A

Above the Fold
The portion of a webpage or email visible before scrolling. Derived from newspaper terminology. Prime real estate for headlines, subheads, and primary calls to action.

Action Devices
Copy elements throughout a promotion that urge the prospect to do something (click a link, call a number, complete a form etc.)

Actives
Prospects who have made purchases within a defined recent time period, considered active buyers.

Advertorial
A paid advertisement designed to look like an editorial article. The word combines “advertisement” and “editorial.” Must typically be disclosed as sponsored content. Effective because readers are more likely to engage with helpful information than an obvious ad.

Attention, Interest, Desire, Action (AIDA)
A classic copywriting framework mapping the psychological journey from noticing an ad to making a purchase.

Attrition
A reduction in numbers, for example, when the response to a certain mailing or promotion results in a reduced number of interested customers over the course of time; also when previously subscribed customers opt-out of a mailing list.

Autoresponder
A pre-written sequence of emails automatically sent to a contact after a trigger action, such as an opt-in or purchase. Often used to deliver useful information and lead into further offers.

Authority
Credibility or expertise that makes an audience trust a brand or offer.

Avatar
A detailed profile of the ideal customer including demographics, psychographics, goals, fears, habits, objections, and emotional triggers. Also known as a “Buyer Persona” or “Ideal Customer Profile.”

Average Order Value (AOV)
This is the total revenue earned by a campaign divided by the number of orders generated by that same campaign.

B

B2B (Business To Business)
Selling products or services from one business to another.

B2C (Business To Consumer)
Selling products or services directly to individual consumers.

Back-End
Any sale, offer, or marketing material presented to a customer after their initial purchase.

Bangtail
An envelope with an extra flap people can tear off to use as the order form or response form.

Banner Ad
A clickable rectangular or square graphic ad placed on a website, similar in function to a print space ad.

Below the Fold
The area of a webpage not visible without scrolling down.

Benefit
The positive outcome(s) a customer gains from purchasing a product or service.

Big Idea
A single, powerful, unique concept that an entire promotion is built around. Sets the direction and tone of the campaign.

Bind-In
A promotion bound within a catalog or magazine, such as a postcard subscription offer.

Buckslip
A promotional insert included with a mailed bill or invoice.

Blast Email
An email sent to an entire contact list without segmentation.

Bleed
A graphic design element (line, text, picture etc.) that extends beyond the normal margins of the page to the page’s physical or trimmed edge.

Blind Envelope
A marketing tactic to disguise direct mail as regular correspondence, enticing prospects to open the envelope. Typically sent without a company name or logo.

Blog
Short for “web log”. An online journal or collection of articles and essays published on regular schedule.

Blueline Proof
The final proof a printer sends to the client before printing.

Blurb
Short promotional description often used on book covers, landing pages or social media.

Body Copy
The main written content of an ad, sales page, or email. Follows the headline and lead, carrying the argument, building desire, handling objections, and moving the reader toward the call to action.

Bonus
A free item or additional offer used to increase the perceived value of the main offer.

Bookalog
A book-style direct mail format, usually 6×9 or smaller, containing all components of a direct mail piece.

Bounce Rate
The percentage of visitors who leave a page without taking any action, or the percentage of emails returned undelivered.

Brand Awareness
A marketing campaign that does not emphasize a specific action or result, rather, to make prospects generally aware of the brand and gain mindshare over time.

Brand Voice
The consistent personality, tone, and style a company uses across all communications defined by word choice, sentence rhythm and attitude.

Business Reply Card (BRC)
A postcard pre-addressed and often postage-paid by the mailer, making it easy for prospects to respond or order.

Business Reply Envelope (BRE)
An envelope pre-addressed and often postage-paid by the mailer for prospect responses.

Buyer Persona
A detailed profile of the ideal customer including demographics, psychographics, goals, fears, habits, objections, and emotional triggers. Also known as an “Avatar” or “Ideal Customer Profile.”

C

Call Out
A short section of copy set apart visually from the body text to draw attention to a specific point, quote, or benefit. Used in magazines and on web pages to pull in skimmers.

Call to Action (CTA)
A direct instruction telling the prospective customer what to do next (buy, subscribe, download, book a demo etc.)

Campaign
A coordinated marketing effort with a specific goal, typically running across channels over a defined period.

Card Deck
A direct mail piece consisting of multiple postcards, each promoting a different offer.

Case Study
A document describing how a customer solved a problem using a product or service, and what results followed. A “before and after” story used as proof and credibility.

