Copywriting is one of the most essential elements of effective online marketing. The art and science of direct-response copywriting involves strategically delivering words (whether written or spoken) which get people to take some form of action. Copywriters are some of the highest-paid writers in the world, but to become a truly proficient and profitable copy expert, you'll need to invest time and energy in studying the craft especially this book that have been put together by The Programming Tent team. To truly excel as a copywriter, you may even want to consider investing in a copywriting course that can provide you more comprehensive training just like reading a book like this. This ebook is designed to get you up and running with the basics of writing great copy. Ready to get started? Lets take a peek behind the curtain, and discover the real "secrets" to improving your copywriting skills as a potential copywriter & content marketer. What is the primary purpose of any piece of writing that you put out online - whether a blog post, a networking email, a sales letter or a tutorial? For starters, to get what you've written read, right? Makes sense. So, what's the primary purpose of your headline, your graphics, your fonts, and every other part of the content? The simple, surprising answer is... To get the first sentence read. This may seem somewhat simplistic to you, or maybe even confusing. We came across this way of looking at copywriting later in our study. We had spent plenty of time trying to master the art of writing a perfect headline, or properly conveying product benefits, or learning how to craft a compelling call to action. But it all came together for us. Every element of copy has just one purpose - to get the first sentence read. The headline, the graphics, the sub-headlines, etc. Why are they important? "What is the purpose of a headline?" Many times we find ourselves so eager to arrive at our conclusion that we forget that the essence of making a persuasive point (or causing any action) is how we get there. Step by step.Now ... how do we get there? With this simple framework in mind, the stage is set for drilling down deeper into the nitty gritty of the "step by step." We're now in a better position to more fully appreciate the specific techniques that apply to all of the various elements of strong copy. For example, we can now see: - Why a strong, compelling headline is critical - Why immediately focusing on the benefit to the reader is so crucial - Why you must make a promise to the reader that you later fulfill, and - Why you must back up everything you've said with very specific proof. If no one reads, all is lost. And the key to getting someone to read is one sentence at a time, so compelled by that sentence that they want to read the next. In other words, how you say it is how you get there. And while we did get you to read this introduction, we wouldn't exactly recommend the strategy employed here. It worked, but pulling cheap stunts like this won't help you in the long run. To Be, or Not to Be Now that's a question. The first six words of Hamlet's Act III, Scene 1 soliloquy are without doubt the most famous line William Shakespeare ever wrote. It's also one of the most recognizable quotes in the English-speaking world. And not a single word over three letters long. The lesson? Keep it simple. Good copy is written in clear, concise, simple words that get your point across. It's conversational. You can also fracture the occasional rule of grammar, if it helps to make your writing more digestible. Sentence fragments, one-sentence paragraphs, beginning with conjunctions and ending in prepositions are all fine, even desirable. And don't forget to use plenty of bullets and numbered lists. Think your audience is too sophisticated for this? Don't be so sure.