.: 9 Tips for Better Copywriting
Category:Home / Writing / Copywriting
We all learned how to write in school, but in advertising, there are some simple techniques that experienced writers use to convey messages with greater impact and brevity. Without being too tutorial, you’ll find these 9 tips quite handy when writing your next sales letter, brochure or web page.
Avoid the wimpy verbs—is and be.
These “do-little” verbs only occupy space and state that something exists. So don’t write “There is one simple omission that can transform a sentence from boring to brilliant.” Do write “One simple omission can transform a sentence from boring to brilliant.” Similarly, avoid “We will be running the new program from our Dallas office.” Instead, opt for “We will run the new program from our Dallas office.”
Place the longest item at the end of a series.
Start with the simple and work toward the complex. It’s less confusing and makes a more memorable ending to the sentence. If you have a series like “He was always later that Joan, loud and boring.” Opt for “He was loud, boring and always later that Joan.”
Specifics are more convincing.
Unless you must for legal reasons, don’t use words like many, several, approximately, nearly and other such mushy weasel modifiers. Specifics tell your audience that you know what your product can do based on tests, research, results, etc.
Modify thy neighbor.
Neighboring clause, that is. Make sure your modifiers apply directly to the pertinent clause in question. Do this and you’ll avoid such gaffes as “I collided with a stationary truck coming the other way. (The truck wasn’t coming the other way, it was stationary.) Better to tell the judge “I was coming the other way and collided with a stationary truck.” (You’ll still pay the penalty for running into a truck, but at least you’ll come across as sober.)
Use single verbs to avoid doublespeak.
Single verbs can often do the work of two similar verbs. Instead of “The computer was operating and running smoothly,” go for “The computer was running smoothly.” Or, instead of “He was empty and ran out of gas,” go for the more direct “He ran out of gas.”
Vary sentence length.
A string of sentences all the same length can be boring. Start with a short sentence or at least a medium-length one, then go long, short, medium or any combination thereof. Imagine a person talking in sentences that are all the same length. Robotic.
Are your sentences like the Energizer Bunny?
They go on and on. Just because you’re conveying legal or complex technical information, doesn’t mean you have to use serpentine sentences that never seem to end. Instead of saying “Laser beams, which have many properties that distinguish them from ordinary light, result from the emission of energy from atoms in the form of electromagnetic waves.” Break up and re-phrase to “Laser beams have many properties that distinguish them from ordinary light. They are produced when atoms emit energy in the form of electromagnetic waves.”
Go short and sweet.
Why use a 4- to 5-word phrase when a 1- to 2-word version will do nicely—with no loss in meaning? Statements like “in view of the fact that” can be easily reduced to “since” or “because.” Word economy is particularly important, especially when you’re paying for premium ad space in a major publication.
Don’t overstate the obvious.
Redundancy is good for space travel, but not for clear writing. Phrases like "anticipate in advance," "totally finished," or "vital essentials" will drive your readers crazy and communicate very little. The same goes for stringing two or more synonyms together like "thoughts and ideas" or "actions and behavior.” It makes readers wonder if you really meant to say two different things or just wanted to reinforce one word with a needless synonym.
So the next time you’re struggling with that sales letter, mailer or web page, follow these simple rules. They’ll help you communicate your message more clearly and with greater selling power. Remember, there are 26 letters in the English alphabet. Use them wisely.
Article keywords: Copywriting, copywriters, writing, advertising copy, ads, brochures, mailers, web content
Article Source: http://www.articles32.com
Alex Kecskes is a former ad agency Copy Chief who has created effective copy and concepts for a wide range of ad agencies, Fortune 500 companies and startups. As owner of ak creativeworks, Alex provides strategic copy for brochures, mailers, multimedia, articles, newsletters, PR and web content. He has published articles in a variety of publications about health, business and technology--this includes copy for over 130 different products and services. His creative work has been acknowledged nationally in Andy, Belding and One Show competitions. For more information and samples, please visit: www.akcreativeworks.com
.: New Copywriting Articles
1). Ghostwrite For Money Online
Something that just about everyone can do to make money online is to ghostwrite for others. Whether it is a book, report or article; many people are looking for ghostwriters online.
