Figure out the one, strongest emotional 'hot button' directly connected to the primary benefit that your ideal buyer will enjoy once they have bought your offer.

Build your entire message around the various dimensions and aspects of that one thing.

— — —

Submitted by Timothy “Sully” Sullivan

While writing copy, try short sentences with brevity as often as possible.

But for instance if you have one long sentence, always use Ellipsis...

And convert it into two short ones.

P.S. Write for readers with 7th grade mindset.

— — —

Submitted by Deepak Chawla

A small black dot in a large white space sticks out.

— — —

Submitted by Oliver Andrews

Salespeople should be reading these tips.

So much of selling is written, and today's short attention spans demand that salespeople write crisp, compelling emails and proposals. Good copywriters know how to do that.

— — —

Submitted by Brendan McAdams

Read other people’s copy, deeply.

Notice the mechanics of how your favorite newsletter or brand set up a call to action. Read poetry, feel the feels, and try to emulate the emotional transfer between author and reader. Find nuance in newspaper headlines and leads.

Great writing is everywhere (one read through these comments confirms that). Slowing down to appreciate it — and understand what makes it slap -- has improved my own writing tremendously.

— — —

Submitted by Bruce Fryer

Being a perfectionist often holds me back. It’s taken a good while to accept that my first draft won’t be award-winning.

Tip? Write shit. Brain splatter over the page, don’t worry about grammar, use basic descriptive words if you have to. Your story will still be in there and you can finesse it after a cuppa.

— — —

Submitted by Eppie Shepherd

Try very hard not to publish a sentence with a hendiadys* modifying another hendiadys. If you do, you’ve just interrupted your reader’s regularly scheduled comprehension of prose with a “table” they must construct in their heads.

I don’t think they’ll appreciate it.

*Hendiadys: a writing feature identifying an abstract concept, with contributing ideas x and y, as “x and y” instead of “x-ish y” or “x-ly y” (or better yet, single word z if you can find one). You may see it with lists of 3 or more ideas in really gnarly cases.

— — —

Submitted by Alexander Dave McMath

Get your user experience right, and your marketing will write itself.

Look to your customer testimonials for inspiration. The features that resonate with one buyer may provide the content/messaging that persuades and interests another buyer from your ideal customer group.

If someone says they loved X and it saved them 4 hours on a process, use that in emails, on social, on your site. That's the kind of social proof your audiences are looking for.

— — —

Submitted by Natalie Tate

Read it out loud to see if it flows.

It's completely different from reading it in your head.

— — —

Submitted by Mark Hibbitts

Your copy should be focused on meeting your reader where they are in their own story.

And your copy should move them forward, in a positive direction, after reading it.

— — —

Submitted by Cuyler Callahan

When you write for the spoken word -- you need the spread to catch cadence and pause. A paragraph really has no place to go with well written fast driven speech. Every line must be a zinger. This is scripting.

On the other hand, speech that narrates or orates wants bigger chunks. Gettysburg Address was I think five paragraphs with lots of punchy sentences.

— — —

Submitted by Steve Czajkowski

Got The Blank Page Blues? Years ago this was an affliction I had... where to start.

The headline was always my first priority. No wonder I was stumped!

Research (I know, it implies effort) will get you pumping out ideas, phrases and metaphors certain to capture the mind and wallets of your prospects. Use Google when researching. Your competition is where I’d start.... then go deeper and harder than they do.

Knowing your ideal clients mixed in with your research and you’ll improve your results 10 fold.

— — —

Submitted by Paul Parkin

Start jotting down interesting phrases and ideas when you're reading. Go through them from time to time. And you'll find your thoughts flowing smoothly once you get to writing.

I recommend the good old pen and notebook for this. Somehow you internalize better that way. And your repertoire of words increases exponentially.

— — —

Submitted by Mayukhi Chakravarty

Create a customer avatar in your head.

That is, a vivid mental picture of your ideal customer. Get as specific as possible in your visualisation of them. Then, once you go to write, write with your avatar in the forefront of your mind. This is a powerful way to ensure you are writing for the customer, not the business.

— — —

Submitted by Danielle Underwood

When translating languages, don't translate words, translate ideas.

What does the original person want to say or convey? Who are they writing for or conveying it to? How can you express it in a form that is faithful to the original meaning, natural in the target language and appropriate for the target audience?

— — —

Submitted by Richard Mort

The Rule of 3 lends a wonderful rhythm to your copy. One always seems lonely and two is awkward. When in doubt, three is your magic number.

Short enough to be interesting, yet long enough to make a powerful impact.

— — —

Submitted by Rachel Friedlander

Give a shit.

If you really, truly care about the problems you’re solving you end up understanding your reader in such an intimate, personal way. And your copy (which is really their words most of the time), cannot help but resonate.

— — —

Submitted by Simon Ford

When writing an ad/email/landing page/physical mail, etc... features DO sell if your market is used to hearing other companies promise the same benefits as you.

— — —

Submitted by Zac Garside

When you create that space between each line, it segments each thought and allows you to see how each sentence stands when read alone.

It’s also useful for when you re-read your copy aloud because it’s less clunky.

— — —

Submitted by Eli Joseph

When you experience writer’s block, just bark, meow, or make a funny sound to jolt your current state and get your whole body functioning again.

Sounds strange — and it is — but it works.

— — —

Submitted by Emmanuel Musa E

When writing copy, use simple everyday English. Avoid unnecessary buzzwords.

When you do this, most intelligent readers won't feel insulted... and the less informed readers will understand your message.

Win-win.

— — —

Submitted by Dammy Azeez

I can spend all day struggling to find the perfect words.

As soon as my head hits the pillow? It’s like a thesaurus up in there.

My tip: keep a bedtime thoughts journal next to your bed. Too many times I’ve repeated my words of wisdom over and over again not wanting to turn on the light — to then immediately forget them in the morning.

— — —

Submitted by Eppie Shepherd

Always refine your writing, and keep it as concise as possible. Don’t stop after your first draft.

You have to keep editing.

You have to be 'cull' to be kind!

— — —

Submitted by Liz Bates

Whitespace is key.

It gives the reader a chance to pause, to relax, and to soak in all the information.

