|  | 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 |