Better Copy: The Interview is the Key

Most of us spend our days persuading others to buy our service, product or idea. Here is how to create powerful marketing copy to make your job easier: INTERVIEW YOURSELF.

If you hired a writer to create the copy for you, he/she would likely start by interviewing you. He would ask every question he could think of about your subject and keep probing until he found illuminating answers. You could find a colleague to help in this endeavor. Or, if you are feisty, you can interview yourself.

Write out a series of questions about your subject. (I'll suggest what kinds of questions below). Then ask your colleague to pose these questions to you and record your answers. Or you can write your own answers down.

The key to interviewing is to keep probing. If an answer doesn't make sense,say so. "I understand that your clients need to create strategy at the corporate level, but I don't understand how your software is going to help them do this." If you don't believe an answer, say so too. Keep asking for further and better particulars until you get answers that interest you and which you believe in.

SOME QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF

Here are some high-level questions to ask yourself.

What is the business problem?

Can you describe the problem in plain English?

How did the problem arise?

Is it a new problem?

Why is it hard to solve?

Why hasn't anyone found a solution to it yet?

Does your client know he has this problem?

Is he willing to pay the price in time or money to solve his problem?

What is his key concern?

What is your solution?

What services / products do you offer to solve his problem?

What benefits will these produce? (This is the hardest question to answer. It means going beyond the features we offer and really understanding the solution from the clients' viewpoint.) If you are going to work on producing only one answer, this is the one to work on.

Which benefit is the most important? (This will be your core message).

Why should your client trust you to solve their problem?

Who are you?

How long have you been in business?

What can you say about the stability and creativity of your organization?

Who are your clients?

Is your service unique? If not, why is it better than others'?

Do you have a robust marketing plan to execute against? How clear and persuasive is your website, brochure copy or direct mail? Call Neroli Lacey NOW to win more business TODAY.

CALL ++ 612. 215. 3826 NOW

or email: neroli@beyondcommunications.com

About The Author

I'm Neroli Lacey of Beyond Communications Inc. in Minneapolis, MN. I've been helping executives transform their businesses and their lives with outstanding marketing materials since 1995. VISA, 3M and Perot Systems are some of my bigger clients. I have worked with clients in Boston, San Francisco, Dallas, Austin, Minneapolis, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin and Delhi. I used to be one of the top journalists in Britain writing for The Times, The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, The Guardian, The Evening Standard, New Statesman, Vogue and Tatler.

Before newspapers I was an investment banker. I grew up in London, England, studying Latin with Greek at Bristol University.

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Copywriting Information:

Related Articles

Making Your Purpose Your Business Step #4 - Organizing & Developing Online Content
If you have done your homework then you are ready to organize and develop what will be your online content. Your content is very important as it will be used for promoting you, your work, and your website.
Fundraising Letters: Where To Find Creative Ideas For Your Appeals
How do you make your fundraising letters creative and fresh year after year when your needs don't change all that much? I am not talking about new initiatives. I'm talking about the programs that you run year after year.
Are You Losing Customers Because of Typos?
Overlooking simple steps such as proofreading and grammar can affect the credibility of your website. How are you protecting yourself?A potential customer on the internet has a disadvantage over a customer walking into a brick and mortar store.
3 Ways to Increase Conversion Rates
In a previous article I talked about a few similarities between writing direct mail packages and writing web sites. In short, I concluded that as online writers we could learn a lot from direct marketers.
Working on the Internet: Role of Proofreading and Copy editing OnLine
When one is in a creative state, rarely can one also be in a detail state. Thus, mistakes in correct grammar, spelling and continuity of all details, may happen.
How You Can Proofread Your Own Work
Putting out a high quality product is a given these days. With all the competition out there, you have to look great in every aspect.
Six Reasons You Don't Need a Technical Writer (and Why They're Dead Wrong!)
I know, I know. Times are tough.
Three Tips For Magnetizing Your Copy
The difference between good copy and great copy is the number of actions it generates. The more actions the copy drives, the greater the copy is.
On Copying and Stealing Designs
The notion on the great artist, Pablo Picasso's quote, "Bad artists copy. Good artists steal" is lost on many.
How To Write Headlines That Get Attention
No doubt, the headline is the most important part of any advertisement or sales letter. The reason is very simple.
Business Writing: When Not To Be Professional
It's time to write your next ad or brochure. Maybe some web content.
Getting Over Copy Shock
A few weeks ago I wrote some copy for a business owner "Marvin." My copy was hard-hitting but honest and down-to-earth.
Writing for People and Search Engines
Writing for the search engines is much different than writing in any other medium. Search engines are finicky, but they love text, so you're talking their language.
Power Words And Phrases
I like to use power phrases when writing sales material. These power phrases add punch to a line or a paragraph and I usually use them to start off a sentence.
The Five Rules Of Influential Web Writing
Building a professional reputation requires a campaign founded on your words: the positions you endorse, the motions you advocate, the accuracy of your vision. Writing for the Web can either establish your expert credibility or destroy it.
Tomorrow's Clichés Today
I went to Google and entered a couple of different search terms.The first was, to my mind, the cliché of all cliché's: "Tomorrow's Solutions Today".
5 Deadly Copywriting Mistakes That Kill Sales
Chances are that you are making many, if not all, of these 5 copywriting mistakes. I call them "deadly" because theyre killing your sales and your profits.
Knowing Copywriting Basics - How To Get Ahead In Your Copy Writing Business
In order to get ahead in your copy writing business, you need to know copywriting basics. There are several things that all business owners need to know, and here, we will touch on just a few.
12 Copywriting Tips to Make Your Advertising More Profitable
Year after year people make the same mistakes in direct-response copy and advertising. You can avoidthe most common and costly blunders by following these profit-enhancing tips.
Super Verbs Really Move Your Copy
Run or hustle? Eat or devour? Move or scurry? You can boost the power of your copy by boosting the quality of verbs you use. Verbs show action, and the way you describe that action can have a dramatic bearing on your readers.