Blog Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Professional Property Copy

How To Structure Your Real Estate Listing Copy So People Want to Read It

Copywriters have been using time-tested formulas for nearly a century to capture readers’ attention and convey the information potential buyers need in an enticing way.

With most real estate listings now being read on the internet, some rules of good structure have changed. Knowing and understanding modern copywriting requirements is vital for ensuring your real estate listings are read.

Using a copywriting structure is not the same as being formulaic – every listing should be individually written so that the property’s unique features and benefits are highlighted.

While every home is unique, and there are many copywriting formulas, there are four essential elements of every real estate listing, as described below.

Essential Copy Elements

While many Agents have a preferred method of writing their property copy, and sometimes the format is dictated by your company style guide, certain elements are essential for a good real estate description. These include:

The headline
The editorial/features description
A bullet-point summary
The call to action

The Headline

Your headline is the most important part of your ad copy. It’s often the ONLY thing potential buyers will read before deciding whether a property is right for them.

In copywriting, a captivating headline can mean the difference between clicking out of curiosity to read further or scrolling past.

When crafting a headline, your goal is to grab buyers’ attention, explain why they should be interested, highlight the main benefit of the property, and entice buyers to read your description to find out more.

And it needs to do all of this while staying short and punchy (up to 150 characters for realestate.com.au).

The Editorial/Features Description

The editorial is the meat of your copy. It is where you get to be creative, describing the benefits of the home and painting a lifestyle picture potential buyers might enjoy living in the property.

Advantages of the editorial piece include:

Can be more creative, and you can personalise the text to reflect the home’s benefits and point of difference
Generally is less generic than bullet points, reflecting more effort on Agent’s part
Prospects must read the copy to find out about the home, increasing the chance of selling your message.

The Editorial Structure

Real estate agents can use many proven copywriting structures to craft a property description. For example, AIDA (attention, interest, desire, action) is a tried and true copywriting formula.

Whatever structure you use, they all have a hook (first paragraph), the main description, and a call to action at the end.

The first paragraph

If the headline’s purpose is to entice the buyers to start reading your copy, the purpose of the first paragraph is to hold their attention, so they keep reading to the end.

The first paragraph speaks to a target market, sets the scene, and highlights the unique selling proposition (USP or main benefit(s) of the property).

The body of your editorial

Here’s where you talk about the interesting details about the property and create desire. Depending on the home, you might want to talk about the following:

Layout
Feel/style/interior
Outdoor space
Location and nearby amenities
Standout features worth noting

Copywriters create desire by storyselling benefits. For example, a dishwasher is a feature, and the benefit is being able to put your feet up after a meal instead of washing dishes. For more information about benefits, check out our article about how to write a good real estate description.

The Call to Action

Your copy should end with a call to action. Don’t leave your readers hanging; tell them the next step in the process.

If there’s an open house coming up, add the date. Or direct readers to book an inspection. If it’s a hot market, you might recommend they put in an offer straight away. Your call to action should convey a sense of urgency – why the potential buyer should act immediately.

The call to action paragraph is also where you can summarise the key benefit, reminding readers what this house offers.

Use Bullet Points In Your Real Estate Listing

Why add bullet points if you’ve taken the time to craft a compelling narrative?

When people read online, they don’t read every word; they scroll and skim. Bullet points make skimming easier, so readers can quickly get the details they need.

Bullet points:

are easy to read quickly and digest
summarise the main benefits clearly
are easy to write quickly and publish

For bullet points to be effective, they need to be short. If each bullet point goes over more than one line, you’re defeating the purpose of short, easy-to-read points.

Bullet points complement your editorial by succinctly listing a property’s main features, keeping the skimmers happy. If their attention is piqued, they will go back and read your main description for more information.

Formatting Tips

When it comes to formatting, keep it simple. Realestate.com.au strips out any bolding or italicised formatting, so don’t rely on them to get your point across.

Capitalised words are often interpreted as shouting, so it’s best to use them sparingly.

While realestate.com.au has a huge character limit for the description (up to 65,535 characters), that doesn’t mean you should write the next War and Peace. Online viewers rarely read long copy, so save time and write short copy.

Because we scan read, it’s important to write short sentences and paragraphs, with plenty of white space (paragraph breaks) in between to give eyes a rest. You want to make your copy as easy to read as possible.

Speaking of easy to read, most people read at a 7th-grade level, and English is not everyone’s first language. So it’s essential to use plain, direct language and make your writing accessible and grammatically correct – your purpose is to sell homes, not dazzle people with poetic flourishes. Descriptions are an opportunity to tell stories creatively, but stories are best conveyed with easy-to-understand language.

