Writing good sales copy is more than just banging on keys to make sentences. And writing good copy is also more than just writing down a description of your product and assuming the product will sell itself. Think about it: even the largest corporations that currently have products in our houses every day (such as cleaning products, toiletries, and food), products they KNOW will sell because people need them, still put in the time and effort to come up with a decent sales pitch for a commercial or print ad. It’s not enough to just write whatever and hope for the best…if you want to make any money, anyway.

In truth, writing good copy is more like an art form, and to do it well, you have to approach it as such. It takes skill and no small amount of finesse to come up with an ad that will convert, but the good news is that even if you’re not currently adept at writing successful sales copy, you can still get there with practice and some elbow grease.

The first thing you need to do before writing any kind of copy – whether it’s for a PPC ad, a landing page, an email campaign, a banner ad, or anything in between – is to think about your audience. To sell something to someone, you need to KNOW them. Who are they? What do they like to do? Why do they need whatever it is you have to sell them? How will it benefit them? And most importantly, what makes them happy?

Truly effective sales copy gets to the root of happiness in potential customers, which is why you so often see copy touting the old standbys (you know the ones – “Get rich quick!” or “Buy this and you’ll be so successful, you can tell everyone else to take a walk!”). Those things work because people think money and success will make them happy. If they had money and success, life would be infinitely better than it is now, and a product advertising money and success is therefore going to be a winner for that sort of person. And with practice, you’ll be able to highlight the money and success makers in just the right light, regardless of the product.

So if those standards do apply to your product, then you’re already part of the way there, but what if a) they don’t apply to your product or b) they could apply, but it’s not a perfect fit? Easy: that’s where the elbow grease comes in.

Think about other things that make people happy, and find the one that applies to your product and your audience. For example:

• Exclusivity – People like the idea of having something few other people have or will be able to get their hands on. That’s why limited editions of albums and books sell so well. A collector’s item is a rarity, something that other people aren’t likely to have, and if YOU have it, well, then that conveys status and specialness.

• Information – People also like the idea of knowing something that other people may not know, whether it’s related to business or just a hobby. Will your product somehow make me smarter in an area I’m interested in? Well, then sign me up!

Those are just two out of the countless different angles you can take. To find the angle that’s right for you and your product, think about your ideal customer. Who is this product perfect for? Once you have that in mind, you can extrapolate and try to determine the right tack to take. It won’t happen overnight or right away, but the more you train your brain to find the happiness angle in your product, the better your copy will be.