To Make Your Copywriting More effective, Follow a Script
Learn a lesson from one of the best ads from the best ad campaign of all time
Have you ever sat though a movie that was so poorly written that for most of the movie you had no clue what was going on? The problem wasn’t the acting, or the set design, or the costumes or the soundtrack. The problem was the script. A confusing script will always lead to a confusing movie.
If you want prospective customers to read your copy all the way through, and not get confused along the way, you need to follow a simple, step-by-step script. I’m talking about a logical way to structure your sales pitch.
When your prospective customers read your copy, they expect to read a sales pitch that is logical, and easy to follow. Like a good movie script, your sales copy needs to follow a logical structure.
If you want to see some good examples of how to structure a sales pitch on paper, check out the print ads that Volkswagen ran back in the 1960s and 1970s.
Here’s one right here.
This is a magazine ad for the Volkswagen Campmobile.
The visual and the headline get your attention. They also establish the selling premise of the ad, which is this: Buying a Volkswagen Campmobile is like buying a second house, only cheaper.
Let’s read the body copy:
It’s not as expensive as it sounds. There’s no land to buy. No real-estate taxes to pay. Yet you can own a hunting lodge in the mountains. Or a cottage at the beach. And you won’t need a car to get you there. All you need is a Volkswagen Campmobile, which, as houses go, is rather unusual. It goes.
You’ll notice that the first thing the copywriter does is address an obvious objection—cost. He makes it clear with the two opening lines that he is not talking about you buying a literal house, a purchase that involves land and real-estate taxes.
The opening line describes a product feature—low cost.
Next, the copywriter shows you the benefit of buying an inexpensive “second house” that is not actually a house. You can take the house anywhere you want to go.
The copywriter states another feature:
But most people buy the Campmobile for what it comes with: kitchen, including sink, icebox and water pump. Dining table. Bedroom enough for two adults and two kids. Closets, Screens. Curtains.
In this case, the copywriter does not state the benefit of the Campmobile having a kitchen, because the benefit is obvious. Wherever you drive, you don’t have to stop to eat. Same goes for the other features. The bedroom that sleeps four. The privacy curtains. The benefits are obvious.
You’ll also notice that the writer is specific. The bedroom doesn’t sleep four. It sleeps two adults and two kids.
The copywriter mentions one last feature:
Add the optional pop-up top and tent, and the cost of this home-away-from home is $3,290.
The copywriter returns full circle to the selling premise of the ad, that you can buy a second house instead of buying a second car. He puts it like this:
Lots of people pay that much for a car. And some pay that much for a vacation. But very few pay that little for a house.
You’ll notice that this ad does not conclude with a call to action. I’m not going to say that this is a mistake, because Advertising Age magazine says this ad campaign is the best campaign in history.
But I do recommend that you consider adding a call to action to every piece of copy you write. We write our ads and sales letters and other sales copy so that people will do something. We don’t write to inform. We write so that people will buy. A call to action tells the reader what to do, such as visit a website, or test drive the car at a local dealer, or phone for a quote.
If you look at the hundreds of ads that Volkswagen ran as part of this campaign, you’ll discover that they all followed this basic script.
Here it is again.
State your sales premise using a strong visual and a strong headline: Buying a Volkswagen Campmobile is like buying a second house, only cheaper.
Clarify your sales premise in your first line of copy, if needed. We’re talking about buying a camper, not a piece of real estate.
Start with a strong product feature—low cost for a second home.
Follow the feature with a benefit—take the home anywhere you want.
State another feature, followed by a benefit—the camper comes with a kitchen, sink, icebox, bedroom, curtains. You can eat on the road, avoid costly motels, enjoy privacy.
Give concrete evidence for your claims—be specific. The bedroom sleeps two adults and two kids.
State another feature and benefit. The camper comes with an optional pop-up top and tent.
At the end, return again to the main selling premise. You get all this for just $3,290-buying a Volkswagen Campmobile is like buying a second house, only cheaper.
Consider using a strong call to action. Tell the reader what to do next.
There you have it. A simple, logical way to lead your reader into your body copy, lead them step-by-step through your sales pitch, and end with a call to action.
This article is an excerpt from the popular Udemy course: Alan Sharpe's 30-hr Copywriting Masterclass.