Pro Copywriting Tips – Be A Man (Woman) Of Few Words

Most copywriters talk too much, and the copywriters I work with, the more I realize that what they’re really doing is talking their way out of sales.  In case you’re wondering, I’m not talking about the words that come out of their mouth, I’m talking about their writing. Leaning down your copywriting is one of the most effective strategies for getting more sales. In fact, it’s probably one of the most pronounced skills of a great copywriter. So what does it mean to “lean down your writing” and more important…why are there so many wordy copywriters out there…
Word Quantity or Word Quality?
Let’s rewind back to the good old school days….how many times did you get an assignment that required you to write a certain amount of words or pages? You know, the 500 word essay, the 20 page term paper, the one paragraph essay question. Okay, so they needed a uniform standard to make sure people didn’t “skimp out” on their assignments….that worked for a while. However, it’s also programmed writers to think in terms of word quantity instead of quality, and it’s a hard habit to break.
The Cure for Wordiness
When comes to selling, promoting and even exuding confidence, wordiness is a deal breaker. That’s because wordiness smacks of desperation and neediness…which is very unattractive and cripples your ability to persuade. The next time you edit your writing, go through it and look for ways to say more using less words. Take out qualifiers like: sort of, kind of, virtually, simply etc. Just take out anything that smacks of wordiness or which suggests that you’re seeking validation.
A great way to do this is to replace adjectives and adverbs with power verbs. For example, here’s a wordy and adjective filled way of saying something:
“Dan walked briskly across the room, grabbed the book hastily off of the table and began flipping through the pages with great haste.”
Okay, let’s take the pruning shears to this one:
“Dan hurried across the room, snatched the book of the table and started scrambling through the pages.”
See, same impression, but the words “hurried,” “snatched” and “scrambling” create a scene which the reader can become actively involved in. This is because it uses action words…power verbs. What do you think will solicit action faster…active writing or wordy writing?
So be a man (or woman) of few words, cut the neediness out of your writing and go for confidence, clarity and punch.