Claim
A statement in copy that promises a specific result or presents something as fact. Should be backed by proof.

Click-Through Rate (CTR)
The percentage of users who clicked a link after viewing an email, ad or webpage.

Clickbait
Copy engineered to provoke curiosity or emotion at the expense of accuracy. Drives clicks but erodes trust over time.

Close
The final section of copy where the call to action is issued and the prospect is asked to make a decision or purchase.

Cold Traffic
An audience who has no affinity with your brand in any way.

Content Marketing
Creating and distributing valuable information to attract prospects and build customer loyalty, with an underlying marketing goal.

Control
The best performing piece of copy used in a campaign. New copy is tested against the control as a benchmark.

Conversion
When a reader completes the desired action (purchase, sign-up, download etc.) or other measurable goal.

Conversion Rate
The percentage of prospects who take the desired action out of all who had the opportunity.

Copy
Any written text used in marketing to persuade readers to take an action.

Copy Brief
A document outlining the goals, audience, strategy and key information for a copywriting project.

Copywriter
A professional who writes persuasive marketing and advertising text, sometimes described as “a salesman in print.”

Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)
The average cost to acquire one lead or customer. Total campaign cost divided by number of acquisitions.

Cost Per Thousand (CPM)
The cost of reaching 1,000 prospects. Total campaign cost divided by impressions in thousands.

Credibility
The degree to which a reader trusts and believes a brand or writer. Built through testimonials, proof, statistics, track records, endorsements and transparency.

Cross-Sell
Offering a customer a related or complementary product alongside or after their primary purchase.

Customer Acquisition
The process of gaining new customers.

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
The total sales and marketing cost divided by the number of new customers acquired in a set period.

Customer Journey
The stages a prospect moves through from first awareness to becoming a customer.

Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)
The total revenue a customer generates over the entire course of their relationship with a business.

Customer Value Optimization (CVO)
The idea of increasing the LTV of customers, gaining more customers, and cutting the cost of acquisitions through more efficient marketing.

D

Deliverable
The content a copywriter is required to send to the client.

Demographics
Statistical characteristics used to define and segment an audience (age, gender, income, location, education, marital status, occupation etc.)

Differentiation
The act of making your product or service appear as unique when compared to others in the same market.

Dimensionalization
The process of making copy feel more applicable by presenting them in situations users can recognize or imagine.

Direct Mail
A marketing strategy using physical mail (letters, postcards, magalogs, self-mailers, etc.) to acquire customers or promote products.

Direct Marketing
The act of communicating advertising material directly to a pre-selected audience.

Direct Response
Marketing designed to provoke an specific, immediate and measurable action.

Downsell
A lower-priced offer presented to a prospect who declined the primary offer.

Drip Campaign
An email sequence automatically sent over time, designed to move a prospect toward a specific action.

E

Email Marketing
Using targeted email campaigns to communicate with prospects and customers and promote products or services.

Email Service Provider (ESP)
Software companies that allow businesses to send emails to a large number of warm, consenting recipients instantly.

Emotional Triggers
Words, phrases, or narratives that activate feelings (fear, greed, belonging, aspiration, status etc.) to inspire action.

Empathy Map
A tool for understanding your audience by mapping what they think, feel, see, hear, say and do. Grounds copy in real human experience rather than assumptions.

Evergreen
Content or campaigns that remain relevant and effective over long periods without needing updates.

Exclusivity
An appeal in copy suggesting the offer or membership is not available to everyone, creating a sense of being part of an elite group.

Eyebrow Copy
A short introductory line appearing above the main headline in smaller type, providing context or framing.

External Link
An outgoing link from one website pointing to another.

F

Feature, Advantage, Benefit (FAB)
A framework for presenting product claims: what it is, why it matters, what the user gains.

False Close
A point in copy where the reader expects the sales pitch but the writer takes an unexpected turn (adding a benefit, story etc.) before returning to the close.

Fascination
A style of bullet point copy that intrigues the reader and teases information compellingly enough to drive continued reading or purchase.

Features
The specific, factual attributes of a product or service (dimensions, specifications, components etc.) Distinct from benefits.

Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)
A psychological trigger used in copy to create urgency by implying scarcity or the pain of potential loss.

Flat Benefit
When a benefit is off-target and does not excite a prospect, resulting in little to no impact.

Freelancer
A professional, independent contractor who is self-employed and not on staff with any company.

Funnel
A structured sequence guiding prospects from awareness through consideration to purchase, with targeted copy at each stage.