There’s a good reason successful copywriters use a tried and true structure – it works! Using a basic form also makes writing easier.

Even with a good structure, writing copy takes time, time you could be prospecting. Outsourcing can shift some of the burden so you can spend more time bringing in sales.

We’ve helped sell thousands of homes over the years writing real estate listings using this structure, so we know it works (but we can write using your in-house style, too!). And don’t worry, we don’t write formulaic listings. We don’t write formulaic listings. Every description is individually written so that the unique benefits of the property are brought to light.

If you want to find out how we can help you save time, contact us today or visit our ‘how it works’ page for more details.

How To Write Attention-Grabbing Real Estate Headlines To Attract Buyers

Blog / By newppcadmin

First impressions can make or break the sale of a property.

And while the real estate photos are the first impression, the copy headline is next. When done right, your headline will grab the attention of potential buyers, and spark desire.

Newspapers, particularly tabloids, do headings well; this is the key to sales volumes.

If you want to improve your copywriting, here are some tips for writing attention-grabbing real estate headlines.

1. Write Headlines Directly to a Target Buyer

A familiar marketing maxim is: if you’re trying to sell to everyone, you end up selling to no one.

It can be hard to narrow down your market when you don’t want to exclude any potential buyers.

But every property has a market it will appeal to and a market it won’t. For instance, a family of five will not want a one-bedroom apartment.

So the first step to writing catchy real estate headlines is to define your target audience by asking who should care and why they should care about the property you’re selling.

Is it a first home buyer? Investor? Young family? Retirees?

Not only will your headlines be better when you speak directly to a potential buyer, but they will also be easier to write.

Here’s an example. Which headline speaks directly to first home buyers?

Stylish and Affordable Entry to Market v A Residence of Style and Sophistication

Both headlines might be accurate (your headline needs to be true), but the word choice differentiates the target market.

The following four headlines could potentially describe the same property but target a different buyer:

Easy Care Appeal, Effortless Living (retirees)

Fenced Yard, Walk to Schools and Parks (young families)

Flat Block – R2 Zoning (developers)

Vibrant Urban Living Close to Restaurants and Transport (professionals)

While it seems counterintuitive, targeting a particular audience doesn’t exclude those buyers who might not fit your target profile. After all, there’s no reason a retiree won’t want a vibrant urban lifestyle or a professional won’t want a yard for their dog.

That doesn’t mean you go back to targeting everyone, but you don’t have to worry about excluding potential buyers.

2. Highlight a Benefit

If you’ve defined a target audience, you know who should care about your property; the next question to answer is why they should care.

Every reader will be asking: what’s in it for me?

Your job is to answer that question with a benefit.

While features explain your property, benefits persuade someone to care about the property enough to book an inspection.

Here are some examples:

A covered alfresco is a feature. Having the family over for Christmas lunch is a benefit.

Have the Family Fun at Your Place this Christmas

Living near a school is a feature. Avoiding the school-run traffic jam is a benefit.

Family Convenience, Safe Five Minutes Walk to School

An onsite gym is a feature. Building muscle without wasting time travelling to a gym is the benefit.

Modern Apartment, Exclusive Resident’s Gym

3. Evoke an Emotional Response

Every property fills a desire, specifically the desires of your target buyer.

What desires does your property fulfil? Here are some ideas:

Comfort
Security
Privacy
Convenience, to save time and hassle
To make money
To stand out, status, prestige
To fit in, social acceptance, to belong

Depending on the target buyer(s) and the property’s unique features and benefits, the property will serve one or two of these primary desires.

If you can, focus on one or more of these desires in your headline.

Pro tip: Use a free headline analysing tool to improve the quality of your headlines.

4. Be Feature Specific and Honest, Avoid ‘Clever’ and Cliche

‘Location, Location, Location!’

Unless you’re looking for an eye roll and a groan, you’ll want to steer clear of overused cliches in your headings, like the one above.

Stand out from the crowd with well-written headlines that capture attention and deliver on the promise.

Today, in the age of social media, headings are used as ‘clickbait’, but how often do you click on something and find the headline misleading?

While clickbait headlines capture attention, you’ll soon lose credibility if it’s not truthful or you’re not backing your claims up in the copy.

