It’s Easier to Write from an Outsider’s View

I went to the Gym and I wasn’t surprised to find the personal trainer was great at his job, and knew exactly what exercises I should do to get results. I went to the Chiropractor and found he also knew his job and could relieve my spinal pain much better than me sitting all day cracking and stretching my own neck.

Isn’t it funny though, when it comes to business copywriting, everyone thinks (at first) they can do it themselves. I guess it seems easy to write about your own business.  But like one client found after three months of intermittently trying to improve their website copy, it’s never easy for a non-writer!

Just imagine if they had put those hours into their business instead of trying to figure out what to say. They seemed quite startled when I said at the briefing that I would have the copy drafted by next week.  And indeed I did, although it took a while to untangle the words and find the real ‘meat and potatoes’. The initial website copy was written in flowery language with too much repetition, and fortunately the business owner disliked this style.

Another recent website copywriting job I took on was for a roof restorer/repairer. Some of the content they had was from the manufacturer websites – and so was the wrong perspective and too scientific for the everyday consumer.  This is where as a consumer (who has copywriting skills), I have the advantage when it comes to writing for their target market. I know what I look for from a ‘tradie’ — honesty, free quotes, good service, quality job, added benefits like keeping out the heat, warranties, etc. — and so that’s the kind of things that get a mention on the page.

Just Help me Write this Letter, Jen!

It takes a lot of practice to sound this casual!  When writing letters and other marketing material, try to remember these tips:

• One idea per sentence, please!  ANDs are for “fish and chips”, not for joining ideas.
• Use a topic sentence for each para that is concise. Then explain and prove what you have just said.
• Don’t boast about what “We” can do. Try to prove it instead.  “9 out of 10 customers recommend us to their friends” or “We care about our customer satisfaction – every month we send out a report and ask for feedback on how we are doing”.
• Add subheads – even on a two-page letter. Also mix up sentence lengths for variety.
• If you have a unique selling point and you’ve got a fair amount of content, say it in different ways. This way people really will get the message without being irritated by repetition.
• Read back your writing. If you’re getting tangled or it sounds too corporate, go back and write as though you’re explaining all this to a 13-year old. And you’re excited about it, but not SHOUTING!!! — just gently excited.

 

1. Judith says:

   October 26, 2011 at 2:51 pm

   I’d also like to add that an outsider lends the voice of a consumer and as such, can point out what interests them in certain products or services.