The 10 Commandments Of Writing Great Copy

The 10 Commandments Of Writing Great Copy What does it take to write great copy? Great copy looks different depending upon where you find it; each audience has a different set of copywriting rules that they respond to. Great blog copy might make terrible ad copy, and vice versa. So lets talk about the copy youre creating for your website and blog. What rules apply? 1. Write as a conversation. People prefer conversations rather than lectures. Lectures talk down to them, while conversations speak with them on the same level. How do you write conversationally? Theres a real human here. When I write, I have a specific person in mind as I write. I need a face to write to, or I write generic, faceless posts. This approach keeps me from acting as if I am lording over a reader, but sitting next to her and having a conversation about something. Perhaps it is a fan on Twitter or a reader who left a comment who I am thinking of when writing. This is made easier when you listen to your audiences feedback and write posts that they request or suggest. Second person over there. When you illustrate with a real-life example, its OK to use the first-person (I, me, we). For the rest of your post, use second person (you, yours). Grammar says no, dont mix the two, but think of how you carry on a conversation. You should stay away from skunks. Why? I had a bad experience once. Thought it was a cat. You really want to avoid that. You can mix the two in your blog copy if you reserve I for your examples and stories, and you for the rest. The point is to be conscious of it, and not sloppily mix we and you from one paragraph to the next when no illustration or personal story is involved. 2. Dont fall in love with your pets. Kill them. You have pet phrases that you love. These are the ways of handling words and ideas that you return to again and again. Maybe you are like Ronald Reagan, and prefer to start everything with a well, Your pets have been loyal and served you well and you dont even notice them anymore, but not everyone who visits your blog appreciates your dog jumping up on them and slobbering all over their face every paragraph or so. During the edit process, look for the so, but, well, therefore that dont need to be there. Youll often see them at the start of a sentence. Look for the larger phrases, too. At the end of the day, to make matters worse, if you can believe it, they arent necessary. They are pets, not work horses. You want words that do work, not look cute. 3. Make friends with simplicity. Simple is good. If churning out copy is what you do all day, youll find it easy to bloat your writing. Words are what you think of and write all day long, and when weariness seeps in, your copy starts to bloat because it is  more difficult to write simple sentences that it is to write long sentences. When you are tired of writing, your copy gets bloated. Simple writing takes more work.You are free to start complicated, as long as you end up simple. Thats part of the blog writing system we use here. What is simple copy? Speaks plainly and directly.  Says what it means to say. Not laden with gimmicks, either in words or ideas. Has breathing room, both in white space on the page and the sound of the sentences (mix short with long sentences). Clear ideas. No meandering around. Skips jargon and impossible words that make readers feel stupid when they dont understand. Stand up straight and speak directly. If youre afraid to say something in your copy, wrapping it in pet phrases and caveats doesnt soften the blow. It merely makes it mushy. 4. Write to sell. All writing is selling. It pains me to say that out of fear of being crass, but even fiction writing is selling. It sells an ideology, a philosophy, a fantasy, a hope, a chance. You have to know what you are selling with your copy before you can write the copy.