Simple Copy Sells

Keep your copy simple.

People don't want to read excerpts from To the Lighthouse or Pride and Prejudice in their daily lives. I do, but I love words. That's why I write copy. Most of your audience does not like words. How often have you picked up a product (like a razor, for example) and attempted to understand what the box is actually saying?

  • Powered by dyno-flux technology
  • Maximized cutting capacity
  • Hyper-unique appearance

In simpler terms: it rotatesit has more blades, and it's blue. These selling points don't have to be more complicated than that. If you think that the customer won't care about a simply-worded feature like "it's blue", then this isn't a selling point in the first place. Often, overly wordy copy is disguising something that isn't a very good product in the first place.

What to cut

  • All adverbs, most adjectives. Descriptors are more powerful if you don't try to force them on your audience.
  • "Seat Fillers". Just, because, very, etc.
  • Buzzwords. You want this to read like it was written today, for years to come.
  • Anything you've already said once. And if you are saying it better the second time, then cut the first instance.

Cut everything until you can't possibly cut any more and still form a sentence.

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Clients often ask me why it takes so long to write a tagline. Any copywriter can tell you that they'll spend more time on those few words than anything else. The fewer words they use, the more impactful it should be. The same principle applies to logos. Any business would expect a designer to put more work into a logo than a page of their website.

Need concise copy that sticks? Contact me for more information on hiring me as a freelancer.