G

Ghostwriter
Someone who writes on behalf of another, mainly in the context of a book.

Golden Triangle
The portion of a webpage most visitors scan upon arrival (starting at the top of the page, reading left to right, and then work their way down diagonally.)

Guarantee
A promise that removes buyer risk (money-back guarantees, free returns, satisfaction pledges etc.) Increases conversion by lowering the perceived downside of purchasing.

H

Halo effect
When one strong positive association (celebrity endorsement, prestigious award etc.) elevates perception of the entire brand or product.

Hard Insert
Promotional material inserted by hand into mailing pieces.

Hard Offer
Any offer where money is required upfront.

Headline
The first and most important line of any piece of copy. It’s sole job is to stop the reader and compel them to keep reading.

Hero Shot
The main image of a landing page or ad campaign.

Hook
A compelling opening (a question, bold claim, surprising fact, story etc.) designed to capture the reader’s attention and pull them into the copy.

House File
A company’s owned list of customers and qualified prospects.

I

Ideal Customer Profile
A detailed profile of the ideal customer including demographics, psychographics, goals, fears, habits, objections, and emotional triggers. Also known as an “Avatar” or “Buyer Persona”.

Inbound Marketing
The strategy of attracting customers through content, rather than through outreach and advertising.

Indirection
When a copywriter breaks up the logical order of the copy in a sales letter so the prospect can’t make assumptions as to what will be said next. This forces the prospect to continually read the promotion.

Indirect Voice of Customer Data (IVOC)
Raw quotes taken from the target market in contexts where they don’t know they’re being probed or analyzed for market research or by an authority.

Infomercial
A long-form, direct-response commercial designed to look like a television program rather than an advertisement. Combination of the words “information” and “commercial”.

Intent
The reason behind online user behavior. Typically categorized into three parts: commercial, navigational and informational.

Internal Link
A link on your website pointing from one page to another.

J

Jab
A small offering of value before a large ask.

Jingle
A short, catchy song or musical phrase used in advertising to reinforce a brand message through rhythm and repetition.

Johnson Box
A boxed section of copy set apart at the top of a sales letter or email, summarizing the key message or offer to draw attention before the main copy begins.

K

Keyword
The term(s) used to query a search engine. Used strategically in copy to improve rankings and attract targeted traffic.

Know, Like & Trust
The principle that people buy from companies they know, like and trust.

L

Landing Page
A standalone webpage designed for a single objective (purchase, sign-up, download etc.)

Lead / Lede
The introductory section of copy following the headline. It hooks the reader, establishes relevance, and builds enough curiosity to pull them into the body copy.

Lead Generation
The process of collecting contact information from prospects likely to buy in the future, usually through lead magnets.

Lead Magnet
A free, valuable piece of content (eBook, checklist, report, webinar etc.) offered in exchange for a prospect’s contact information.

Lifetime Value (LTV)
The total amount of revenue a customer will generate over the entire course of their relationship for a business.

Lift
An increase in any marketing metric (sales, clicks, engagement etc.) as a result of an experiment.

Lift Note
A short, separate note included in a direct mail package to reinforce a specific aspect of the offer. Often styled as a personal message.

Long-Form Copy
Extended copy that builds a comprehensive case before asking for the sale. Most effective for high-consideration purchases.

Loss Aversion
Copy that emphasizes what someone might lose often outperforms copy focused on what they’ll gain.

M

Magalog
A direct mail piece designed to look like a magazine rather than a sales letter. Contains all standard direct mail components in a glossy, editorial-style format.

Market Sophistication
How much a market has been exposed to advertising around a particular problem or solution. Affects the approach and angle needed in copy.

Mechanism
The unique explanation of how a product or solution works, often used to differentiate from competitors.

Merge-Purge (De-Dupe)
The process of combining mailing lists and removing duplicate names so no prospect receives the same piece twice.

Microcommitment
Statements in copy that implicitly ask for a rhetorical ‘yes’ from a reader in order to move them into a compliant state, thus increasing odds of a sale when asked.

Microcopy
Short, often overlooked copy elements in user interfaces (button labels, error messages, tooltips etc.) to inform, educate and build trust.

Mood board
A visual collection of images, colors and type samples that defines the tone and aesthetic direction of a campaign before copy is written.

N

Negative Space
White space which allows copy to breathe, stand out and signal importance.

Niche
A micro segment of a mass market, typically overlooked by larger players who are focused on wide, generic market share.

Native Advertising
Paid ads designed to match the look and feel of the surrounding content on a platform.

