Category Archives: Copywriting Tips
Creative Writing for the Consumers – The Art and The ...
“Writing is a form of personal freedom. It frees us from the mass identity we see all around us. In the end, writers will write not to be outlaw heroes of some underculture but mainly to save themselves, to survive as individuals.” - Don DeLillo
And copywriters know a thing about surviving in the big bad world of words, ROIs and referrals.... and love it, don't we?
Creative writing is omnipresent, and forms the backbone of the consumerist world. Anything that is not on a doctor's note, newspaper (yes), legal documents and contracts is a piece of creative writing. On the web, blogs, articles, product descriptions, advertisements, twitter updates, novels, stories, verses etc - all fly out from the umbrella of creativity with the objective to gather readers who buy.
As a receiver of million messages everyday, readers find some standing out among the rest while others simply blown away in the stream of commonness. The ones that stick to your mind are obviously creative but what about those that whiff away with just a single sigh, aren't they? They too are but may lack in core elements. Don't know what those core elements are? Read below to find out.
What does it take to go that extra mile when writing creatively for your consumers?
Connection - Your copy from the first word itself must establish a connection with the target receiver/ reader.
Condition - It must address the condition that
Read More... Does it Make a Difference – It’s English An...
With English language going places, each culture has added their own frills to it. Through the days of colonization, when English was an important connecting language between the colonized and the colonizers, to the current time where it is the global business language. And this business language is a neutral as far as local influences are concerned and entails its set of rules (not just grammar).
Even with the standards set, the local usage has managed to stick and resulted in some clouds of confusion hovering over an otherwise straightforward usage. And over the years these clouds have become so thick that in many cases the usage has surpassed the logic.
One such example is usage of 'different than' & 'different from'.
different than vs. different from
Both the phrases 'different than' and 'different from' are frequently used and that too inevitably. Though the grammarians rule out the use of 'than' after 'different', but the common usage of comparative preposition after 'different' has lead to the belief that different is a comparative adjective and should be followed by 'than', like better than and faster than. But it's not a comparative! The word 'different' is used to make a distinction and hence as we say separate from, distinct from, apart from, we also say different from.
Important: The use of 'different than' is correct when 'different' is followed by a dependent claus
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How to Use Conjunctions?
Conjunctions join words, sentences and clauses.
Conjunctions are of two types. There are either co-ordinate conjunctions or subordinate conjunctions.
Co-ordinate conjunctions: and, but, either - or, neither – nor
Co-ordinate conjunctions are used to bring together two equally significant sentences or clauses. As the name suggests these help sentences to co-ordinate with each other. The sentences make full sense when read individually and are bought together to convey more than already mentioned.
Read More... - He woke up early in the morning.
- He woke up early in the morning and was able to catch the train on time.
- He woke up early in the morning but missed the train.
- Either he wakes up early in the morning or he will miss the train.
- Neither he woke up early in the morning nor he boarded the train.
- I want to wear the dress.
- I want to wear the dress that has
Which way to go? That way to go! – Using THAT and...
Words can be confusing sometimes and grammar books instead of resolving the confusion traps us more. Like the use of ‘that’ and ‘which’ can be such a task! It’s so daunting that people avoid using them and hang on to petty punctuation marks for support. Anyhow, here’s another Read More…
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How to write that first sentence?
Confused? Have too much to write and don't know where to start from? Welcome to the matrix of a writer's mind!
Copywriting is something where all your experience can make you bite your finger nails when it comes to writing that first sentence. If the headline is the hook then the first sentence of the copy is the bait that allures readers to the copy and no fish will fall for it until its juicy! No pressure but the first sentence is what sticks the reader to the copy. So be creative, innovative and work those neurons to make that bait taste even better!
First sentences won't come that naturally as the rest of the copy. Read below to see how can you work on them:
Read More... - A writer can try different tactics - from questioning your readers to commanding them, a number of tones can be used to make it sound just right.
- Other experienced ones will use quotes by more prominent writers to have that bang in the beginning.
- Some will start with just one word. The word that aptly defines the crux of your post.
- Others may go for a humorous beginning.
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Tagged copywriting, first sentence, writers, writing the first sentence
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Writing In Limits
“The best writers say the most with the fewest words; the worst say the least with the most words.” - Tarl Roger Kudrick
Read More... There goes another quote on writing less. Time and again, writers have emphasized on the greatness of adages and aphorisms. And was that clairvoyant or what! The age has finally come where few words make all the difference. The age we are living through , tweet after tweet. Still don’t get it? Well next time you try and squeeze your bizarre adventure into a 140 character length twitter update, you will know exactly what we mean. The New York Times has already acknowledged it and even prompted inclusion of the art of writing less but intelligent in formal writing courses: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/opinion/20selsberg.html?_r=1
And why must a Copywriter Care Unless you’re planning to abandon the ship, you would not want to kiss your word-driven career goodbye, right? For any forward-looking copywriter it’s time to give rhetoric a backseat and welcome eloquence and precision in your writing style. You will need it especially when you weave your magic with: Twitter Updates FaceBook Feeds Comments or may be your next text message. Too cut the long story short lest we start crushing our own soldiers in war, write Short, SmCopywriting Tips to Make Your Copy Stand Out
Web copywriting is smart writing. You need to be a smart writer to create a niche for yourself among the sea of content/ copy writers available on the Internet. Correct placement of the 'keyword' along with sensible language and ideas help you create a high ranking copy. However, that does not mean that one relies on the ‘keyword’ to carry the weight of the whole copy.