— — —

Submitted by Joseph McMullen

No matter how good your copy is, people won't read it if they can't read it.

Make sure it's big enough in emails, lead magnets and (especially) website copy!

— — —

Submitted by Karen F

Favorite tactic for developing tone of voice guidelines: creating a super detailed, highly visual fictional character to help new writers get into brand character before writing a single piece of content.

• How does she act?

• What does she look like?

• Is she in a mood right now?

Accompany with visuals and playlists too. This makes her feel even more real.

— — —

Submitted by Isabel Jarnstrom

Think of who your target client is and put “Dear so-and-so” (only use an actual name) before you start writing your copy. Not only will it help you stay focused on who you’re writing to, but it’ll also help you keep your copy more conversational.

— — —

Submitted by Jennifer Hickerson

Use YOU more than using I/we because your customers matter first before you. They don't want to listen to what you've accomplished; instead, they would like to know what you can do for them.

— — —

Submitted by MD. Shoriful Islam

Here's a quick tip: Read.

Immersing yourself in good writing is one of the best things you can do to become a better writer.

— — —

Submitted by Scott Frothingham

I always go for simple sentences with the least punctuations.

— — —

Submitted by Aparna Bhowmick

Screw AP. Write like you talk.

— — —

Submitted by Kristi Bjornaas

Use subheads to make your copy more scanable.

— — —

Submitted by Kristi Bjornaas

The fewer the adjectives and adverbs in your sentence, the stronger your message.

Use as few adjectives and adverbs as possible.

— — —

Submitted by Augustine O. Ojeh

A simple rule that helps me: write it perfectly, beautifully — then cut it in half.

— — —

Submitted by Tim Roan

Fewer words slaps harder.

Cut down the number words to the bare minimum without distorting the message.

— — —

Submitted by Augustine O. Ojeh

Yes, there is "power in the pause" as I call it.

The space literally allows us to take a breath and absorb the words. Without the space, we would literally run out of breath. White space is as effective as the words themselves. They go hand in hand.

— — —

Submitted by Ali Chambers

Curiosity, excitement, and engagement are intertwined.

Provide just enough information to drive the reader in your desired direction. Don’t provide more than enough. Don’t provide less than enough. Find the equilibrium amount of details.

— — —

Submitted by Augustine O. Ojeh

Don’t do all the thinking for the readers. Allow them to use their imagination, too. Your copy resonates when it stirs thoughts, simple obvious questions, and awe.

That said, make sure your sentences don’t trigger conflicting questions.

— — —

Submitted by Augustine O. Ojeh

Each paragraph must be understood as a short, congruent idea.

— — —

Submitted by Marisa Ramos Abascal

When copywriting, use simple, very easy to comprehend vocabularies/words.

Nobody has time to check the dictionary when reading your copy.

— — —

Submitted by Joshua Dabo

Write… anything. Then rewrite it so every word in what you wrote is either a one- or two-syllable word. (Syllable is the only 3-syllable word in that sentence.)

It will keep your writing clear, simple.

— — —

Submitted by Steve Lance

Include the most important benefit of your product in the first line of your copy.

— — —

Submitted by Shaniese Alston

Do not write web copy in a vacuum.

Insist on seeing the wireframes before you begin.

— — —

Submitted by Nancy Slome

My tip is to write when you are feeling your freshest.

Never tackle a project when you're feeling tired, unfocused, or stressed. I love to get my deepest writing completed first thing in the morning - before checking emails, before reviewing my daily to-do's, even before my first cup of coffee!

This also sets a great tone for the rest of the workday.

— — —

Submitted by Emily Rae Schutte

Research first.

Write second.

Edit third.

Don't try to do too much at once.

— — —

Submitted by Camille Trent

Start with verbs.

Make a list of active, two syllable verbs. The verbs need to have a great sound (when you say them aloud) as well as a pertinent meaning. Then write down all words that connect you to product. Go through the list and edit out anything that makes a "bump" or pause in your intake of data.

The remaining words will generate copy.

— — —

Submitted by Marie Chambers

I think the first five bars of Beethoven's 5th Symp — the actual sheet music — shows complete silence.

He wrote it so that when the music starts, there's no music.

— — —

Submitted by Steve Czajkowski

Write like a maniac. Stop.

Incubate for a day or 2.

Come back. Edit like a lunatic.

— — —

Submitted by Cain Lewis

Read everything out loud. Everything. (And properly out loud, not whispering to yourself. Embrace the crazy.)

Honestly, so much poor copywriting could be improved by this one simple trick. You can intuitively hear rhythm.

— — —

Submitted by Ettie Holland

Avoid long sentences with too many prepositions.

If your sentence has more than two prepositions, break it into different sentences. It gives flow to the reading. Helps with comprehension, too.

— — —

Submitted by Henna Malik

Using frequent white spaces in copywriting also creates a ‘psychological room’ for the reader’s breathing, and feels natural.

Just like when we talk our breathing creates micro pauses.

— — —

Submitted by Aneta Heinz

Technical or complicated terms are a strict no.

They slow down reading and readers may end up skipping these words or worse yet, only skimming through the copy.

— — —

Submitted by Uthara Shabeer

Do not “back into” sentences...

Bad: When I woke after a restful night of sleep I got dressed and went to the gym.

Better: I had a great workout at the gym, in part because I slept eight hours last night.

— — —

Submitted by Christoph Trappe

Every word is distinct. There are nuances in the words you pick. Had I written "select" at the end of that last line, it would’ve communicated something different.

Word choice matters.

Subtleties are what separate one audience from another.

— — —

Submitted by Tommy Walker

For long form writing: Get someone else to read it.

Then ask "If only 20% got to stay, what part would it be?"

Followed by "If you had to get rid of 20%, what would it be?"

What you're left with is clarity on the core idea and what fluff needs to be cut.

— — —

Submitted by Stewart Hillhouse

95% of the use of the word 'that' can be removed from your copy.

Review and remove, and you'll deliver sharper, punchier copy.

— — —

Submitted by Diana Loppolo

Include personal anecdotes and examples to explain a complex idea.

It builds rapport with the reader.

— — —

Submitted by Bhavya Sharma

Write like ya talk.