O

Objection, Claim, Proof, Benefit (OCPB)
A formula for dealing with objections by assuming a specific objection, stating a claim to counter it, providing proof of that claim, and revealing an associated benefit with that claim being true.

Objection Handling
Anticipating and addressing the reader’s hesitations (price, skepticism, competitive alternatives etc.) within the copy itself, before they cause the reader to abandon.

Off-the-Page (OTP)
A sale that is obtained directly from a press release.

Offer
A proposition presented to the customer. Often comprised of a product/service, price, terms etc.

On Speculation
Services rendered by a copywriter with no guarantee of pay, usually used only if a client likes the writer’s work and chooses to use it.

One-Time Buyer
A buyer who does not purchase anything after their initial purchase from a company.

One-Time-Offer (OTO)
An offer (usually an upsell) that can only be procured on the page-in-question and won’t be available anywhere else at any time.

Open Loop
A narrative technique that raises a question or tension without immediately resolving it, compelling the user to continue.

Open Rate
The percentage of email recipients who opened a given email compared to the total number of people who received the email.

Opt-In
The voluntarily submission of contact information in order to receive something in return (communications, lead magnet, newsletter subscription etc.)

Opt-Out
The mechanism allowing a prospect to remove themselves from a mailing list.

P

Pain Point
The specific frustration, inefficiency, or challenge your target customer experiences. Effective copy opens by naming the pain before offering the solution.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC)
Online advertising where the advertiser pays each time their ad is clicked.

Personalization
Inserting a prospect’s name, location, or other personal data into copy to increase relevance and response.

Persuasion
To influence people to take action by appealing to their core needs and desires.

Pillar Page
Page within a website that contains evergreen, highly valuable content which acts as a hub to rank and promote other pages on the site.

Pivot to Offer
The point in copy where it ceases to be about channeling desire and becomes more about encouraging someone to purchase the product or service.

Positioning
How a product is perceived in the customer’s mind relative to competitors.

Postscript (P.S.)
A line or paragraph appended to a sales letter or email. Catches the eye of skimmers and is used to restate the key promise, reveal a bonus, or reinforce urgency.

Power Words
Words with strong psychological impact that trigger emotion or action (free, proven, secret, guaranteed, instant, new, you etc.)

Problem, Agitate, Solution (PAS)
A framework to identify the reader’s problem, intensify the emotional discomfort around it, then present the product as relief.

Promise
A statement in copy that tells the reader specifically what result they will get from using the product or service.

Proof
Evidence supporting the claims made in copy (testimonials, case studies, statistics, certifications, before-and-after data, endorsements etc.)

Psychographics
The values, attitudes, interests, lifestyle, ambitions, fears, and emotional characteristics of a target audience.

Prospect
A potential buyer within a target market who is yet to make a purchase from the business.

Q

Qualification
The process of determining whether a lead is a good fit for a product. Also refers to copy that filters in ideal prospects and filters out those unlikely to convert.

Qualifier
Copy that preselects the right audience , filtering in ideal prospects and filtering out those are less likely to convert.

R

Readability
How easily copy can be read and understood. Shaped by sentence length, word choice, paragraph breaks and white space.

Retention Copy
Messages designed to keep existing customers engaged, reduce churn, and encourage repeat purchase (welcome sequences, re-engagement emails, loyalty programs etc.)

Retention Rate
The percentage of customers who continue to do business with and make purchases from a company over a specified period of time.

Risk Reversal
A technique placing the risk of purchase on the seller rather than the buyer.

Request For Quote (RFQ)
A proposal outlaying the services, deliverables, timeline and fees of a given project. Typically required for doing business with an enterprise client.

Retargeting
Showing ads to previous visitors or prospects who’ve already seen your ad.

Return on Investment (ROI)
A measurement of a campaign’s financial performance: profit generated relative to the cost of the campaign.

Rollout
The methodical process that follows after a successful mailing experiment. The rollout involves mailing to increasingly larger segments, lists and groups.

Rule of One
A copywriting principle emphasizing focus on one element (idea, offer, action etc.) to avoid confusing prospects or diluting the message.

S

Saddle-Stitch
Binding a booklet or magazine with staples in the seam where it folds.

Sales Page
A page dedicated to presenting a sales argument with the goal of getting the reader to purchase.

Scarcity
A genuine or implied limit on availability (quantity, time, access etc.) that increases urgency.

Search engine optimization (SEO)
The marketing practice of optimizing a website for greater visibility and rankings in search engine results pages for specific keywords and phrases.

