![VERY GOOD COPY [LOGO].png](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5615edeae4b0b9df5c3d6e90/1503786541550-Z12NHAFNY96P65UIJT7Q/VERY+GOOD+COPY+%5BLOGO%5D.png)
Last week, a doctoral student came to me for writing advice.
“So you want me to be more concise?" she said. "In academia, I just write until I die."
“Remember,” I said, “your professors are getting paid to read your writing. Everyone else is reading it because they want to."
People who publish content on the Internet, from established bloggers and journalists to ordinary Twitter and Facebook users, need to:
1) Relay the value of their content quickly
2) Limit their readers' cognitive expenditure dramatically
Why?
Because most people don't read, they scan.
According to research conducted by the Nielsen Norman Group, 79% of readers scanned new web pages in 1998.
Ten years later, in 2008, the same researchers conducted another online attention test. The conclusion was that visitors, on average, have time to read at most 28% of the words on a page; 20% being more likely.
Ten years later, readers are still scanning.
Then, in 2013, Farhad Manjoo wrote a piece for Slate called You Won’t Finish This Article. According to Manjoo, nearly 40% of the people who land on a page won’t make it past the first paragraph. And if they do, they’re likely going to scan the page for captivating sub-headlines, bullet points, and bolding.
Scanning is the new reading.
That's why web copywriters shouldn't be offended when people peruse their work, skimming it for the bits they want or need. It's nothing personal. It just is.
The solution?
Adjust: Write for scanners.
Make it easy for scanners to fall down your page. Here's how:
1. Be concise.
Concise writing is easy-to-read, yet still contains all the useful information a reader needs. If you want to write more concisely, channel Hemingway:
- Avoid adverbs and adjectives
- Avoid the passive voice
- Avoid jargon
2. Make your layout scannable.
Use the following on-page elements:
- Bulleted and numbered lists
- Bold and italicized text
- Sub-headlines
- Short paragraphs
See, wasn't that easy to get through?
3. Use objective language.
To be completely objective would be to write without adjectives and buzzwords. Objective writing is also supported by hard evidence, like research and direct quotes.
Don’t be completely objective. That would leave your copy void of charm, which is essential if you want to sell your readers. That said, reasonably objective writing does have its benefits: It’s easily read and understood.
When it comes to objectivity, strike a balance.
Not buying it?
Don't believe that concise, scannable, objective writing performs better online?
This study uses data to drive the point home.
LEARN TO PERSUADE
![VeryGoodCopy [Logo] DARK.png](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5615edeae4b0b9df5c3d6e90/1527124818427-ZVNVRTWLS4WZK6TSINDL/VeryGoodCopy+%5BLogo%5D+DARK.png)
WRITE BETTER.
MARKET BETTER.
SELL MORE.
Because copywriters conjure emotion for a living.
The buildings in Jaipur, India are built of vibrant red brick. The entire place glows like Mars.
Writers share their work.
Perfectionists hoard it.
"I'm sorry about all this," I said.
"Thanks," he said. "But I deserve it. Things could've been different."
Here's a learning tactic.
It's what I do when I want to internalize a book — or an article, for that matter. You can do it, too.
When Big Lurch woke up, he was alone in a prison cell, confused and covered in blood.
As a content marketer, your most valuable asset is not your content.
Pressure and time. Pressure and time. Pressure and time.
Words are commodities. Anybody can fill space on a page.
Simplicity can be impactful.
Thank you, grandma.
Every time you're blocked ...
What's the purpose of your first line of copy?
They never have ...
Ideas, like love, can escape you. Don't let them.
Passion drives success.
Kevin Kelly, Co-founder and Editor of Wired magazine, on God and meaning of life.
Three billion people have access to the Internet, but only a third of those people speak English.
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
And it isn't even about copywriting ...
There are two types of bullet points: Those that break up text, making information easier to digest. And those that sell.
Swearing can be a powerful gesture. It could also be meaningless ...
Three simple rules that'll make your copy bolder, clearer, and more persuasive.
You should know, I'm not sexy. Sorry.
The one question that will help you write devastatingly creative and effective ads.
Whatever it is, nobody is going to buy it without ...
Creativity is like a muscle: It grows and develops with exercise, practice.
You’ll know you’re good.
You’ll know you’re good because a few clues will give it away…
Microcopy is concise, clear, small-print text that helps or encourages readers to complete an “action” on your website or app.
It’s how the great copywriter, Gene Schwartz, thought about the discipline…
If you aspire to write good copy, watch and read these things religiously.
Make it ugly.
Let me explain…
The longer you focus, the more focused you will become.
Focus long enough and you’ll tap into something called Deep Work…
There’s a marketing tenant every good copywriter respects…
Knowing that, here are the words and phrases every copywriter should use…
![How copywriters put prospects in the buying mood [quick trick]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5615edeae4b0b9df5c3d6e90/1533095575515-C2JPAZA3C46IBX00EMM8/Put+prospects+in+the+buying+mood+%5BVGC+art%5D.JPG)
As a teenager, I sold magazine subscriptions door-to-door. At first it was hard and I was unsuccessful.
Then I picked up a trick that skyrocketed my conversion rate…
This strategy is scientifically proven to help writers — and anyone else — spur their creativity.
“I can do that,” said The Copywriter. “But first let me ask you a question.”
“And how many of us have persistence enough in following out our ideas of what is obvious?”
If your goal is to write tighter copy — copy that says more in fewer words — try this 15-minute exercise.
Sometimes that feeling — that mood — is already there, all around, omnipotent and omnipresent.
Joyce was a magisterial novelist, but he would’ve made a miserable copywriter.
Smart writing is clear and concise. It’s easy for the eyes and mind to follow. It’s accessible and unpretentious, easy to consume and hard to create.
Smart writing is readable. Effortlessly readable.
Be a copywriter, not a coward.
If you can back up your claim, write the copy. If you can’t, be a professional and do the right thing.
Don’t write headlines that are flat, invisible, like white paper on a white desk. Write compelling headlines that stand out. Headlines that contain emotion, image, logic, and promise.
Here’s how to do that.
A visceral response is a physical reaction to a non-physical experience, an emotion.
If you feel it, don’t dismiss it. Let it wash over you.
You’ll be a more empathetic person for it — and a better marketer, too.
“We’re talking about him having an accident,” said the man, whispering. “Just walk up to him, put your hand on his back, and give him one big push!”
Don't sell chips. Sell a worldview.
It boils down to a simple three-step process ...
“I was The Onion’s editor at the time so, mainly, I was just punching up or rewriting other people’s work,” said Scott. “And so when I sat down to write the pilot, I was like, ‘Shit! I have writer’s block! I got nothing!’”
CHICAGO—Saying he was ‘more than happy’ to jump on the call, Scott Dikkers, The Onion’s longest-serving editor-in-chief, graciously gave time out of his day to talk to a copywriter about how to overcome writer’s block.
As a copywriter, it’s tempting to get lost in the majesty of your creativity, your ideas.
Looking inward for ideas will burn you out.
Want more ideas than you could ever use?
Confident copy says, “Go ahead, you’re making the right decision.”
Great copy starts with efficient questions.
“You have to be more concise,” he said. “You write like a water hose. You need to be a nail gun."