12 Writing Exercises That Will Transform Your Copy Today

12 Writing Exercises That Will Transform Your Copy Today

Reader Comments (46)

  1. I’m in debt to you, Demian, for a great article. So where is the sign up button? I bet you would get a lot of takers with your offer. Hmmm… Demian’s Debt Den, Debtonomics, Debto Destructo, You owe-let’s go, or maybe even… Get outta debt–you bet. Whatever the name, profit would be the game. I say you go for it!

  2. You do a real good job here of demonstrating standard sales letter writing procedure. Your good example here helps me a lot because I am finding it overly challenging to do the same for myself. Some of the elements you present here, particularly your handling of the agitation ingredient, is just what I have been looking for. The price sure is right, too. Thanks much.

  3. Great post!

    The icing on the cake was your link to Breakthrough Advertising.

    I’ve been stalking this book on and off for months… but decided to check again today through your link and found a copy at $93!!!

    And… unless the advertising is false…it’s in new condition!

    Thank you!!!

  4. Demain,

    I see you decided to jump back into Schwartzโ€™s classic as well! I’m rereading it with an eye towards the different stages of market sophistication. I’m sure using these writing exercises in conjunction with what I learn from the master will help me craft more compelling copy. Thanks for this.

  5. I can take away many great tips on writing and my blog is dedicated to debt relief and finances, so this really helps me! I could use this entire article, haha, just kidding, but it really is good. I’m also going to check out the book you mentioned at the end.

  6. Hi Demian,

    Some great advice here for writing compelling copy (with a few of these examples providing great ways of sprucing up sales copy in particular).

    I strongly agree with the importance of using testimonials, although it is important to not overdo it with customer praise as it can seem fake.

  7. Demian, thanks for the great writing info! One of the main takeaways from this is to not repeat. I hadn’t put much thought into that being a turn-off to people so will keep that in mind.

    I wish this was a real product. I’m sold on it! ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. Very interesting take on this, Demian! This really challenges the misconceived notion that you should repeat yourself in order to beat your message into your audiences’ heads.

    I remember learning this in high school only to un-learn later in my final years of college. I think the way you mention is most effective.

    You can repeat information only if you say it in a different way. Otherwise, you’re being unnecessarily redundant and your readers will pick up on this quickly. It’s better to be engaging than redundant.

  9. Excellent article! I don’t even currently have debt, and I still want to purchase this product! ๐Ÿ˜‰

  10. Have you ever done a column on writing for adaptive design? It’s become a challenge to know how to write for both at the same time.

  11. Hi Demian,
    Outstanding article.

    Thanks for introducing me to Eugene Schwartz back in ’09. His teachings still apply in this internet age.

    I think reaching step 9 is where we can easily slip into repeating ourselves. That’s my biggest takeaway from this today: “Donโ€™t repeat anything you’ve said before. The moment you do, your prospect is gone.”

    • That’s a good point Matthew. To be honest until ES I wasn’t systematic all about writing … and I beat the drum repeatedly, but the same message over and over.

  12. Write with much more emotion, right off of the bat at the beginning!

    That’s a good thought Demian. Testimonials are key to building reputation within the copy and not just any testimonials.

    Readers want to see results and if you don’t have any, that can make or break your piece of writing.

    Making it more effective by adding more service/product results and people’s testimonials that have been helped.

    Thanks!

    – Sam

    • Julie, certainly “his or her” could technically be used there, and sometimes is here at Copyblogger, but you’ll find that we tend to simplify gender-specific pronouns and use either the his or the her, typically alternating between examples.

      • Hi Jerod. You could try using ‘their’ to simplify, without being gender-biased. It’s no pedantic point – imagine, as a guy, reading text that solely refers to a generic audience as ‘her’, to see how alienating it quickly becomes.

  13. The most concise piece on copy writing I’ve come across in a long, long time.

    So well written it feels airy and weightless. So much value it’s feels heavy.

    It’s hard to believe your post is actually 1,300 words ‘long’, because it’s so light and heavy at the same time.