— — —

Submitted by Damien Elsing

Spend 1/3 of your time researching.

Spend 1/3 of your time first-drafting.

Spend 1/3 of your time editing.

There's a reason why this old adage still rings true: "I"m sorry I wrote you a long letter. I didn't have time to write a shorter one."

— — —

Submitted by Stephan Mathys

Marketers: Looking to get the attention of a specific type of person? Open by calling out their role (did it work?)

Hard to ignore a post written specifically for you.

— — —

Submitted by Stewart Hillhouse

The two questions on my mind when I do funnel reviews for clients are:

1. So what?

2. Who cares?

If ya don't answer these clearly and QUICKLY, you've lost your reader.

— — —

Submitted by Meg Harris

Put your copy through the classic “so what?” filter.

Write the answer. Do it again. Refine the original to make sure you truly articulated the value for the reader.

— — —

Submitted by Cody Lee

Got an important somethin' somethin' you wanna highlight? End your text with a P.S.

Your goal is to hook your reader off the bat, but they may end up scanning the rest of your content... especially if it's a bit lengthy.

So add this simple "but wait! there's more!" attention-grabber and ensure your Reader doesn't miss out on that important CTA or announcement.

— — —

Submitted by Kaleena Stroud

Reduce "ing" words to reduce passive voice.

— — —

Submitted by Chastity Fox

Read your copy backwards for spelling/grammar mistakes.

This helps your brain focus on individual words rather than clumping them into sentences.

— — —

Submitted by Erik Davidek

You can also configure the grammar checker in Microsoft Word to check for passive voice.

Just go to File > Options > Proofing > Grammar and Refinements settings (under “Clarity”).

— — —

Submitted by Denise Atkins

Workshop your headlines.

I try to come up with 10 - 20 different versions of my headlines before settling on one. It gets all the crappy headlines out of my head and allows me to combine ideas I never would have connected before.

— — —

Submitted by Jason Vana

Don't write “we seek to help…” or “we look to improve…”

“We help...” and “we improve...” are much stronger and more confident!

— — —

Submitted by Denise Atkins

Whenever possible, address the reader directly (e.g., “you”). This goes for all copy including website texts, blog posts, social media captions, etc.

It makes any text more relatable and engaging.

— — —

Submitted by Juliana Hahn

Using the active voice is so important because people relate better to products, stories they can relate to. As soon as we start reading the text, we create images in our heads. And the passive voice shuts this down.

Hemingway Editor is a useful tool for identifying passive voice.

— — —

Submitted by Tjasa Pele

Read your copy out loud.

You will notice tense changes, misspellings, and grammatical mistakes more than just proofreading the copy.

— — —

Submitted by Jason Vana

Cut your copy down. I learned this trick in college — if your copy seems long, go through each paragraph and try to cut the copy down by 25-50% while retaining the message.

It helped me to become a much more concise writer.

— — —

Submitted by Jason Vana

Another good one to CTRL+F for is the word "is" — then you'll get all those "is run" "is built" & "is founded" 's which can often be replaced with single, stronger verbs.

— — —

Submitted by Orit Wittenberg

A tip from 30 years of writing is to read your work out loud.

Your ears will hear things that need fixing; things your eyes didn’t see.

— — —

Submitted by David Allison

Cut the first 500 words of your blog post.

It usually takes that long to "ramp up" and get to the good stuff.

— — —

Submitted by Tommy Walker

My high school English teachers always told me to never start a sentence with a conjunction. But you can. And you should.* If you want to.

*Sometimes.

— — —

Submitted by Elvin Matos

Install a screen reader. It has helped me tremendously.

Hearing the words out loud helps me catch mistakes I otherwise would’ve missed as well as things that just don’t come across as I intended.

— — —

Submitted by Meisha Bochicchio

Ask a friend which words you're known for overusing when speaking.

Hit CTRL + F again and type it in…

— — —

Submitted by Ryan Stevens

Use the simplest word, unless you are 100% certain your audience knows the terminology.

— — —

Submitted by Will Brennan

Copywriters need to learn the difference between a 'product's features' and a 'product's story'.

Instead of harping about the features, try and understand the transformation curve of the customer buying your product. How does your product help them? How do your features make them a real life hero? Write your copy around the product story. Talk about what your client's life will be like once he buys and consumes the product.

Sell them the story and not the product.

— — —

Submitted by Parthiva Mewawala

While writing copy, imagine that you're writing a newspaper advertisement where every character is chargeable.

You'll write only what is necessary and end up with brilliant, snappy copy.

— — —

Submitted by Kanishka Agarwal

Start with paper, not a computer.

Write by hand, then type it. You'll edit as you go.

— — —

Submitted by Josh Spilker

Ditch stuffy formalities by swapping nouns for verbs, e.g. 'Submit your application' becomes 'Apply'.

Shorter, snappier, and more human — hurrah!

— — —

Submitted by Katie Palmer

When editing, change the font of your work.

It helps you look at your writing with “fresh” eyes and is especially handy when you don’t have time to take a break between writing and editing.

— — —

Submitted by Elizabeth McCumber

Grammarly and Yoast are great tools.

They'll highlight any passive voice so you can change it. Best of all, they've "trained" me to write in the active voice.

— — —

Submitted by Jennifer Phillips April

Ctrl + F, search for 'that.' Delete when possible. Sometimes you can't delete 'that' but it usually is a filler word.

— — —

Submitted by Scott McKinney

Find out your buyers' main channel of communication (visual, auditory, or kinesthetic). Look beyond the words they're saying, even how they consume information. You'll build rapport more easily if you can mirror their most dominant communication channel in your marketing.

For instance, for more auditory people, reach out to them with a personalized audio, podcast, etc.

For more visual learners, videos are a must-have.

— — —

Submitted by Noelina Rissman

To "passive-proof" your writing, there’s also this free tool called Hemingway Editor, which will automatically spot adverbs, complex sentences, and every instance of passive voice.

— — —

Submitted by David Schokkaert

There's an interesting explanation I read recently about why one shouldn't use passive voice. It's not because of how it sounds, which can be subjective, but because of how we (humans) process words.

