Don’t assume

When writing copy, avoid wrapping your content in a veil of secrecy and enigma. Being mysterious is fine for puzzle makers and fortune tellers but it doesn’t always work with writers. Use an unassuming tone in writing instead. Avoid being overbearing or condescending. Just write clearly and use a light, undemanding tone.

Use humor

Humor is very nearly a universal language, which means that with the right words, you can affect the way people see things and even cause them to break into a smile or even laughter.

To make your copy upbeat and fun, inject humor into your writing. Be lively and write with enthusiasm. If you’re bored, it will be reflected in your finished copy. Don’t be afraid to make people laugh because it’s often the easiest way to show them what you mean.

Don’t overdo the words

Some of the best and well-loved writers of the past and present centuries used simple, easy to read language. Anne Rice, Stephen King, Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, Paulo Coelho and Isabel Allende are the kind of writers that did not require their readers to read their works with a dictionary next to them. As a result, their readers find it easier to understand and appreciate their efforts.

To keep the mood of your copy upbeat and fun, don’t try to exert too much effort to impress your readers. They want to be entertained and to be informed – not bewildered or confused. Don’t make it too hard for them. Use long, complicated words only when necessary or as a requisite in the article you’re writing.

Lighten up the language

Very often, to make your copy upbeat and fun, you might have to use colloquial terms or slang. This is often the case when the term you’re considering is too technical for your readers to appreciate.

Do not use offensive words

Sometimes, in an attempt to make writing upbeat and fun, some writers make the mistake of using words that are entertaining only to a few but highly offensive to the majority. Words that reflect bigotry, hatred or prejudice can seem upbeat but may not be effective in the context of the whole write-up. Avoid these words.

Don’t try to please everyone.

There is no way your writing will be able to appeal to every reader. Not even the best and brightest writers have been able to do that. This is why writers have target audiences or niches and why write-ups are characterized by genre.

Can you imagine if horror master Stephen King wrote a romance novel in the style of Harlequin books? Of course not. Writers will always have their own styles and a segment of the audience who admire them.

To keep your copy upbeat and fun, avoid trying to cover several genres or styles of writing in one article. Use one or two at most. Whether you’re writing a humorous story, a satire, a critique or are simply offering your opinion, stick to a tone of voice that is the best vehicle for the message you want to share

For more great copywriting tips check out Power Copy Club – an online membership site where members learn how to master the art of sales copywriting and ad creation, how to create short copy, long copy and how to do video sales letters the right way. As a special for our valued readers and site visitors, we have secured a complimentary FREE Lifetime Silver Membership Pass to Power Copy Club. This membership is normally valued at $47, but you can access it for FREE today by clicking here: Power Copy Club Free Lifetime Silver Membership Pass.

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Completely updated and revised throughout, the fourth edition of Principles of Computer Hardware explores the fundamentals of computer structure, architecture, and programming.

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Principles of Computer Hardware

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Use an outline

Before you begin a writing project or an article, write a short, simple outline about the topic. Use headlines, sub-headings and a list of topics under each one. This will serve as a map to help guide you on what to write. This is also a good reference if you wish to have an overview of how the write-up will progress and be unveiled to the reader. This will help make your copy flow just when you need it most.

The outline will also help control your writing. Sometimes you can get carried away by emotions, mood or inspiration. The result – you produce too much content that you probably won’t need to make your copy worthwhile. With an outline, you know exactly the kind of ideas you want to use and exclude those that do not belong.

Use an idea book

Inspiration can strike from anywhere. When it does, you can’t really choose the time or the location. It happened to Michael Jackson once, when he was on board a plane. The music and lyrics to a song came to him but since he couldn’t write music and had no recording device with him, he had to endure the long flight with the music ringing in his head.

It was only when the plane touched down and he could finally record the music that he was able to write the song. The song, titled ‘Muscles’, later on became a hit for diva Diana Ross.

Like Jackson, how often have you been touched by the Muses only to find out that you have nothing to write with because you’re in the middle of a party or putting on make-up in the bathroom?

