Four Ways to Personalize Your Copy and Capture the Readers Attention
Being able to personalize your copy means that what you will produce is unique – a testament to your skills and talent. If you want to personalize your copy, here are 4 ways you can use your one-of-a-kind style to write copy that truly stands out:
Know who you are
Psychologists, writers and marketers from Hippocrates to Brian Tracy have created labels to categorize each person's personality. That's why you get words such as Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholic and Phlegmatic and the more recent Driver, Analytical, Amiable and Expressive. What about you? Are you upbeat? Assertive? Aggressive? Optimistic? Laid Back?
Find out which personality type you are if it's still unclear to you. Taking tests or asking close friends for their opinions will help. You could also check your writings in the past so you can compare how you have progressed over time.
Be who you are
One common mistake among writers is that they try to be something they are not, thinking that readers will appreciate the effort. Wrong. Readers can be quite clever at spotting fakes so the tone and manner of your writing will tell them whether you're bluffing or not.
Instead of pretending to be someone else, use your own quirks and personal ways of expression to write your copy. You'll find that it will be easier to write and the flow of the copy will be looser and more effortless.
Speak to your readers through your writing
Writing is a means of expression, so it has the same function as speech – to communicate and reach out. Instead of agonizing over how to personalize your copy, try to speak to your readers through your writing but use the tone and style that you would use if you were speaking.
Try using the first and second person when writing. If you want to personalize your copy when writing about organic vegetable planting, for example, avoid using third person nouns such as 'the gardener', 'they' or 'them'. Use 'I', 'my', 'you' or 'your' to make it sound as if you're talking directly to the person.
Imagine that you and your reader are engaged in a real discussion. How would you talk? How would you present your ideas? What words would you use? By writing an article that sounds as if you were speaking to the reader directly, you will be able to produce a highly personalized copy. The flow of ideas will be much more natural and easy to relate to.
Personalize your copy but be useful
There is a point in a writer's work where he or she must compromise. After all, the end user of a write-up is not the writer but his readers. If your readers cannot relate to or understand what you have to say, then all your efforts would be in vain.
Try to write copy that your readers will find interesting and useful, something that will allow your personality to shine through at the same time. Personalize your copy by making sure that readers equate you to quality write-ups and information that they can truly make use of and value.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=967b7182-8af5-41f6-ad0d-783372befa75)
Online Copywriting: Make It Short and Simple
Why It Has to Be Short and Simple
You can blame it on various factors, but regardless of the reason behind it, online readers tend to be more demanding and impatient. A short and simple copy is able to give them what they want quickly and easily. A longer and more in-depth one can’t.
It’s also best to think of online readers as having tunnel vision. They have a one-track mind, and if the first instance that they suspect your copy of being unable to give them what they want, they’ll immediately switch to the next website in their list.
If you want to please online readers with your copy, you need to give them what they want without any delay. If they want you to explain in greater detail, they’ll only have to click the link you’ve thoughtfully provided for them. But until they do that, it’s better to stick with the plain but effective short-and-simple format.
No Fancy Words
Online readers skim and when they happen to skim right to the part you’ve used a fancy word they don’t comprehend, you stand to lose not just their attention but their presence in your website. And all of that is just because you took pains to use a fancy word. Such effort will remain unappreciated by online readers so don’t bother wasting your time with it.
Stick to the Facts and Figures
Online readers aren’t interested in things that haven’t yet been proven. What they want are statistics and the more impressive they are, the better! In this case, you’ll have the type of reader who doesn’t mind but in fact prefers that you brag. If there’s data you can share to convince your reader of buying your product or service, share it.
Don’t Overwhelm
Online readers are easy to scare. Give them an online copy that’s longer than a full-length page or two and they won’t even try to read it. Effective online copies never overwhelm their readers. Their sentences are simple and basic. Their paragraphs are the same and composed of not more than four or five sentences.
If a few sentences or a single paragraph are not enough to explain a particular concept, break it into several paragraphs instead. If you want to be a good copywriter, the first thing you have to understand is avoid doing anything that scares off your readers.
One Idea at a Time
Don’t make your readers frown in puzzlement. They want information given to them in a smooth-flowing manner, preferably in a step-by-step method. As such, you need to stick to one idea per paragraph. Given the ideal length for paragraphs, doing otherwise is foolhardy anyway.
Use Proper Formatting
Making your online copy convenient for your readers is another sign of good copywriting. One way of doing that is to use proper formatting. Subheading, large and legible fonts, and bullet points are just a few ways to make reading – or skimming – easier for your customers.
Keep these tips in mind the next time you write an online copy!
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=29bd39e3-a4dc-401a-8fec-cc7cba7b7582)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
