If you do a search for terms like “copywriting tips & tricks”, “copywriting tips for beginners”, or “copywriting do’s and don’ts” then you’ll see a number of tips repeated. I looked at dozens of articles and noticed a pattern in the tips. Here are my copywriting tips grouped into categories. If you memorize these categories it will be easier to remember each individual tip.

Copywriting tips grouped by category

I am going to list three categories of tips that account for anywhere from 75% to 90% of the tips you will see in articles about this subject. You should do your own web search for copywriting tips so you can see the individual tips for yourself.

What I did was find the tips and tricks that go together so that I could remember them easier as I write.

Action and power category

Keywords: action, power, energy/energetic, direct, assertive, straightforward, assertive, demanding, forceful

Don’t be wishy-washy or wimpy. Have the energy of a bull and hit them over the head with your words! Use any of the keywords above to remember these 10 copywriting tips:

• Use Active Voice as opposed to passive voice
• Use imperatives: Give direct commands, warnings, and instructions. Use words like “will”, “can”, “do”, “must”, “initiate”, “start”, “conquer”, “overcome”, “demand”, etc.
• Use action & power verbs: Action verbs fuel your content and drive people to do things.
• Be Direct: Make your intent obvious, communicate clearly, be straightforward, tell your readers what you’d like them to do, etc.
• Have or Show a confident and forceful personality. That indicates authority in the subject.
• Refine your Headline(s): Write your article first, then use the strongest phrases as headlines and subheadings.
• Lead with your strongest point: Put your best idea or strongest point first. Make your first point a benefit or solution for the reader.
• Make your first sentence powerful: It has to immediately grab your audience’s attention and create a desire to read your article. Also, shorten your sentences, particularly your first sentence.
• Opt for straightforward, simple headlines over tricky or clever ones.
• Have strong & assertive Call-To-Actions (CTAs): Always close with a CTA if possible or relevant.

Helpful and analytical category

Keywords: Meticulous, perfection, analytical, detail-oriented, conciseness, helpful, specific

Don’t speak in general terms. Facts and figures will convince people of your points. You want to present useful information to the user and do it as concisely as possible. Use the keywords above to remember these 7 copywriting tips:

• Satisfy your readers: Give your audience what they want and what they want is the answer to their question(s).
• Don’t be clever, instead focus on being clear and concise.
• Track down the right word for your most important headings and sentences.
• Back up your claims and be specific: Prove your case with reliable data, proof, and facts. Include statistics, methodologies, testimonials, case studies, success stories, etc.
• Don’t lead with analytical proof. Instead, use data in support of your claims.
• Use specific examples and include specific numbers.
• Cut sloppy or unclear phrases. Ask yourself for each sentence: “What does this mean?” Cut or rephrase until your text is concrete and meaningful.

Personality and positivity category

Keywords: Entertaining, attitude, personality, positivity

Show off who you are and make the readers like you. Use any of the keywords above to remember these 6 copywriting tips:

• Use your distinct personality: Let the reader feel that they know you. Use your own unique voice, style, word choice, values, etc.
• Be entertaining and exciting: if your reader is bored, they will leave.
• Tell stories and anecdotes: This is an aspect of being entertaining and backing up your claims mentioned above.
• Be positive in your tone: Make your tone is upbeat, has a “feel-good” vibe, etc.
• Be very personal and speak directly to the reader.
• Use positive words like “yes”, “fantastic”, “love”, “perfect”, etc.

Final Thoughts

There are other copywriting tips and tricks but they fall into different categories. I just wanted to show the 3 categories that have the highest number of tips that correspond to them. If you are interested, some of my other categories are:

Purpose & credibility: 1. Write with a purpose, 2. give reasons for what you are suggesting, 3. communicate trust, and 4. list your credentials that pertain to your topic.

Beauty & benefits: 1. Make your copy visually appealing through whitespace, using bold or italic text when necessary, using lists and quotes, structure with headings, etc. 2. Make every feature you mention lead to a benefit, and 3. stress the value of what you are offering or suggesting.

Uniqueness: 1. Break the rules, 2. try a unique angle or hook, and 3. think outside the box.

Personal: 1. Write in a personal, relaxed, and one-on-one conversational style. Also, 2. use “you”, “your”, “yours” at least twice as much as “I” or “we”.

You most likely will not include all of these tips in your writing, but try your best to use most of them. Have fun writing!