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
