Content Writing & Copywriting Blog

Readers on the web

Apr 11, 2004 No Comments »

Most web readers do not read complete sentences and paragraphs, unless they are reading a white paper or a piece of literature. They generally scan the headlines, or the words and expressions that grab their attention. Web readers tend to scan text online and read text offline. They typically do not read a page from start to end.

One primary reason is that there is so much to see on the web. Unlike a magazine or a newspaper, the pages are not limited by their numbers. There is no limit. At any time one can go to any website. So you are not only competing with competing websites, you are also competing with myriad distractions that a typical web reader comes across.

Write to grab attention.

Use a style that keeps the reader from clicking away.

Talk in simple language

Apr 10, 2004 No Comments »

Not everybody is doing a Masters’ in Literature. Keep your message short and simple. Try to say more with fewer words. Say the exact thing and be done with that. In your copy, every sentence matters. So be always sure of everything you write. Don’t use complex language. The greatest things in the world have been expressed in simplest of words.

Plain language is easier to read and understand. Your brain takes less time to process simpler words and so the eye can move faster. It matters especially when a person is reading your message on a computer screen, online. Besides, some people use reading software. So if the software doesn’t spend time figuring out what your words mean, the user can read your message smoothly.

But “plain” also doesn’t mean drab and unstimulating. Here, your verbal skill comes handy. Choose words that can be effortlessly read, but that convey the exact meaning.

Convincing the reader

Apr 07, 2004 No Comments »

This can be the most crucial part of your copy. If you cannot convince the reader of your copy to perform a certain action (for example, purchase), then it defeats the purpose. The best way to convince someone is, to write through personal experience. I’m not saying that you write something like, “I have used this product and it is good, so you buy it too.” No, this does not work unless you are a celebrity endorsing something. What I mean is, believe in the product, and the feeling will come through your words. Talk to people who have been using the product or service. Note down their experiences.

Advertising Copy

Apr 05, 2004 No Comments »

Advertising copy - mostly - is all about selling. Whether you are selling a product, a service, a tourist destination, or an event, the soul purpose of an advertising copy is to spread the word in order to generate business. The “business” need not always be money. The right result is the nirvana of a good advertising copy.

An advertising copy can also be used to establish a brand, but then again, in the long run, brands help generate long-term business gains.

Personally, I think advertising copy is one of the trickiest writing jobs available. In a few seconds, you have to grab the attention of a reader who is constantly bombarded with scores of ads every day. Then you have to put your point across in as few words as you can manage, and then stimulate the reader enough to act on your words.