TIPS FOR WRITING CLEAR COPY

TIPS FOR WRITING CLEAR COPY

1. Put the Reader First

Think of the reader. Ask yourself :

Does the reader understand what I have written?

Does he know the special terminology I have used? Does my copy tell her something important or new or useful? If I was the reader, would this copy persuade me to buy the product? One technique to help you write for the reader is to address the reader directly as “you” in the copy, just ask. Copywriters call this the “you orientation.” Flip through a magazine, and you’ll see that 90 percent of the ads contain the word “you” in the body copy.The column at left shows examples of copy written without regard to the reader’s interests. The column at right gives revisions that make the copy more oriented.

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1. Carefully Organize Your Selling Points

The headline states the main selling proposition, and the first few paragraphs expand on it. Secondary points are covered later in the body copy. If this copy is lengthy, each secondary point may get a separate heading or number.The organization of your selling points depends on their relative importance, the

amount of information you give the reader,and the type of copy you are writing (letter, ad, commercial, or news story).has a rule for organizing sales points in speeches and presentations. His rule is: “Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Tell them. And then, tell them what you told them.” The speechwriter first gives an overview of the presentation, covers the important points in sequence, and then gives a brief summary of these points. Listeners, unlike readers, cannot refer to a printed page to remind them of what was said, and these overviews and summaries help your  audience learns and remembers.Burton Pincus, a freelance copywriter,has developed a unique organizational pattern for the sales letters he writes.Pincus begins with a headline that conveys a promise, shows how the promise is fulfilled, and gives proof that the product

is everything the copy says it is. Then he tells the reader how to order the product and explains why the cost of the product is insignificant compared to its value.Before you create an ad or mailer,write down your sales points. Organize

them in a logical, persuasive, clear fashion. And present them in this order when you write your copy.

1. Break the Writing into Short Sections

If the content of your ad can be organized as a series of sales points, you can cover each point in a separate section of copy.This isn’t necessary in short ads of words or less. But as length increases, copy becomes more difficult to read.Breaking the text into several short sections makes it easier to read.

What’s the best way to divide the text into sections? If you have a series of sections where one point follows logically from the previous point, or where the sales points are listed in order of importance, use numbers.If there is no particular order of importance or logical sequence between the sales points, use graphic devices such as bullets, asterisks, or dashes to set off each new section. If you have a lot of copy under each section, use subheads done Paragraphs should also be kept short.Long, unbroken chunks of type intimidate readers.

A page filled with a solid column of tiny type says,“This is going to be tough to read!”When you edit your copy, use subheads to separate major sections. Leave space between paragraphs. And break long paragraphs into short paragraphs. A paragraph of five sentences can usually be broken into two or three shorter paragraphs by finding places where a new thought or idea is introduced and beginning the new paragraph with that Thought.