Not long ago, I was asked about the importance of doing research before starting a copywriting project, and what are some research tips.
Fact is, research is everything — the most important activity of all.
Get your research right, and your ads practically write themselves.
And there’s something I do that (I believe) gives me an advantage over other copywriters. It has nothing to do with being more talented or “smarter” than anyone. (I’m not, believe me).
This is actually more of a tactical advantage. A way I discovered years ago when studying the Bible. A way YOU can use to research your ads, too — regardless of your spiritual (or lack of spiritual) beliefs.
Listen:
About 10 years ago I studied the Bible all the time.
I had this voracious appetite for it that just wouldn’t quit.
One of the reasons why is probably because I spent so much time haunting Bible forums arguing with people, debating and doing all the time-wasting things people do when they learn just enough about a subject to be dangerous to themselves.
Anyway, I found myself getting spanked a lot in debates.
In order to not look like a moron anymore, I decided I better study harder. And so I followed the lead of what smart Biblical scholars do: I would read a passage and analyze EVERY single word, metaphor and image associated with it.
For example:
If I saw even an ordinary word (like “touch”) I looked it up in a Strong’s Concordance to see the original Hebrew or Greek meaning.
If I read a metaphor about Jesus washing His disciples’ feet, I investigated what that actually meant back then to better know the significance of it.
And if I ran into an image about locust armies, I looked up facts about how locusts behave, and what they do to their prey to get a better grasp on what that symbology really means.
Anyway, here’s the point:
This extra effort gave me a FAR more detailed understanding of the Bible I never would have had otherwise.
Now, “fast forward” to today, and that’s how I research ads.
I meticulously research every fact about the product, market and author to the tiniest detail. It’s like digging for gold — hard, sweaty, unpleasant work.
But it results in ads that put LOTS more money in your pocket.
