Hi, I’m Abbie, and I’m here to let you know how to write good.
In all seriousness, I’ve been around the writing block a few times and have collected a few helpful writing tips. Braden and Sarah are a couple of geniuses when it comes to marketing and software development, but while they write great code, they needed someone to write great copy. That’s where I came in!
I’ve compiled a list of things I keep in mind when I sit down to write business copy. Let’s get started!
What’s Your Why?
Your first step should always be defining the purpose of the copy. You might be thinking: Uh, what? If I sit down to write something, I’m already going to know what I’m writing about.
Unfortunately, it’s not always that easy – sometimes you need to know how to write about your topic as well. To make things a bit simpler, ask yourself a few questions before writing your copy:
- Who are you speaking to?
- What do they want to read?
- What will make them click?
- How will you keep them reading the article?
- What are you ultimately trying to convey to that audience?
For example, this is how I answered those questions for this post:
- Who are you speaking to?
Potential and present clients of Romega - What do they want to read?
Informative, helpful advice to help them grow their business - What will make them click?
A tongue-in-cheek title - How will you keep them reading the article?
Tell them a bit about myself, establish a personal connection - What are you trying to convey to that audience?
Romega’s expertise and a bit of our personality
So far, I think this has made for a pretty great blog post! (What, too soon?)
Write Brain, Left Brain
My background in writing is made up of two parts: creative, flowery writing and bare-bones journalistic writing. From my experience, it’s beneficial to be fluent in both.
You need the writing style that catches people’s attention and gives your business personality (right brain). You also need the writing style that sells, one that shows your expertise and makes product ship (left brain). This balance of creative and straightforwaard writing does wonders for your copy. This blog post on Copyblogger is a great read if you want to add a bit of flourish to your business writing.
Sometimes the answers you need are neither in your left or right brain, but in someone else’s. Knowing when to ask for help is an important skill in every field, and writing is no exception. A big part of writing solid copy for your business is collaborating with your team. At a small business like Romega, it’s easy to ask Sarah a question like “Does this sound right?”, or check with Braden about a software detail I would definitely not know. Find at least one other pair of eyes and ears to run things by, it can make all the difference.
It Was Inside You All Along
Perhaps the most important part of writing good content has been within you all along: your own voice. No one is going to have your exact perspective and your particular word choices, it’s something truly unique that you should feel comfortable using! This extends to pronouns as well: using “I” and “me” talking to “you”. Not only does this establish a sense of familiarity between you, the writer, and your reader, but it also gives your business a little personality. After all, your business probably has competition, other people can provide the services you offer. What those businesses don’t have is you. Use that to your advantage!
Hopefully, these tools will give you the confidence to write better copy. However, if you’re still feeling shaky, or just don’t have the time to dedicate to achieving the quality you need, give us a call. We’re excited to help!
