Articles: copywriting

Copy on a leaflet, a poster or a business card has a few seconds to hold the reader. That makes the order of the information and the language you borrow from your audience the decisive factors. The articles here circle one idea: write about what the reader gains, not about how long your company has existed.

Start with the reader, not with yourself

The simplest test is this: read your text and count how often a word about the company appears against a word about the customer. If your side wins, rewrite it. Shorter copy usually performs better, but cutting is not about deleting every second sentence - it is about removing whatever adds nothing.

• One leading sentence - the main promise right at the top.
• Detail instead of adjectives - describe the result, not your own excellence.
• A clear next step - say plainly what the reader should do now.
• Careful with jokes - humour attracts, but it has to suit the trade and the audience.

Price, stories and tone of voice

Talking about price is a subject of its own. When it is the only argument, the customer stays until someone offers less. It works far better to show what comes with it - the scope, the timing, the support, the room for corrections. The same goes for case studies: instead of praising the job, tell what the client struggled with and what changed.

If you are preparing copy for a new leaflet or catalogue, start by writing down the three questions customers ask most often. The answers usually make better material than the most polished company description.