The write way up

It’s only words but sometimes they’re all you have to sell your product or concept. When your readers are busy, you have to grab their attention and get your message across quickly. Whether it’s a brochure, letter or website, these ten copywriters’ secrets will help your text stand out.

Dear Mr Smith

The first rule is always – always – understand your audience. Make it personal: imagine one member of your target audience, and write as if to them alone.

Logical flow

What questions would your readers ask, and in what order? The right flow will guide them through your copy – and overcome potential objections – much more smoothly.

Give them the benefits

“Now with 7mm casing!” is not a benefit – it’s a feature. The benefit is what the feature provides: easier fitting, improved durability, etc. Solve your readers’ problems and you’ll find they read on.

Enough about me!

Check to see how many times you’ve written “you” or “your”, versus “I” or “we”. Good copy has a ‘you to me’ ratio of about 3:1.

Watch your sentence length

Do a word count for each sentence, and aim for about 25 words maximum. Any longer, and sentences become difficult to read quickly. Also, vary sentence length. Try mixing longer sentences with shorter ones to change the pace and keep your readers’ attention.

10 easy ways…

Lists, with numbers or bullet points, break up your text into manageable chunks. Everyone knows where they stand – six down, four to go. They can scan the headlines if they’re busy, or for a recap.

Avoid overused and abstract words

System, solution, relationship… Some words have become so hackneyed they’ve lost their meaning. Dust off your thesaurus and choose something different.

Weasel words

These are words that qualify your claims: probably, possibly, most likely, etc. You might be using them to protect yourself, but they can make you sound uncertain and your readers will see through them. Check your facts, be clear and legal about what you can claim, and get rid of weasel words. You’ll inspire more confidence.

Strong finish

Try putting key words at the end of a sentence, or before a punctuation mark. You’ll anchor your main points in your readers’ minds, and it will give your writing more weight. Your sentences will also be more succinct.

Check it!

Write it. Sleep on it. Revise it a couple of days later. Proof read it, at least twice. Check the basics: spelling, grammar, punctuation. Check for common misspellings (e.g. complimentary). Read it out loud to check it flows. Finally, get someone else to read it too.

 

Annette Harpham is a CIMCIG committee member, Chartered Marketer and copywriter.

 

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