’t get much response.

4) Does your Website make you money, bring you leads, or generate sales?

If you answered no, the problem could very well be in your copy. Good Web copy has to do four things: Get the readers attention, show how you can solve their problem or meet their need, explain how you are different or better than the competition, and convince them to take action. And it has to most of that in four seconds or less.

If you don’t achieve any one of these, chances are you’ll lose the sale.

Of course, the problem could also be in your layout, organization, navigation or usability. But a good copywriter will take all of this into account. At least, I always do. Because these things all have to work together seamlessly if you want your Website to work for you.

5) Is your Website just sitting out in cyberspace, all by its lonesome, waiting for someone to stop in for a visit?

No matter what anyone tells you, well-written, keyword-rich content has always been one of the main keys to improving your search engine rankings. Because content is what makes your site seem relevant. So in addition to writing for your customers, you also have to write for the search engines.

That means researching the right keywords and using them in just the right places both in your page copy and behind the scenes. When I write Web copy, I don’t just create compelling content for your customers. I take care of your keyword research, integrate you top keyword phrases into your content, and write them into your META tags, title tags and more.

Want more great articles sent right to your inbox each week? Sign up for Bright Ideas!

Return to Copywriting Page