How do you create friendly, conversational copy?

I learned from a very successful communicator (who I had the honor of writing with) to write at a seventh-grade level. This obviously does not apply to all situations. but stay away from vocabulary that "regular" folks do not use among friends and family.

One key aspect to consider while using your voice is: your audience. You need to understand what feels friendly for them, not you. For example: there’s a side to you that can resonate best with a side to them. Your audience cannot relate to all of you, it’s just not possible. Giving an example: You may be both chirpy and authoritative in your tone when talking or say, drafting copy. Now, it’s not essential that your audience relates to your chirpiness. Finding out what voice & tone your audience can easily relate to determines success in such cases! Hope this helps!

To the extent of my knowledge and experience, I can confirm such a point of view. The audience prefers to withness of the manner you see the world, the way you feel it: or even the questions raised in your mind regarding that and the answer you find for each or how life treated you, when you rocked your world or when you hit the ground and lost to it. They want to see the real person behind the words. So, you must use your words, your writing style, and above all a pure form of honesty to give them an accurate depiction of your world.

Even when writing about yourself (your brand, your products, etc), the focus isn't *I*; it's *you.* Everyone knows it, right? But this isn't about pronouns. It's referring to POV. Your readers are invested in their feelings. Make them matter to you. too. Are they: Confused? Offer clarity. Unsure? Bolster confidence. Distracted (esp. mobile platform users)? Give them a reason to pay attention.

Your potential prospect can easily connect with your writing when you write like you are speaking to them, instead of writing like a robot. The connection is so important because that's what you use in controlling the emotions of the reader, So writing like you're talking is one great way to get them connected and keep them more engaged. I hope this helps..

Instead of saying: Thanks everyone - say Thank you Wish you all - say wish you Using terms such as buddy, friend, mate in certain situations, helps too. It instantly makes you more close & likeable to the audience.

One thing that can be helpful is to back through your copy. And if you see yourself referring to "I" multiple times (whether for yourself or on behalf of your copywriting client) immediately shift the perspective so it is "client facing", meaning your ideal prospect. Then edit and change your copy for that outward facing perspective and focus. Instead of me telling you I have the answer to this issue for you, let's do a test drive with a few bits of copy... "Maybe right now you're thinking this is a fantastic idea! And it really is. Now, let's see what you come up with for speaking to one, rather than a crowd. Begin by keeping this in mind... It's about you, not me." There. See how easy that was?

I agree! - and in doing this, actually SAY it out loud to a person, it changes the tone and you can feel where it starts to sound “canned” rather than genuine.

Also, think of a SPECIFIC person to write to. It's not just one person, it's you best friend Meg. Or your Uncle Joe. If you don't know anyone who fits the persona you're writing to, try thinking of a fictional character from a book or TV show.

One of the best ways to write thought-provoking copy is to involve the consumer in the conversation. Make it fun. Start a contest. Compare benefits over features. Sell the personality and be relatable! Sounding human is one of many attributes we have vs. AI copy. Start words with conjunctions; it's okay not to have perfect grammar (if you break the rules, the brand is viewed as personable), which is what you want when selling a product/service.

I absolutely agree with the "don't overdo it" admonishment. Why? (did you see what I did there?) Because too many questions feel more like an inquisition. And they are also the hallmark of a rookie copywriter. You may do the multiple question scatter-gun approach because you think you'll capture all potential prospects with wide-ranging questions. But instead, you create something that pesters and irritates. Instead of asking 5 questions in a row, choose ONE powerful overarching question, and then frame the rest as powerful related bullet points instead. "Do you ever feel like [powerful question]?"--->bullet points.

Absolutely, I couldn't agree more! Questions are like the Swiss Army knives of writing – versatile and powerful tools. They not only pique curiosity and engage the reader but also establish a connection by showing genuine interest in their perspective. Crafting relevant, clear, and answerable questions is the key to making this strategy work effectively. It's all about striking the right balance to keep the reader involved without overwhelming them. Great advice! ????

I absolutely agree with this. I don't think there's such a thing as a stupid question. And you never know. What might seem like a random question might just uncover your client’s unique mechanism.

I totally agree => Let's keep things simple! Ask opinion-oriented questions that encourage the readers to respond. "Overdoing" is the best way to MINIMIZE the chances of a response.

