How to make your copy better right now
When you’re writing for your business there’s a lot of pressure for your copy to look and feel ‘right’. After all, potential sales hang in the balance.
That’s why I’ve put together a quick guide to making your copy more professional and effective right now. It’s a list of some of the tips and tricks I use to get my clients’ copy in the best shape to achieve their desired outcome.
Ditch the jargon
The primary aim of any copy is to connect with your reader. One surefire way to alienate that reader is by using language they don’t understand. It might be complex industry jargon that’s meaningless to anyone not in the know or it might be elevated and flowery language that makes them feel they’re back in English class at school. Imagine your ideal customer is sitting opposite you and use the words you would use in conversation with them.
Compare:
“Discover our horizontal wall-mounted storage solutions, they’re simply stupendous.”
to
“Check out our stylish shelves”
Keep it short
Sentences, words, explanations. The majority of copy is better if it’s shorter. Time to:
delete waffly sentences (if it doesn’t add meaning, get rid)
shorten wordy phrases like ‘in order to’ and ‘am able to’ (replace with ‘to’ and ‘can’)
scrap unnecessary detail
bullet-point lists (like this one).
Make it about them not you
If your copy is full of phrases starting with “We” or “I”, rework them so that they’re about your customer.
Compare:
“We are proud to offer a range of services from web design through to social media management”
to
“Your business can benefit from our range of services which span web design through to marketing strategy.”
Eliminate the passive voice
The passive voice is a register that takes you out of the driving seat. Not what you want when you’re trying to promote your services. The active voice is less wordy, more clear and positions you as director of your own destiny.
Compare:
“Our cookies are made from the finest ingredients”
to
“We make our cookies using the finest ingredients”
Chill with the adverbs
Adverbs are adjectives that describe an action. Slowly, sneakily, incredibly. They’re fine when used from time to time. But too many can come across as too salesy and flowery.
Compare:
“We adorn our beautifully designed shoes with wonderfully eye-catching patterns”
to
“We design beautiful shoes paired with eye-catching patterns.”
Simplify your structure
As well as keeping your language simple and your copy short, keep your ideas in check. As a rule of thumb, only cover one idea per sentence and one theme per paragraph.
Make it readable
With longer copy, you’ll need to work harder to keep your reader interested. Stick to short paragraphs: no longer than three or four sentences. Add subheadings to pique their interest and guide them through your copy.
Stay positive
Readers respond better to positive ideas. So if you’ve got any ‘don’t’ or ‘can’t’ in your copy, flip the sentence into a positive.
Compare:
“Your customers don’t want to spend their time looking for the right deal on their car insurance”
to
“Your customers want to find the right deal on their car insurance with minimal hassle.”
Write several headlines
Whether it’s email marketing or a blog post, the best way to get a great headline is to write a few and pick the best one. The more you write, the better ideas you’ll come up with. It’s a copywriting truth as old as time.
Proofread
No matter how good your copy, typos, spelling and grammatical errors will undermine your professionalism and may even confuse your reader. Read my guide on how to check your copy. If you can, have someone else read over your work as they will spot errors you might have missed.
For help getting your copy to work its socks off, give me a call.