The moment we start hearing words, images appear in our head. So, when you hear "Sasha drove the car", in your head, you "see" a person first, and then that he's in the car. But when you hear "the car was driven by Sasha", you first see a car that's driving on its own, and only then place a person into that image. In which case, it will take your brain longer to make sense of what's being said.

This is, of course, a simple example. But the principles alway remain the same: the words we hear create images. The faster those images make sense, the easier we can understand the words. And active voice will create those images faster than passive.

— — —

Submitted by Gill Andrews

Don’t use complicated technical language that baffles people. Keep it simple and relatable.

— — —

Submitted by Jessica Hodkinson

Stay humble; stay curious.

There are timeless concepts that work consistently, but how they are expressed can change over time or by audience. Become best friends with testing and obsess over your prospect.

— — —

Submitted by Cody Lee

Make sure your intended reader has a “this is for me” moment—early.

Invite your target audience in or call them out in the headline/opening paragraph.

— — —

Submitted by Cody Lee

Write as if you were sitting in a bar, talking to your friend.

— — —

Submitted by Jake Hansen

When writing copy, use trigger words like:

• “You”

• “Because”

• “Instantly”

• “Free”

• “Now”

These power words are proven to drive people to take action.

— — —

Submitted by Rashmi Agrawal

Rhyming is more important than you think.

Take this key quote from the OJ Simpson trial of the century: “If the gloves don’t fit, you must acquit!”

Rhyming makes your phrasing catchier, improves its staying power and makes your arguments and your copy more persuasive.

— — —

Submitted by Richard Mort

Saying something incredulous or counterintuitive, then following it up with a "Let me explain."

— — —

Submitted by Vincent Rendoni

This is probably the simplest tip out there and hopefully, everyone puts it in action already: use the language your audience will understand.

Feature terms and industry buzzwords are great, but try to remember that your customer could come from anywhere — and your goal is to make sure they understand what you do and why they need your product.

Anything that gets in the way of that must be dropped.

— — —

Submitted by Sanjana Balaraman

Cut the adverbs.

You’re not a high school student trying to get to a certain word quota anymore.

— — —

Submitted by Rebecca Posner

At some point in your writing, break the rules of how you are supposed to write.

On LinkedIn, that looks like occasionally breaking the classic 3 line hook, heavy emphasis on whitespace, and other staples of LinkedIn posts.

— — —

Submitted by Tyler Burch

"Never write like you're the best person in the room, but write like your reader is."

Too often, we trip over finding clever copy or jargon-laden explanations to launch us into "thought leadership" stardom. But that copy doesn't do anything for us.

Writing like your audience matters most humbles our (at times) verbose styles and keeps us focused on our readers.

— — —

Submitted by Shelby Rogers

Consider the outcome that your recipient would like, rather than the product/service you want to sell.

If you're selling hammers, picture hooks, frames and piano wire — sell the resulting picture on the wall.

— — —

Submitted by Steve Fair

I trapped my finger in a door this morning, so apols for typos bcs it's red as a beetroot and weeping all over my keyboard as I type!

My problem with IMAGINE is that it's a cliche. Also: bad style.

When we read how Buffy the Vampire Slayer screamed at the vampire LOUDLY, we wonder how else she might have screamed. Here's an unnecessary qualifier that gets in the way of what's being shown. Turns out the loudness is inherent in the scream, and the gooey blood now oozing from my finger is merely something I invited you to imagine without clubbing you over the head with the word IMAGINE to make a point. If you like, I can squeeze my finger and see what happens next.

— — —

Submitted by Steve W.

Use strong command words like “can” and “will” and “do”.

Avoid passive words like “may” and “could” and “perhaps”.

Strong command words give your copy confidence.

— — —

Submitted by Emily Eudall

Break up blocks of text, keeping paragraphs short.

— — —

Submitted by Malka Winner

👉 Use directional emojis to highlight key copy and CTAs 👈

— — —

Submitted by Christina Pashialis

Attribution is the least interesting part of the sentence, put it at the end.

— — —

Submitted by Kendall Walters

Use active voice as much as possible to make the reader feel part of what you're writing.

Passive voice just sounds, well, passive.

— — —

Submitted by Heideli Loubser

Use en dashes/em dashes — in place of commas — when possible.

Makes the copy easier to read.

— — —

Submitted by Xuen Lee

Read your writing out loud.

It’s the fastest and easiest way to check if your copy is actually natural and conversational.

— — —

Submitted by Kendall Walters

Use persuasive words like “convenient” and “indispensable” and “money-saving” to create a sense of need in your reader's mind.

— — —

Submitted by Shelly Steffler

By all means, copy.

But never, ever plagiarize.

— — —

Submitted by Kiran Navaratna

Always start your page or email at your reader's stage of awareness.

If all your reader knows is she's got a problem, lead with that problem. If she's already started looking into solutions, lead with what sets your solution apart from those others. If she already knows about your solution, lead with testimonials and proof of awesomeness. If she's ready to buy, focus on features and benefits (and mostly just try to get out of the way).

This applies to the whole funnel, too.

— — —

Submitted by Meg Harris

Take at least 24 hours before you come back to your content piece to edit it or write draft no 2.

This way you have cleared all the clutter from your brain regarding the topic and you come back with clarity, new perspective and are in a state of flow.

Personally, I like to meditate for 5 mins before I start writing again. It works wonders!

— — —

Submitted by Meena Azzollini

Lead with empathy.

Know who you are writing to, know what they are feeling, and know how to meet them where they are.

— — —

Submitted by Pat Timmons

Before sending an email, I transcribe what I'm going to say into my phone. I imagine that someone is sitting with me and I'm having a conversation.

How we write is not how we talk.

I've found this to be effective.

— — —

Submitted by Tom Short

Don’t be afraid of personal pronouns!

“You” is one of the best words you can use as a copywriter.

— — —

Submitted by Sarah Sehgal

When writing CTA buttons, don't just leave it at "Submit" or "Sign up".

Instead, try to rephrase it as if it came from the person themselves.

For example: "Yes, sign me up" or "Yes, save me a seat." Sounds much more persuasive.

— — —

Submitted by Benjamin Steele

Delete 'that'.

