Enter the World of Writing

Enter the World of Writing

Writing copy will have you using fundamental writing skills for catchy headlines, subheads that easily segue to another subject about the same topic and writing body copy that tells a story.

If you’re determined to have your own freelance copywriting business, you’ll need to develop a style as well as have knowledge of the rules of punctuation and grammar, which words are powerful and which to avoid and how to look at your work from the reader’s (client’s) point of view.

Whether you’re writing articles, ad copy or content for websites or blogs, you’ve got to know how to write eye-catching headlines or topics. You can have great content, but if the headline doesn’t make a reader want to read what you’ve written – all is lost.

Writing Catchy Headlines

The “great American novel” may have already been written, but if it’s lacking a catchy title and cover, it’s doubtful that it will rise to the heights it should. Great content and great knowledge of writing will do you no good if you don’t have the most important part of writing – a headline.

As a freelance copywriter, you’ll need to pay close attention to titles and headlines. Ask yourself, “If I saw this headline while surfing, would I want to read further?” If not, keep working on the headline aspect of your article, post or whatever you’re trying to sell.

The headline of writing an article is often glossed over. The thinking is that the content is so good and so well written that the reader just needs a general idea of what the article is about.

Not true. The headline is the eye-catching part that makes readers want to keep reading. It should be the main focus of your article. Here are some tricks of the copywriting trade that you can use to think of and use the power of catchy headlines:

• Why, What, When and How – It’s the journalist’s rule when writing news articles and those words can also serve you well when writing headlines. For example, “How to Find Your Soul mate,” will surely catch the eye of singles.

• Numbers

– If you look through articles about a particular subject, you’ll see numbers used quite often. For example, “5 Sure Ways to Lose Weight” is a good way to make people want to know what those five sure ways are and to read further.

• Promises

– Promises for a new life, a new way of thinking or a new way of doing things can make an article very enticing. But, avoid over-promising. If you promise the reader that he or she can get fit in 30 days, give them steps in the article about how to do it.

• Adjectives

– Make good use of adjectives in your headlines. Words such as ‘free’, ‘essential’ and ‘effortless’ can make all the difference in the way a person views your article.

• Intriguing Lists

– Using words that tell the reader you’re going to list things are great to use in headlines. Words such as ‘ideas’, ‘lessons’, ‘facts’ and ‘secrets’ are just a few that are eye-catching headline words.

Besides words you should use, there are also words you should avoid and powerful words that can make your article soar in popularity.

Words to Use/Avoid

Unless you’re writing something very specific that needs to be told with pronouns such as ‘I’ or ‘we’, you should always use the third person approach. Even if you’re writing a sales pitch, the message should stress the benefits of the company and not praise for company.

Words such as ‘quality’ and ‘solutions’ are often overused in copywriting. You should always try to state what the quality is that makes your product stand out – or to unequivocally state the solutions you’ll be offering to the client.

‘Might’ and ‘maybe’ are two words that should also be carefully used in copy, especially in headlines. A statement such as, “If you need to get organized, maybe you should purchase the Busy Bee app,” isn’t as strong as, “Get organized with the Busy Bee app.”

Get rid of unnecessary words that appear in your copy such as ‘that’, ‘of’ and ‘they’. When you can be grammatically correct and still get the point across, edit the unnecessary words out of your copy and leave the meat.

Grammar and Punctuation

Writing content for the Internet is somewhat different than writing for a magazine or getting a good grade in your college English class. If you’re going to be an Internet copywriter, you should know the difference.

Writing content for the Internet means that you have to write from the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) point of view. That means keywords and backlinks will have to be taken into consideration when used. You don’t want too many or too few, but you want your words to drive traffic to the site you’re writing for.

Too many punctuation marks in your content won’t do a thing for your SEO, and it makes content difficult to read. Here are some basic rules of punctuation for writing content:

Semicolons (;): Don’t use them. They just get in the way of the content.

Parentheses (): Just be sure you place the punctuation for the entire sentence on the outside of the parentheses.

Exclamation marks (!): It’s best not to use them in copywriting. If you do decide there’s no other way but to use one, limit them.

Quotation Marks (“_”): Punctuation marks are placed inside the quotation marks – no exceptions.