Instead, look to the 4 Us of copywriting:

Unique – what makes this property stand out?
Useful – what is the benefit you’re offering the target buyer?
Ultra-specific – choose exact details over vague details (e.g. 5-minute walk, 60m2 living space)
Urgent – If you can, infuse some FOMO (fear of missing out) into your headline or copy

5. Optimise the Length for Different Mediums

How long should your headline be?

The short answer is: as short as needed to convey your message.

The more accurate answer is that different platforms have their own character limits, so you may need to write a headline for each platform.

Your agency website may have specific character limits you need to know and stick to.

Other headline character limits to keep in mind include:

Realestate.com.au – 150 characters
Facebook Ads – 40 characters
Instagram Captions – Total limit 2,200 but truncated to 125 characters in view
Google ads – up to 90 characters

6. Attention-Grabbing Headline Tips

While all writing rules are meant to be broken, here are some guidelines to help you write headlines.

Less is more. Short and punchy headlines are easier to read than long headlines and, therefore, can be more attention-grabbing.

Alliteration can work well if it fits: But steer clear of overused cliches.

Use title case when writing headlines. Title case is where every first letter in the sentence is capitalised, except for articles (a, the), conjunctions (and, but, for), and short prepositions (at, by, from, with).

Avoid all caps. Most people these days understand all capital letters as SHOUTING. Unless you’re making a specific style choice (you’re shouting on purpose), stick to title case.

Don’t Overdo Exclamation Marks. Exclamation marks can make you sound like a hyped-up used car salesman. They suggest exaggeration and can look amateurish, which lowers your credibility.

An exclamation mark is effective if you’re drawing attention to an unexpected twist. Otherwise, let your words carry your meaning, not an exclamation mark.

And if you do decide to use an exclamation mark, just one will do.

Use the right feature photo to complement your headline. If your headline is about the fantastic entertaining deck, that’s the feature photo you want to use to emphasise your headline and show as ‘proof’ that the headline is true. Building that trust will make the potential buyer want to click through and continue reading.

Master copywriters like David Ogilvy spend as much time writing headlines as they do the rest of the copy because they know a good headline determines the effectiveness of the entire copy.

But you don’t need to reinvent the wheel – the headline-writing tips above come from decades of copywriting industry experts and will help you craft attention-grabbing real estate headlines.

It still takes time to write your copy. If you want to save time getting your listing out, it pays in dividends to hire a professional copywriter, like the team here at Professional Property copy. Call or email us to find out how we can help you, or visit our real estate copywriting page for more information.

do it now scrabble blocks real estate call to action feature image

Close the Sale with a Compelling Real Estate Call to Action

Blog / By newppcadmin

Imagine you are a prospective property buyer.

You’ve browsed realestate.com.au for hours, days, and weeks, honing your short list of potential properties.

You’ve looked at photos, read compelling descriptions, and sat daydreaming about the parties you’ll hold once you move into your dream home.

Now what?

Once you’ve picked a property or two, what’s the next step?

As a real estate agent, the answer might be obvious to you. But a buyer, especially a first-time buyer, might need help figuring out how to go from browsing listings to signing on the dotted line.

And every property is different. Some have open home. For others, you can book a private inspection. But how do you book? Call? Online booking?

Don’t leave your prospects hanging!

You need to tell them exactly what the next step in the purchase process is in a compelling way that encourages them to take action immediately.

And you do this in a call to action.

What is a Call to Action

A call to action (CTA) is an action statement directing a potential buyer to do something specific, usually, but not always, to make a purchase.

At its most basic, a call to action is a ‘buy now’ statement. For simple retail transactions, a ‘buy now’ button is all that’s needed.

Because the buying process for real estate is more complex than a retail transaction, the call to action is the next (or first) step in the buying process, usually to book an inspection or attend an open home.

Why You Should Include a Call to Action in Your Real Estate Copy

You’re a real estate expert, so you know the buying process like the back of your hand. But buyers don’t always know how to buy a home. It’s a big deal – people need guidance.

As a good agent, you’re there to lead buyers through the buying process, and your call to action is the first step. The CTA eliminates decision fatigue and lets buyers know what to do to start their home-buying journey.

The right call to action will also help sell your property. By reinforcing the benefits, conveying a sense of urgency, and giving a direct next step, people are more likely to take action.

What Next Actions Would You Like Your Prospective Buyer to Take?

How should you put in your call to action?

What action would you like potential buyers to take?

Would you like them to book an inspection? Attend an open home? Register for auction? Call the office for a chat? Visit your website for inspection times? Call for more information?

Letting buyers know what action to take helps them and saves you time by directing them exactly in the right direction.

