3 Stupid Easy Ways to Improve Your Copy (For all Businesses!)

No matter what type of business you run. No matter what type of industry you are in. No matter the size of your company. There is always ONE thing that every business needs to be good at.

What is that thing?

Writing good freaking copy.

While it might seem like copywriting doesn’t matter, it couldn’t be further from the truth. We live in a world that is oversaturated with content, and having good copy is what separates you from your competition.

Good copy allows you to cut through the noise.

Good copy allows you to clearly communicate your message.

Good copy allows you to make an emotional-connection with your audience.

And all of these things combined = more sales for your business.

But while copy is foundational for every business, I understand that not every business has the budget to hire an SEO Copywriter or outsource premium content creation.

Which is why I wrote this article showing YOU 3 simple ways to improve your copy.

These tips are fairly basic but highly effective so if you are quick to implement them, they could positively affect your bottom line right away.

Let’s jump right into it…

Copywriting Tip #1 – Focus on Your Headline

The ultimate 80/20 rule for copywriting is this – focus on your headline!

The headline is without a doubt the most important part of any piece of content. It’s the first words the reader reads and it dictates whether or not the reader will take the action that you want them to take.

Maybe you want them to click a button.

Maybe you want them to fill out a form.

Maybe you want them to read an article.

Whatever your goal is – the headline is the ONLY way to get them to take action.

For example, this article took me about 2.5 hours to write, but I spent 25 minutes just working on the headline.

In fact, headlines are so important that world famous advertiser David Ogilvy said this about them…

 

“Five times as many people read the headline as the body copy. When you’ve written your headline, you’ve spend 80 cents of your dollar”

 

I could literally write 10,000 words JUST about tips and tricks for writing magnetic headlines, so if you are interested in a more in-depth lesson, let me know in the comments below so I can write a follow-up article!

 

Copywriting Tip #2 – Chop up your sentences

 

width=

 

This tip is super simple but it is extremely effective.

Chop it up!

Not everyone likes to read, but NOBODY likes to read enormous walls of text.

Don’t believe me? Check this out.

Would you rather read this…

width=

 

Or this…

 

width=

 

Most people would agree, the 2nd option is MUCH preferable.

Here’s why…

Chopped Up Copy = Easier to Read

This should be obvious, but a wall of text is tough to read – especially on a small mobile screen.

It’s much easier on the eyes and is just simple and easier to follow.

Chopped Up Copy = Better for Storytelling

All copywriters are trying to tell a story, and you will quickly learn that chopping up your text into smaller sentences allows you to more easily create a narrative.

This allows both the writer and the reader to see and experience the storyline unfolding, as each line serves its own purpose before moving on to the next line, which serves a different purpose.

So on and so forth.

Chopped Up Copy = Better for SEO

Yes, believe it or not, by chopping up your copy you will ALSO be helping your SEO-efforts.

This is because of something called ‘bounce-rate’.

If your copy is a large, annoying wall of text, then readers are likely to get annoyed and are more likely to hit the ‘back’ button.

If Google sees that the majority of your SEO traffic is hitting the ‘back’ button – it’s telling Google that you are not a high-quality piece of content. So Google’s super-sophisticated algorithms will replace you with a piece of content that has a lower-bounce rate, and therefore better serves the reader.

So for all these reasons and endless more – please, chop up your copy.

Copywriting Tip #3 – Use High Emotion Words

 

width=

 

Another simple hack to improve your copywriting – use high-emotion words.

When it comes to copywriting, high-emotion words can be extremely powerful. These types of words help create emotional responses to your copy, which allows you to increase the likelihood of an action.

So you might be asking yourself… What are some high emotion words?

Let’s go over a few.

In my opinion, it’s best to look for high-emotion words that are within the context of the emotion you are trying to evoke.

For example, a local flower shop is going to try and evoke a different emotional response from their customers than a business that makes security systems for homes.

Each business has different needs. To best serve YOUR business needs, consider what emotions you are trying to evoke from your customer base.

For instance, the local flower shop probably wants men to buy flowers for the women in their lives.

Why?

Because flowers make their women feel happy and loved. Here are some words that can help evoke those types of feelings…

  • Bliss
  • Joy
  • Delight
  • Sunny
  • Gratified
  • Thrilled

But the flower shop also might want to put together an ad for a post-valentines-day flower deal. This deal might specifically be targeted to all the men who forgot to buy flowers for their loved ones. This type of copy needs to evoke feelings of fear of loss and of urgency.

Words/phrases like…

  • Before it’s too late
  • Last-minute deal
  • Safe
  • Bargain
  • Discount

Another example would be a business that makes home security systems. They want their customers to feel a sense of security from their products. They would use words like…

  • Secure
  • Always
  • Confident
  • Protected
  • Convenient
  • Effective

You need to figure out the emotional response you want from your audience, and to use words that help serve that purpose.

But where do I find high-emotion words?

One of my favorite resources, this list of 380 high-emotion words will give you inspiration for any type you need to make your copy more emotional and interesting.

Final Thoughts

Remember, the most important part of writing great copy is making sure that your copy CONNECTS with your desired audience.

In my opinion, if your copy is not connecting, it is failing.

If you are looking for ways to connect with your audience and increase sales, speak to one of our Digital Strategists today to learn more about our SEO Services and our Premium Content Writing Services.

What do you think about copywriting? Do you have any more tips for how to better improve copywriting? Let us know in the comments below – thanks!