The Purple ToolKit: My 6 Copywriting Essentials

I’m not a one-trick pony. 

Oh no. 

In fact, I have been known to trot, canter, gallop and yes, even show jump. 

I am yet to learn the horse dance, but I’m working on it. 

All this to say, every time I write for a new client, I always bring fresh ideas. 

New angles. 

A fresh pair of eyes. 

A different perspective, so to speak. 

However. 

I do have a tool-kit that I take with me everywhere. 

To every house call. 

It’s purple and pretty and covered in stickers. 

And it contains 6 copywriting techniques that I have come to live by.

(No doubt there are more, but this blog post was long enough by 6!)

In all of my own copy and in the copy I write for other businesses. 

Big or small. 

Because, like any great cake, the flavours and decorations can look worlds apart from each other. 

But, the core ingredients. 

The essentials. 

Are always the same. 

So, here are my eggs, sugar and flour of copywriting. 

They make a mouth-watering team! 

1. Storytelling 

Now, I didn’t intend to put these 7 tools into any particular order. But I couldn’t bring myself to make anything other than Storytelling my number one.

Storytelling at its purest –  simply elevates your copy.

Say for example, you are trying to sell sticky notes. 

Not very exciting, a  little boring and we’ve seen it all before. 

But. 

What if you sold your sticky notes by taking them on an adventure?

 

‘Sammy the scrap of paper was a very lonely fellow. 

He had never had a friend and spent his life on the edge of a desk. 

Just waiting to meet other guys like himself. 

But, one day he got the shock of his life. 

An entire school of kids came and sat down next to him. 

They were all so close, he couldn’t tell one from the other. 

Who are you magical creatures? Asked Sammy, his papery fingers crossed in pure hope. 

Why, we’re the Sticky Notes gang of course! They shouted in unified glee.’  

In my opinion, that’s a lot more interesting. 

2. Short sentences

Speaking of storytelling, I love a story that has a bunch of shorter sentences.

I don’t want an entire essay crammed into one sentence.

It’s like I can sense them coming. 

This doom and gloom when a long sentence comes. 

I feel like I have to take a deep breath. 

And hold it until the sentence ends. 

No thank you. 

Short sentences in your copy allow the reader to fly through your copy. 

Taking it in bite-sized chunks. 

It also helps add emphasis and importance to each statement. 

Allowing you to make sure – 

Every. Sentence. Hits. The. Mark. 

3. Questions 

Why are you reading this blog? 

What do you hope to get out of it? 

What are your plans for the rest of today? 

If you’re anything like me, you’ve instinctively answered all these questions. 

If not, rude. 

We are a polite society. Or a selfish one. Depending on your view. 

We are programmed to answer questions when asked. 

So, I love to sprinkle questions throughout my copy. 

It keeps the reader engaged and gets them interacting with simple words on a page. 

4. Spaces 

In case you haven’t noticed yet – 

I 

Like 

Using 

Spaces. 

There’s just something inviting about a piece of writing with lots of space. 

I personally think one of the reasons a lot of classics sit unread on people’s bookshelves is because the words are just so jam-packed together. 

There’s no room to breathe anywhere on the page.

(and don’t even get me started on font size!) 

Adding in lots of spaces to your copy not only makes your content more readable and accessible, but also adds gravitas. 

Having 

Lots 

Of

Space

Between 

Words

Forces

You

To

Focus

On 

The 

Information

In

Front

Of

You.

5. Power of you 

Just like questions, the power of YOU gets your readers engaged. 

Instead of feeling like you are eavesdropping on a stranger’s conversation, the stranger is talking to YOU. 

Only to YOU. 

And nobody else. 

You feel compelled to answer. (audibly or not, I don’t judge)

To listen. 

To engage. 

For example,

I read 5 books that changed my life. Here’s why. 

V.s. 

5 books you need to read if you want to change your life today. Here’s number one… 

I’m immediately more engaged in option B because it’s about me. 

I don’t want to read about the 5 books that changed John Doe’s life. 

I couldn’t give a monkeys. 

But. 

5 books that will change MY life. 

(even though they are the exact same books that John Doe read) 

NOW you’re talking. 

6. Call To Action 

A great piece of website copy or a juicy piece of social media content is only a success if it draws your reader into taking the next step. 

Whether that be making a purchase, clicking a link, downloading a freebie, sharing your post… 

If your content is a great read but nothing more, you won’t make customers out of your readers. 

You need to guide them into making the next move. 

So, I always end my copy with some sort of call to action. Whether it be BUY NOW or a casual Get Outside and Take A Breather, you need to instil motivation and desire in your readers to do something after they read your words. 

Read The Ending to this Blog Post Now! 

⬇️

So, there you have it. 

6 tools in my pretty purple copywriting toolkit. 

A ‘What’s in my bag’ for the business world. 

Now, go pack your toolkit, because we’ve got a lot more adventures to take together!