Make sure that when you’re blessed with an idea, you’re ready. Keep a small notepad in your purse or around your work area. When an idea comes, write it down immediately. Don’t wait. Memory can be very slippery and confusing so don’t rely on it too much. Write the idea down, record it, paint it, illustrate it – anything that will help remind you later. So when it’s time to write, you can make copy flow and not have any problems producing a write-up.

Allow topics to transition

To make copy flow when writing, allow relational progression from one topic to the next. If you have an outline, this is rather easy to do because you have a sense of which topic to write about in the next sentence or paragraph.

Don’t try to impress or worry about grammar… yet

You cannot make your copy flow if you keep getting distracted by other tasks such as editing or proofreading. Forget about these things at first. Your job is to write, so do it and stop worrying about correct grammar or spelling. If you’re using a word processor, making the corrections will be a breeze later. Write as the thoughts come to you and don’t interrupt.

Review what you’ve written

In many cases, when you’re stumped in the middle of an article, you could refresh your mind by going through what you have already written. This will help remind your brain of the message you’re trying to get across.

Write. Just write

Oftentimes, the best way to make your copy flow is to keep writing. Again, worry about the outcome later. You can always go back and make revisions. For now, write what you know, unleash your creativity and keep writing.

For more great copywriting tips check out Power Copy Club – an online membership site where members learn how to master the art of sales copywriting and ad creation, how to create short copy, long copy and how to do video sales letters the right way. As a special for our valued readers and site visitors, we have secured a complimentary FREE Lifetime Silver Membership Pass to Power Copy Club. This membership is normally valued at $47, but you can access it for FREE today by clicking here: Power Copy Club Free Lifetime Silver Membership Pass.

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Offer Something Right Away

If you have something to offer to your readers, something they need and in exchange for what you’re going to ask them to do, make it immediately clear with your headline. When people start reading something online and they aren’t actively seeking information, they want to know what they’re going to get if they continue reading and they want to know what it is right away.

Make It Urgent

People are generally prone to take action if they know they’re running against time. Create a sense of urgency with your headline by telling your readers that your offer only stands up to a certain date or that you’re fast running out of stocks. You can also make it a do-or-die offer; if they let this opportunity slip them by, it’s gone forever.

Take care, however, when using this type of headline as it comes with certain responsibilities. Make sure you withdraw your offer at the stated time. If you’re going to extend the deadline, you better have a good explanation ready so as not to lose your credibility.

Keep It Simple and Powerful

Online copies have to be simple and as headlines are a part of the copy, it stands to reason that they have to be simple as well.

Don’t bother using long and difficult words. They won’t make a difference if no one comprehends them. Aim for powerful words instead. These words inspire action and call strong images immediately to mind. “Make Your Business Live Longer” as a copy headline can be improved, for instance, if you replace passive-sounding words with forceful ones. “Make Your Business Survive” has greater impact compared to the previous headline, don’t you think?

Keep It Short

Yet another requirement for online copies is brevity and naturally, headlines must follow the same rule. As a rule, online readers scan what they read and consequently, they’ll be able to understand a five-word-headline more quickly than a ten-word one.

For a good copy headline, try to lessen the use of particles, prepositions, linking verbs, and other words that won’t make a difference to your readers.

Don’t Try Too Hard

Naturally, funny and witty headlines are better but trying too hard could backfire on you. If there’s no way to make a headline funny or clever then leave it simple. If you manage to get your message across then you’ve done your job.

Use Numbers

They’re easier to recall and they sound more impressive. Instead of simply headlining a copy with “Tips for Gardening”, you can substantially improve it just by adding a digit. “6 Tips for Gardening” encourage people to read more because they know they have six (more than one’s many!) tips to look forward to in a single article.

Review and Revise

You may think you’ve made a perfect headline upon typing the last word, but give it a minute or two and you’ll be able to view it more objectively. Good luck on writing those headlines!

For more great copywriting tips check out Power Copy Club – an online membership site where members learn how to master the art of sales copywriting and ad creation, how to create short copy, long copy and how to do video sales letters the right way. As a special for our valued readers and site visitors, we have secured a complimentary FREE Lifetime Silver Membership Pass to Power Copy Club. This membership is normally valued at $47, but you can access it for FREE today by clicking here: Power Copy Club Free Lifetime Silver Membership Pass.

