As a writer, you may feel that your copy is the best in the business. Your headlines pop, your bullet points rock, and overall, you an write an excellent sales letter.

None of that matters.

Copywriting is a business based on emotion, but not YOUR emotion. Instead, your copy needs to appeal to the consumer. It doesn’t matter if you think your headline is the greatest thing to hit the internet if it doesn’t convert. And thus, split testing becomes a priority.

Split testing is based on science and logic. Instead of trusting your gut with your headline, USP, and other parts of your copy - test. Take the time to design two or more different versions of the sales page for the same product. Tweak them so that each is a little different in several areas.

Then, find yourself some split testing software and put it to good use. Use the information you gather to find out which words are convincing clients to open up their wallets, and which are falling flat.  You may find that grammatical errors increase sales. You may find that your market hates certain words and phrases. The important thing is that you are able to gather this information, and then make changes to increase sales.

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When writing copy, it is important to relate to your reader. They, after all, aren’t looking to be sold to. Instead, more than likely they found your sales letter through a search engine, and are looking for the answer to their problems. Your job is to show them that you’re a real person, who has that answer.

To to this, you need to demonstrate that you’re an individual - not a company or big name marketer that’s out for a dollar. Use common language, write at the reading level of an average seventh grader, and use the word “I” frequently. Share how you’ve benefited from using this product or service, and how they can as well.  Take time to show your struggles, and how your product helps to solve their problem. Relate to your customers on a personal level.

Taking the time to personalize your letter isn’t just about peppering your customers name or location throughout the sales letter. Instead, its about showing them that you are an individual who cares about them and their success on a personal level. Doing so may take a little more time, but the profit you reap will be well worth the effort expended.

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As a copywriter, there may be times when your inner English teacher cringes. It’s just a fact of life. While you may not actually be using words like “un-correct” in your sales copy, you also may not have much of a chance to break out the thesaurus. Copywriting is about mass emotional appeal, which may not necessarily coincide with perfect grammar.

Copywriting Tips to Make Your Inner Editor Cringe:

Fragments are OK 

Sometimes, short simple sentences are the best kind. If your sentence makes coherent sense, it may be ok to leave it in - even if it’s not technically a sentence. Strong fragments, such as “Top copywriting tips and tricks…” may actually be a great asset to your sales letter. Avoid weak fragments with no main idea, however, as they don’t help your cause.

Contractions are OK 

Copywriting is far from formal. Your goal is to appeal to the common person, and normal people use contractions. So go ahead and throw in a few aphostrophes - it will make your writing appear more human. And that’s a good thing!

Some Slang is OK 

Industry specific slang is a great way to show that you know what you’re talking about. Use it whenever appropriate. Standard abbreviations for the industry (IM for Internet Marketing, for example) are also a good way to instill confidence.

So, when you’re editing and proofreading, listen to your gut along with your spell check program. Some grammar problems might not be problems at all!

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