There are other factors that prevent the copy from caving in and letting the keyword be natural in its appearance, such as:
Concision & Clarity – A copy must be concise and clear. You just cannot afford to be inconclusive in your sentences. A reader has to be very sure of what he is reading the entire time. The reader’s focus and a copywriter's aim should never part ways.
Crispness – What is the fun of reading a post unless it hasn't got something that can stick the reader to it! Crisp sentences add readability factor to a post.
Brevity – A few words say quite a lot, so don’t go overboard with your ideas. Create an impact on the reader in few well placed words (including the keyword, for sure), instead of never-ending babble.
Focus – Though it is most likely to happen, but a writer should never lose focus from the keyword and the purpose of the article. Humor can be a part of the article but don't make it sound really casual and general. Rather focus on what is relevant and then m
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Which way to go? That way to go! – Using ‘t...
Words can be confusing sometimes and grammar books instead of resolving the confusion traps us more. Like the use of 'that' or 'which' can be such a task! It's so daunting that people avoid using them and hang on to petty punctuation marks for support. Anyhow, here's another brave attempt to put an end to this 'albatross' of a confusion because one must never abandon hope!
Consider this; You saw an amazing crystal vase at a friend's place or can't wait to talk about it with your wife. Hoping that she isn't a grammar high-brow, you can escape the ire by using either of the following:
“The beautiful crystal vase that we saw at Frank's place”
OR
“The beautiful crystal vase which we saw at Frank's place”
And if your wife is a grammar snob then why bring up the vase anyway? :)
The choice between 'that' or 'which' depends on something called restrictive and non-restricitve clauses. Clauses are part of a sentence with a subject and verb but are not complete on their own.
'That' is used in sentences with restrictive clauses that is they are essential or restrictive. Example:
Buy shoes that are red in color.
Let's go to that flower shop.
We are taking kids out for that toy movie.
'Which' is used in sentences that have non-restrictive and non-essential clauses. Example:
He bought patent shoes, which are red in color.
Read More... Content Marketing that Converts
Is the content on your website paying you or are you paying for the content on your website? If latter is the case and it has been so for a very long time, then it's time to change your content from mere descriptions to strong marketing calls. It is important that you see your content as a medium to 'talk' to your customers because believe it or not but your customers love human interaction instead of automated responses.
So what kind of content marketing can get you more customers/ conversions?
First things first - get out of the habit of giving your sweet looking products a long & boring description. Try a fresh approach. Let your words be as good as the product is. Choose simple and 'warm' words that convey ideas and purposes and not just dimensions and elements of products. Remember that you are not talking to a non-living congolomerate of buyers but breathing and living customers.
Next - content is not something that cannot be avoided. Do not add unnecessary content (in other words – fluff) when a picture has already done the job. This fluff will only delay the buying action that the customer has already decided to make. Ironic as it may sound but adding irrelevant text is a failed content marketing attempt.
The final step - write unique. It is good to play safe with many things, but not necessarily with content. If you are writing for 'your' website, do add the ‘you' in it
Read More... You’re Vs. Your – The Important Distinction
It's the grammar snob again, and this time I'll pick up another very common and very unnerving error. If a grammarian sees this particular goof up in your writing, you WILL be mercilessly attacked. We all know about grammarians now, don't we?
The error I'm talking about is the mixing up of you're and your. Are you one of the many confused? Don't worry, you're reading this and your confusions will be cleared! Let's look at these tricky words individually:
You're
You're is a contraction, i.e., a combination, of 'you are'. It is often followed by the present participle, a verb form ending in '-ing'.
Some examples:
You're a nice person.
I think you're lying.
I can't believe you're here!
Your
Your, on the other hand, is the possessive form of you. It is used to describe something as belonging to you. Your is almost always followed by a noun.
Some examples:
Is this your pen?
Your book is on the table.
Your hand looks a little bruised!
Important Tip:
When confused, try replacing you're with 'you are' in the sentence. If it fits, you're good! Otherwise, 'your' is the word you're looking for!
Very Important Note:
There is absolutely no such word as your'e!!
Want to add something? Have any inputs? Please feel free to
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