Segmentation
Dividing an email list or audience into groups based on shared characteristics, behaviors, or actions to send more targeted copy.

Selling Against Alternatives
A marketing tactic where brands will actively call out or criticize competitors for a deficiency or weakness in comparison to their own.

SEO Copywriting
Writing that satisfies both human readers and search engine ranking factors, balancing natural language with strategic keyword placement and intent matching.

Skimmability
How easily a reader can extract key points without reading every word. Achieved through subheads, bullet points, bold text, short paragraphs, and white space.

Slogan
A short, memorable phrase that captures the essence of a brand’s offering, positioning or perception.

Split Testing
Testing multiple versions of copy, a page or an ad simultaneously with different audience segments to determine which performs better.

Social Proof
Validation from others (reviews, ratings, testimonials etc.) that builds trust and reduces purchase risk.

Soft Sell
A low-pressure persuasion approach that educates, entertains, or builds relationships over time rather than pushing for immediate conversion.

Squeeze Page
A webpage focused solely on collecting a prospect’s contact information, with minimal distractions and one conversion goal.

Story Arc
A narrative structure with a beginning (problem), middle (struggle or journey), and end (transformation or resolution). Stories are processed faster and remembered longer than facts.

Subheading
A secondary headline below the main headline, or section headers throughout body copy. Keeps readers moving and helps skimmers understand the argument at a glance.

Subject Line
The headline of an email.

Swipe File
A collection of successful ads, emails, sales letters and other copy that a copywriter saves for reference, inspiration and study.

T

Tagline
A short, consistent brand phrase that encapsulates the company’s promise and appears alongside the logo. Different from a slogan, which may be campaign-specific.

Target Market
The specific segment of the broader market most likely to buy a product or service — unified by a shared problem, need, or characteristic.

Testimonial
A statement from a real customer describing their experience or results. Most credible when specific, detailed, and attributed to a named person with context.

Tone of Voice
The emotional quality and style of the writing (warm, playful, authoritative, irreverent etc.) which adapts to context and channel while staying consistent with brand voice.

Tracking
The use of codes, specific URLs or dedicated landing pages to measure the performance of a piece of copy.

Trademark
A name, slogan, symbol or other brand material legally restricted for use by anyone other than the company.

Tripwire
Low-cost introductory offer, similar to a lead magnet.

U

Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
The single most compelling reason a customer should choose your product over all others.

Upsell
An offer made to a customer at or after the point of purchase, presenting a complementary or upgraded product to increase the total sale value.

Urgency
Copy that motivates immediate action by implying a cost to delay (deadline, rising price, closing window of opportunity etc.)

User Experience (UX) Copywriting
Copy that users interact with inside a product (websites, apps, software, tools etc.) to help them navigate, understand and complete tasks as intended.

User-Generated Content (UGC)
Copy or media created by customers rather than the brand. Often more trusted than brand-produced content.

V

Viral Copy
Content engineered to spread organically through frequent sharing.

Value Ladder
A series of progressively higher-priced offers designed to increase customer lifetime value.

Value Proposition
A clear statement of the specific benefit a product delivers, to whom, and why it is better than the alternatives.

Video Sales Letter (VSL)
A sales letter presented in video format, combining the persuasive structure of a written sales letter with video delivery.

Voice of Customer (VOC)
The actual words, phrases, complaints, and desires customers use (gathered from reviews, surveys or interviews etc.) used to mirror the reader’s own language back to them in copy.

W

Warm Traffic
An audience who has some form of affinity with your brand.

White Paper
A valuable, in-depth document that educates the reader on a specific problem and often positions the brand’s product or approach as the solution. Common in B2B and used as lead magnets.

“What’s in it for me?” (WIIFM)
An adage that reminds the writer to focus attention on the needs of the user, as opposed to the features of the product or service being offered.

Wireframe
A mock-up showing how copy and design elements will be positioned on a page, used to help designers and clients visualize the final layout before production.

Writing to One Person
The principle of imagining a single, specific reader and writing directly to them rather than to a vague crowd.

X

X-Factor
Distinctive advantage or appeal.

Y

Yield Optimization
Improving performance metrics like conversion or revenue.

You-Focused Copy
Copy centered on the reader (goals, problems, desires etc.) The word “you” appears far more than “we” or “our”.

Z

Zero-Risk Reversal
An offer structure that eliminates buyer risk entirely through guarantees, free trials, or unconditional refunds.

Zero-Click Content
Content that is displayed and consumed on a search engine results page without requiring a click through to the website it is hosted on.