COPYWRITING TIPS: GOLDEN RULES FOR COPY WITH IMPACT

Audrey co-founder and professional copywriter Marina Gask on making your sentences sparkle.

Do you write your own copy? Lots of entrepreneurs do. With all the many costs involved in running a business, being your own copywriter is an opportunity to make a saving. But if you can’t do it well, it’s a false economy.

Good copywriting needs to grab your target reader’s attention, show them what you are selling provides a solution they absolutely need, and do so in a memorable way. All without leaving them confused or overwhelmed with information.

Clarity is key. And so is brevity. What else makes a real difference?

A powerful intro
You have seconds to grab your target reader’s attention and make them intensely interested in what comes next. When you read the first line fresh, do you feel compelled to read on? Avoid being convoluted – be direct and to the point. Ask a question, make a bold statement or use a brief, memorable story to make your business come alive and showcase its value.

Highlight the impact
When you are selling something, don’t focus on what it does but how or why it will improve lives. When people buy a new home security system, they are not buying an alarm, but peace of mind. As someone brilliant once said ‘Sell the sizzle, not the sausage’. What impact will your product or services have on someone’s life?

Avoid overwhelm
By highlighting a clear benefit of what you are selling you will capture your reader’s attention and persuade them to look into it further – but if you overwhelm them with loads of benefits and features you may turn them off. So don’t overdo it by cramming too much into your key messaging. Those extra details can be included elsewhere, perhaps in bullet-point form later on.

Get inside their heads
What matters to the person reading your copy when it comes to what you are offering to sell them? What are their pain points, their frustration or persistent problems that you can solve? Getting really clear on these will help you craft your copy to demonstrate how you address them. It’s the very best way to make your target reader feel understood – and trust you to deliver.

Watch your buzzwords
Do you tend to over-use words and phrases? Does ‘awesome’ or ‘game-changing’ creep into every other sentence? Know yourself and make sure your personal buzzwords do not predominate – keep it fresh by switching up your phrasing instead. Keep your language conversational – write the way people speak – and avoid jargon and over-long words.

Keep it concise
To make your content more readable and user-friendly, shorten your sentences and paragraphs. Look for places you can eliminate unneeded words and phrases and simplify your language. This is not ‘dumbing down’ but sharpening up. When you make it easy for your reader, they’re more willing to want to engage.

Answer every question
The worst thing you can create for your audience is confusion, so anticipate your readers’ questions and answer them in a relatable way. What might they need to know before buying from you? How long it takes, what format it’s available in, how to access it? Include these key details somewhere on your home page, or in a Frequently Asked Questions section. Give them incomplete information and they may give up and look to your competitors.

Do the skim test
If you had to read your material fast, could you? Today, many readers skim content rather than reading it in its entirety. If your material doesn’t pass the “skim test,” it could fail to make the right impact. People tend to read web content in an F-shaped pattern, first scanning across the top of the page in a horizontal line, then down the left side in a vertical line, then horizontally again. Add crossheadings or bold bullet points to help get the message across when your copy is skim-read.

Add a call to action
Once you’ve convinced your target audience that you’re providing a solution they need, make it super-easy for them to access it. Close with a simple call to action, with the key details (your email address or phone number, or perhaps a button to click ) emphasised in bold or a distinctive colour. And don’t forget to use the word ‘now’ to create a sense of urgency.

For copywriting, editing or advice on how to reach your target audience, contact journalist and copywriter Marina Gask at hello@audreyonline.co.uk, and for business coaching or tax advice, contact transformational coach and tax expert Faye Watts at hello@audreyonline.co.uk.