Hello and welcome to the fifth episode of the course “Copywriting from zero in 30 days”. In the previous lesson we talked about how to write a catchy headline. Today we are learning how to start a text and create an engaging beginning of the copy. This beginning is also called a lead, and it is very important because it determines whether the audience will read the rest of the text.
Blank page syndrome that makes it difficult to start a text
Many novice copywriters often find themselves in a situation of author’s block. When the first sentence needs to be written, but how to start it and what to write is not clear. As a result, everything seems wrong. This situation is also called the blank page syndrome.
The good news is that copywriters, unlike writers, do not need to create copy in creative inspiration. They write texts according to proven models and formulas. And if you know these models, then the blank page syndrome is completely irrelevant for you. That’s why today we’re going to look at five proven ways to start a text that engage your audience in reading.
Approach #1. Problem and solution in the beginning
This approach is one of the easiest, most popular and effective. But on one condition: when the audience has a problem, which we can solve. Such problem is sometimes called a “pain”.
When we describe a problem situation that is relevant for our readers, and they recognize themselves in it, this automatically arouses interest in the text and involves people in reading.
Example
Here is a small example. Imagine that we are selling a tick repellent in B2ะก segment.
It’s summer now and ticks are everywhere. They lurk in tall grass and bushes to imperceptibly dig into the body of the victim.
And if the bite itself does not cause much concern, then infections such as tick-borne encephalitis or Lyme disease are much more frightening. As a result, because of the fear of ticks, many people deprive themselves of the pleasure of walking in forests and parks.
But in the meantime, there are modern, effective and safe products, such as SuperTickRepellent. It protects you and your child from ticks, forcing them to run away from you at distance of 5-10 meters.
In this example, the first paragraph of the lead conveys the essence of the problem. The second paragraph – shows its importance and scope. It is also called an “enhancer”. In principle, it is optional, and can be omitted, but its presence can significantly increase the effectiveness of the lead.
Finally, the third paragraph offers a solution in terms of the audience needs: the elimination of fear, the enjoyment of walking in parks and forests, and safety for oneself and children.
Approach #2. Start a text with a pure solution
Ok, it’s great when there is a problem that we can solve. But what if there is no such problem? What if a person has already lived for 100 years without our product or service and will live another 200? In such a situation, we can use the approach from a pure solution. Realizing that the audience is fine without us, we simply describe how we can make our reader’s life even better with our product, service or idea. Let’s look at the example. Here we’re selling an advance payment system for theme parks. The segment is B2B.
Example
If your theme park uses a classic ticketing system, then by implementing the GigaPark hardware and software complex you can increase profits by up to 30%, cut queues in half, increase loyalty of visitors and keep accurate sales statistics in real time: from rides to souvenir stalls.
Approach #3. Empathy and objections in the lead
This approach is most often used in situations where readers have misconceptions or objections that prevent us from selling a product or service.
In this case, we arouse interest and goodwill in the audience through empathy in two steps.
- Step 1. We show that we understand and accept the position of the readers, if possible, removing responsibility from them. To do this, we describe the position or objection of the audience at the very beginning of the text.
- Step 2. We give readers additional information to remove objection or show that our product, service or idea is fully consistent with their point of view.
Here’s an illustrative example. Let’s assume that we sell vegan food based on vegetable cream. But we suddenly found out that a large percentage of our readers are very skeptical about vegetable cream, considering it harmful. In such a situation, we should neutralize the objection at the very beginning of the text in order to continue selling products without unnecessary barriers.
Example
Many people are wary of eating vegetable-based creams, considering them to be harmful. And that makes sense, since many plant-based creamers are made from hydrogenated oil. This oil contains trans fats that are harmful to health.
We understand and fully share this concern. And that is why we use only high-quality new generation cream made from non-hydrogenated oil in our products. It doesn’t contain trans fats and is absolutely safe for health. Moreover, it tastes as close as possible to classic cream.
In the first paragraph of the text, we reveal the objection. And we also show that we agree with it. In the second paragraph, we neutralize the objection by showing that it is irrelevant in our situation, and the audience has nothing to worry about.
Approach #4. Emotions at the beginning of the text
This approach is very useful when we are selling products and services that people buy first of all by feeling. In this case, our task is to draw a picture in the mind of the reader that will trigger the emotional reaction we need. Most often, various involving words like “Imagine …”, “Remember …”, “Prefigure …”, are used for this. Look at the example: here we are selling a house in a pine forest.
Example
Imagine that you are entering your house with panoramic windows in the middle of a pine forest. The aroma of pine needles calms you and gives you strength. Birds are singing around. Fire crackles in the fireplace. You sit in an armchair by the fire with a cup of tea or coffee, cover yourself with a warm plaid and enjoy the peace and solitude…
In this example, people read the beginning of the text and imagine everything we tell them about. As a result, they feel the positive emotions and continue reading with maximum interest and involvement.
Approach #5. Start a text with questions
The main power of questions in the text is that the brain of readers automatically starts the process of searching for the answer. It doesn’t matter if it happens consciously or unconsciously. The main thing is that when the brain is perceiving the question, its attention is focused on the text. Especially when the topic is relevant. Copywriters often use this aspect, starting their copy with a question or a series of questions. Here’s an example. This time we are selling a compact greenhouse in B2C segment.
Example
Do you want to get a rich harvest of large and juicy peppers and tomatoes?
Do you want to proudly show them to your family and neighbors?
Do you want your time and efforts to pay off in full?
If you answered “Yes” to all three questions, then you will definitely like the new SuperNeoPlant greenhouse.
By the way, a series of three questions, to which a person answers in the affirmative, is also called the “Socratic method”. According to this method, if a person agrees with us three or more times, then with a high degree of probability he or she will be more willing to agree with us further.
Practical task for self-test and start a text quickly
Now it’s time to practice. Try to use the approaches from this lesson and write the beginning of the text that sells the following products and services.
- Car insurance
- Industrial air conditioner cleaning
- Dog walking service
You will succeed! Take care of yourself and see you in the next lesson!
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