My last few posts have focused on the most important real estate in book marketing copy – your headlines.
In this post, I shift gears and begin a series on how to write body copy that motivates readers to want to buy your book.
I start this series by showing you how to make your book promotion content what I call “at-a-glance friendly.”
You can apply this simple strategy to your book’s website sales page, Amazon description, back cover copy, and your promotional emails, and online ads.
This is an important tip because before anyone reads your book marketing content they’re going to first give it a quick glance.
If at a glance your book marketing copy looks difficult to read, less people will read it. If at a glance it looks quick and easy to read, MORE people will read it.
And of course when more people read your marketing copy, you sell more books and expand your audience.
Let’s dig into this week’s tip.
3 Steps to Crafting “Eye Friendly” Book Marketing Copy
Here are three easy steps you can take to make your book marketing copy at-a-glance friendly for readers:
- Employ a liberal use of headlines/subheads
- Keep your paragraphs very brief
- Communicate your primary benefit statements using bullet points
When you follow this simple formula, you create a lot of white, open space around your copy. This makes it look as if it will be very quick and easy to read.
“At-a-Glance-Friendly” Book Marketing Copy
Below is an example of how I applied this basic formula when writing marketing copy for Carol Talbot’s bestselling book, YOU the Divine Genius.
EXAMPLE
Reset Your Personal Hard Drive
Chances are you developed negative patterns as a child from which you’ve never broken free because they are ingrained in your personal hard drive.
YOU the Divine Genius guides you through an eye-opening process by which you can:
- Shift up your energy and establish new, life-affirming practices
- Open up and start exploring life’s unlimited possibilities
- Change your perception of who you really are
Carol Talbot makes it abundantly clear that you have the hidden ability to change the “programs” running at your subconscious level.
Discover how to tell yourself a new life story – one in which you tap into your unending power to manifest the greatest living version of YOU.
At a glance, the above copy looks quick and easy to read, which increases the chances that people will read it.
Book Marketing Copy That ISN’T Eye Friendly
Here is an example of the exact same book marketing copy written in a not-so-eye-friendly style.
EXAMPLE
Reset Your Personal Hard Drive! Chances are, you developed negative patterns as a child from which you’ve never broken free because they are ingrained in your personal hard drive. YOU the Divine Genius guides you through an eye-opening process by which you can shift up your energy and establish new, life-affirming practices; open up and start exploring life’s unlimited possibilities; and change your perception of who you really are. Carol Talbot makes it abundantly clear that you have the hidden ability to change the “programs” running at your subconscious level. Discover how to tell yourself a new life story – one in which you tap into your unending power to manifest the greatest living version of YOU.
At a glance, this copy looks like a thick, dense chunk of text. It looks like it would be kind of a slog to read through. This decreases the chances that book buyers will actually take the time to read it, which hurts book sales!
Unfortunately, this is the style of writing you see used a lot on author websites, on back cover copy, and especially on Amazon description copy.
Presentation Counts
What the two examples above prove is that it’s not enough to just have well-written book marketing copy.
You also have to take the extra step of presenting your marketing copy to book shoppers in a style that looks fast and simple to read. This increases the odds that they’ll actually read it.
To further prove this point, I ask you to answer this question:
When you look at the two examples I’ve provided above, which one would be more likely to grab your eye and motivate you to read it?
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you would be more likely to read the marketing copy written in a style that is “at-a-glance” friendly.
So, when you write your own book marketing copy, I strongly recommend you follow this tip. If you do, I think you’ll get more eyeballs on your book promotion content.
This, of course, is how you sell more books!
Until next time, take a lot of action and make things happen!
Casey
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