Happy President’s day everyone. One thing which virtually every president this country has ever had is a gift with words. Finding the right words to convey your unique message to truly connect with an audience, and connect with them like no one else can, is the secret to achieving anything in this life.
Our current president is the quintessential example of how the right words can win the highest profile job in the world. Donald Trump tapped directly into the hopes as well as the fears and concerns of roughly half of this country. He became the voice for those who felt they had no voice. A voice for those who felt as if the country they wanted or believed they remembered was slipping away from them.
We can learn a valuable lesson from Trump, so let’s talk about how copywriting like a president will NEVER go out of style in enabling you to achieve your goals whatever they may be.
Before we get into 5 specific tips to copywrite like a president/boss/winner, I want to preempt it all by saying that none of these tips will matter if you don’t know what the very message that you’re trying to convey is.
And by that I mean what action do you want your audience to take?
What is your end game in creating your message in the first place? What are you trying to convey? What are you “selling”? I’m assuming you know that moving forward and that you know your “offer” inside out.
5 Tips to Copywrite Like a President
1 – Understanding Your Audience
Let’s start at the beginning and what is easily the most important aspect of this entire pyramid upon which everything else is built.
Whatever you’re looking to sell whether that’s your product, someone else’s product, or even you yourself… WHATEVER you’re looking to sell, it’s imperative that you understand your audience. You don’t have to be your audience yourself, but you should absolutely be able to think like them and know what they’re thinking as if you are them. Inside out. Without exception.
Regarding your audience, you should understand implicitly:
What is their: age, gender, income, ethnicity, marital status, occupation, interests, and location? The more you know the better you can tailor a message which will resonate with them.
What is their motivation?
Why are they listening to you in the first place?
What are they missing, and what do you have that will fill that void?
Why has everyone else let them down, and why can you help them when nothing else has?
What do they want to hear?
I’ve emboldened that last one because it’s the most important. Once you understand what your audience wants to hear, it’s simply a matter of presenting it in the most effective way.
Only after you can answer these questions can you begin to craft your message, addressing and answering every one of these questions in one way or another in your copy.
2 – Put the Focus On Your Audience
Your audience should not have any confusion as to whom you’re speaking to. Every idea, every sentence, every word you deliver should be delivered exclusively to them.
It’s an old copywriter’s trick to make your audience feel as if you’re their oldest friend as quickly as possible into your copy.
Do this by making it as personal as possible whenever crafting your message. Talk in the second person and address them as “you” as if you’re having a conversation with them in person. Address that person as if they’re the only one reading your copy. Building a rapport and relationship with your audience is a surefire way to capture their attention early on.
3 – Understand Your Medium
Different mediums call for different messages and different calls to action. Are you writing a sales letter, website copy, an email to be sent out to a list, or is it a physical medium like a magazine or pamphlet?
Different mediums will command different audiences. Additionally, different mediums will lend themselves to making it easier or more difficult for someone to take your desired action.
As such I’ll say it again, different calls to actions will be more appropriate depending upon the medium.
If someone is reading your sales letter, you can use language to motivate them to make a purchase by clicking on a link to move along the sales funnel.
Conversely, if someone is reading something on a physical print material, then you have a bigger hill to climb as you likely need to direct them online using a different kind of call to action.
4 – Be Succinct
There’s no quicker way to lose the attention of your audience than to ramble on. Speaking of presidents, you’d do well to practice the words of Thomas Jefferson when he said “never use two words when one will do”.
Using more words than necessary to convey your message not only risks losing the attention of your audience but it risks diluting or mutating your targeted message ever so slightly so that it loses its efficacy. Neither mince words nor waste them in effective copy.
5 – The Call to Action
The call to action is your final push to get your reader to take your desired course of action and meet your goal. This is your closing argument, posed as succinctly as possible. I’ve talked a lot more in depth about the importance call to action marketing, so I’ll refer you to that post. After you’ve done all the heavy lifting, an effective call to action should be all you need to tip them in your favor.
So in summation, know the action you want your audience to take, know the ins and outs of your audience and their motivations, know your medium and adjust accordingly, be succinct in your message, and seal the deal with a simple yet effective call to action.
Follow these tips the next time you’re in need of some effective copy which will convert whether you are looking to sell a product or even win an election.