When it comes to marketing, writing stellar copy is a must. Without words, sentences, and paragraphs that are clear, helpful, concise, and interesting, it’s very difficult for any business to succeed. Let’s dig in and look at 7 things everyone needs to know about writing great copy.

1. Read through it twice.

The first tip is simple. Just read through your writing again. SO many writing mistakes can be avoided by simply reading it again!

Have you ever read a piece of promotional or business material and caught a silly mistake? So often it’s spelling or just basic grammar, but it makes the company look unprofessional and sloppy.

Even if you don’t consider yourself excellent at English, you can still catch simple mistakes, such as a comma instead of a period, a capitalized letter that should be lowercase, etc.

This leads into point #2…

2. Use the tools at your disposal.

Free tools such as Grammarly and autocorrect are immensely helpful for catching spelling and grammar mistakes. Pay attention to their suggestions. They’re almost always right.

Another excellent and free tool is an online thesaurus, such as thesaurus.com. When you’re stuck trying to find just the right word or you’ve used a certain word way too many times, a thesaurus can be extremely helpful for both saving time and improving the quality and creativity of your writing.

3. Write simply. Use small words and short sentences.

If readers have to put too much thought into what you’re trying to say, they’re going to either get overwhelmed and frustrated or just stop reading altogether. Have you ever had to read a sentence 3 times just to understand what it says? If so, you know how frustrating this can be.

Think about the readers to whom you’re writing. How much do they know about the subject? In most cases, your audience probably knows less than you think. Take the time to explain succinctly in the first place rather than making them come back with questions about things they don’t understand.

Additionally, don’t use insider language. Unless your writing is directed to a very specific audience, make sure that all of the language you use could be understood by anyone, even if they are not familiar with your topic.  

The last benefit to clarifying your writing is that it helps YOU, as a writer, to understand exactly what you’re saying. You may think that the ideas are clear in your head, only to find that, after you start writing more simply, you now have a better idea of what you’re actually trying to say. 

4. Break up your writing.

Long paragraphs are often difficult to read. In many cases, people prefer scannable writing that contains short paragraphs, clear headings, and pictures and graphics. This is especially true for social media, email marketing, and blogging.

Writing great copy often means offering your words in small chunks in order to make them both scannable and easier to read. It’s so much less overwhelming for your audience.

5. Read it out loud.

This one is simple. Read what you wrote out loud. Does it sound like you would talk? Is it confusing? Does it sound like you’re talking down to your audience? Are there too many words? Can you delete something?

If your writing sounds unnatural, confusing, or too wordy, this is a perfect opportunity to adjust.

6. Get ideas.

In order to be able to give valuable information you have to have valuable information. Keep learning about the topics you’re writing about. Read books and articles or watch videos on your topic in order to keep expanding your knowledge.

Take time to look at other websites, blogs, and social media accounts that you like. Look thoroughly and ask yourself what you like about them. How can you incorporate those ideas?

It’s so easy to “snack” on content without actually taking the time to analyze why you’re drawn to it and what you can learn from it.

7. Write even if you’re not in the mood.

Lastly, you don’t have to wait until inspiration strikes in order to write great copy. Nearly everyone has experienced sitting down to write and just not feeling creative. Sometimes you just have to get over the hump. Write anyway.

Set a timer and set a goal (a specific number of words works well). You can always edit it later. Don’t waste time staring blankly at your page.

If you’re not sure how to motivate yourself to write when you don’t feel like it, check out Anthony Trollope’s method for consistently writing 1000 words per hour and completing 47 novels in 35 years!

Feeling frustrated with writing?

If you still feel like you simply don’t have the time or energy to devote to writing, we can help. At Lifedge, we specialize in digital marketing that works to help you achieve success online.

We offer copywriting services for websites and landing pages, email campaigns, lead magnets, social media, and more. Just book a meeting today, and let’s talk!