Commas (,): Oxford commas should be used in copywriting. For example, “infants, children and adults” rather than “infants, children, and adults.”

Hyperlinks: Learn the correct hyperlink for the business or product you’re writing about. Don’t use quotation marks or any other types of punctuation that isn’t part of the original hyperlink.

Capitalization: The rule of thumb here is to not capitalize words such as the, and, if and of in headlines or titles unless they’re the first word. Don’t capitalize when it isn’t needed.

Hyphenated Words: It varies from phrase to phrase and words to words. If you’re unsure, google it to find the right way.

Numbers: The rule is to write out the numbers 10 and above. Exceptions may be made in headlines.

When writing for the web, remember that ‘Internet’ should always be capitalized. It’s a proper noun – but you don’t have to capitalize web unless it’s the first word of a sentence.

There are certain, “unbreakable” rules for punctuation, but some rules are meant to be broken. If there’s an instance in your writing where something just looks better if you bend the rules a bit, then try it. But, don’t make a practice of using improper punctuation in your writing. It will only make you look as if you don’t know any better.

The Best Rules of Grammar

The main goal in copywriting is to communicate with your reader. Think of writing copy as having a casual dialogue with the reader and let the words and phrases flow naturally.

If you write using proper grammar, you can’t go wrong. The reality of writing is that if you write well, people will perceive you as knowing your subject. Poor writing will reveal that you’re not as smart as you pretend to be.

Here are some basic rules of grammar:

Spelling:

Copywriters often become lackadaisical about spelling because they think that “Spellcheck” will catch it all. But, Spellcheck sometimes doesn’t catch the words that are used incorrectly, such as using ‘than’ for ‘then’. ‘Lose’ is often used rather than ‘loose’ – and the misspellings go on and on. Be sure your spelling is correct before you send out your work.

Choosing the Wrong Words:

Is it ‘affect’ or ‘effect’? In this case, think of ‘affect’ as a verb and ‘effect’ as a noun. There are so many words that writers use to mean one thing when they actually mean another. It’s easy to become confused, so be sure to check it twice if you’re unsure.

Contraction or Possessive?

One of the main errors in writing is using a contraction rather than the possessive version of a word. For example, “You’re going to the cleaners today,” rather than “Your going to the cleaners today.” Other forms such as ‘its’ and ‘it’s’ are also misused. Be sure you have the proper word form before putting your work in front of the world (or a client).

Before you send your work out to the world-wide web, at least perform a quick spell check on the copy. There are also excellent books and guides on the web that are especially great for copywriters to refer to when unsure of punctuation and grammar rules.

From the Reader’s Point of View

As a copywriter – whether for yourself or someone else – you want your readers to believe and respect what you’re saying. You want them to click through to links and purchase a product or service. If they’re not doing that, you need to rethink your writing techniques.

You’ll need a strong call to action if you’re writing persuasive copy. If you’re writing informative copy, you need to make sure you’ve researched your subject thoroughly and not insulting your readers’ intelligence.

Your readers aren’t dumb, so don’t talk down to them. But, do be specific. You must provide your readers with clear and concise language that helps them learn and see what they should do to be successful in a pursuit or desire.

If your web content writing skills aren’t good enough to put on the Internet, know that there are professionals who can help. Guides for copywriting success abound on the web and there are also courses (both online and in schools) available.

Exercises for Part Three – Enter the World of Writing

When you enter the world of writing, everything in your life matters. Anywhere you turn, there’s always a chance you’ll find an idea or thought that you can capitalize on and turn it into dollars. Here are a few exercises that might help you succeed in the world of writing:

1. Look for catchy headlines. Next time you’re at a newspaper/magazine stand, look for headlines that catch your eye and analyze why it caught your eye. Did it promise something you need or want? Were the words powerful?

2. Do you know your punctuation rules? Since it matters to use proper punctuation when writing, be sure you know the rules of punctuation. You can take advantage of the many programs available online or get your own guide to refer to when you’re unsure.

3. Grammar is important. Unless you’re using proper grammar rules, you won’t be taken seriously as a writer. Take the time to go over the rules and make sure you know the basics.

4. Become an analytical reader. Rather than reading for the fun of it, take time to be an analytical reader and seriously take apart an article you’re reading. Look for all the basics that we covered in this section to see if it was written properly.