A note on real estate agent marketing: A call to action should be on all your marketing collateral, not just your property listings. For your marketing copy, you may want to include a secondary or ‘soft’ call to action to appeal to those who aren’t ready to take action yet but may be in the future.

For example:

Not sure you’re ready to sell? Call today to arrange an obligation-free valuation so you can make an informed decision with the most up-to-date data available.

Join our mailing list to receive market updates and insights for your area.

The Right Call to Action for the Right Target Audience

You want to make the buying process as smooth as possible. Any friction can make a sale fall through.

And the wrong call to action can cause friction, which is why you need to consider your audience.

For example, if you’re selling a home in a retirement village, the prospective buyer may feel more comfortable making a phone call than booking online.

On the other hand, younger generations often hate making phone calls. So if you’re targeting a first home buyer, an online booking form may be a better option.

Obviously, this is an overgeneralisation and many homes appeal to multiple demographics. The point is to have both options to make the buying process as accessible as possible for potential buyers.

What Makes an Effective Call To Action

A well-written call to action does three things: it summarises the main benefits of the property, conveys a sense of urgency – why the potential buyer should act straight away – and tells the buyer the exact next action they need to take.

A good call to action is an action-oriented phrase using clear, concise language and starting with a verb. For example:

Call today
Book an inspection
Visit our website for inspection times

There’s no leaving the potential buyer confused as to what to do next.

A call to action usually comes at the end of your copy along with a summary of the benefits.

Don’t bury your CTA; make sure it stands out and is easy to read!

Reinforcing the Benefits

Prospects will be more likely to act if they are reminded of the compelling reasons why they should inspect the property you’re selling.

Your call to action is where you reinforce the benefits of your property in a quick summary.

The key to nailing the call to action is knowing what benefits will resonate most with your target audience, which means you need to understand their desires and pain points. You want to make the offer so irresistible they can’t help but call you for an inspection.

For example:

Act now, and you could be sipping cocktails by your own private pool this summer. With an enviable lifestyle on offer, this home will be a popular choice. Avoid disappointment by calling the office today to arrange an inspection.

Creating a Sense of Urgency

Get buyers off the fence and to your open home by creating a sense that they will miss out if they don’t act now.

Two motivators can generate a sense of urgency:

A short-term offer
High competition

An example of a short-term offer is in retail sales: ‘this sale ends on Sunday.’

Real estate examples include:

Beat rising prices by getting onto the property ladder now
Buy now and lock in low-interest rates

It’s also possible to use this motivator for short-term government incentives like the home renovator’s grant.

The more common motivator in real estate calls to action is high competition, mainly when demand is high or the housing supply is low.

Creating a Sense of Urgency

Act quickly to secure
The market is moving fast
This is a highly sought-after lifestyle location
Highly sought-after school district
Sure to be snapped up quickly at this price
Priced to sell
Houses in this area rarely come to market
An offer like this is as rare as hen’s teeth
Last vacant block in the street
Call today or call now
Avoid disappointment

Common Real Estate CTA Examples

Common real estate CTAs include:

Call us today to book an inspection
Click the link to book an inspection
Register now
Want more info? Call John Smith, and he can guide you through the process.
Move quickly to inspect
Add this to your ‘must-see’ list
Arrange an inspection
Be quick to inspect
Come and see for yourself…
Make an appointment for a preview
Book a viewing
Register your interest
Find out more
Arrange to take a closer look

A call to action is an essential part of your real estate description. However, many, many listings don’t include one. You’re making it harder for buyers to take the next step by not adding a call to action!

Be the go-to solution to their buying journey by making the process easier – use your call to action to guide them on their first step.

Don’t have time to craft compelling real estate calls to action or write listing descriptions that have your potential buyers counting down the days until inspection time?

Let us take the hassle out of writing copy. Call or email us to book your copy project or visit our ‘how it works‘ page for more information.

Award Submissions

Blog / By newppcadmin

It’s now getting to the time of year that many industry award submissions are open for entry. Award submissions can be a great way of not only revealing your strengths and weaknesses and therefore assisting you to improve your performance, but successful submissions usually create publicity opportunities for the finalists.

The submission process can be daunting for some, as considerable time needs to be expended in completion. It is critical that you follow the instructions to the letter, and address each question specifically, do not go off on a tangent, the best submissions are the ones that answer the question directly.

This process can be outsourced to a professional writer, whilst there is a cost for this it is more time efficient and should ensure a more polished final product.

Good luck to all of you who are entering a submission this year.