Laws of Copywriting and Public Speaking
Hello readers and fellow Praxians! I appreciate you taking time out of your busy day to read my newsletter. I learned a lot this past week, one of the main things being some ground rules for writing copy.
Laws of copywriting
Week two of the copywriting module has introduced 10 laws of copywriting. These are as follows:
You must learn how people make decisions - It’s important to understand when to sell to the rational versus the emotional side of the brain, while also knowing what need your product is meeting.
You must uncover the selfish benefit - People don’t care about your product; they only want what it can do for them. Uncover the value you can give them.
You must learn how to tell a great story - Opening with a story will get people interested and more engaged.
You must write like you talk - When it comes to writing copy, it’s more important to be understood than grammatically correct. The faster they understand what you are selling, the better.
You must use their words, not yours - You can learn what makes your product valuable to the customer by reading what they’ve actually said in the past. Use this information to better appeal to customers in the future.
You must write short, choppy copy - “Every sentence should lead to the next. Create momentum. Kill long-winded sentences.” People reading copy often aren’t that interested; you have to grab attention fast and keep it.
You must be specific - Readers don’t remember broad or general phrases. Give specific stats, timelines, or stories.
You must nail the headline - Five times as many people read the headline as the rest of the copy. The headline has to be something that draws them in enough to continue reading.
You must back everything up with social proof - Show potential customers what others have said about your product. People are much more likely to buy something when they see others’ positive opinions on it.
You must address objections upfront - Addressing a possible concern upfront means you’ve eliminated one of the obstacles holding the customer back.
Check out my full notes on the laws here.
Public Speaking Workshops
For the past two Tuesdays, I have attended an online workshop for public speaking. This was not something I was looking forward to, but I am glad I completed it.
For part one of public speaking, we had a few moments to create a pitch and then present it to the whole group. The feedback I received for part one was that my speed and flow were good, but I looked at my notes too often.
For part two of the workshop, we expanded on our previous pitch and improved the content. It was recommended to open with a story and have a clear call to action. The feedback I received was that I came across as very calm and confident (which could not have been further from what I felt!). My main criticism was my tone. In my efforts to control the pace and remain calm, I ended up sounding more like I was reading than giving a pitch.
Art Piece of the Week
This is a watercolor painting done with ink outlines and details. I haven’t done as much painting as I have with other mediums, so I am still learning a lot about it.
Thank you for reading!