Confidence as a Driving Principle in Copywriting

Copywriters don't have to face the pressure that salespeople face every day. We don't have to see our prospects face-to-face. We don't have to listen to each individual piece of rejection. And most obvious of all, we don't need to put on our suits and look our best while writing copy.

For some introverted people who are interested in selling and marketing, it seems like copywriting is the clear choice. However, just as confidence helps you in sales, it helps you in copywriting.

Confidence is a principle that helps you in all marketing attempts.

That's key.

Mistake 1: Lack of Confidence in Copy

I see it all the time: Copy that tells me (and thus any other prospect) that you have no confidence in your own product or service -- copy that is comparable to a salesperson with a small, shaky voice. Let's look at an example:

If you make a reservation, you'll be ready to experience 5-star restaurant food at a 1-star restaurant price.

What's wrong here?

First of all, there's the word if. Assuming you're confidence that your sales letter is going to sell, you should have the expectation that the reader is going to make a reservation. There's no if -- there's only when. It's when you make a reservation.

The difference is slight, but it's apparent. The message is that the copywriter expects you to act on his copy. It shows confidence in the message, and it shows confidence in the product/service. An "if" is a wish. A "when" is an expectation.

Mistake 2: Lack of Confidence in Uniqueness

The second problem with the example above lies in its comparison. Comparisons almost always backfire. Why this is so stems from a couple reasons, but let's look at the biggest one first:

We offer the same professional interview training that business consultants offer, but at affordable prices!

This line is comparing the company's interview training service with that of competitors. By doing this, it fails in multiple ways:

1. You're making salient in the prospect's mind the fact that there are other choices. While it is true that many purchases start from "who shall I buy from" questions, good copy doesn't remind the reader of this fact. Instead, good copy (on the surface level) assumes that the purchase decision is one of "shall I buy or not?" You can take care of the "who shall I buy from" question via other means, such as pricing strategies. The copy itself is not the time to compare your product to others in the same market.
2. On that note, the very fact that you are mentioning similar products shows that your product is one of many in a single market, thereby reducing its uniqueness. Today, most products are copycats of other products. And those businesses trying to break into an already conquered market have an uphill battle to fight. What you want to do in your copy is make it appear as though your product is not simply one out of the many. You want to show the prospect that your product offers something different -- something special. And comparing your product to other products is not the best way to do this.*
3. Finally, the example above is likely to make a reader think "bullshit." Why? Because to most people, price equates to quality. To most people, a statement such as "the same quality as product X but with half the price" actually means "half the quality of product X; hence the price." Confident copy and confidence businesses don't brag about price.

*If your market demographic is primarily men, comparisons do help -- assuming you write them out in a flattering way, of course. Please read more on this topic and the strategies of marketing to men in my free white page on marketing to men.

This confidence in uniqueness will go a long way in showing the prospect that there is no comparison to be made: They can either satisfy their need using your product or not satisfy it at all.

So, while you don't need to put on formal wear before writing copy, you still can't dilly-dally on what you present to your prospects. Sitting at home and hitting your keyboard is pretty much risk-free, but if you're not thinking like a salesperson and not presenting yourself like one, then you're honestly missing out on sales. Confidence flows out the fingers of a proficient copywriter, just as it flows off the body and voice of a good sales person.

On another note, confidence goes a long way in negotiating good prices for your copywriting service. Please read the section "Negotiation" in my guide on how to get copywriting clients.