Writing copy for dummies.

Understanding Copywriting Basics -- Writing Copy: Capturing Hearts, Minds, and Money -- What Copywriting Is (and Isn't) -- Recognizing Copy's Different Uses -- Looking at People Who Produce Copy -- Selecting the Right Tool: When and Why to Use What -- Marching Ahead with Copywriting Fundamentals -- Writing Copy 101: The Building Blocks -- Adding the Finishing Touches to Your Foundation -- Editing Your Work: The Grammar You Need to Know -- Looking for Ideas: Finding Inspiration through Investigation -- Gaining Insights about Products and Services through Questioning -- Understanding Whom You're Talking To -- Researching on the Prowl, on the Cheap, and Often on the Mark -- Coming Up with Brilliant Ideas -- Direct Response Writing That Makes the Sale -- Working with the Power of Direct Response -- Ready, Aim, Sell: The Important Traits of Direct Response -- Scanning the Methods: A Brief Survey of Direct Response Options -- Cooking Up the Crucial Ingredients to Direct Response Writing -- Is It Working? Testing Direct Response Writing -- Writing Direct Response Letters That Win Business -- Looking at the Common Characteristics of Successful Letters -- Tinkering with the Nuts and Bolts of Your Letter -- Writing Great Letters, Step by Step -- Putting the Pieces Together: A Sample Letter Shows You How -- Creating Direct Response Brochures That Sizzle and Sell -- Putting Brochures to Work -- Planning Your Brochure's Layout, Panel by Panel -- Organizing Your Brochure's Interior Content -- Adding Supporting Elements to Your Brochure -- Completing the Direct Response Package -- Come-Hither Copy: Writing the Teaser -- Answer Me! Creating the Reply Device -- Writing Lift Notes: Another Way to Tell Your Story -- Sending Presents: Big Dimensional Mail -- Quick and Dirty: Direct Mail in a Day -- Going It Alone: Self-Mailers, Postcards, Catalogs, and More -- Creating the Self-Mailer -- Producing Postcards -- Making the Sale with Catalog Descriptions -- Bid on This: Writing Descriptions for Online Auctions -- Blasting Away with E-Mail -- Determining Whether E-Mail Is Right for You -- Asking Permission to Send E-Mail -- Writing Your E-Mail Message (and Not Getting Deleted) -- Using E-Newsletters to Maintain Contact -- Building Awareness of Your Business -- Basic Branding 101 -- Creating a Sense of Unique Value with Branding -- Building a Brand Message from the Ground Up -- Writing High-Powered Ads for Your Business -- Putting Your Message in Print -- Advertising on the Web -- Tuning In: Advertising on the Radio -- Creating Effective Press Releases and Press Kits -- Leveraging the Media to Your Advantage -- Writing a Press Release That Reels Them In -- Presenting Your Business in Press Kits -- Gaining Credibility with Outstanding Articles -- Understanding When Writing Articles Can Be Right for You -- Making Plans for Publication -- Writing a Winning Article -- Publishing Successful Newsletters -- Managing the Sales Support System -- Creating Web Sites That Attract and Hold Customers -- Planning a Must-See Destination -- Writing in Bits and Bytes -- Developing Different Types of Online Content -- Crafting Collateral: Using Supporting Materials -- Examining the Role of Collateral -- Tackling the Corporate Capabilities Brochure -- Writing Sales Sheets and Pamphlets -- Producing Other Types of Sales Literature -- Writing to Sell to a Business, Not a Consumer -- Managing a Different Kind of Sales Process -- Talking the Talk: Connecting to Businesspeople -- Promoting Seminars, Webinars, and Other Events -- Looking at Special Copywriting Situations -- Raising Money, Getting Votes, and Promoting Health and Education -- Raising Money with Letters -- Vote for Me! Generating Political Support -- Getting to the Heart of Healthcare -- Back to School: Communicating to Students and Prospective Students -- Solving Problems When Good Copy Goes Wrong -- Putting Processes in Place to Prevent Problems -- Bandaging the Wound: First Aid for Hurting Writers -- Fixing Your Copy in Special Situations -- So You Want to Be a Copywriter -- Considering Your Career Options -- Preparing for Your Career -- Marketing Yourself as a Freelancer -- Ten Things You Should Always Do Before Writing -- Creating the Team -- Clarifying the Purpose -- Setting the Benchmarks -- Gathering the Facts -- Resolving the Format -- Establishing the Copy Points -- Turning Features into Benefits -- Profiling the Customer -- Identifying the Marketing Challenges -- Setting the Tone -- Ten Cures for Common Copywriting Problems -- Establishing Focus When Your Message Is Diffuse -- Getting Specific When Your Writing Is Vague -- Getting Real When Your Copy Is Jargon Filled -- Speaking the Customer's Language When the Tone Is Wrong -- Talking about the Customer When Your Copy Is Self-Flattering -- Using Active Words to Fight the "Flat" -- Being Bold When Your Pitch Is Too Soft -- Trimming Text When Your Copy Is Wordy -- Making an Offer When Your Conclusion Is Wilting -- Going Back to the Source When You Have Writer's Block -- Ten Fast Ways to Find Copywriting Inspiration -- Reviewing Customer Letters or Testimonials -- Talking to Salespeople -- Running a Web Search -- Getting Support Beyond Your Desk -- Reading the Copywriting Classics -- Experiencing the Product or Service -- Pretending You're the Prospect -- Playing a Free-Association Game -- Immersing Yourself-Then Taking a Break -- Opening Your Mind.

Tips on writing to consumers and business-to-business

Create captivating, results-oriented, sales-generating copy

Need to produce winning copy for your business? This fast, fun guide takes you through every step of a successful copywriting project, from direct mail, print ads, and radio spots to Web sites, articles, and press releases. You'll see how to gather crucial information before you write, build awareness, land sales, and keep customers coming back for more.

Discover How To: Write compelling headlines and body copy Turn your research into brilliant ideas Create motivational materials for worthy causes Fix projects when they go wrong Land a job as a copywriter