Not every instance, obviously. But consider if it's serving meaning, or just adding a syllable to trip over. "I think that we should..." vs. "I think we should..." — nothing lost, punch gained.

— — —

Submitted by Katie Palmer

Before you write anything, interview your target audience (via a mass survey or a 1-on-1 phone call).

This way you can be sure your copy speaks to them in words they use and understand at a glance.

— — —

Submitted by Erin Balsa

I love using "we" when writing tutorials or guides.

It makes me feel like I'm having a conversation instead of dishing out instructions.

— — —

Submitted by Ojaokomo Nathan

Simplify! Remove unnecessary words.

They can cause confusion and you want your copy to be as clear as possible.

— — —

Submitted by Christine Quinn

Your first draft should always be the clearest, simplest form of messaging that gets your point across so anyone can understand it.

Edit for tone and style after.

Remember KISS? Still applies as a copywriter.

— — —

Submitted by Valerie Shore

Always, always, always use 2nd person.

It helps people connect with you more!

— — —

Submitted by Jason Vana

Assume your audience isn't interested in what you have to say.

Then make them change their mind.

— — —

Submitted by Phil McFadden

Vary sentence length, and edit for sentence rhythm.

It’s a subtle way of projecting your voice.

— — —

Submitted by David McCarthy

Being a good copywriter means you must be able to write in a voice other than your own.

You're not selling you. You're selling your client. So you have to be able to sound like them.

— — —

Submitted by Aimee Rhodd

What are you selling?

Whenever someone has trouble with copy, I tell them to look at the product. Pull out an element of the product – an interesting fact that's just slightly out of plain sight.

For Ogilvy it was "at 60 miles per hour the loudest noise in this new Rolls Royce comes from the electric clock." For us at ActiveCampaign, we switched "easy to set up" to "You can set up this automation in 66 seconds (we tested it)."

First understand your market. But once you understand your market, the product tells you how to sell it.

— — —

Submitted by Benyamin Elias

I often think to myself that philosophers were the original copywriters; rhetoric their copywriting techniques, the courtroom and public theatres their landing pages and ads.

So maybe we can steal from them.

Anaphora: repeating the start of a sentence for effect.

VeryGoodCopy teaches persuasion.
VeryGoodCopy teaches copywriting.
VeryGoodCopy is a continuous course of copywriting teachings, delivered one morsel at a time.

— — —

Submitted by Sam Holston

If you begin your copy with a question, it will automatically trigger the reader’s brain to search for a response, which is engaging on its face.

— — —

Submitted by Nithya S

Use the active voice.

Active: You see this.

Passive: This is seen.

Using the active voice puts your product/service and your reader into the story. The passive voice puts them to sleep... or worse.

Try this: If you can add “by zombies” to the end of the majority of your sentences, and they still make sense (except, you know, for the undead), you’ve got a passive problem.

The active voice helps keep your copy moving and your reader engaged.

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Submitted by Jean Matthias Breheney

Never say with two words what can be expressed with one.

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Submitted by Alfredo A. Lopez

The brain is a causality machine. It likes reasons BECAUSE they create causal links. The xerox study is crazy.

93% people said yes when given even a nonsensical because.

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Submitted by Sam Holston

I love starting an article or email with a question — it draws the reader right in.

Then, I use a lot of bucket brigades or what Joe Sugarman calls "seeds of curiosity" to keep people engaged.

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Submitted by Corina Leslie

Regardless of what you’re selling, your product or service must address a core emotion.

As may have heard, people buy with emotion but justify it with logic.

These emotions are what triggers your audience to take the desired action.

Before your launch your next ad, think about the deep-lying emotions your target audience desires.

Then address it in your ad and watch your sales skyrocket.

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Submitted by Adewale Adeyemi

If the stakes are low, the word "because" doesn't have to be followed by a related or logical explanation

For example: “Can I go first because I have to make copies?” 👉 Of course you have to make copies, it's why we're all queuing! But it’s still effective).

On the other hand, if the stakes are high, "because" has to be followed by a logical explanation 👉 Because the brain will start to analyse the situation.

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Submitted by Mathieu Osada

Remember that exercise in school where you cut a story to a page, then a paragraph, then a sentence, then a line?

Great practise for making sure every single word earns its place!

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Submitted by Katie Palmer

Pretend you are the reader. Apply WIIFM or as I like to call it, the WSIGAS principle:

‘What’s In It For Me?’ or ‘Why Should I Give A Sh*t?’

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Submitted by Eve Vickerson

Include calls-to-action wherever you think your prospects will be ready to click them.

This might be at the end of the page or above the fold, but it might be somewhere else. Don't assume. Test!

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Submitted by Alice Cuninghame

Even a beautifully written piece won’t get read if the title isn’t click-worthy.

Spend 80% of your time (according to David Olgivy) crafting your headline!

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Submitted by Neha Sharma

Read it out loud. Twice.

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Submitted by Lib Aubuchon

Write like the message is meant for a specific person (within your target audience) to read.

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Submitted by Laurie K

The science says people are more willing to do you a favor if you provide a reason.

For example, you're standing in a line and you're in a hurry, so instead of saying: "Excuse me, could you let me first, I'm in a hurry?"

You say: "Excuse me, could you let me go first because I'm in a hurry — my bank is closing in an hour and unless I print this right now, I won't make it."

The latter will get you a “Yes” more often than the former.

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Submitted by Slobodan Grujic

Find all your adverbs and ask yourself if you actually need them.

See what I did there? 'Actually' can be removed in that tip.

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Submitted by Robin Stokes

Go easy on the eyes.

What would you rather read: 2 sentences or a big chunk of 5-6 plastered together?

Marketing research tells us when it comes to reading emails, blogs, online articles, and the like, consumers prefer short and sweet messaging.

Use white space to your advantage (the blank area around text/images).

Keep it short, keep it sweet. And please. Go easy on the eyes!

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Submitted by Matt Snyder

We must keep in mind that our prospects are not stupid.

No matter how much we can improve our copy, if our product doesn't solve the customer's problem, even if they bought it the first time, they won't buy from us again.

Develop a product that solves our customer's problem, before we start marketing to them.

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Submitted by Aik Teck Yan

Often overlooked but your copy should be free from errors.

