How to Speak the Reader’s Language in Writing Copy



A common mistake that many people make when writing web copy or website content online is to assume that all their readers have all the time in the world to read a lot of words and go through an entire sea of text. Another common assumption is that people believe and remember everything that they learn online. However, the online writing arena is so much more competitive than the offline world: printed words are meant to be read, but online words are meant to be skimmed.

When you are writing copy, you need to speak your reader’s language. This requires knowledge of both tone and structure. In terms of structure, you need to follow your reader’s thoughts: your reader is thinking in terms of ideas, so present them quickly and in palatable shots. Have all your salient points ready and available in subheadings or bullet points. This can make it easier for your reader to skim through your copy and find what he or she needs. This also makes it more inviting for your reader to actually go through the work: by providing white space, you also give your readers’ eyes the chance to rest once in a while.

Now that you have drawn your readers in and made them stay, it’s time for you to speak their language. Now this is a rather tricky deal: a lot of different parts of the population speak language differently, and every single person has his or her own native language that he or she is most fluent in or most comfortable using. You will need to tap into the most general of these languages: this means research on your part, say by doing a marketing study by looking at how people talk in different forums and mailing lists. You need to look at how people talk and find a way for you to sound like them, but not too much: remember, if you try too hard, your writing will show it.

Here are a few more tips on how to make your readers hear themselves in you:

- You need to make your visitors excited about your products and services, so excited that they will shell out some of their hard-earned money to buy them. This means that you need to keep your copy excited: be upbeat and enthusiastic, and avoid language that is depressing or dull, or that is bland and commonplace. Avoid going for negative statements: say what a thing is, not what it is not; better yet, say what a thing can offer. Give statements of potential and promise, and entice your reader.

However, be careful, as being too exciting can actually make you look desperate and hard selling. Desperation shows up easily online, so don’t be too uppity-up. Upbeat does not mean hyperactive, and neither does it mean reckless excitement.

- Grab attention at the beginning of your copy and do not beat around the bush. You will reinforce this at the end, but start your copy so that people know the point of it immediately. The best content, therefore, should be at the start and end of your web page, in order to grab attention, and then keep it and allow your visitors to take something home. Moreover, keep your ending memorable and upbeat, as this is what your visitors will remember about you.

- Keep it short and simple. If you are able to get the ideas out in a few words without your website visitors having to scroll ever so many times to get what you mean, then you have it made.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
0 comments
Labels: , , , , , , ,

How Is Online Copywriting Different from Offline Copywriting?



To become an effective copywriter for the Web, the first thing you need to learn are the major differences between online and offline copywriting.

Who Reads It?

Offline copies are printed on various materials, and they’re something that some people may read just to pass the time. With no expectations, offline readers can afford to be more patient and forgiving.

Online copies, however, don’t have that luxury. More often than not, Internet users have a reason for visiting a website and they definitely have expectations when it comes to reading any online copy. And since they know what they want and what to look for, they’re more inclined to be impatient and wouldn’t hesitate to switch to another article if what they’re currently reading proves to be unsuitable.

One Chance from Start to Finish

Again, certain situations in the offline world give readers no chance to be choosy. Reading from a single magazine limits them to the contents of the magazine. If there are no other magazines available and they need to acquire certain information or, once again, they’re desperate to pass the time, they have no other recourse but to read the magazine from start to finish.

Second chances are rare for online copies and as such, you need to make every word powerful and significant from start to finish, beginning with your headline and until you finish your call to action.

Switching from one copy to another is also easier for online readers. With search engines more than ready to supply them with the next best link if your copy proves to be inadequate, the only way to keep their attention is by making every sentence worth their time.

Cost

Offline copywriters may occasionally have to worry about the costs of printing their works in a certain format. Too many paragraphs as well as larger fonts could make the cost of publishing escalate in an alarming rate, and for this reason, they’re forced to make adjustments, which are not always favorable to readers, to their works.

Online copywriters, in this case, stand to gain more from their line of work. Since text weighs little in terms of bytes, formatting rarely make a substantial difference to their work. As a result, they can afford to make more paragraphs and keep it short – exactly the way their online readers like it. Having large fonts aren’t a problem either. Indeed, they can change the color of the text and suffer from no additional cost.

Skimming

Online readers have a habit of skimming, and they do it more frequently than their offline counterparts. Web copywriters will, of course, have to adjust their work accordingly.

Skimming makes optional formatting techniques in offline writing necessary in online copywriting. Subheadings are one of them. Their presence ensures that online readers are still able to comprehend the gist of the copy even if they’re skimming. If you can supply one subheading for every paragraph, that can only work to your favor!

Now that you’re aware of the differences between online and offline copywriting, you can apply what you’ve learned the next time you write an online copy. These newfound tips may make writing more difficult at the start, but rest assured they come with greater rewards!

Remember to double-check for errors before uploading your work. Good luck on keeping the attention of your readers!

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]
0 comments
Labels: , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)