|
|
|
2 Ways to Really Connect With Your Customer in Your Copywriting
Copyright © 2005 by Bruce Carlson One of the least talked-about areas in copywriting education is voice. This is probably because it’s tough to set general rules for something that’s so personal to each of us. After all, the same things go into...
EXCUSE ME, BUT YOUR WRITING IS SHOWING!
Think about it. How many people do you write to during a business day? How many of these people know you only through your words? Okay, so maybe you have shared a few handshakes with some of them. But their opinion of who you are and your worth as...
Ghostwriting - Making Money by Being Invisible
My bookcase takes up one whole wall in the family room, from floor to ceiling. It shows my eclectic reading tastes... fiction, non-fiction, Harry Potter next to murder mysteries and metaphysical literature. Also there are books I've written for the...
PUT IT IN WRITING!
Ever been asked to 'Put it in Writing.'? Sure, you have. Did you immediately go to your desk and effortlessly record your thoughts and suggestions? Or, perhaps, you struggled and anguished? For most folks, producing useful, credible and appropriate...
Writing Effective Sales Copy
Whether you run a home-based business or Microsoft, one thing is always true: products do not sell themselves. So what makes customers buy? Words.
Marketing gurus learned long ago that it's the words salespeople speak and ads present which are...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
IS THERE A DIFFERENCE WHEN WRITING FOR THE INTERNET?
As a writer for a multitude of projects from web site content to detailed business plans
all the way to press releases and promotional material, I've noticed one major
difference in writing for the Internet versus writing for other channels of communication.
Primarily writing good copy is essentially the same no matter where it's presented but
writing for the Internet requires one important distinction. That distinction is less
verbiage with more impact!
While you have free rein to put as much information on your web site or within your
article when presenting it on the Internet, material on the web must grab the reader's
attention very quickly. Becoming verbose and redundant may be satisfying to your ego
but it won't attract the attention of your reader.
YOUR READERS
Those who are searching for meaningful information on the net are either visiting web
sites or reading online publications because they want bottom-line information rapidly.
One of the perks of using the Internet is the ability to sift through as many web sites
as required from the privacy of your home until you find what draws your attention.
Material for most readers if too wordy or intellectual is a deterrent. Personally, if I'm
seeking information from the web, I want it to be informative and interesting without
being long-winded. Having a creative eye, of course I require the site to be somewhat
appealing in layout and design but I want the information to meet my needs. More
than likely most readers don't want to pore over a lot of jargon before reaching the
main point. If an individual wants to read a novel they'll buy a book or borrow it from the
library but when reading it on the net, the data should be a source of information.
WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SELL?
One of the key points to remember when writing for the Internet is that overall you are
selling knowledge and therefore should consider that your article or web site are
merely tools to provide appropriate information. If you write regularly or have an
on-going group of individuals visiting your site, you may
find after a while that you've
developed a following. By that I mean that a number of individuals have become
familiar with your writing style and relate to your views and opinions. They may now
become interested in what you have to say not just in what you are selling. It's at that
point that your audience is interested in you personally but that may take some time
to achieve. First prove your consistency, professionalism and appeal and before long
people will begin wondering what you have to say.
TOO MUCH INFORMATION
Bear in mind that you may have the most beautiful site ever created but without
excellent content your site will have no meaning. People pay a fortune to have sites
created boasting loud music, flashy flash presentations and all the other hype so
common on web sites these days. In truth all that extra stuff can be of very little
significance without meaningful content. Most people are seeking information, not
flamboyant pictures. I do believe the layout, style and design of a web site is critical to
its success but all the overdone, heavy-duty sites have become boring.
We grow impatient if the site loads slowly and even more impatient if each subsequent
page takes forever to appear. No matter how beautiful your site, if it takes forever to
load, you'll lose your viewers before they've had a chance to read the first word on your
site. Additionally, if there are too many visuals and auditory sounds on your site it can
be disturbing to the majority who come to visit. Keep it simple.
