8 Basic Copywriting Tips for ALL Businesses

You’re a business owner. You write your own copy.

But what exactly makes good copywriting?

There are a LOT of posts on this topic, with so many covering the same old ground.

So let’s strip away the fluff.

How can YOU be a good copywriter?

Here goes:

1. Come as you are

Said no great grunge musician ever.?

(Kurt Cobain, in case you were wondering.)

Seriously though, come? – or, more accurately, WRITE – as you are.

Not as someone else, but as yourself.

(It’s what I’m doing in this article. ??)

Okay, Rob. How?

2. Keep it conversational

I’m a teacher and lecturer by training.

But do I sound formal right now, like you’re reading a cover letter?

No – we’re having a conversation, aren’t we?

Exactly.

And so it should be when you’re writing your copy.

It needs to FEEL like a conversation: light, friendly, and accessible.?

It needs to sound like YOU.?

The YOU people like talking to, not the you on your CV.

Okay… But, again, how?

Read on, Macduff… ??

3. How to sound conversational

?? Cut down on ‘I’ and add in more ‘you’.

(Unless you’re bringing your own experience into your writing.)

This moves the emphasis onto your target reader (more on this below).

?? Kick off your sentences with a verb, like I have with this one.

Start, try, think about, use, imagine, picture, buy…

You name it, by fronting your sentences with verbs, you’re leading your reader through your writing while engaging them in the conversation.

?? Mix up the length of your sentences.

Switch between the occasional longer and more complicated sentence – like the one you’re currently reading – and shorter ones. Like this one.

Your writing will sound more natural and conversational if you do. And less like ChatGPT, whose writing ‘style’ is typically very consistent.?

You’ll also engage your readers, most of whom like variety.

?? Same story with paragraphs – mix ‘em up.

You want some long ones and some short ones.?

Some that are one sentence long – heck, even one word long! –? and some that run on and on.?

Not too long though – otherwise you’ll make your copy hard to skim or scan (for those who want either the gist of what you’re saying, or who’re looking for specific information).

Try to keep your paragraphs to one idea or point in length, especially if it’s IMPACT you’re after (in which case... the shorter, the better, generally speaking).

?? Are you using questions in your copy?

No? Use them.?

As with the point above about verbs, questions help you lead your reader through your writing.

Use them to elicit the response you want from your reader – whether that’s a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’, or something more specific.

Put the ball in your reader’s court – make them think.

Just don’t expect to hear any answers!

?? Use the active voice

? I am using the active voice here.

? The passive voice is being used here.

Use the active voice freely.

Avoid the passive voice like the plague.

4. Write to ONE person

Here’s an important twist.

Yes, your writing needs to be conversational, and it needs to sound like you.

But you also need to be mindful of WHO you’re writing to.

You need to make sure it’s someone who buys your product or service.

Let me be clear – this should be ONE person from your target audience, NOT your target audience as a whole.

If you’re writing to an audience (aka a multitude of people)… you’re writing to no ONE person.

You need to write to ONE person from your audience, and you need to SOUND as you would if you were having a conversation with that person.

After all, how you sound and who you are in conversation (your register), is very different between conversations with different people – the milkman, a doctor, your bridesmaid, an academic.

Your writing needs to sound like a conversation between you and that ONE person above (sometimes called your ideal customer avatar).

And no, not the doctor – unless they’re the one who’s buying your stuff. ??

5. Who exactly do I choose, and how do I write to them?

Good question.

It helps to think of someone you know IRL (in real life) – a real person who already buys your product or service.

If you can’t, no dramas. Imagine someone who buys what you sell, then write to them. Try to picture them in your mind in a bit of detail.

Either method above works.

As daft as it sounds, try composing your copy (whether that’s web copywriting, an email, a LinkedIn post etc) as a letter to your chosen person.

Add a salutation and sign-off, if it helps (though don’t forget to remove these at the end! ??).

While you may need to edit it afterwards, you’ll find that doing this WILL help you achieve the personal tone you’re after in your final copy.

6. Know your goal

Why am I writing this article?

To inform.?

Specifically, to inform YOU – most likely a business owner who’s tired of reading dry, jargon-filled, business-y writing – how to write copy that captures your readers’ attention… that gets them to do what you want them to do.

That’s the goal of MY writing here.?

But what’s the goal of YOURS?

(And you need to be super clear on this.)

Is it also to inform? Is it to entertain? Or is it to persuade? Convert? Retain?

Remember who you’re writing to, then think: “What does this person want to read, and why?”

Lots of questions – but only one answer.

Make sure you know it. ??

7. Grammar – does it matter?

Remember who you’re writing to.

Yes, you did just read that a second time.

But you didn’t read ‘WHOM you’re writing to’. No.

Why?

Because that’s not how we speak in everyday conversation, even if it is grammatically correct.?

Don’t get me wrong, having a decent working knowledge of grammar helps, particularly if that matters to your target customer.

But unless the person you’re writing to – that ONE person we talked about – is someone you would speak to in this way, it really isn’t the be all and end all.

And that’s be-all and end-all, if we’re being strictly correct. ??

Oh, you didn’t notice?

Exactly. ??

(The same point applies to starting sentences with ‘And’, using all caps in your copywriting, and everything else. Nothing’s off limits… just be mindful of who you’re writing to!)

8. What about words?

Same rule applies – use the vocabulary you would use if you were speaking to your one person.

? Don’t speak UP to them.

? Certainly don’t speak ABOVE them, or DOWN to them.

? Don’t speak AT them.

? Speak TO them, as a conversational equal. As though you were having coffee together, chatting about business.

Are you using grown-up, fancy words?

Maybe.?

But my guess is you aren’t.

Conclusion

As a business owner, you want to take pride in your copywriting. Don’t we all?

Heed the 8 copywriting tips in this article, and you’ll be well on your way to writing great copy.

Still struggling with your copy and want an expert copywriter to help?

Contact me at Lobster Copy and let’s grow your business today.