Who are they? How old are they? How educated are they? What do they love? What do they hate? What is their pain? Picture them sitting across from you describing their worries. Imagine every detail – even what they look like.

The better you can imagine your prospect in your mind’s eye, the better you’ll be able to write a message that speaks directly to them.

Who are you? What is your story, and how does it relate to your reader’s life? What makes you different from your competition?

How will your product or service take away my pain or improve my life, right now? Can it make me rich? Can it save me time? Will it entertain me? Will it help me feel better about myself?

If you’re marketing over the Internet, you don’t have the advantage of speaking face to face with your customer, so pack as much credibility into your message as possible. Offer a free trial, a money-back guarantee, include testimonials from happy customers, and consider adding a photo of yourself, or even an audio or video message. Tell your personal story (if you feel your reader will relate to it).

People don’t read every word on every page they visit – they scan. Use headings that grab the reader’s attention and give clues about the content of the next two or three paragraphs. Make the read easy, quick and informative. Once you’re done writing your copy, go back and see if you can say it all in half the words. The idea isn’t to sacrifice quality – it’s to make your message as long as it needs to be without dragging it out.

Most importantly: speak to your visitor – in their language. Don’t ramble about technical specs of your products unless that’s what they want.

Key words to use: you, get, now, proven, discover, learn, complete, exclusive
Words to avoid: if, but, not, should, could, maybe

Throw in something special for the first 100 buyers or make it "This month only!" Word selection is important. Don’t just say "Buy now!" Give a specific time limit. "Buy during the month of December and get [something wonderful] for free!"