    I can but guess at the tremendous effort, time and money behind your post, but I sure know how I feel about it: “Thank you, Jerod!”

    • Thanks Beat, that’s a great quote: “So well written it feels airy and weightless. So much value itโ€™s feels heavy.”

      That’s what happens when you use short words, short paragraphs and break it up with lots of sub headlines … a lesson I have to keep reminding myself.

      Again, thanks for the kind words, and the great comment.

  14. Great article! I can see where I use a lot of this naturally, but it really helps to see it spelled out. I like the Paint the Dark Side part. However, I think you’d have to be careful with that, especially with something like debt. I wouldn’t want to alienate my audience, or make a reader feel generally like giving up before even starting. So, I think that one needs to be used sparingly.

  15. Let me subscribe your rss feed first. I am selling some digital products from my site and i was too much frustrated how to increase sales of these product. Your this article is too much wonderful for me it will help me a lot to change my strategies. Thanks a lot for posting such a wonderful ideas for us.

  16. Another light bulb moment – that’s two in two days generated by you and Jon.

    As a novice blogger I can see how this framework will improve the conceptual ordering of all my blog posts and make people want to subscribe to my lists.

    And Beat Schindler said it all: So well-written it feels light and airy. So much value it feels heavy.

    Thank you for the knowledge and inspiration.

  17. Thank you so much for posting this great article on advertising in copy writing. This will help me tremendously in my future endeavors in the world of copywriting!

  18. This is an excellent, well-crafted article explaining steps to transforming our writing. I love your post title, lead and very catchy picture on this post- and how you utilized everything you mentioned in your article right here in this post! Good stuff.

  19. Demian,

    Not only great strategy for selling, but also great strategy for spinning a single topic into a series.

    Some content needs to be repeated…repeatedly. If you took a look at the subject through the lens of each of these 12 exercises, you would have a blog post a month for a whole year.

    Not a bad way to write cornerstone content…she says as she whips out that editorial calendar.

    Many thanks!

  20. Demian, everyday I log onto this site, I marvel at the simplicity, pertinence, and relevance of your articles. I’m sure you hear this all the time but the entire team at CopyBlogger are doing a really A* job, and helping the rest of us successfully navigate the vast and sometimes treacherous world of Copy Writing.
    A sincere and solemn thank you!

    • Since we have our own accounts, I’d love it if you could devise a way for us to favourite your articles and organise them in terms of our own preference and usability!
      Cheers!

  21. Add an expert voice or endorsement
    Mention the desire through a testimonial
    Open with the problem

    These three are my favorites, though there is nothing wrong with the rest of your writing exercises. The example, stated above under the subtitle OPEN WITH PROBLEM is an eye opener. This is a good tactic to use.

    Your post has been shared on Kingged.com, IM social bookmarking site, enabling me to find this good piece.

  22. I always like to take a little time out to read a couple of articles on subjects related to what I do, and I came across this one. I didn’t think I would be overly interested at first but actually, once I started reading, I found myself not wanting to stop!

    I love the approach you’ve taken to demonstrate professional use of language, this is a really useful article, thank you!

  23. Hi Demian,

    Currently i am running products website online and was frustrated about the sales. After reading this i can say that this will surely help me in boosting my products sales. Thanks a lot for posting such a wonderful ideas.

  24. The bullet point summary is something I always struggle with. It always feels a bit tacked on.

    Thing is I sometimes struggle to just do what works!

  25. Demian, You cannot say that you are not a financial Advisor! You have demonstrated the art of this type of planning. Great content, great step by step approach. As a former financial advisor I can really relate to your contents. I am congratulating you for a simple yet profound approach to teaching the concept of using the 12 point exercise to be effective copy writer. I enjoyed it and I learnt from this exercise. As a matter of fact from the headline I was preparing myself to get ideas to do 12 different writing articles that would make for a great copy. So I was blessedly surprised with this delicious menu. Thank you.

  26. Thank you Demian for your insights.

    The time and energy you put into producing this exceptional blog post is appreciated. I look forward to implementing some of your ideas in my upcoming posts and sales letters.

    Much Respect,

    Jeffon

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