2). Make Money Online By Becoming A Ghostwriter
Anyone can make money online by being a freelance article writer. You do not have to know perfect English and the best part is, there are thousands of webmasters that are just too lazy to write their own articles.
3). How Copywriters Can Cultivate Quality Clients By Creating Powerful Newsletters
How copywriters can cultivate quality clients by creating powerful ezines that develop a loyal and eager readership.
4). How Copywriters Can Bounce Back After a Client Messes Up a Direct Marketing Campaign
How copywriter can set themselves up for success - and what to do when a campaign still fails.
5). A Different Way to Generate Leads
Generate leads for your copywriting business by turning convention on its head.
6). Keyword Use That Goes Beyond the Search Engines
© 2006, All Rights Reserved
It seems to be a single-sided debate. When you mention keyword use, all thoughts normally go to the search engines. Copywriting, however, is more about your human visitors than it is the engines. In fact, even the mainstay of SEO copywriting (keywords) is based on a need to spur visitors along as they work through the information on your site.
7). What Does It Take To Succeed As An Independent Copywriter?
In looking back on the nearly four dozen aspiring copywriters I've trained and mentored over the years and asking which personal qualities posed challenges and roadblocks and which enable beginners to carve out a lasting niche for themselves, I have zeroed in on four key skill areas. To build and sustain a copywriting or marketing consulting business, you need to be or become good in these four competencies:
1.
.: Top Copywriting Articles
1). The most sacred secrets of copywriting services
Successful copywriting is one of the most important elements of your advertising. It attracts attention of your potential customers and makes your message memorable and it might induce your clients to take some actions. Many research in psychology show that words may affect our vision, they may either change our depressed mood or uplift our spirit. Words can convince other people to hold a particular point of view or adopt certain way of live or belief.
2). Copyright Procedures; Quick and Easy
The digital age of cyber publishing and intellectual property raises many questions about copyrighting. If you have never published anything in your life, you still hold copyrights. If you do publish your work, how do you know your copyrights are in place? Copyrighting is not complicated or difficult, there is a quick and easy way to copyright any creative material you produce.
3). Stop Stealing my Copyrights
Have you ever been stolen from? Do you know how it feels? You work hard to achieve, to acquire, or to create and then some undeserving fool steps in and takes it all away from you. You feel violated! Your efforts were in vain. Something meaningful that was rightfully yours is snatched away. As a young man, I developed a real love for music. I grew up in it, with Mom on the piano, my uncle on the guitar, and my aunt and sisters singing.
4). Copy Makeovers Made Easy
Copy makeovers can work magic.
Perhaps all you need is a little medicine... and not major surgery. Take whatever sales copy you have now and modify it. Recast, rework and repackage what you've got.
Chances are you’re sitting on some solid (yet hidden) sales material. Often simple copy makeovers can work wonders in terms of response. So, before you crumple it up and toss your sales letter in the trash, try tweaking it first.
5). Sales Letters that Sell!
The average consumer is inundated with sales pitches. So if you’re selling a product or service to today’s ad weary consumer, if you want your sales letters to get results, you’ll need a step-by-step plan that breaks down the barriers to buying. A plan that bypasses the head and goes right for the heart.
If the heart’s in it, the brain will follow.
6). 9 Essential Items Your Website Copywriter Must Know About Your Business BEFORE Writing a Word…
…And if he’s not asking, you don’t want him writing for you.
It’s pretty much a given…when you hire a copywriter for your newly designed web site, your getting someone with above average writing skills. But the best copywriters are more than merely good writers. They are expert interviewers, researchers and marketers. Before sitting down to compose.
7). Writing SEO Copy – 8 Steps to Success
We all know that the lion’s share of web traffic comes through the search engines. We also know that keywords and links to your site are the two things that affect your ranking in the search engines. Your keywords tell the search engines what you do, and the inbound links tell them how important you are. This combination is what determines your relevance.