If you’re looking for a fresh approach to copywriting, look no further. In this article, you’re going to discover the exact steps you need to take to elevate your copywriting to the next level.
The Basics
The first thing you need to do to elevate your copywriting is to nail down the basics. As a copywriter, you’ll be using words and sentences to convince potential customers to buy your product or service. To ensure that your copy is error-free and as effective as possible, you need to take the time to learn the fundamentals of English grammar and punctuation. With a little bit of extra effort, you can ensure that your copy is up to snuff. For example, instead of using words such as “a,” “an,” and “the” when referring to a singular noun, you should use words like “this” and “that.” As another example, instead of saying “the snow was beautiful” or “it was a glorious day,” you could say “it was snowing” or “it was sunny.” Not only will this make your writing flow more naturally, but it also takes less effort to write. Also, make sure that your spelling is consistent throughout your text; otherwise, your writing will come off as unprofessional and may even damage your credibility. When you complete the basics, you’re ready to move on to the next step.
Proper Noun-Verb Agreement
One of the most common errors new copywriters make is using the improper noun-verb agreement. For example, if you’re writing about a certain celebrity, you might start a sentence like this: “Taylor Swift is a talented and beautiful young woman.” If you observe this sort of sentence structure in your native tongue, it probably won’t make much sense. The reason behind this is that English is a gendered language. To express that Taylor is both a talent and a woman, you would need to use phrases like “that Taylor Swift” or “the Taylor Swift woman.” Simply put, English is a neutral language, and it doesn’t have a separate gender for nouns. This makes it much easier for non-English speaking individuals to learn the language. In case you’re curious, you can find a grammatically accurate rendition of this sentence here: “Taylor Swift is a talented and beautiful young woman.” This agreement between the subject and the verb is extremely important in copywriting. When you use the wrong one, your writing will come off as sloppy and full of errors. This isn’t what you want to portray, especially when you’re trying to convince someone to buy your product. To learn more, check out this link on the subject:
Proper Noun-Verb Agreement
Style And Substance
Now that you have proper noun-verb agreement and spelling, you can move on to the next step—style and substance. When you write, you’re always trying to achieve a certain effect. This is exactly what makes copywriting so challenging and so much fun. To achieve this effect, you need to follow a certain formula that will help you construct clear, concise, and interesting sentences. While there are many different formulas that experts use, the most basic one goes like this: style + substance = profit. A lot of new copywriters rush into the field without really understanding what this means or why it’s important. As a copywriter, you need to find the style that best represents your brand—be it witty, poetic, or authoritative—and then you need to match this style with relevant and engaging content. Below you’ll discover the exact meaning of style and substance and how to achieve them.
Style
Style is an impression you’re giving with your copy. To create a specific style, you need to take the time to learn about various writing systems and how to use them effectively. One of the most basic ways of achieving style is through the use of different font types. To best showcase the different styles available, you can use tools like this:
Font Comparison
Learning about proper noun-verb agreement and spelling are essential for your copy. However, in the same way you wouldn’t want to learn English all by yourself, you also shouldn’t rush into choosing a font type by yourself. Instead, you should do your research and learn about the different types of fonts—like serif, slab serif, and cursive—and how each one is used for a specific purpose. For example, if you want to create a poetic, literary style for your copy, you should choose a serif font. If you’re trying to create an authoritative style, you should go with something more decorative—like cursive or handwritten fonts.
Substance
Every piece of writing, unless it’s an informative text or a news article, has some sort of underlying purpose. In the same way a business may write an ad to promote a certain product or service, a journalist or blogger may use their writing to raise awareness about a certain cause or issue. To achieve a high level of substance, you need to make sure that each piece of writing has a clear purpose. In your case, this may be to convince potential customers that your product/service is the best or to raise awareness about a certain social issue. Having a clear purpose will help you create pieces that are both interesting and highly effective. If you can’t think of any specific purpose for your copy, you may find it difficult to achieve a high level of substance. For example, if you’re writing an article about the winter holidays, you could say that your goal is to educate your readers about how to celebrate winter holidays.
More Than Meets The Eye
When you’re writing for a living, you’ll eventually get exposure to various styles and formulas. Since English is a universal language, you’ll undoubtedly encounter various forms and styles from speakers of other languages. To best represent your brand, you may also need to incorporate these styles into your writing. For example, if you’re a car manufacturer and you want to write for a French audience, you may need to incorporate French accents and slang into your writing. Even if you don’t plan on having an international audience, you may want to write in a way that makes your readers connect with you. Certainty is a crucial element in any type of writing, but especially in sales and marketing texts. To best sell your product or service, you may need to switch up your writing style to match that of your potential customers. This is why it’s important to identify the style you want to represent your brand and then find the best way to achieve it. When you do this, you’ll be on your way to having a truly unique and powerful voice that can only be you.