Because errors are distracting. They snap your readers' attention away from the goal of your copy.

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Submitted by Ojaokomo Nathan

In writing, showing paints an image for the reader in her mind’s eye.

Telling is simply stating information.

Telling: “I used to have a garden. It was a very peaceful hobby that I enjoyed.” ⁣

Showing: “I once had a garden. I can remember the smell of the turned earth, the plump shapes of bulbs held in the hands, fullness, the dry rustle of seeds through the fingers. Time could pass more swiftly that way....from a distance it looks like peace.” (Excerpt from The Handmaid’s Tale⁣)

In copywriting, the rules are no different. If you reveal everything and leave nothing to the imagination, you’re losing an opportunity to engage with your reader. ⁣

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Submitted by Mashia Stilt

Copywriting tip for those who ramble: how to keep it short and sweet.

Start by outlining what needs to be said. Plot out your "What" "Who" "Why" "How" "Where"

Then get all the words out, and don't worry about redundancy!

When you're all typed out, read through it and edit:

• highlight redundant sentences

• shorten overly descriptive paragraphs

• identify info thats better described with images

• take out assumptions your audience will naturally make

• improve your topic transitions to keep them reading

This is how to turn 1000 words into 100.

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Submitted by Keegan Brown

Don't let people tell you that you can't start a sentence with 'Because' (or 'And', for that matter).

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Submitted by Rory Ffoulkes

Use first person language in your CTA, especially on the action button or link: "Yes, I'm ready to…” or “Send me my free..." etc.

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Submitted by Timothy “Sully” Sullivan

Take the reader by the hand by appealing to their lazy side.

Action words often imply a lot of effort (e.g., “Start” + “Buy” + “Sign up”), whereas “Take me” or “Show me.” imply you don’t actually have to do much.

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Submitted by Kim Edwards-Buarque

Begin with the end in mind, meaning decide on the action that you want people to take when they finish reading your copy.

So, if it's a landing page, decide what you want people to do when they reach the bottom. Do you want them to drop their email in or do you want them to download an e-book?

When you start writing this way, you'll notice that it is easier to get through the copy because there is only one objective that you'd like to achieve. Similarly, having multiple CTAs throughout the copy can be confusing. Stay consistent throughout the copy and you'll have better results.

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Submitted by Karthik Subramanian

Keep testing your assumptions. I have been surprised by some CTRs on various tests I ran in the last few months.

For example, "See How" is a strong performer for various campaigns I ran, despite being less descriptive and benefit oriented as your suggested CTAs.

It all comes back to context. Use the right type of CTA based on the content it comes with (static or dynamic ad, landing page, web page, email campaign...).

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Submitted by Johan Abadie

Also check if "you" is singular or plural.

Determine whether you are writing for one person or more than one person. If you are writing in an American dialect, for more than one person, change "you" to "y'all," "you guys," "youse guys," or "y'ins."

Then close the search box.

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Submitted by Steve Czajkowski

Use bucket brigades. "What's that?" you ask. Let's break it down.

A bucket brigade is a simple copywriting technique to keep people engaged from start to finish.

Because here's the thing: Some people can get bored reading long-form content. Now, you'll see it's easy to keep them hooked.

Just do this: Every few paragraphs, use a short, conversational sentence that persuades the reader to keep going.

Like this:

• “Most people don't do this…”

• “You won't believe this next point…”

• “Why? Nobody knows, but here's one thing for sure:”

If you do it well, you'll make people curious — and get people to read to the bottom.

And here's why that matters: That's where your call-to-value is waiting.

Use Bucket Brigades to Get Buckets of New Leads.

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Submitted by Christopher John Haughey

When you get done writing your sales page, pull up your “Find on this page” search bar (⌘ + F on a Mac/Control + F on Windows) and type the word: you.

Take note of the number of times it appears on the page. Then scroll through each section and see it highlighted throughout.

If there are any sections without it, think about ways to add in ways to speak to the customer.

If you’re not sure how many times it should be included, do the same thing on multiple sales pages by big brands and use that as a reference point.

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Submitted by Skyler Reeves

CTA text is "Get Value!" or "Get Cost + Profit Margin sustained by Demand = Price!"

Everybody wants to click that!

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Submitted by Steve Czajkowski

Beware of acronyms and initialisms* ...many are company- or industry-related terms that aren’t familiar to your readers.

And, often the same letters have different meanings.

CIA ...Central Intelligence Agency OR Culinary Institute of America?

DOA ...Dead on arrival OR Date of application?

Back to the question Shrutika Joshi suggests you ask yourself: Is this understandable?

Answer: probably not if you inserted too many acronyms into the copy.

*Acronyms are read as words (e.g., ASAP, NASA)

Initialisms aren’t (e.g., FBI, TBD)

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Submitted by Norrie Feinblatt

Criticize your copy! Ask yourself, “is this understandable?” Or, “will someone even read this?”

When you criticize your copy as a reader, you get various fresh perspectives. This way, you keep innovating while writing.

Edit, edit, and edit some more. Rewrite it (if required). At the end, you must be completely satisfied with your copy.

Kill your creation to give it a new, better life!

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Submitted by Shrutika Joshi

Specifics sell.

You can say, "Get accurate online fraud prevention fast", or you can make it much more real and enticing to the reader by saying, "Get AI-accurate online fraud prevention in <1 second."

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Submitted by Rachel Grunbaum

Powerful, intriguing, meaningful words: Start with them. Draw readers in.

Save the "thanks" for later.

Often, those initial words are all readers can see (i.e., of a post, in a preview window, on a phone screen).

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Submitted by Norrie Feinblatt

When you begin writing anything — be it a blog, email, LinkedIn post — always say the most important thing upfront, right at the top. Never hold it back until the end. This way people can decide whether they'd like to read it or not.

At the same time, it prompts them to take an action based on what you write. This is called the 'inverted pyramid' approach where the most vital part of the writing is laid out on top of the cake like a cherry, before you move downwards towards the creamy portion (that adds to the waistline).

I have tested it many times and it works every time!

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Submitted by Karthik Subramanian

Unsure if an adverb in your copy deserves to stay?

