Copywriting Secrets for the Pet Business

by: Carol Bryant

If you’ve ever clicker trained your dog, we want that click as pet bloggers. Amber Carlton says copywriting can help you get that click. I had the privilege of attending the Women in the Pet Industry (WIPIN) Conference in Portland, Oregon last week. One of the sessions featured Amber Carlton and boy, did she dish the goods on getting words noticed. Keep reading and then check out the bonus at the end.

Copywriting is simply writing for any marketing or advertising purpose. As pet bloggers, this is you…me….all of us who blog.

What is good copywriting?

• Gets attention

• Focuses on the customer

• Stresses benefits

• Differentiates you from the competition

• Proves its case

• Establishes credibility

• Builds value

• Closes with a call to action

 

 

Secrets to Copywriting from Amber

Secret #1:

Your customer’s/reader’s favorite subject is herself

Your customer lands on your site because they want you to solve a problem for them. So the person is asking, “WIFM: What’s in it for me?”

As you blog/write copy, be sure to ask that and answer that.

Secret #2:

People make purchasing decisions based on benefits not features, emotion not logic.

Advertising is based on one thing: Happiness – Don Draper from Mad Men super important quote.

So ask yourself what are two benefits of your blog and what are two features of your blog? Be able to answer these. Helps you define and strengthen your niche/microniche, too!

Secret #3:

Know who your customers are and then talk to them.

Do you know who your readers are? Drill down and figure out who they are and the better your copywriting will be.

Put together a survey and ask your readers things you want to know. What about their experience with you makes them happy? Any demographics? Make it easy, give them a discount, a free product, etc. Perhaps a free e-book?

Try not to jargonize things too much. Nobody gets insulted by simple words but folks can feel insulted if you use words they don’t understand.  Don’t talk above people’s heads. Talk like you would in conversation.

Secret #4

Don’t leave ‘em hanging,

Think about your blog as being your home. You own it. When the reader lands there, be a good hostess. Take the reader through how you want her to go. Call to action needs to be on your blog easily. Never just let the reader do what they want to do. Take them through your “home” the way you want them to go.

There is a compelling need, want, or problem they want you to solve. Are you doing that in every blog post?

Secret #5

Headlines are a really big deal.

On the average, five times as many people read the headline as the body copy. ~David Ogilvy~

A good headline piques curiosity, focuses on the reader, gives them an implied benefit. The CTA is the headline leads them to click more to the body copy.

Five Headline Hacks When Stuck

1 Anytime you can put secrets in a headline this rocks. “Five Secrets of Dog Training”

2 How to’s are great.  “How to Stop Your Dog from Pulling”

3 Numbered Lists: Buzzfeed is so popular and it is all about lists. It feels more digestible to have a list you can just look down. Twenty five things tends to get clicked through more than five. Has to have value or perceived value to your reader.

4 Do You Make These Mistakes? “Five Mistakes Dog Groomers Make”

5 The Surprising Way To…. The Surprising Way to Get Your Dog to Stop Pulling

Don’t say “Cayenne Pepper will stop poop eating”

“The Surprising Ingredient to stop your dog from eating poop and you probably have it in your cabinet right now”

The latter example piques curiosity .

Google “Headline hacks” – test it and see if it works best for your particular readers.

Anytime you can ask questions rocks.

For the complete slideshow from this session at WIPIN, check it out here: Copywriting Secrets for the Pet Business .

Do you use any of the above tactics? What works for you when writing copy aka blogging?