When it comes to marketing copy, punchy beats verbose. You all know the writers who try to impress you with their genius-level vocabulary? Well, it turns out sending your readers to a dictionary is not a good way to attain conversions. Instead, write strong. Give your readers exactly what they’re looking for. Pack a punch.
Do you want readers to respond to your marketing copy?
Here’s how:
- Eliminate Geek Speak – Your mother’s already proud of you. Your industry geek speak does nothing to ingratiate your readers to your larger message. If you’re speaking to your customer base, explain things in a way that will make sense to them.
- Keep It Conversational – Encyclopedias are informative, but reading one might make your eyes pop out from boredom. The trick is to keep things light and conversational. Keep some personality. How would you make your point if you were (verbally) speaking to your audience? Write your marketing copy in a voice and tone that will give your readers a strong sense of who you are.
- Keep Things Uplifting – Tell your readers what could happen if they use your product or services. The benefits of a life in the know beat doom and gloom any day. Everybody loves warm and fuzzy.
- Consider Word Choice – There’s a little game you can play with yourself as you edit your work. It’s called “Is there a better verb?” Instead of “ran quickly,” try “sprinted.” Instead of “slowed down” try “halted.” Well, you get the drift.
- Brevity Is Key – Your marketing copy is a place where you just need to make your point. Say what you mean to say. In the process keep your sentences and paragraphs short. A sentence that spans three lines on your computer is too long. A paragraph longer than six lines is too long. Keep your paragraphs to one main point.
- Keep It Separated – If you have two thoughts in a sentence, break it up into two sentences. Same thing with your paragraphs. Leave the long and meandering narratives to novelists.
Punchiness (and it is an acceptable form of the word) makes you stand out. It improves writing, and keeps readers interested in what you have to say. It turns otherwise mundane copy into awesome copy. When your industry is inundated with competition, punchy writing can give you a great advantage. Strong content stands out, when your readers are bouncing from website to website on the Google results page.
Once you’re able to increase the punchiness of your writing, more people will be able to move from start to finish. This means more people will see that call to action, and understand just what it is that you’re trying to tell them. It’s this kind of clarity that will allow you to stand apart from your competition.
If you’re writing is feeling stale, or you’re just not converting sales, don’t be afraid to hire a freelance writer. A good writer can either step in to complete the job, or offer editing and consulting services that will pull you out of your rut.
Matt Brennan is a Chicago-area marketing writer and copy editor. He is also the author of Write Right-Sell Now.
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