June, 2012

 

Do you ever write (or evaluate) marketing materials and find that the copy is flat and boring? 

 

Well, don't feel bad. Like anything else, technique comes with time. Yet there are a number of specific techniques you can use right now to make your copywriting come alive.

 

Let's take a look at just three that can improve your writing . . . 

 

1. Don't forget the adjectives!

 

The best way to beef up flat copy is by adding adjectives. After all, nouns themselves don't communicate a heck of a lot:

 

The book. The dog. The house.

 

But one colorful adjective can sharpen things up considerably:

 

The best-selling book. The mangy dog. The ramshackle house.

 

Let's take a look at some typical lines spruced up with a few adjectives.

 

WRONG: Here's an offer you shouldn't miss.

 

RIGHT: Here's a special, limited-time offer you really

shouldn't miss.

 

WRONG: Looking for incentive ideas? Send for our

booklet.

 

RIGHT: Looking for exciting, practical incentive ideas?

Send for our free 32-page booklet!

 

WRONG: We're a company you can count on for attention.

 

RIGHT: We're a small, friendly company you can count on

for personalized attention.

 

2. Chop a long sentence into shorter ones.

 

This is an error I see all the time. People write these long, enormous sentences that seem to go on forever. Forget it. We live in a society that's speed-oriented. We eat fast food. We click around the Web. Hey, who's going to stick around to read an endless sentence?

 

The trick is to keep the pace sharp. One way to do this is to be a sentence-buster. Knock that long sentence down into two or more.

 

Here. Take a look:

 

WRONG: This fantastic, exotic flaring red Amaryllis

grows nearly an inch a day indoors and bursts out with

super-sized blooms 5 to 7 inches across.

 

RIGHT: (AS IT ACTUALLY APPEARED IN A HARRY AND DAVID'S

CATALOG) Fascinating! This exotic, flaming red

Amaryllis grows darn near an inch a day - indoors!

Bursts out with super-sized blooms 5 to 7 inches

across.

 

WRONG: We don't sell hardware or software and as a

result, don't have any biases, vested interests, or

hidden agendas.

 

RIGHT: We don't sell hardware or software. This means

we don't have any biases, vested interests, or hidden

agendas.

 

Better. Crisper. Sharper.

 

3. Kick it off with a question.

 

For a lot of people, the toughest thing in the world is getting started.

 

They're all right after they're rolling, but getting out of the starting gate is really hard.

 

There are a million ways to get started but let me share one with you that's pretty easy to use.

 

Begin with a question. It gets the reader involved quickly (and gets you moving!)

 

EXAMPLES:

 

Do you know the best way to buy inexpensive RAM?

 

Which hard drive gives you the most memory for the

dollar?

 

What will chip speeds be in a year?

 

The take-away message this month?

 

Writing isn't always easy, but if you practice and use proven techniques you too can create prose like the pros.

 

Want me to start writing money-making prose for you, give me a call at (415) 461-0672. Let's talk about how I can write a powerful, persuasive sales letter, email, or Web page that can build profits fast. Or CLICK HERE to shoot me an email right now. Want to visit my Web site? CLICK HERE. Let's go to work!