An Artist’s Guide To Copywriting



Read More: Copywriting

An Artist’s Guide To Copywriting

 

How to create a "masterpiece" with your copywriting

As many of you know, I am a visual artist (drawing, painting, etc.)...

So I thought it would be cool to give you a "glimpse into my world" to see how I look at the process of writing copy.

Obviously, I pay attention first to what my target market is interested in reading about.

Then I think about keywords I might be able to rank for -- though I don't always worry about this aspect.

Why?

Because I'm just as concerned with keeping people coming back as I am about getting them here.

It's all about building that relationship and consistently giving value, right?

The great artists put "a piece of themselves" into their work.

So, I feel it's just as important to let people get to know me as it is to get tons of traffic.

Besides, I'll take a loyal group of 100 people working together to make an impact over 10,000 scattered people who could give a damn, any day of the week!

Sometimes, I'll push the envelope to make a point -- like in my last post:

===>Network Marketing Really IS A Pyramid Scheme!

The people who take offense aren't the people I'm looking for.

"I'm only looking for people who are looking for me."

Now that you have some insight into my "twisted artist's thought process," I'll go into my thoughts on the visual aspect, or the "readability" of a post.

So now for an artist's take on writing copy that "looks good" -- good enough to read, at least ;)

1) First, I look at scale: Foreground, Middle-ground, Background:

I start with a big, bold headline that grabs the reader's attention.

Then I move on to a smaller (but still bold) sub-headline that expands upon the point of the headline.

Finally, I get to the smaller copy text that tells the whole story.

This creates an easily understandable hierarchy that guides people through the "picture frame," aka post.

2) Then, I think about color and contrast:

The headline needs to be red, because red is a warm color that "jumps out" at you and grabs your attention.

Next, the sub-headline needs to be black, because I'm going for a "clean look" -- not a Post-Impressionistic color bonanza!

And of course, the regular text must always be black, if you ask me -- it's easy to read, and that's the point.

3) Now it's time to think about composition:

People seem to miss this one a lot.

Why is composition important? Because people today have short attention spans and/or precious little time...

So it's important to make your post look like a "quick read."

How is this done?

By breaking your paragraphs into short, conversational paragraphs of a sentence or two.

I've seen a lot of posts out there that look more "imposing" than they actually are because they are made up of big, bulky, blocks of text.

Take a look at the examples below to see, from a visual perspective, what a difference this can make to a post:

Boring copy:

As the artist intended it:

 

See what I mean?

I took this same post and squatted it down into a cube on the top picture.

And on the bottom, I have it the way "the artist intended it."

This is a more effective use of what we artists call, "negative space" -- the space around the foreground object.

So, leave some white on the page, will ya?

And lastly, I have a bonus tip for you: Pick out a cool picture to go with the blog:

Don't underestimate the power of a good picture to capture the attention of your prospect!

(And I'm not just saying that because I have an affinity for pictures ;)

 

===> How about you, got any good copywriting tips and tricks you would like to show off? We'd love to hear them:

P.S. Retweet and share this post if you like art as much as I do!

==>If you want to learn some in-depth, psychological, "Jedi mind trick" copywriting techniques -- you need to click the link below:

 

 

An Artist’s Guide To Copywriting is a post from: DriveTheLine.com

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Member Since: 07/28/2009

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Industry: Marketing and Advertising

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Comments

Great Tips

Derek,
These are some good tips that I will be implementing on all my future work. Great Stuff.

Eric McMillan

Eric McMillan — Fri, 02/26/2010 - 10:46am

Visual effects

I especially liked the "boring copy" and "as the artist intended it" part. I have to be more careful with that and this image will stay in my mind when I'm posting. Thank you for great tips!

Angelica Ried — Fri, 02/26/2010 - 1:36pm

This is a really cool

This is a really cool article and great advice, Derek. I love the visual on the 'white space.' I have learned quite a bit about copy writing just from this one post.

THANKS!!

Ilka Flood — Fri, 02/26/2010 - 2:41pm

Yep, white space is not a waste of space.

Good points made. Lot of people try to use every spot in belief, that unused space is a wasted space.

Pavol Almasi — Fri, 02/26/2010 - 10:15pm

Learn a lot by paying attention

Nicely broken down Derek! I know I've learned a lot about making it pretty just from reading other people's copy and blogs. I will freely admit that reading yours has taught me a lot as well.

When you go to someone's blog, don't ONLY read the great content they have there. Pay attention to how they have it laid out and if it appeals to you. You'll quickly get a feel for what you like, and what you don't.

Susanna Hess — Fri, 02/26/2010 - 11:17pm

Thanks Eric

You already post awesome content, so I'd say anything else you do is a bonus.

Have a great weekend,
Derek

Derek Alvarez — Sat, 02/27/2010 - 10:35am

I had a great time thinking of a way to visually show my point

...So I'm glad you enjoyed looking at the results.

Have a great weekend, Angelica,
Derek

Derek Alvarez — Sat, 02/27/2010 - 10:39am

Glad you found it useful, Ilka

I thought the "white space" comment might be something most people haven't heard before.

It's fun to treat work as art -- to be more creative with our businesses.

I understand you do graphic design?

At least I think I've heard you say that before, so you probably appreciate this post more than most ;)

Derek Alvarez — Sat, 02/27/2010 - 10:44am

Sometimes less is more, Pavol

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a great weekend,
Derek

Derek Alvarez — Sat, 02/27/2010 - 10:45am

The layout matters a LOT

Thanks Susanna,

Yes, I can relate -- I'm always observing what the masters are doing and analyzing WHY they are doing it.

I've heard some copywriters say that using highlighters on sales pages looks "cheesy"...

But for me, I can see why it's done.

Sales letters are Loooooong -- so you need a way to create some visual interest to make certain important words or phrases stand out.

Plus, it adds a "human touch" element -- like Van Gogh brush strokes.

You see how deep some of this stuff can get? LOL

Derek Alvarez — Sat, 02/27/2010 - 10:53am

Visually speaking...

Thanks for the great tip! As most people are predominantly visual, that can instantly attract or detract your message.

Eddie Piotrowski — Sat, 02/27/2010 - 12:02pm

People assume a lot based on visual cues

Yes Eddie,

You are absolutely right -- it's definitely something to keep in mind when creating an online marketing funnel.

Derek Alvarez — Mon, 03/01/2010 - 12:27pm

Nice piece of work

Great way to approach copywriting Derek. It just shows we all understand things differently.

Jerome Ratliff

Jerome Ratliff — Mon, 03/01/2010 - 1:57pm

Thanks Jerome

This is true, we all have our unique perspective on the world.

(And it's fun figuring out the best ways to reach people.)

Derek Alvarez — Tue, 03/02/2010 - 12:16pm

No doubt...

There is no doubt you do this best, this article definitely demonstrates that value.

Jerome Ratliff

Jerome Ratliff — Tue, 03/02/2010 - 8:33pm

A unique approach

This article shows a unique approach to a common problem that many networkers face.
This is wrotten in a manner that the greenest of newbies should be able to understand.

Dennis Brooks — Wed, 03/03/2010 - 5:01pm

Simple is best...

In my humble opinion.

Glad you liked the post, Dennis!

Derek Alvarez — Thu, 03/11/2010 - 5:48pm
 

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