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Outline your article

The headline and the article body feed off each other. One must reflect, promote and support the other in order to be effective. As such, it’s important that you build a relationship at the very beginning so your readers won’t be confused at the progression.

To make sure you don’t get lost, write a short outline of the article. This can be in the form of notes to help guide you on the topics you will be covering for the article and the succession of these topics. That way, you will have a reference on how the article will appear, something you can use for effective headline development.

Decide on the tone you will use

The tone of your article should be reflected by your headline. An optimistic, happy headline may not work with an article that is written in a serious, businesslike tone. Conversely, a formal headline may seem ill-conceived when used with an upbeat article.

Develop your headline based on the type of article you will be using

Ever read headlines developed by researchers for a certain scientific or medical study? They’re not exactly the kind of headlines you’ll find in a write-up for topics such as sports, personal care or relationships. These headlines tend to be formal and technical and there are no colloquial or slang terms used with them.

When developing headlines for your article, make sure it’s a good match to the type of write-up you will be doing. If it’s more technical, consider using a more structured headline. If it’s more upbeat, then do the same with your title.

Offer an overview

Your article has to compete with others in the market. This is especially true if you will be writing for the Web, where for a single topic alone, readers will find thousands of sources, all of them original.

For effective headline development, make sure to write a title that offers your readers a good idea of what the article contains – and then interest them enough so they read the rest of the article.

Headline too long? Consider a sub-headline

Sometimes in order to grab the attention of your readers, you will be stuck with a headline that’s too long to be effective. If this happens, consider cutting the headline into two: one as the main headline and the other as the sub-headline. Readers can easily focus on these headlines and find the most interesting, salient points of the article.

Or, you could cut a long headline, use a provocative or interesting word or phrase followed by a colon and then write the rest of the headline. Some examples are below:

Game Hacks: How to Be a Master of Every Video Game You Play

Earth Angel: One Woman’s Journey to Becoming a Celebrated Environmentalist

Birds of a Feather: How Your Friends Affect Your Luck in Life

Use intrigue

Notice how successful many of the marketing campaigns and promotions have been in the past? It’s because the copywriter was able to stir up intrigue and grab attention by using their headlines well.

An excellent method of headline development is using teasers that create intrigue. Words such as ’secret to’, ‘little known ways’ ‘lazy man’s guide to’, ‘beginner’s guide to’, ‘you don’t have to be ___ to be ___’ and ‘methods you never knew existed’ can be quite effective for making the readers wonder and want to read more.

For more great copywriting tips check out Power Copy Club – an online membership site where members learn how to master the art of sales copywriting and ad creation, how to create short copy, long copy and how to do video sales letters the right way. As a special for our valued readers and site visitors, we have secured a complimentary FREE Lifetime Silver Membership Pass to Power Copy Club. This membership is normally valued at $47, but you can access it for FREE today by clicking here: Power Copy Club Free Lifetime Silver Membership Pass.

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Here are some reasons why you should avoid being clever and critical just to write copy and how to improve your writing instead:

Being overly clever is seen as arrogance

You’ve probably come across writers who try too hard to impress their audience. You will agree that they often seem condescending and annoying. The reader’s usual reaction is often, ‘What, does this writer think I’m dumb?’

By being too clever, you’ll alienate your audience, who won’t be too pleased at being subjected to a write-up that seems to insinuate that they are ignorant. Instead, speak to them the way you would to a respected colleague and don’t simply assume that you know better.

Being critical can ruffle the wrong feathers

There are writing styles and topics that call for a writer to use a critical tone. Satire, for example, is very often critical. However, really great writers still manage to inject good humor into the writing, which is actually a sign of genuine talent.

When writing reviews, for example, you also need to be critical in order to inform the reader the positive and negative points of the person, event or product being reviewed. Being critical could be harsh but if you can phrase your sentences well, your write-up will be easier and more fun to read.