Sometimes we get caught up in thinking we have to be very formal in how we create our copy. Wrong. It is infinitely more interesting and engaging to just have a friendly conversation. That doesn't mean it can't still be professional, confident, even commanding. But most of us don't speak in very formal ways in every-day conversations. We do not say "do not." We say don't. Here's a tip: read your copy aloud. And if you sound like a stuffy librarian from 1898, loosen up! Contractions will do this instantly for you, without losing any of the substance of your message. In fact, you may find you have just increased the "know, like, and trust" factor, simply by sounding more approachable and engaging.

completely agree! Contractions are indeed a fantastic way to inject a sense of friendliness and natural flow into your writing. They create a conversational tone that readers often find more engaging and relatable. Plus, the added benefit of saving space and enhancing readability is a win-win. It's essential to strike the right balance and avoid overly informal contractions to maintain professionalism. Thanks for highlighting this valuable writing tip! ????

I love short sentences. And I love short paragraphs too. Why? Because you create a cadence that is easy to follow and feels like a conversation. It also allows your reader to absorb what you're saying faster. When they read your words... And consider them... And say... "Got it." You know you've hit the mark. See? I'm thinking you'll remember this.

Completely agree, When you write..... Have this notion that you're writing to the lazy brains, (These are people who do not like reading long contents) Write like everyone are lazy brains.... Keep your sentence short, And still pass the same message

Completely agree. When I write, my main goal is to ensure that my sentences are clear and concise, each one conveying a single thought. I also find that breaking text into paragraphs enhances readability significantly. The key here is not to complicate your writing to sound intelligent. Instead, focus on being heard and understood by your readers. Imagine writing for yourself — how would you want the text to sound? Believe me, readers tend to struggle with overly complex text. I often lose track of the main idea when confronted with sentences that span an entire paragraph.

Your copy is just similar to writing hooks. Someone recently wrote online that every statement of a piece of copy is a hook in itself. It serves just one purpose: hooking someone to read the next line, then the next! The catch here is: reading your copy till the time you don’t get stuck. The moment you feel a statement does not naturally lead to the next, that’s your cue to work on it!

Copy is the narrator of the story you're introducing to your audience. Copy should be written as "narrator" of your brand's story is meant to speak.

As writers, our ears won't fail us because we listen to conversations everyday, not to mention our own inner dialogues. Write mindfully and edit with the ear. It lets us relax with our writing and be more flexible with language and writing rules that can be bent for more conversational copy.

Absolutely..... Read it aloud and imagine someone is saying this to you, Will it hurt you? Will it make you happy? Will it make you sad? Will it build trust in you? Will it make you take an action? Will it make you so emotional? The first person your copy should hook is YOU! So you must do a proper screening, If you pass, then it's something catchy

I totally agree with this: this not only helps you to understand if your copy flows properly and if your key points are correctly positioned, it also helps to spot errors in spelling and grammar. If you can't stand the sound of your own voice, you can consider using a text-to-speech reader to help.

One of my favorite tricks is to answer the question out loud and record the answer. I find my I use more naturally conversational language when I am speaking. So I simply transcribe the recording and Ihave something that really sounds like me.

I love the concept of using catchphrases to personalize copy and make it conversational. I've been known to say things like "Fair Enough" and "Gahdamn" a lot when I speak. So I ensure it's part of my writing too! Creates a mental checkpoint for readers to relate to your content.

Make it a story ... about them. Who's the character? What do they want? And what's in their way? And how will you/your product help?

Other points to add: Tell Stories: Share anecdotes or real-life examples that relate to your content. Stories are engaging and relatable. Break Text Into Short Paragraphs: Long blocks of text can be intimidating. Use short paragraphs and bullet points to make your content scannable. Active Voice: Prefer active voice over passive voice for more direct and engaging communication. Test and Iterate: Test your copy with your audience, gather feedback, and refine it based on their responses.

Ask someone to read your writing that has little familiarity with it, and wouldn't approach it the same way as an expert who knows all the jargon. One of the first things I asked my interns to do is to read my site and main marketing pieces to get their feedback and ask questions on what they didn't understand. This gave me great insight to writing friendly and approachable copy.