THE A-Z OF COPYWRITING FOR YOURSELF

Reading time approx. 5 minutes.

Helpful tips and tricks to make writing for your business easier and more successful. 

A - ACTION - Copywriting is the art of writing to get a specific action. Think, click here, buy now. If you need to sell something then you need to upgrade your writing to copywriting!

B - BACK-UP - When you start writing - click save. You don't want to lose all your great words because that new draft will never feel as good as the lost version.

C - CTA - This stands for call-to-action. I see it so often on websites in particular. Engaging information. I'm ready to find out more... But there's no button to click on to take me to the next step. A massive error. Always anticipate what your reader will be wanting next, and give that to them. 

D - DIFFICULTY - Write like a child is reading your words. That's not to say that you can't use the odd exciting word or two, but, readers are more likely to stick at reading if it's easy for them to understand. 

E - ERRORS - Quite simply, use a spell checker. It's always the posts we think we've saved time having a skim through that have the massive typo right? It's always best to just spell check! Errors make us look unprofessional. 

F - FEELINGS - Write with emotion. Don't be afraid of speaking from the heart. It's that heartfelt message that will be remembered, shared, or get the sale. Side-note - heartfelt doesn't have to be soppy, just relatable. Something that connects you to someone else.

G - GRAMMAR - This is what makes your writing exciting, more so than tricky words that nobody understands. Spice up your writing with all the grammar superstars; just use them correctly!

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/comma/ - has lots of useful tips to refresh the official rules that have been lost over years of txt tlk!

H - HELPFUL - By this, I mean what problems are you solving for the reader? Make your writing helpful, offer solutions to problems. 

I - INTERESTING - This probably goes without saying; make your writing engaging. Even if the topic isn't particularly "fun" you can still make it useful and a worthwhile read. 

J - JUSTIFY - Every sentence should be there for a reason. If you don't know why it's there, it's time to cull it.

K - KILL - Whilst we're talking about culling words; don't get too attached. You may have thought of a great sentence but you've already spent an hour trying to make it fit with everything else on the page - get rid. You can always move it to a "for another time" folder if it really is that amazing. It could be perfect for something else you are writing.

L - LANGUAGE - The language you use is important. If your business is to do with finances you probably don't want to be using slang or swearing, it gives the wrong impression, however, on the flip side, if after meeting a new person you've already used f*** and s*** in the first 5 minutes, better to worn (or entice) people with your language so they know what they are getting.

M - MESSAGE - Who is getting your message? What is your target audience? Always write with someone in mind. I like to put myself in my target audiences shoes and write back at myself. What would I want to read if I was them?

N - NARRATOR - By this, I mean read your words out loud. If it sounds off being spoken, re-write it. This is also a great way to get rid of obvious spelling errors that our clever brains don't notice.

O - ORGANISE - If you're struggling with ideas this is most likely through not having a clear structure or focus. Go back to the basics. Get organised - see P below. See what other people write. Watch YouTube. Get advice and keep a notes section on your phone so you don't forget that great idea when it comes to you in the middle of the night!

P - PLAN - This is crucial. Always have a plan of what you are going to write before you write it. Even make headlines, subheadings and prompts to guide you. It's much easier and less overwhelming to follow a rough template than to stare at a blank screen. It's handy as well to have your tone, audience and CTA next to you when you write to keep you on target. 

Q - QUALITY - Quality over quantity; my favourite. Why say it in 10 words when you can say it in 5? Be concise. Don't waffle. It's much better to have 8 really useful sentences than 4 pages that nobody is going to bother reading.

R - RELEVANT - Make your message relevant to your target audience. Is what you are writing something they actually want to read? It is beneficial to them? Does it solve a problem they are facing?

S - STORYTELLING - Tell stories. Why do you do what you do? How did it start? Also don't neglect your 'about' page on your website. It's the perfect place to build a rapport with your reader - see Y below.

T - TONE - Every brand has a tone. Write down what your businesses tone is. What words do you use, or don't use. Is your writing serious, funny, formal, informal? Keep your tone consistent to build a brand voice that is recognisable as you (also great to give to your copywriter should you ever want to use one!)

U - UNIQUE - Don't copy other people's work. Take inspiration. Even full sentences or sections if it's obvious it isn't written by you is fine. That's flattering, but an outright copy and paste is rude and probably illegal (disclaimer - I'm not a lawyer!)

V - VISUALS - Words are great but if your design is bad then it's for nothing. Same for great design and shoddy copy. Think about where the words are going. What pictures go well with it. If you have a space on a page, don't think you have to fill it all with text. Sometimes less is more.

W - WRITE - Just start writing. It will probably be terrible but it's a start. You can always edit it up to the masterpiece. I rarely write something without editing it like a million times! It's part of the process. 

X - EXPERIMENT - Some things may work; some things may not. You'll only know which are good by trying out different ways of writing things. Mess around with sentences. Mess around with words. Use a thesaurus if you keep repeating the same few words. 

Y - YOU - Firstly, it's not about you. Secondly, it is about who you are writing to - who you want to attract. Finally, add your benefit rather than just writing about you. What is your unique selling point (USP)?

Z - ZONES - Words in their places. I see it too often that I go onto a website and there is lots of information and it's everywhere. Have clear pages with clear information. If you have multiple things you want to say on a page, zone it by using font, colour or images. 

If you'd like me to review what you've written, check out my 'copper' package here.