If it informs, it can stay. If it reinforces, it should go.

For example: “She smiled sadly.” (informs a contrast) vs. “She smiled happily” (reinforces happiness which smiling already conveys).

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Submitted by Teesha Thomas

Data > Feelings.

Test two subject lines on a small sample size and redirect the remainder of your group to the winning test.

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Submitted by Marchy Comer

My tip: Get back to the grade school basics of Who, What, Where, When, and Why.

These questions are the building blocks for your whole brand!

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Submitted by Jules Costa

Optimize for unexpectedness. People are hardwired to seek novelty. The more unexpected your content is, the more it'll grab their attention.

Combining two or more things that don't belong together or challenging assumptions could be two examples.

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Submitted by Zhenya Zerkalenkov

Swap nouns for verbs.

Business writing is crawling with nouns (or nominalisations) and they weigh everything down. They tend to sit with the passive voice, which makes for a monstrous combo.

“Decide” instead of “decision”. “Consider” instead of “consideration”. Stuff like that.

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Submitted by Rachael Bull

Keep practising your brevity.

Revisit your texts and ask yourself, "Can I keep the meaning and use fewer words?"

Working within character limits (such as writing tweets, for instance) helps bring your attention to your character/word count and helps you practice saying more with less.

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Submitted by Michael Freason

My transition from copywriting to UX writing taught me: Get comfortable killing your darlings.

Sometimes your catchiest option won’t carry. Punchy lines drive compelling copy — but they’ve got to stick the landing.

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Submitted by Alana Fialkoff

Condense copy by putting the section on Twitter and whittle away at the excess.

Twitter's character count will tell you when you've done enough!

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Submitted by Jessie Taylor

There’s this great quote: "Adverbs are a sign you used the wrong verb."

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Submitted by Malka Winner

Use “The Diamond Structure” in your copy.

Basically, beginnings and endings count more than middles. Make the most of these high-traffic locations: use them to distil your message or highlight what readers need to remember.

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Submitted by Maaike Klein

To hook readers, don't tell them what they already know in an introduction.

For example, if I google "How To Write Good Copy", I already know why good copy is important. So why waste an introduction telling me that it boosts sales?

Instead, tell me how informative content with a conversational style will boost sales.

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Submitted by Alice Draper

Replace "i"s and "we"s in your copy with "you"s as much as possible.

And watch the focus of your copy shift to your audience.

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Submitted by Philip Kuehnen

Write it bad then write it better.

Basically, get the words down on the page first to get the ball rolling, then you can go back and spend time improving it. This helps me start without any fussing or self doubt.

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Submitted by Mollie Woolnough-Rai

A tool for cutting adverbs is to replace the adverb and verb it supports with a different verb.

Change 'he walked softly' to 'he tiptoed.'

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Submitted by Celeste Pouliot

You and I. Copy is a conversation happening between You and I.

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Submitted by Sam Holston

Take the time to edit.

Read copy out loud to make sure it sounds conversational.

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Submitted by Carole Reinert

Turn prepositional phrases and relative pronouns into (compound) adjectives for snappier, more interesting sentences.

For example: "The girl with the blonde hair who is talking loudly" vs. "The loud-talking, blond-haired girl" — less clunky, right?

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Submitted by Katie Palmer

Questions make a copy more interactive and pleasant.

They anticipate the readers' necessities and gently invite them to continue. A tactful question can reflect an authentic interest in solving the readers' problems, whereas a direct one can generate more impact.

Questions should not overload a copy but support and complement the Calls To Action in it to engage the audience.

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Submitted by Gabriel Bello

Writing copy is all about empathy.

When you are writing, think about someone you know that could be the target customer and just write for him/her. No judging. If you don’t like that person in real life maybe this is your chance to understand their point.

It’s great for your copy and for your soul.

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Submitted by Elena de Francisco

Effective copywriting is not about you or the company you're writing for.

It's about the reader/customer and how your product/service can help them reach their desired state.

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Submitted by Makena Walsh

Your headline has only 1 objective - to get users to stop scrolling and start reading/watching your content. To achieve this, the headline needs to do one of the following:

1. Evoke curiosity
2. Inspire thought
3. Confirm a suspicion your target market has
4. Make a bold promise

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Submitted by Martina Brodar

Learn to stand up for your ideas, always have reasoning behind them and believe in what you write.

Otherwise, neither clients nor readers will do it.

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Submitted by Victoria Dencheva

Change your pacing.

Short sentences are catchy and easy to digest. But a whole paragraph of short sentences quickly becomes boring. Varying your sentence length develops a good reading rhythm and a more engaging piece.

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Submitted by Katrina Dalao

Never lie.

In marketing, copywriting generally sends an audience to the next step of their journey. Your copy can be bang on amazing. But, if there’s a disconnect between the step they are on and the step they end up at, then everyone’s wasted their time.

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Submitted by Clive Bartlett

Become your customer.

For example, if you're selling coffee pots, go through the process of buying a coffee pot. If the descriptions aren't helpful or are vague, you could improve on description text by including information that would have been helpful on your journey to purchase a coffee pot.

Note your personal user experience (positive & negative), and try to implement solutions to the negative parts (buying experience pains) while incorporating positive parts — or even try to improve them!

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Submitted by Kevin Foley

If you are starting out and someone asks you to rattle off a quick written piece – feel comfortable in asking “Why the urgency?”

Creating good, effective, copy – that meets objectives – takes time. And, for any over-thinkers like myself, many rounds of editing. As with the spoken word, the written word is so powerful. Give it the time, and attention, it deserves.

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Submitted by Clive Bartlett

Sometimes choosing the perfect quote by someone else gives your copy more power.

Quotes can inspire ideas and add authority. To quote Marlene Dietrich, “I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognized wiser than oneself.”

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Submitted by Carol Anderson Raym

Switch device when proofing.

So if you wrote your draft on your laptop, sleep on it, then read it on your phone, on a tablet, or print it out.

The brain gets used to familiar surroundings. so you start missing things. Using a different device changes things up and resets your brain. You’ll be amazed at the stuff you pick up.

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Submitted by Andre Spiteri

Get off the poster.