If your goal is to have people come back to your site or to continuously read your
articles, take the time to provide practical, interesting content minus the hype. The
best suggestion is to write honestly, plainly and concisely.
About the Author
Charlene Rashkow is a Writing Stylist who has successfully written outstanding
business material for companies and individuals for more than 15 years. You may visit Charlene Rashkow at www.allyourwritingneeds.com or
write her at Crwriting@aol.com. You can also call her directly at (310) 514-4844
|
|
|
|
|
| Writing.Com: Writers, Writing, Poetry, Creative Writing, Fiction ... |
| An online community dedicated to fostering writing skills. With a free membership anyone may read, write, rate, and review works. |
| www.writing.com |
|
| Welcome to Writing-World.com! |
| Writing articles and resources. Tips about how to become a better writer, get published and find writing markets. From Moira Allen. |
| www.writing-world.com |
|
| Guide to Grammar and Writing |
| The Guide to Grammar and Writing contains scores of digital handouts on grammar and English usage, over 170 computer-graded quizzes, recommendations on ... |
| grammar.ccc.commnet.edu |
|
| Purdue University's Online Writing Lab - The OWL Family of Sites |
| Writing lab and resources. Email newsletter available. |
| owl.english.purdue.edu |
|
| OWL at Purdue University: General Writing Concerns Handouts |
| This page contains important links to the writing: planning/writing/revising aspects of the OWL website. |
| owl.english.purdue.edu |
|
| Writing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| The original Mesopotamian writing system was initially derived from a system of ... If it is deemed to be a written language, writing in China will predate ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| Writing.org - Advice for Freelance Writers |
| Articles to help you launch a freelance writing career, from a former literary agent and PLAYBOY editor. |
| www.writing.org |
|
| Writing HTML |
| More than just an HTML reference, this is a structured approach for learning how to create web pages, designed by specialists in learning at the Maricopa ... |
| www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu |
|
| National Novel Writing Month - National Novel Writing Month |
| NaNoWriMo is an annual (November) novel writing project that brings together professional and amateur writers from all over the world. |
| www.nanowrimo.org |
|
| Poynter Online |
| Apply by Dec. 11 Reporting and Writing the Untold Stories Apply by Dec. 11 ... Reporting & Writing for Multi-Platform Newsrooms. Apply by Jan. 10 ... |
| www.poynter.org |
|
| Pages tagged with "writing" on del.icio.us |
| This short online course provides a practical introduction to writing fiction. During the course you will be expected to write two short pieces for ... |
| del.icio.us |
|
| BBC Get Writing |
| The BBC's online resource for writing drama and comedy for television, radio and film. |
| www.bbc.co.uk |
|
| TOC About Writing |
| Menu of articles on writing written by professional SF/F writers. |
| www.sfwa.org |
|
| 11 Rules of Writing -- a concise guide to important grammar ... |
| A concise guide to some of the most frequently violated rules of writing, punctuation, and grammar. |
| www.junketstudies.com |
|
| NAEP Writing Subject Area |
| NAEP assesses student performance in writing periodically in grades 4, 8, and 12 for the nation, and in grades 4 and 8 for the states. |
| nces.ed.gov |
|
| Writing: See what people are saying right now on Technorati |
| See all blog posts tagged with writing on Technorati. |
| www.technorati.com |
|
| IPL Teenspace: A+ Research & Writing |
| Includes step-by-step instructions on researching and writing, how to find information online and offline, as well as links to useful resources. |
| www.ipl.org |
|
| Dictionary.com: Writing Resources |
| Free online English dictionary and reference guide. List of sites writers can use. |
| dictionary.reference.com |
|
| WritingFix: Home of Interactive Writing Prompts and 6 Trait ... |
| Daily and interactive writing prompts. |
| www.writingfix.com |
|
| Advice on Academic Writing |
| Includes articles on critical reading, planning, researching, style and editing, grammar and punctuation. |
| www.utoronto.ca |
|
|