Be like Shakespeare

No, it’s not about iambic pentameters and rhymes but being able to state the obvious without doing so. Instead of confronting the issue upfront by being clever and critical, find ways to describe, illustrate, critique or opine. You can add words, omit some, use metaphors and other tricks of the language. The key here is to produce a well-written piece. Just don’t overdo it, though or people will know you’re trying to be clever.

Avoid strong language

You don’t have to be offensive just so people will know that you have something to say. Sometimes, writers can’t help using strong language when trying to be critical about something.

Some writers may even use strong language in the hopes of preventing boredom in their readers. However, this trick often backfires since not everyone is appreciative of language used only in B action movies and street fights. If you use strong language out of context, your readers might think that you are either trying to be clever or being overly critical.

Instead of falling into this trap, turn to useful references such as a dictionary or a thesaurus for better alternatives. You’d be surprised at how well you can write copy that expresses exactly what you want to say using well-chosen words. You’ll gain more respect for it.

Use humor instead

Instead of being clever and critical when writing copy, consider appealing to your readers’ funny side. Some of the best writing ever produced used humor to express opinions and ideas even about the most serious of topics. Doing so will allow you to explore a different aspect of your subject and to offer your readers a means to see things in a different light.

For more great copywriting tips check out Power Copy Club – an online membership site where members learn how to master the art of sales copywriting and ad creation, how to create short copy, long copy and how to do video sales letters the right way. As a special for our valued readers and site visitors, we have secured a complimentary FREE Lifetime Silver Membership Pass to Power Copy Club. This membership is normally valued at $47, but you can access it for FREE today by clicking here: Power Copy Club Free Lifetime Silver Membership Pass.

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Know what you’ll be writing about

There is nothing worse or even more pathetic than a writer who bluffs. True, many writers have written well-fabricated tales and passed them off as genuine but they were able to do so only because they backed up their writing with plenty of research.

If you were asked to write about cryptozoology right now, for example, how much would you be able to produce without using a single reference? Probably not a lot even to convince your 7-year-old niece.

To avoid groping blindly about regarding your subject and make your copy good, do research. Use at least three good references for your write-up. If you have to interview someone for it or try something yourself, then do so. This will allow you to gather enough information to use with your write-up.

Think about your readers

Your readers or audience have different voices. To make your copy good, consider carefully what it is they like and are interested in and then zero in on those. Speak their language so they become much more comfortable with what you have to say.

If you’re writing for kids aged 9 to 12, for example, you wouldn’t use the kind of language you write with if your audience were men and women in their 20s and 40s, right? Remember that you’re trying to sell an idea through your writing, so speak to your readers in a way they can easily relate to.

Watch your grammar

If you were a good listener during your grammar class, you might want to heave a sigh of relief. A high premium is placed on good grammar and if you want to make copy good, make sure you avoid hideous grammatical and spelling mistakes.

Be careful with subject-verb agreement, punctuation marks, tenses, sentence completion and clauses. Bad grammar is never viewed as good copy and is even dismissed as very amateurish and unreliable, even if it’s an expert talking.

Mind the headline

The headline serves as the introductory statement to your write-up. Without a good headline, there’s a good chance your target readers might ignore your article and look somewhere else. This is something you can’t allow to happen. Imagine having to miss 7 out of 10 readers just because your headline doesn’t work.

Make sure your headline is effective, clear and concise. It should interest the reader, make them wonder, raise their curiosity, even intrigue them so that they have enough reasons to want to read more.

Make copy easy to read

Finally, to make copy good, it has to be relatable and easy to read. If you’re writing about planting roses for beginner gardeners, for example, don’t make it sound like an instructional material for producing fossil fuel. Read your work out loud – if it sounds like normal speech, then you’re on the right track.

Mind your readers. They are, after all, the end users of your work and they should be able to like what you offer them.

For more great copywriting tips check out Power Copy Club – an online membership site where members learn how to master the art of sales copywriting and ad creation, how to create short copy, long copy and how to do video sales letters the right way. As a special for our valued readers and site visitors, we have secured a complimentary FREE Lifetime Silver Membership Pass to Power Copy Club. This membership is normally valued at $47, but you can access it for FREE today by clicking here: Power Copy Club Free Lifetime Silver Membership Pass.

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