Whether you’re writing for your business, or for your colleagues, here are a few simple tricks that can pep up your copy and make it easier to read and more compelling.
1. Be active
Use the active voice in your copy wherever you can. So instead of saying ‘we were writing award-winning copy for our clients.’ Say ‘we wrote award-winning copy for our clients'.
2. Don’t oversell
Try to avoid using superlatives, such as amazing, fantastic, brilliant etc. They sound insincere and don’t tell the reader anything new, interesting and different.
3. Them vs Us
Use the second person – you and us, rather than it and them It makes the copy more personal and draws the reader in.
4. Jargon-free zone
Steer clear of jargon and acronyms that only you and few of your close associates will understand. It can be hard to separate out these words as you use them every day. But try to adjust the copy to the level of your audience's understanding.
5. Forget what you learnt at school!
And
Because
But
Of course…
..can all start sentences. They draw the reader into the next sentence
6) Keep sentences short
Try to keep one idea per sentence (or about 20 to 30 words); this makes it much easier to understand. If you have one sentence that seems to last for an entire paragraph, go back and add some punctuation.
If you’re still faced with a blank screen and struggling to write compelling copy, it might be time to call in an expert. Contact me for help with creating and shaping copy, plus solutions to a range of other word-y problems.