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When you think about writing copy, you probably see it as a creative process, and for the most part, it is. But the creativity can’t be manufactured out of thin air. It needs to be fueled by something, and the best copywriters understand that the most effective fuel for creativity is good, focused research.

How can you expect to sell a product if you don’t take the time to get to know it intimately? How can you expect to build a connection with an audience if you don’t spend time learning who they are, what’s important to them, how they communicate, etc.? How can you expect to differentiate yourself from the competition if you don’t know anything about them?

Too many copywriters try to take shortcuts, relying on guesswork and their “wit,” rather than spending their time on research. There is no substitute for research in copywriting. Period. No matter how busy you are or how quickly you want to get that copy out there, you have to spend time researching the product to learn everything there is to know about it.

Often times, you’ll discover during your research that the true appeal of a product is something that’s not apparent up front. It’s only when you truly dig deeper and learn about the product or actually use it yourself that you realize that it’s not always the most obvious benefit of the product that you need to focus your copy on.

Stop looking aimlessly for inspiration. Instead, start researching, and inspiration will have its own special way of finding you.

Just when you finally got the art of writing website copy down, along comes something else new that you have to learn. Thanks to the abundance of smart phones, it has now become important for copywriters to know how to write great content for mobile versions of websites. Make no mistake, mobile web copywriting is different than the typical website copywriting you’ve grown accustomed to.

The main thing to remember is that mobile users are typically even more easily distracted than regular web users, and that’s saying a lot. Not only do they have the standard short attention span of someone browsing the web, but they also have the distractions of incoming phone calls, text messages, push notifications, and much more. Maybe they’re just surfing the web while standing in line or while riding in the car with someone.

What does this mean for you?

It means you need to think like a mobile user. You need to understand why someone would be browsing your website from their cell phone.

In most cases, they’re browsing for reference purposes. They’re looking for specific information. Maybe they’re in a store looking at a similar product and they want to compare it to yours.

This means your copy needs to be tight and focused. You don’t have time to build up to the point. You have to get straight to the meat and potatoes of your sales message. No long intros. No longwinded stories. Get to the point ASAP.

You also have to remember that mobile phones have tiny screens. What might look like just a short paragraph on your computer screen could look like a long narrative on a tiny mobile device, requiring a lot of scrolling. You have to keep this in mind while writing your copy. Figure out how to get the most impactful message across with the least possible amount of scrolling required.

The best way to achieve this is to set a goal for each page on your mobile website. Figure out the main purpose of the page, and cut out everything from your content that doesn’t contribute to that goal.

In short, think like you’re Tweeting or texting. Make it concise, smart, and easy to understand. Waste no words, but don’t forget to include some intrigue that encourages people to keep reading and take action.

What are your best mobile copywriting tips?

As a copywriter, I deal with a lot of projects that involve SEO copywriting. On these projects, the client will typically send over a sitemap that includes a list of keywords to target on each page. Pretty standard stuff at this point.

However, I occasionally get clients who insist on incorporating misspelled keywords in their copy because they get a good amount of search volume. And I refuse to do it.

For example, let’s say I’m doing copy for a website that sells daiquiri mix. “Daiquiri” is a word that’s commonly misspelled in a number of different ways, and I’m sure those misspellings garner some decent search volume, but that doesn’t mean you should incorporate them into your website copy.

Why not? I’ll give you a couple of reasons.

First, let’s look at it from an SEO perspective. The whole idea behind targeting misspelled keywords is to drive traffic, right?

Google’s main initiative is to improve the quality of their search results. They’re trying to get rid of shady, low quality websites, and you can bet that, sooner or later (if it doesn’t already), Google (and the other search engines) will see websites that are full of misspelled words as low quality and spammy.

But that’s not even the most important reason to avoid incorporating misspelled keywords into your copy.

Think about your visitors. I don’t know about you, but I absolutely would not feel comfortable doing business with a company whose website was full of typos. It just doesn’t look professional. It makes your company look amateurish, careless, and possibly sketchy. And in a day and age where consumers are less trusting than ever before, you can’t afford to give them another reason to distrust your company.

Do you target misspelled keywords on your website?

In most cases, if you want to sell something, you’ll need to write up some compelling sales copy for the prospect to read. Whether it’s a landing page or a direct mail sales letter, there are certain steps you can follow that will help you create copy that’s focused, effective, and error-free.

1. Create a plan—Before I start writing, I like to have an idea of where the piece is headed. I don’t create overly-detailed outlines, but I do like to make a list of things that will help me stay focused and on track, such as identifying the main problem, outlining a solution, addressing objections, making an offer, and having a strong call to action.
2. Let the writing flow—I like to crank out the initial rough draft for the copy in one sitting. I find that my copy flows better when I write it all at once, rather than taking breaks and putting it together piece by piece. This allows me to get into a zone, and often times, new ideas will pop up as I write.
3. Leave your copy alone for a day or so—Never finalize copy that you just wrote. You need to step away from it for at least a day so that you can come back and look at it with a fresh set of eyes. I promise you’ll see mistakes that you didn’t notice before.
4. Edit for maximum impact—When you come back to edit your copy, don’t worry about grammar and typos just yet. The most important thing is the effectiveness of the sales message. Is it clear? Does it really speak to the reader’s problems? Does it answer their questions? Is any critical information missing or have you included things that don’t need to be there?
5. Proof for errors—After you’ve fine-tuned the sales message, now you can proofread your copy for errors. Check out these 5 tips for proofreading your copy more effectively.

What’s your writing process? Share it with me by leaving a comment.

I’ve often said that great copy creates a conversation with the reader. It doesn’t speak at the reader, it speaks with them. There’s a difference.

Conversational copy gives the brand a distinct voice that consumers can connect with. It engages the readers and speaks directly to the issues they’re facing. As a result, it keeps them on your website longer and leads to more conversions.

But how can you create a conversational flow in your copy? Here are 5 tips to help you out.

1. Learn your target audience’s language—Your target audience will determine the style of your copy. For example, 14 year old girls speak differently than 40 year old men. You need to study the way your target audience speaks and do your best to create copy that captures that style. Simply put, speak to them in a language they can understand.
2. Keep sentences short and clear—Long sentences kill the flow of your copy. They instantly make you seem boring, and they just appear intimidating. Keep your sentences focused on one thought. And while you’re at it, make sure your paragraphs are short too.
3. Ditch the big words—Big words don’t make you sound smart, and they don’t make your product sound more impressive. The average person doesn’t speak using 15-letter words. Clarity is key.
4. Read it aloud—After you’ve written your copy, read it aloud. Does it feel authentic? Are there any parts that don’t feel conversational?
5. Use contractions—Contractions help to make your copy feel less formal and more conversational. Most people use contractions when they speak, so it just makes sense to use them in your copy.

What are some of the things you do to make your copy more conversational? Share your best tips by leaving a comment.