You don’t have to be a “copywriter” to write good copy. However, you must understand that sometimes writing copy takes time and patience.

Now, when I talk about “copy”, I don’t just mean blog writing although, this is a form of copy. Copy can be an article, website pages, leaflet, even your posts on social media. Hopefully, these pointers will help you write a good piece of copy.

Planning

Yep, boring (to everyone except me), but planning doesn’t need to take you ages. Just take 15 minutes and think about these different elements before your write your piece of copy:

1. What kind of copy do you need to write? Blog? Leaflet? Social Media posts? Website page?
2. Who is it aimed at?
3. What do you think will interest them?
4. How long does it need to be?
5. How/Where/When will it be distributed?

In the zone

Time to get in the zone. This is possibly the most important element of writing copy. You need to really understand what helps you get in the zone, so you don’t waste time procrastinating.

For me, I am writing this on a Thursday morning at my desk. It’s 8 am, I have had my breakfast, I am topped up with a bottle of water, and I have got YouTube on with a Pink playlist. I have spent about 15 minutes answering any emails / prioritising, then I closed them down and opened this word document.

Day of the week and time of day

Wednesday and Thursday mornings are best for me – I am not distracted by Mummy things because my son is with the childminder before 8 am, and work has been dealt with enough that I can focus. In the afternoons, my mind starts thinking about other things while I am working away, which isn’t conducive to writing copy when I need to focus.

Your environment

I choose Pink to listen to while I write because I like her music and it’s got a good beat, even with her sadder songs. It also means I can turn it up louder in my earphones to completely concentrate and ignore outside noises.

I am not thinking about my stomach because I have had a good breakfast and I have a bottle of water to keep me going so I don’t have to get up for at least an hour.

All-in-all, I am in the zone and ready to write. You need to find what helps you get into the zone.

Audience and distribution

You would have narrowed this down in the planning section, but you need to keep in mind who you are writing “to”, and where and how it will be distributed. For instance, if you know it’s going to be distributed to a certain physical area, try and reference that area in the copy.

Picking the topic

For this guest blog, I took note of what Green Umbrella and their guest bloggers have written about that may clash with what I can write. I took note of what I have written for them so far. I searched their site and on found around four blogs to do with copywriting.

For each piece of copy, you need to keep in mind the audience and distribution but also, what you think will interest people.

I remembered a conversation with quite a few people via #Northantshour where I asked a question about blogging for business. A lot of people’s issues were, “I don’t know what to write” or “It takes me a long time to write anything, so I don’t bother.”

I chose the second issue to write about but I have identified my audience, a key issue for them and I am using a blog to address it.

Choose your “Tone of voice.”

Some pieces of copy require a “professional” voice, like articles.

Some require you to sound human and relatable, usually when you write a blog or social media posts.

You need to pick the right tone of voice for the marketing piece as well as what you are comfortable with as a business. I will say, that a “human” voice is so much more effective than a jargon-filled, “professional” voice.

Length of the copy

• Direct mail, like leaflets and adverts, for instance, need to get to the point really quickly. I can’t tell you an exact number of words, because that depends on your dimensions, etc. Here are a few key points to keep in mind, though:
  –  Ask (one) key question that is like to grab their attention, then a very short sentence summing up that the answer is you. Ideally, it should be around five words.
  –  Your visuals play an important part, so these need to capture attention and be relevant
  –  Finish with a clear call-to-action which ties in the questions; e.g. Call us on 01604 XXX XXX if you want XXX.
• Blogs and website copy need to be a minimum of 300 words and generally no more than 1500-2000 to be deemed content-worthy of the search engines.
• Social Media is generally dictated by the platform.

Formatting

You’ll notice that throughout this blog I have used clear sub-headings, small paragraphs (no longer than four lines) and bullet points because most people scan-read, and it helps people to digest it that little easier.

“Take out the fluff.”

I can’t take credit for this phrase as I heard it around eight years ago when I was discussing copywriting with a copywriter.

Most people don’t realise that when they write copy they are fluffing it, generally with big, professional words that they think need to be in there. To “de-fluff” you don’t necessarily need to take out loads of words, it’s more about taking out the bits that people don’t care about, or they have heard time and time again.

Take this paragraph (I have taken out company names and direct reference to their business):

When you approach XXXXXXXXXX for insulation, you are dealing with specialists, and it’s a professionalism you’ll enjoy throughout. We will visit your home, guide you through the many benefits of insulating and listening to your requirements, advise on the perfect solution to meet them. Then when we fit your new XXXXXX insulation, it always comes with the confidence of a 10-year guarantee. We never use subcontractors, only our own experienced installers. An installation team that consistently scores a 100% satisfaction rating from the Consumer Protection Association. For skilled, professional installers to rely upon, call XXXXXX first.

I have de-fluffed it and formatted it:

We are specialists in XXX insulation.

There are many options when it comes to insulating your XXXX, and we’d really like the chance to help you find the perfect solution.

When you choose us to install your new insulated XXXX, it comes with a 10-year guarantee so you can be assured that it stands the test of time.

Our installation team consistently scores a 100% satisfaction rating from the Consumer Protection Association so you can be assured that you will get a great service.

Would you like a FREE no-obligation quote from a reliable XXXX insulation installer? Call us on XXX

Can you tell the difference?

Pretty much saying the same thing with a similar amount of words, but it is clearer, and the professional speak is taken out because you are talking to Joe Blogs, who wants you to get to the point.

I recommend writing everything you want to say before you de-fluff.

I hope this is useful for you and you can start writing good copy that little bit easier!