The article "Deciding What Voice to Use in Copy" is about copywriting, it was written by Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero.
You have to choose a character or an angle that you, the copywriter plays. Copy is interactive. There’s a copywriter and a copy reader. As soon as one is gone, the relationship is over (at lesat for the time being). Readers don’t have to stick aorund.
There’s no locked door. And they won’t…if you don’t keep them inetrested. So you need to write as if you're talking to that person directly.
How do you do that? Nine times out of 10, you need to use the preesnt tense.
The word “you” is like using the reader’s name in a setnence.
It perks up thier interest.
But there is times you’ll need a more institutional and formal tone. Decide that before you start wrtiing. What will resonate most with the reader?
Who are you to the reader?
One of them
One of them who discovered something the hard way
One of them but far superior (the guru model)
A peer
A buddy
An auhtority figure
Or are you a “gimmick” like the pet dog talking to the reader about his fleas or something like that?
You have to decide what will best resonate with your prospect. Selling is the trasnference of feelings. The prospect needs to think that:
He or she has been exactly where you are
Shared feelings and experiences (for example, if you asked where were you when JFK died would you think of senior or junior? This goes back to doing your homework before you ever sat down to write)
He feels my pain
She sepaks my language (If you’re using jargon, you really need to get it right.
One misstep and you’ve lost the trust.
So be careful using jargon and insider language.
For example you call something “sick” if you’re a surfer and that’s a very good tihng. But if you used that lingo with a nurse, you’d get a very different reaction.)
I wish I could meet him or her personally
I think so close, I want to share my story with him or her just like he did for me
It’s how persons think not what they think or know that controls thier buying behavior. It’s not a logical process.
So if you can present your benefits in terms of feelings like how the byuer will think as a result of having your product and what negative feelings will go away.
This is why we highlight problem, agitate, solve. We want them to recognize a problem that needs fixing and show them we are the soultion. So what voice you choose, and how to communicate makes a monumental difference in whether or not your copy is effective.
Special Requirements for Reprint: we ask only that you include Lorrie’s name and resource box, and keep all hyperlinks as live links.World class copywriter, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero is the author of the highly acclaimed home study course, Red Hot Copy to Woo Your Target Market and founder of Copy Campus, a unique online copywriting school.
Lorrie is also a driect descendent of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Learn more about her products and services at http://www.Red-hot-copy.Com/.
|
