Write Better, Earn More! (Part 1 of 3)

by Peter Bowerman

Nine Tips For Instantly Improving Your Marketing Copy

Writing ability. Sure, some people are inherently gifted with an almost sixth sense when it comes to crafting copy or prose, but anyone can improve their skills by following a few simple guidelines. This isn’t meant to be some exhaustive treatment of the subject, just a few things that have worked for me – things which, while prudent to keep in mind for any kind of writing, are especially relevant to the commercial field.

You’ll also notice that many of the bad examples below would improve with an increased emphasis on “benefits” (what’s in it for the customer) and away from “features” (all about the product/service and the company who provides it). Suffice it to say, in the aggregate, they’re all about making your writing more clear, concise, conversational, coherent and compelling.

Final caveat: we can’t put all these ideas to use in every case. And there’s no such thing as perfect copy. But the more you keep these in mind, the better your writing will be. 

Write Like You Talk (at your best, of course ... )

For some inexplicable reason, many verbally articulate people, even aspiring professional writers, often seem to be taken over by some alien power that compels them to adopt an awkward, stilted, wooden tone in their writing. In a small article written for a graphic designer’s newsletter, my valued Atlanta colleague (and former mentor) Paul Glickstein nicely raised this point while underscoring what good writers do instead:

Some people can’t shake that stern English teacher who wouldn’t give it up about sentence structure, grammar and the like. So they write (for the most part) correctly, but maybe not effectively. Professional writers, however, never forget that our work is about selling – crafted conversations for print, broadcast or multimedia – and that “correctness” has more to do with audience, message and objective than it does about rigid textbook rules. And while we rely on our skills and experience to develop copy, we rigorously evaluate it from the customer’s point of view. Ironically, not knowing everything about your business can be a benefit. It can help make us better advocates for your customers.

I assert that when people read anything, a voice in their mind is narrating those words to them. Are you hearing these words as you read them? (If you’re not, for the sake of your writing, pretend you are ...) That being the case, read everything you write aloud and make sure it has an engaging, conversational tone (within reason, depending on the subject matter). If it doesn’t, work it till it does. I promise it’ll be stronger.

You can picture the following sample being read by an android. In fact, run all your copy through the “Android Test.” If you get the same visual, sharpen that pencil, oil those joints and loosen up.   

We Can Help Get Your Business in Focus

Let Maximum Video Production help you bring your business into focus. Call on us for all your specific video production needs, whether they be industrials, training videos, video news releases, or any other pressing projects needing immediate attention. We will be happy to show you our work and explore how we can help meet your needs. 

This piece breaks beaucoup rules, not only “Write Like You Talk,” but others coming up like “Give Your Audience Credit” and “Make Every Word Pull Its Weight.” A real gem.

Don’t be afraid to use plenty of contractions — they’ll make your copy infinitely more light and conversational. Why say, “You simply will not find a better accounting program on the market,” when “You simply won’t find…” just sounds better to the ear.  

Lose the Weak Words and Tone
The headline above, “We Can Help Get Your Business in Focus,” came verbatim from a piece I helped write for a video production company years ago. They insisted on the headline. What might you do differently? How about losing the “We Can Help” part? “Get Your Business in Focus,” in my humble opinion, is far stronger. Don’t say you “may,” “might,” “can,” or “should” be able to do this or that. Tell people what to do and what you’ll do and say it with conviction.

Two statements: “Call us to see if we can make a difference for your company” and “Call us and discover the difference that a targeted marketing campaign can make for your bottom line.” It’s obvious which is stronger.

Give Your Audience Credit
Don’t overwrite. Want to win over readers and keep them reading? Assume they’re bright enough to catch on without spelling it all out like you would to a 10-year-old. It’ll flatter them and a flattered reader is an interested reader. Sure, there are times when you have to write to a lowest common denominator, but that’s a question to ask of your client.

A particular subject may be new to you, but if it’s a familiar topicto your audience, you can make more assumptions in your writing. Here’s an example:

The billing systems we create for our clients are customized, easy-to-use and are designed to be responsive to the needs of their customers. That, in turn, inspires a high level of confidence in those customers because they recognize that our clients are capably handling today’s challenges and, consequently, can be expected to deal effectively with those that come in the future.

Why the need to explain the full train of logic? People can figure out that, if their customers are pleased, it reflects well on them. And another thing: Talk to someone, not about someone. Why not be a little assumptive and say “you” and “your” instead of “our customers” or “our clients.” Put them in the role and they’re more likely to feel like they belong there. How about this:

Our billing systems are customized, easy-to-use and designed to be responsive to the needs of your customers. Translation? We’ll make you look good and that spells customer loyalty.

Another obvious example. This copy appeared with a writer’s samples on their site:

This section contains various samples of our work from the past and present. Take some time to look them over and if you like what you see, then get in contact with us by phone or e-mail.

Totally unnecessary. If a visitor clicks on “Samples” or “Portfolio” and gets taken to same, they’ll know what to do once they get there (assuming you have a “Contact Us” link prominently displayed somewhere on the page).

In the next issue, we’ll look at Tips 4-6: Stay tuned!

Copyright 2005 Peter Bowerman. All rights reserved.

Peter Bowerman is the author of The Well-Fed Writer (2000), an award-winning Book-of-the-Month Club selection, and its companion volume, The Well-Fed Writer: Back For Seconds (from which the above article was adapted), both how-to “standards” in the field of commercial freelancing. A commercial writer, business coach and seminar leader in Atlanta, his client list includes Coca-Cola, BellSouth, IBM, UPS, Cingular, American Express, Mercedes-Benz, Junior Achievement and others. Visit www.wellfedwriter.comfor more info and to subscribe to his critically acclaimed free monthly ezine on commercial writing, THE WELL-FED E-PUB.