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Tips to Better Your Copy Writing

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In order to get clients and customers to pay attention to you and purchase your great product or service, you have to be able to communicate about it. You have to write about it in a way that’s genuine and persuasive. In this series we will outline some key tips that can help you improve your copywriting and do just that.

Most of us aren’t trained copywriters. We haven’t learnt how to write in a way that’s concise, compelling, and personable. But copywriting doesn’t have to be quite so overwhelming. These simple tricks will help you clearly communicate about your business in a way that resonates with people and encourages them to take action.

Talk to your readers, not at them

When you’re writing a new copy for a blog post or your website, it’s primarily a one-way conversation.

So you have one of two options: You can either sound like a boring college professor with a dry personality who lectures for hours without any funny anecdotes or illustrations OR you can make it more engaging by including your readers in the conversation.

Remember that the people on the other side of the screen are just that: people!

You may not be able to see them, but you can make your content much more interesting if you talk to them and not at them. Use “you” instead of clients, followers, subscribers, students, etc.

Imagine you’re talking to a friend.

Know the difference between Active and Passive voice

Changing your copy from passive to active voice will instantly transform it.
Verbs are either active or passive.

Passive means that something is being done to something else. Active means that something is doing the action on its own.

Instead of: Instagram has become popular among fashion bloggers, and as a result many photos of people using LIKEtoKNOW.it are being posted.

Try: Instagram has become popular among fashion bloggers, and as a result people are posting many photos using LIKEtoKNOW.it.

Active verbs help you write concisely and invigorate your copy so that it’s more conversational and engaging.
To write in an active voice, try huddling your nouns and verbs close together to shorten your sentences.

Look for a “by” phrase. If you’ve used one, your sentence may be in the passive voice. But you can easily rewrite it so the subject in the “by” clause is closer to the beginning of the sentence.

And if it’s hard to determine who the subject is, your sentence might be in the passive voice. Instead, try identifying the subject.

I know, I know. Your eyes are probably glazing over. But trust me, grammar is very important when you’re writing copy for your website and other outlets online!

photo copy writing part 2

Ditch weak words

Ditch weakling verbs for bold action words.

Instead of: In his anger, he accidentally cut his finger.

Try: In his anger, he accidentally slashed his finger.

Tighten your copy by avoiding other weakling words like very, really, that, just, stuff, thing and interesting.
Use a thesaurus for help if you need to.
This is one of my favorite tips. It’s amazing how much stronger a sentence becomes by exchanging a few fluffy words!

Write how you talk

Your writing shouldn’t sound like a robot or a boring manual. It’s okay to give it some personality!
So get in the habit of writing like you speak.

Use contractions.

Start your sentences with and, but, or, because.

Write a one-sentence paragraph.

Some rules are meant to be broken, but only when it provides greater clarity and readability.

To make sure my writing is conversational and personable, I’ve made a habit of reading my copy out loud before publishing it.
Not only does it help me catch some spelling and grammatical errors, but it helps ensure that my copy is readable and engaging.

Focus on the benefits

Avoid talking about yourself.
Readers are selfish (and I can say that because I am one). They don’t care about you; they care about how you can benefit them.
So frame your idea by demonstrating how it benefits your readers.

Instead of: For the summer, our followers can have a chance to be featured on our feed by tagging their pictures with #LtKsummer.

Try: Tag your photos with #LtKsummer for a chance to be featured.

This can be especially powerful on a sales page. Instead of rambling on about all the features of your product or service, talk about the benefits and the end results your reader/customer can expect to gain.
Does it solve a problem, save them money, help them get their work done faster, or teach them a new skill.

Whatever they may be, be sure to focus on the benefits of your product/service instead of focusing on all the features and details.

Copywriting doesn’t have to be intimidating. By implementing these tips and turning them into habits, you’ll create engaging, compelling copy that will help you win the attention of new clients and customers and cast your offerings in a great light.

If you haven’t already, make sure you go back and read Part 1 and 2 of this series.