Writing promotional copy is an art form. Bad copy can waste a great deal of advertising money. The main issues centre around highlighting benefits rather than features.

Customers need to know what your product or service can do for them - not how good you are or what your plans are. Developing a USP or mission statement can be useful exercises. We find that, apart from price, most people struggle to find a point of difference against competitors.

Ten simple rules to write copy that sells.

1. Make it sound like you are talking. Not like a legal document.

2. Make it look like a letter. Not a piece of print. Fonts are important. A serif type face is more readable than a sanserif typeface.

3. Don’t waffle? Introduce benefits as soon as possible. Don't apologise for writing. Either people are likely to be interested or they're not.

4. Keep it simple. Use short sentences. Use short paragraphs. Don’t show-off? And don’t tell jokes.

5. Don’t use boring jargon or clichés? "Key issues" … "core values" … "solution provider" … "Fabulous free gift". Most copy does. People stop reading. Seek fresh language.

6. Don’t use long fancy words? Replace them with short ones. "Peruse" means "read"; "aforementioned" means "previous".

7. Be a ruthless editor. This does not mean the letter should be short. In tests a short letter does as well as a longer one making the same proposition. Few one page letters are complete enough to fully persuade the reader and include all the benefits. If you send a brochure don't repeat its contents in the covering letter.

8. Does it explain why your offering is better? Remember, people are saying to themselves, why you? Why not your competitor? Why not something else?

9. Make it friendly, using the word "you" a lot? Or does it read like the opening speech at a funeral directors' conference? Charm sells.

10. Does it ask vigorously and repeatedly for action? Or is the ending limp and perfunctory? Is there a strong PS? They work. In fact research shows on average the PS is the most remembered thing in a mailing.

To discuss a copywriting project contact us or call 01277 236200