3 Ways to Improve Your Copy in Less Than 60 Minutes
Are you an entrepreneur handling every aspect of your new, small business? If so, you are probably writing all of your marketing materials and Website copy.
While you may not be able to afford a professional, search engine optimization (SEO) copywriter yet, there are some things you can do to improve your copy… and they won’t cost you anything but a little time.
Ready? Here are…
3 Ways to Improve Your Copy in Less than 60 Minutes:
1. Change all of your passive verbs to active verbs.
Check your copy to see if you are writing in the past tense. (“Our customers saved money.” “The new widget helped our clients.”) Then, change all of your verbs to action verbs. (“Our customers save money.” “The new widget helps our clients.”)
It’s a simple step that can make old copy sound fresher and more exciting.
2. Get rid of sentences that start with “We.”
When you read your copy is it all about your business, product features and how great your services are?
Boring!
Your customers want to know what’s in it for them. Instead of using “We,” use “You.”
For example, your copy might say:
“We provide the leading service in the country for washing windows and have been in business for over 25 years.”
Instead, you might say something like this:
“Enjoy squeaky clean windows in minutes! Relax working with professionals who have over 25-years of experience in the window-washing industry.”
You get what I mean. Stress the benefits you offer your customers… not how great you are!
3. Shorten your paragraphs.
This is an easy one. Shorten the length of your sentences and paragraphs. Make it as easy as possible for customers to read your copy.
After all, are you more likely to read a long page of text or short and simple paragraphs?
A Few Quick Changes Can Lead to Better Results.
These may seem like simple changes, but they can make a big difference to your written materials. By including active verbs, benefits and user-friendly paragraphs, your copy will be more exciting and easier to read, and that just may be what your business needs to bring in more sales!
For more information on SEO copywriting and increasing site awareness, please write to me below or at www.rembrandtwrites.com.
January 26th, 2012 at 10:17 am
This is a very helpful article. I am going to print this out and keep it next to my computer.
January 26th, 2012 at 10:22 am
Thanks so much. I’m glad to hear these tips are helpful, and I hope they improve your overall, results.
Melanie, rembrandtwrites.com
January 26th, 2012 at 2:06 pm
Those are great tips! Thanks so much. I wrote them down and I’ll keep them in mind, for sure!
January 26th, 2012 at 7:18 pm
Great tips Melanie!
For web copy, I especially like using shorter sentences. Reading long form copy on a computer is painful. Along with the short sentences, I would add a short and interesting opening to your article, like an interesting fact, quote or statement.
January 26th, 2012 at 9:41 pm
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January 26th, 2012 at 11:30 pm
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January 27th, 2012 at 3:59 pm
Hi Melanie,
Your first tip doesn’t illustrate changing passive verbs to active verbs. It shows using the present tense of a verb rather than the past tense. This too is a good idea.
The passive voice in your first examples are:
Money was saved by our customers.
Our clients were helped by the new widget.
Yes, to be avoided as well.
Cheers,
Barque
January 28th, 2012 at 8:53 pm
#3 is so true! I’ve found myself skipping long paragraphs on other sites, so I’ve implemented the 2-3 sentences per paragraph rule on my product descriptions and I think it does help customers read through the most important points with ease. I think I still need to work on #1 and #2 though. Thank you for the tips!
I’m a contestant in Startup Nation’s Leading Moms in Business Competition. Read More here: http://www.startupnation.com/leading-moms-in-business/contestant/11363/index.php
January 28th, 2012 at 10:11 pm
I like this. Excellent, concise and sensible copywriting information for small business. I’m definitely at that having to do it all stage, so this has been bookmarked for future reference.
January 31st, 2012 at 8:16 am
A very good list! I often read dreadful copy and it’s amazing how many mistakes there are. Some useful tips I can also suggest:
Double check you’re grammar,
Try not to use tautology - “our own personal prices” should just read “our prices”,
Try not to fall into business/nonsense speak to fill a gap; “The array and myriad of fundamental grandeur within the centrifugal sphere of the protracted aim wherein lies therein the conjugal verb to ‘ascertain and therein wherein is the epochial authentication of factual factualities.’”
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February 1st, 2012 at 12:58 pm
Simple and easy to use practices for creating more engaging copy. Thanks for the article and I’ll be using these moving forward to see how they work out!
February 2nd, 2012 at 2:07 am
awesome tips! this helped me a lot. thank you so much for the idea.
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February 10th, 2012 at 4:41 am
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June 27th, 2012 at 12:36 am
Shorten the length of your sentences and paragraphs. Make it as easy as possible for customers to read your copy.
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July 9th, 2012 at 6:08 am
This is an easy one. Shorten the length of your sentences and paragraphs. Make it as easy as possible for customers to read your copy.
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August 17th, 2012 at 4:59 am
I’m glad to hear these tips are helpful, and I hope they improve your overall, results.
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