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Enough With the Upsells Already!
Enough With the Upsells Already! by Karon Thackston © 2005 http://www.learn-copywriting.com It happened twice during the same week. All I wanted to do was make a purchase, and they were making every effort to keep me from it (or so it seemed). Why...
Increasing Conversions Through Action-Oriented Copywriting
by Karon Thackston © 2005 http://www.copywritingcourse.com I do site reviews. Needless to say, I see a lot of Web copy. One thing that always befuddles me is the lack of focus many site pages have. It's as if the writer assumes the site visitor...
It's A Dog-Eat-Dog World In The Freelance Work Marketplace
The Trials and Tribulations of Finding Writing Work in the Freelance Work Marketplace There are many ways to find freelance writing work on the net. The most popular method is by signing up to one or more of the many freelance work sites...
Using Resell Rights to Get Traffic and Subscribers
You see the ads all over the place, "Get 147 ebooks and 56 software titles for only x amount of dollars". Or how about, "Buy the master resell rights to this product for only xx amount of dollars". Lots of people buy these everyday with the hope of...
Writing To Overpower Your Competition
by Karon Thackston © 2005 http://www.learn-copywriting.com "We don't have any competition. We're a truly a one-of-a-kind company." I've heard that line from clients for years. I wish it were true, but it's simply not. In fact, it wouldn’t matter...
 
Five Keys To Leaner And Meaner Copywriting



Grab 'em and don't lose 'em. Every marketer knows that one. Human beings have very short attention spans, so you can't afford to waste your prospect's time - give them the good stuff and then let them go as soon as you can. Writing effective marketing material is all about writing crisply with just a handful of words.

Clean writing isn't an accident, but is instead the result of the careful application of certain principles and tools. Try these five techniques for crafting leaner, meaner, more effective business copy:

Avoid modifiers. Modifiers change the meaning of other words; the most common of these are adverbs and adjectives (words that describe verbs and nouns, respectively). They're used when the writer feels that the noun or verb needs a little something extra: "the shining sun", "run quickly", etc. Get rid of as many modifiers as you can and choose nouns and verbs that stand on their own.

No lazy words. Every word should be doing real work, conveying necessary information and supporting other parts of the piece. Think of your sentences as support beams and rafters in a building, and analyze the piece word-by-word: are there any nails sticking out of boards? Anything that's there purely for show? Anything that doesn't strengthen your writing weakens it. Strip your copy down to its


most essential parts, and throw out the words that are sleeping on the job.

Reduce it to a single sentence. Do you really know what you want to say? You might be surprised - try phrasing your entire piece into one simple sentence. Can you do it, or are you insisting that your message is too in-depth? Taking your point down to a single statement can give your copy new focus and clarity.

One thought per sentence. Sentences and paragraphs are different things. Avoid long, complex sentences built up of multiple thoughts. Keep your sentences to one thought each, keep them short and simple, and use your paragraphs for the complex ideas.

When in doubt, cut it out. Every writer has written the perfect sentence that just doesn't play along well with others. Hemingway was right - kill your darlings. If you can't figure out how to ease that bit of poetry in with the rest of your marketing piece, cut it completely and don't look back. Be merciless. You'll be surprised how often that's the best solution.


About the Author

Robert Warren (www.rswarren.com) is a freelance copywriter in the Orlando, Florida area, specializing in providing for the marketing and communications needs of the independent professional private practice.

 

Copywriting . Net
Copywriting . Net. The Internet's copywriting service center for Web and print marketing communications.
www.copywriting.net
 
Copywriting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Copywriting - SEO Copywriting - Learn copywriting
Copywriting .com has just changed hands and will open its doors again in a few weeks. If you'd like to be notified when we launch, please send an email to: ...
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Copywriting 101 | Copyblogger
Copywriting 101 Tutorial Copywriting is one of the most essential ... Subscribe to Copyblogger to learn more about copywriting and online marketing. ...
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The Copywriting Site - Free information, tips, and tricks on ...
The Copywriting Site: Here you get free information tips and tricks on copywriting that sells. - Marketing Writing.
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Copywriting courses. Become a copywriter.
Copywriting courses for copywriters; plus tips on buying copy and hiring a copywriter.
www.inst.org
 
Advertising & Online Copywriting, Search Engine Copywriting ...
Advertising copywriting and search engine copywriting that impresses your visitors and the engines.
www.marketingwords.com
 
Free tutorials on copywriting, web content, advertising, internet ...
How to dramatically improve response from your Advertising, Internet marketing, Direct Mail and Web pages with powerful copywriting.
www.adcopywriting.com
 
Copywriting: See what people are saying right now on Technorati
See all blog posts tagged with copywriting on Technorati.
www.technorati.com
 
Advertising Copywriter, Website Copywriter, SEO Copywriter ...
Need a copywriter who can really grasp your business? Copywriting for websites, SEO, ads, brochures, articles... Elegant, no-fuss copywriting that really ...
www.divinewrite.com
 
Copywriting
Every advertising medium is different. And so is copywriting for each element. Business owners can find out what to look for when hiring a copywriter.
advertising.about.com
 
Copywriting Secrets - Master Copywriter - Killer Copy Writing
FREE E-Course Reveals The Latest Kick-Ass Copywriting Secrets You've Gotta Know! ... "Now You Can Grab The Latest No-BS Advanced Copywriting Secrets That ...
www.websiteconversionexpert.com
 
Text Wizard® Copywriting - UK freelance copywriter, scriptwriter ...
Plain English with fizz: copywriting that stays on brand and on your mind. UK copywriter.
www.textwizard.com
 
Getting Real: Copywriting is interface design - Signal vs. Noise ...
Copywriting isn’t something to be left to the guy on your team who writes long ... So, I’m considering adding copywriting to my list of responsibilities, ...
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Amazon.com: Persuasive Online Copywriting: How to Take Your Words ...
Amazon.com: Persuasive Online Copywriting: How to Take Your Words to the Bank: Books: Bryan Eisenberg,Jeffrey Eisenberg,Lisa T. Davis by Bryan Eisenberg ...
www.amazon.com
 
Michele PW
Watch your business soar when you put the power of great copywriting, results-driven marketing solutions and amazing creativity to work for your business.
www.writingusa.com
 
Pages tagged with "copywriting" on del.icio.us
Good Copywriting: A blog about copywriting on the web ... Copywriting tips for online marketing success from Copyblogger · save this. copywriting blog ...
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Online Copywriting: Subscribe to the Excess Voice Newsletter
Online Copywriting: Nick Usborne's Excess Voice newsletter includes dozens of articles and a comprehensive list of resources and reviews for writers of ...
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Linda Westphal, Freelance Advertising Copywriter
Experienced copywriter for direct marketing articles, and advertising tips. Citrus Heights, California.
www.lindawestphal.com
 
Copywriting: Projects on Elance
Copywriting, Between $250 and $500, 7, 11/29/2006 1:45 AM ... Copywriting, Prefer not to disclose, 0, 12/1/2006 2:41 PM, 6 d, 22 h+, Authentication Status ...
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