I was given my first copywriting assignment 27 years ago. My marching orders were simple.
“Casey, keep your copy short and tight because nobody reads anymore.”
Well, 27 years later, marketing copy has sold billions of dollars worth of products, services, books, and programs. Still, the debate over how much marketing copy people will actually read rages on.
This week I jump into this debate by answering a few red-hot book marketing copy questions.
Does anyone even read marketing copy anymore?
Should book promotion copy always be short and sweet?
Can book marketing materials still be a little “meatier” as long as they’re enticing?
To resolve the short vs long copy debate,
watch this week’s Book Marketing Copy Quick Tip video.
Here is a brief summary of what you’ll hear me cover.
Book Marketing Copy Is Still a Must
There is still a need to write enticing book marketing copy, and that need isn’t going away.
Yes, more and more people are using video to market their books. But videos still need to be scripted, and the messaging that influences video script writing still needs to be developed.
If It Costs More, You Need to Write More
The length of the book marketing copy you write is influenced by two key factors. First, you must give readers the information they need to make an informed buying decision about your book.
If you can do that quickly and keep your copy brief – fantastic! But if giving readers the information they need to make an informed decision requires giving them extra information – give it to them!
Second, as a general rule, if it costs more, you need to write more. For example, you can write tight concise marketing messages about your business book that costs $14.95 and sell a lot of copies.
However, if you repurpose the content of your business book to create a $2,000 online program, you’ll probably need to write more lengthy and detailed copy to convince potential buyers of its value.
The reason is simple.
Your audience is more likely to “take a chance” on your $14.95 book because it doesn’t cost much. But they’ll need to be thoroughly convinced before they spend $2,000 on your online program.
More convincing means more marketing copy.
Say What You Need to Say – and Then Stop
Whether your book marketing copy is tight and concise or more on the lengthy side, everything you write must lead readers through a sequence that motivates them to buy your book NOW, instead of later … or never!
If you can do this quickly with your copy – great. If you need a little extra marketing copy to achieve this goal – write it.
The key is to make sure everything you write means something. Don’t waste words. Give readers the information they need to make an informed buying decision and then stop.
I dive deeper into each of these points in this week’s video, so please check it out.
Until next time, take a lot of action and make things happen!
Casey
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Does this post help settle the long copy vs short copy debate for you? Please leave a comment and let me know!
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