Copywriting is the process of writing persuasive text (aka conversion copywriting) for marketing or advertising purposes. It is one of the most effective ways to reach your target audience and because it’s a form of creative writing, in order to be successful, there are a bunch of rules and frameworks you can follow, but what if you’re not a copywriter? What if you’re a solopreneur wanting to write the copy for your website, landing page, blog or social media caption. In this blog post, you’ll first learn some basics about making your copy easier to read and then you’ll learn about the rule of one in copywriting.
Understand and Write for your Audience
Understanding your audience is key to writing effective copy. You need to know what they want, need, and fear. Once you understand your audience, you can write copy that speaks to their needs. This is done by creating an ideal customer profile, learning about who you want as your ideal customer. Then everything you do is for this audience. Keep your focus on this ideal customer and write with clarity and simplicity so that they can easily understand what you’re saying. This step is the first thing you do when working with the rule of one as you’ll see shortly.
Write Your Text in a Conversational Tone
In copywriting, it is important to write in a conversational tone. This will help your readers feel as if they are talking to you directly. When writing in a conversational tone, use short sentences and keep your language simple. You also want to use personal pronouns such as “I” and “you” when writing copy. This will make the text more personal and engaging for your readers. Avoid industry jargon unless your audience expects it (your a doctor and your audience are fellow doctors).
Use Headlines and Sub-Headings
Headlines and sub-headings are an important part of any copywriting. They can help readers quickly scan through your content, and they can also be used to structure your argument. They are the first thing that people see when they visit a website, so they have to grab attention right away. Headlines should be brief and punchy.
Make Reading Easier by Using Bullet Points
Bullet points can be a great way to make reading easier, especially for those who are short on time. They allow you to focus on the most important points without having to read everything in its entirety.
It’s also a great way to highlight important information and make it stand out. Here are a few tips on how to use bullet points effectively:
- Use them sparingly – don’t go overboard with them.
- You want to keep your readers interested in what you have to say, not overwhelm them.
- Avoid long paragraphs – long paragraphs are difficult to read and should be avoided whenever possible.
- Keep the bullet points brief – don’t let them become too long.
Use Eye-Catching Images to Emphasis your Copy
Images are one of the most powerful tools in copywriting. They can help to emphasize a point, capture a reader’s attention, and create a memorable experience. When selecting images for your content, it’s important to follow the rule of one. That means selecting only one image that best represents your message. If you have multiple images that represent your message well, use all of them!
The Rule of One in Copywriting
Now that you have the structure laid out, it’s time for you to learn about the Rule of One when it comes to copywriting and how this can make or break your copy.
Understand The Rule Of One
Joanna Wiebe, who I feel is the “Queen of conversion copywriting,” taught me the Rule of One. It’s a simple but powerful concept in copywriting and in essence, the Rule of One states that for the most powerful, conversion optimized copy, the writer should focus on:
- one reader
- one offer
- one big idea
- one promise
Let’s break this down a bit
- one reader: write for one ideal customer, using words they understand
- one offer: what’s the single offer your making? what is it that you’re selling?
- one big idea: the captivating proposition that keeps the attention of your one reader. I like using the one big idea as my hook.
- one promise: what’s the solution you can guarantee? What your reader actually wants is the transformation or outcome that you must provide in order to make them satisfied.
I’d like to add this to the list:
- one call to action: the one thing you want the one reader to do
Here’s an example of the The Rule Of One In Copywriting
Let’s set up some context: You are a Nurse Practitioner, specializing in nutition, fitness and personal support coaching. You help new moms get back to their pre-baby weight and feel good again. She’s thinking of course a new mom is supposed to feel good having a new baby at home, when deep down, she’s feeling overwhelmed, alone, and ashamed that she can’t lose the extra baby fat. What makes it worse, is that she feels guilty about feeling this way.
How you as a fitness and personal support coach can apply the rule of one:
- your one reader: a new mom who’s just had a baby, and she’s not feeling at her best with struggling to shed the extra baby weight and she’s always tired. She’s aware she has a problem, but everything she’s been doing isn’t working.
- your one offer: 6 week personalized meal plans and daily fitness regimen delivered through a community portal including 1 personal support session every week.
- your one big idea: The theme is to look and feel great in 6 weeks, so the one big idea I would write as a hook could be: “I thought you had to have deep pockets to afford a personal nutrition and fitness coach to look and feel great fast. But it turns out all it takes creativity and determination.
- your one promise: if after following the program and checking in every week with your personal support coach, if you don’t feel significantly better and have lost at least 10 lbs, I’ll refund your money.
- your one call to action: start your free 7 day trial now, no credit card required.
Here’s another example:
You help solopreneures who know nothing about graphic design look professional. You design and sell Canva templates that allows them to create amazing designs quickly and easily.
So now we apply the rule of one:
- your one reader: a solopreneur who’s been in business for about a year. She’s struggling with her online branding and content marketing looking cohesive and put together. She’s attended some masterclasses on branding, but she has no interest or time in learning Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop. She knows that she’s got to look professional online, but she’s not sure how to approach this without adding 25 more tasks to her to-do list.
- your one offer: The Essentials Template Pack and Canva Training that gets your visual branding put together in under 48 hours.
- your one big idea: the theme is to get your visual branding in check so you look professional online, so the one big ideas could be: It’s not your fault that your visual branding looks like an explosion of miss matched colours. You’re a business owner, not a graphic designer with a 3 year college degree.
- your one promise: Within 48 hours of your purchase, if after downloading the templates and going through the training video, if you’re still having trouble getting the templates to fit your brand, we can hop on a one on one coaching call free of charge and we’ll resolve whatever problems you’re having with implementation.
- your one call to action: Get the Essentials Template Pack and Canva Training Now
How to Use Your Rule of One to Build Your Copy
Now that you have an understanding on using the rule of one, this will help you craft the rest of your copy. Think of the rule of one in copywriting as your foundation. All the rest of the copy is built upon this which keeps your messaging on point.
For the first example, you wouldn’t write copy…
- targetting middle-aged men because you’ve identified your one reader…your ideal customer being a new mom.
- that refers to a fitness program that requires a 1 year gym membership or 1 year food plan, because you’ve identifed your one big idea of this being done in 6 weeks and not needing deep pockets.
- that losing weight will takes several months of food management and weight training on their own, when you’ve identified in your rule of one copy that the offer is a 6 week food and fitness plan plus a personal support session once a week.
For the second example, you wouldn’t write copy
- about templates designed in Adobe Illustrator because your one offer is a template pack for Canva.
- targetting 3rd year university graphic design students, because you’ve identified your one reader as a solopreneur with no design experience.
- that says “no refunds” because you are promising the outcome in 48 hours, or you will get them on a coaching call to help them implement the templates.
See where I’m going here? Your Rule of One copy helps keep you
- focused on who your writing for
- what you’re offering them
- what your big idea is to attract them
- what transformation/outcome you’re promising
- and the one call to action.
Conclusion
Copywriting can be a fun and rewarding process that requires a lot of research, creativity, and a thorough understanding of your audience. The more you understand your audience and their needs, the better your work will be. The Rule of One in Copywriting: the simple rule that can help you create the most compelling copy ever!
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