One of the most important skills for any creative entrepreneur and business owner to possess is the ability to communicate a message through clear and effective copy. On the other side of the coin, poor copywriting has the potential to drive away business and potential clients, customers and partners.
To empower publishers and help them master the craft of writing headlines, Shweiki Media has partnered with author and seasoned copywriter Debra Jason of The Write Direction to present a webinar series on seven copywriting tips designed to K.I.S.S. your prospects and customers.
Keep It Simple, Sweetheart (K.I.S.S.)
It is vital to write compelling content that is easy for prospects to read. But, how does one do that? When writing compelling content that is easy for prospects to read, one should remember to K.I.S.S. them. Some people acquaint this acronym for Keep It Simple, Stupid but I prefer to say, Keep It Simple, Sweetheart.
Clarity is extremely important whether one is writing a blog, sales page or brochure. It is important to create a conversation between you and your audience. The difference between holding a conversation and writing is that during a conversation, the other person is allowed time to understand and process what has been said. This is facilitated by pausing between sentences, repetition, and spacing out ideas.
How does one create a conversation when they’re not actually face-to-face with their audience? How does one make the audience feel like they are right there? When writing, the secret is to leave space and create pauses. Here are seven steps to help…
7 Copywriting Tips
1.) Use Short, Simple Sentences.
Average sentence length in words:
- 8 words or less is considered very easy.
- 11 words–easy
- 14 words–fairly easy
- 17 words–standard (Average Reader)
- 21 words–fairly difficult
- 25 words difficult
- 29 or more words–very difficult
2.) Two short sentences are easier to read than one long sentence. In direct marketing, we often break the rules of grammar. For instance, using one word sentences or converting one long sentence into two shorter ones.
3.) Be Personal and use “you.” Remember that you are writing to one reader, someone who is a current customer or prospect, so talk to that reader. Avoid words such as “the client” or “the customer.” Let the prospect know you are talking directly to him or her by incorporating a friendly conversational tone. Readers always come first so start writing to people, not at them.
4.) Talk about people. Studies show that people enjoy reading when they are reading about other people more than anything else. Sentences can be written so that the logical subject is a person. Therefore, use pronouns such as, “theirs,” “yours,” and “you” and human interest words like “woman,” “man,” or “child.” Always remember to keep it personal.
5.) Use active verb forms. Words that have life in them such as “dance,” “sing,” or “run.” These words make sentences “move” so use them whenever possible.
6.) Punctuation makes reading easier. Punctuation gets pauses down on paper and stresses important points. Use hyphens, dashes and ellipses to achieve this effect. It is important that content is easy to read. One way to do this is through creating pauses through different punctuations.
7.) Give prospects helpful advice. People do not buy products, they buy what the products do for them.
“It hooks about 75% more readers than copy, which deals entirely with the product.” David Ogilvy
These seven steps will provide compelling copy that is easy for prospects and customers to read.
This is an excerpt from Ch. 17 of the book, “Millionaire Marketing on a Shoestring Budget.”
As creative entrepreneurs and business owners, one of the most important tools you have in offering programs and services is the copy used to communicate messages.