Five simple ways to improve your copy

Getting the basics right means avoiding those hindsight moments

[Image courtesy of patrisyu at FreeDigitalPhotos.net]

As part of a (very late) spring clean of my PC, I’ve just been reviewing some copy I wrote quite a few years ago. And I have to say, I’ve felt my toes curl more than once. Not because the copy is bad, but because there are so many small tweaks I’ve noticed that I could have made, but didn’t. Hindsight is always perfect, and berating yourself after the fact serves no useful purpose. Life is a constant learning process, and with learning comes improvement. So it makes complete sense that previous work should seem less than perfect. In any case, no copy is ever perfect. Or ever finished. Just like a painting, you can always add a final touch, a little highlight, or an extra shadow. And unlike paintings, you can keep many versions, so you can roll back at will. But at some point, you simply have to stop typing and move on. Not that you shouldn’t do the best job you can. And for that, some basic things should be on your checklist. Once you’ve ticked them off, you should put the copy to bed and tackle the next project. So here’s my checklist to avoid those toe-curling moments in years to come:

1. Get the tone right

As a rule of thumb, most sales and marketing copy should be conversational. If you find yourself talking down to your readers, or preaching, or worse still, broadcasting to them, it’s time to stop and take a step back. Language can always be simplified, and long words rarely impress. So shake off the business speak and connect with your readers – but be careful to not cross the line into inappropriate informality. Other points that my trip down memory lane brought to mind:

Sales copy can be too ‘salesy’, and it’s easy to lay it on too thick. If in doubt, try reading it aloud. If you’re happy that you’d say it in front of a real person, then it’s OK. If not, you need to modify it.
Jargon and buzzwords should be avoided for a general readership, or at the very least, fully explained. The only exception is if if you’re talking to a closed community of insiders: often, they’re expecting to see those terms, and may even judge your competence and reliability by the presence of them.

2. Remember your audience

Who are you writing for? Are they motivated by price or by making the right business decision? Or both? What stage are they at in the buying process? Why would they not choose you? It’s easy to discard the negatives, but it’s only by acknowledging them that you can address and neutralise them. A great way to test your copy is to pretend you have a prospect in front of you. Think what you’d say to them: the language you’d use, the sales tactics you’d employ, the balance between talking and listening. That balance is crucial, by the way, when it comes to copy. If your we-to-you ratio is 1:1 or more, you need to change it. Most readers are selfish, and ask what’s in it for me? The copy should always be more about them than you.

3. Be different

Don’t say what everybody else says – even if you’re in a market where there’s little to differentiate one player from the other. If you’re selling goods and they’re commoditised, focus on something else instead (customer service, free delivery, great support). If you’re selling services, identify what it is that makes you different: the little things that people always praise you for, or the ones that cause the light-bulb moment for your prospects. Remember also that sometimes, you will need to say what everybody else says. The trick is to put your own spin on it.

4. Make it long enough (but not too long)

Good copy should get to the point fast. Your readers read just like you do: skimming, hovering, darting from one thing to another. If your copy is one long sea of unbroken text, they’ll move on pretty sharpish. So how much detail is enough? It’s enough if it tells them the basics: who you are, what you do, why they should deal with you, how they’ll benefit and what to do next. And the fewer words the better. That said, there’s always a small, but significant, minority of people who want to delve into the detail. But that’s not a problem: simply include all the highlights up front, in bulleted lists, boxes, headlines and summaries, and the detail further down (or a click away) for people who really want to understand the nuts and bolts. But as a general rule, brevity is king. For everything you write, ask yourself ‘if I took this out, would it be missed?’

5. Remember why you wrote it

You didn’t write it to win a literary prize, or to hone your creative writing skills. You wrote it to sell, inform, raise the company profile, educate, market or push people along the sales cycle. To differentiate yourself from the competition, to make yourself the go-to company for your product or service. So focus on that goal, and always bring your copy to a close with a call to action. Do you want people to phone? Email? Book an appointment? Fill in a form? Register for a webinar? Or just click through to your online store and buy? When it comes to copy, you should be absolutely single-minded. What’s the one thing that you want your audience to do? Not two, or three, but one. Everything should point relentlessly in that direction. And one last thing: when you’ve said what you wanted to say, stop. Then move on, and never look back. Not even when you’re spring cleaning.

Kevin Copywriting.