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11 Tips for writing clear copy
1) The reader comes first.
When you write any marketing piece, you should be thinking about
and writing to your reader. Use the word "You" and avoid as much
as possible using the words "I" and "We".
2) Carefully organize your selling points.
When writing a salesletter, brochure or any kind of ad. Place your
most appealing benefits at the top, in the headline and the first two
paragraphs... then work them down to the least important one. This
way, there is a better chance for you to lure the reader in.
3) Break your writing into short sections.
As the lenght of your copy increases, it becomes more difficult to
read. Try to break long paragraphs into shorter, more digestible
chunks... make it easy and more prospects will read it.
4) Use short sentences.
The same principle applies. Reading a longer sentence is harder
than reading a short one. Cut lenghthy sentences in half whenever
possible to make your copy easier to read.
5) Use simple words.
Try to write your copy so even a 6th grader could understand it.
Using complex words will not impress your reader, most likely
they will annoy him to the point of leaving your ad alone.
6) Avoid technical jargon.
Never use jargon when writing to an audience who is not familiar
with your industry. Jargon is useful when communicating with a
short group of experts... but using it to sell something to outsiders
only confuses them and obscures the selling message.
7) Be concise.
Good copy is concise. Unnecessary words waste the reader's time
dilute the sales message, and take up space that could be put to
better use. In other words... don't hype!
8) Be specific.
Writen advertising persuades us by giving specific information about
the product being advertised. The more facts you include in your
copy, the better. Copywriters who don't bother to dig for specifics,
produce vague, weak, meaningless copy.
9) Go straight to the point.
If the headline is the most important part of your ad, then the lead
paragraph is surely the second most important part. It is this lead
that either lures the reader into the text by fulfilling the promise of
the headline, or bores the reader with uninteresting, irrelevant,
unnecessary words... give them them meat first!
10) Write in a friendly, conversational style.
In copywriting, the printed page or the computer screen, substitute
the salesperson. A light, conversational style is easier to read than
the stiff, formal prose of business, science and academia. Try to
become your reader's friend when you write.
11) Avoid sexist language.
Note how in the last paragraph I wrote the word "Salesperson"
instead of using "Salesman". Wether you like it or not, sexist
language offends a large portion of the population... and you don't
sell things by getting readers angry at you. Don't use it!
Back to section 2
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