You want people to relate to something. Not admire you, not think how amazing you are, not feel envious of how great you had it. You want people to understand and feel that they can go through that lesson with you, or have that experience through you, or be warned because of what you did.

Don't write to get a "thank you for changing my life" message in your inbox.

Write something that is you and do it so others can share that experience with you and relate to it all along the process of the narrative.

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Submitted by Sabrina Popescu

Before publishing, take the time to read your written piece. Read it as many times as you need to.

Does it sound right? Does it flow? Are there any areas that trip you up, twist your tongue, or simply turn your written piece into a ‘Snorey Story’? If so, strip out any unnecessary words. Keeping things simple in a fast-paced world helps the audience quickly digest content. Keeps them engaged. And helps them quickly decide if the content’s for them.

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Submitted by Clive Bartlett

Follow the rule of 6/60 – Flesch-Kincaid 6 / Flesch Reading Ease 60. Or at least have this as a benchmark. These scores translate to how easy it is to digest your content. Generally speaking, the higher the Reading Ease score, then the easier it is to read.

You can check the readability score of your work in Microsoft Word. To add the function go to Word (top menu) > preferences > spelling and grammar and check the box ‘show readability statistics’.

Then, highlight your text in Word, go to tools (top menu) > spelling and grammar. And a floating pallet appears on your screen. At the bottom of this pallet are the readability scores. It also shows if you are using any passive language. Try keeping this to a minimum.

General rule: reduce the number of syllables in your words, and words in your sentences, and you’ll keep the readability score at a good level.

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Submitted by Clive Bartlett

Give the dough ample time to rise.

Factor in enough time to let your copy sit overnight before you move on. A day or two is even better. When you review it from a place of distance you gain the ability to revise dispassionately.

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Submitted Ellen Mowrer

Always use The Rule of One:

Remember that only one idea is going to get transferred through your copy, so center your copy around one main concept!

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Submitted by Martina Brodar

Use the power of the PS.

The PS or postscript actually gets the most attention because it's the last thing people read in your message and it sticks with them. Some studies have even shown that it's often also the first thing people read.

This could be due to the "laziness" of our brain which sees the P.S. as a short and easy piece to read compared to the bigger message. So get your PS right.

PS: Don't overdo it. Focus on the value you bring to the reader first, and not what you want him to read.

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Submitted by Jelle Van Medegael

I once heard that the card game blackjack takes "a minute to learn and a lifetime to master."

I feel like pushing out our written thoughts follows a similar learning curve.

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Submitted by Tom Flynn

Frame positive.

The human brain has trouble processing negative statements. Suppose I say "don't think about your big toe." In order to process that statement, you need to create a picture of your big toe in order to understand what NOT to think about.

Similarly in business. If I write copy that says "there are no additional fees," you're now thinking about fees. If I write "we don't share your personal data with anyone," you're now thinking about me sharing your personal data.

What DO you want people to think about? What pictures do you want in your reader's minds? Say that.

"Clear, transparent pricing."

"We protect your data as if it were our own."

One final fun one - instead of "Do not hesitate to contact me with any questions," which has people think about hesitating - "Feel comfortable contacting me at any time with any questions you might have."

Positive framing. Feels good. For all of us.

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Submitted by Drew Delaware

Leave space for relief.

Whether eye relief or for the brain to finish the idea.

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Submitted by Michael Koory

Use the "so what?" test when you review your pain poking, headlines, benefits, etc.

As in "This blanket, woven from spider's web fiber, is like no other blanket." Sounds cool at first but so what about spider's web makes me want to buy it.

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Submitted by Gregory Anne Cox

Each and every line of your copy should keep your readers sliding down a slippery slide all the way to the end and the process starts with a great headline.

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Submitted by Adewale Adeyemi

Always create URGENCY or SCARCITY in your copy.

There should always be a reason for your readers to take action ASAP.

Simply put, it means saying something that makes your readers feel they need to act NOW, without delay. You do this by planting FOMO, or the Fear Of Missing Out. This could come in the form of a:

• short deadline

• price increase

• limited number of entries

When you create Urgency or Scarcity in your copy... people are TRIGGERED to act fast and take action on your offer.

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Submitted by Timilehin Tunde

When copywriting, present features as benefits.

For example, a PC with keyboard backlight might look like this:

Features: The new laptop TY871 comes with a keyboard backlight.

Benefits: The new laptop TY871 comes with a keyboard backlight, which enables you to type in the dark, so you can work at night.

Customers are more interested in the benefits the features can offer them.

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Submitted by Hameed Salawu

Here's an alternative idea. Every sentence you write should be a call to action.

Your headline should be like a big candy red button that says, "Push me. Oh, yes. Click me. Yes. Yes." If you haven't said something that triggers action the second they read that headline, you are not doing your job.

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Submitted by Steve Czajkowski

Keep in mind- you are writing to ONE person- a single individual. Not hundreds or thousands in a mass, undefined audience. All copy and content is consumed on an individual basis.

Keep it one-to-one and conversational.

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Submitted by Timothy “Sully” Sullivan

You need more connection in your copy. Connect your past experience with the reader’s current problem they are trying to solve. Even if you don't have a direct exact problem like they have, you'll have something similar you can use to relate.

Increased empathy, increased trust, and ultimately increased authority.

Of course, if you're writing for a client, use their past experiences.

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Submitted by Cuyler Callahan

It’s important you write your sales letter based on one single idea: The Big Idea.

This idea should be unique, easy to understand, and target an emotion.

Don’t bring up different ideas. Build up one single, amazing and different idea.

That will serve as the core of your copy.

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Submitted by Tamilore Sonaike

My tip is what is called the reverse case study.

Put yourself in the shoes of your ideal customer sometime in the future. Write a brief case study from their perspective describing how your products/services helped add value to their lives. What problems and frustrations did it overcome?

Then, turn the past tense around and you have a great starting point for brainstorming some customer-focused copy. I like using this when writing proposals.

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Submitted by Peter Sharpe

Call to actions should be fluid in nature.

Avoid commitment heavy words like "Buy” or “Register” or “Sign up" — and replace with frictionless words that add value to your headline (and product), like "Experience” or “Get Started” or “Begin".

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Submitted by Anoop Sudhakaran