It would be nice if there was only one writing style across all English publications, but life is never that easy. Ideally of course, if you're a freelance editor, you would want to own a copy of every style guide, because you will often have to edit according to every client's respective house style. but that can get costly and confusing.
Read moreThe Copywriter's Foolproof Guide to Creating Effective Copy
Copywriting is different from content writing in that it's about selling something, whether it's a product or service, or selling a company through their website. Effective copywriting will target a specific audience by getting inside their minds and using the language and tone that most appeal to them. A copywriter must keep both their client and their client's customer in mind, while also reining in his or her own voice. I go through a specific process when I write copy for a company's website to make sure the language feels right. This guide will help you to create the most effective copy for your brand.
Step 1: Who?
Naturally, the first thing you need to consider before you begin writing is who you're writing for? Who is your client is and who is their target customer? Does your client cater to millennials? Stay-at-home moms? Successful copy depends on reaching the right audience, and if you use high school slang or make millennial pop culture references on a website intended for the 35+ crowd, chances are they won't stick around to keep reading because they won't identify with your content.
Step 2: How?
How does your client want their customer to feel? Once you know the target audience, you can branch off into a tone that would best appeal to the audience. A high-end restaurant, for example, would probably want you to use a more formal language and fancy-pants wording to portray a luxurious, exclusive tone. A fast-food chain, on the other hand, might prefer to keep things casual and use simple, fewer-syllable words to portray a chill, laid back vibe.
Step 3: Make a list
Based on my established target customer, I will then make a list of words that would resonate with or be used by that audience. For example, one of my clients was in a music-related field and they wanted to project an image of luxury. So, before even beginning to write the copy for their website, I made a list of musical-sounding words and that I thought would appeal best to their target customer.
You won't use half the words you come up with, but creating a list of related words puts you in the mindset of that customer and will help generate some kind of flow of ideas.
My actual rough copy for a company's website content.
Step 4: Write out the Facts
I don't know if I'm just a weird person or if other writers would agree with me, but I feel words before I understand them. When I write, I first write total garbage in the way that I want my writing to feel before plugging in the right words to actually convey my message.
Write down the necessary information before tailoring the content to your client, then just write out anything that comes into your mind. Many writers have trouble getting words out because they over-think what they're writing out, but the best way to figure out what you want to say is to "word-vomit" all over the page.
Step 5: Plug-in
Once I've gotten all my ideas on the page, I mould the text to the client. I'll throw in words from my list, read the text aloud, and see how it flows and makes me feel. Of course, there are infinite ways to write the simplest of ideas, so you will probably want to re-write the whole thing in a completely new way.
I don't think most writers are ever fully happy with their writing; I still re-read old posts and wish I'd written something differently, but by following these steps you can at least ensure that the copy you've written will effectively resonate with your intended audience.