No.16

Writing is a skill, but editing can be your super power.

The New York Times points out “[if] writers are able to appear smarter or wittier than readers, it’s only because they’ve cheated by taking so much time to think up what they meant to say and refining it over days or weeks or, yes, even years, until they’ve said it as clearly and elegantly as they can.” 

You don’t need to send out a hurried first draft.
Editing your writing gives you a second chance at making your first impression. 

A first draft is exactly that; a first draft. 
It will rarely be your best work.

Try these top tips for editing:

Spill it

Don’t edit as you write; it’s better to pour all your thoughts onto the page and worry about mopping up the mess later.

I wrote about this in another post: Don’t worry that it might be crap (because it might be! But you will improve it). JUST. GET. CRACKING.

The more ideas you write down, the greater resource you have to pull from when it comes to selecting the best bits.
And then… make sure you only select the best bits.
Don’t include three different versions of the same sentence because you couldn’t choose the strongest. 
Be ruthless with yourself.

Jonathan Wilcock (Copywriter and Purveyor of rare word combinations) has this suggestion:

“When stuck writing a headline. Write it out longhand – exactly whatever it is you want to say (a recapitulation of the brief). Now write that same message 50 different ways. Have a break. Sift, tweak, sift, tweak… bingo!”

Give it time

If possible, try not to write and edit on the same day.
Writing one day and editing the next means you come back to the text with fresh eyes and you’re more likely to spot errors or things to improve.
I’ve also heard people say ‘write tipsy, and edit sober’ but I’ll leave that up to you. 

First come, first swerved

Go back and make sure you haven’t started every sentence or paragraph the same way.

This is a big one to look out for on your CV, for example.
I have done this…
I have achieved…
I have worked here for…
I have always enjoyed…

Try 
My achievements include…
Working here for xx years taught me…
With any free time, I like to…

MiX iT uP

Change the font, the size, and/or the colour of your text when editing your writing.
If you wrote it on screen – try printing it out. 
Making your copy look physically different means you’re less likely to skim read it and assume it says what you meant it to say.

Read aloud

Even better if you can read it to someone else.
Reading your text out loud prevents you from scanning over it, so you can assess how it really sounds to the reader. 
Reading it to someone else is ideal, because you’ll find yourself rushing over parts that aren’t that interesting, or are a little clumsy. If in doubt – cut them out.

Mel Barfield suggests using the Read Aloud function on Word:

It reads your copy out in a natural voice, complete with intonation. This helps you identify where your writing is clunky/awkward, where you’ve missed a word out, or repeated the same word too close together. When we read our own work our brains sometimes tell us what we want to hear. The Word robot lady reads the copy with brutal honesty. And I love her for it.

Keep it simple

People who really know what they’re talking about don’t need to hide behind industry jargon and buzzwords. Imagine you’re talking to a seven year old and be as clear as possible.
Don’t alienate potential customers by using technical terms they won’t be familiar with.

Calm down

If you’ve included exclamation points, chances are you can take the majority of them out.
You don’t want to sound childish or too excitable. 

Check the final, final copy

I recently helped to write a 70 page company magazine. 
I wrote it, checked it at least twice, and then sent it to design.
And yet, once I saw it in the layout I still spotted a couple of typos and a few word repetitions. These become much more obvious in the finished design – so always make sure to check the final proof, not just your completed word doc.

Tip Top Final

~ Put it in reverse ~

A proofreader once told me you should do your final check backwards. 
Read the text from bottom to top, or right to left so you examine each word in isolation, rather than skimming over it, to make sure it’s definitely correct.

And if you don’t edit your work?

ProCopywriters shared this blog post from Alison, explaining why error-free work is so important to avoid embarrassment, and worse.

Just a few of the 100s of edits made to this blog post:

Swapped ‘a super power’ for ‘your super power’ (more relevant to the reader)
Changed ‘Spill all your words onto the page’ to ‘Spill it’ (more interesting as a heading)
Reduced “so always make sure to proofread” down to “always proofread” (more concise)
‘It will help you see where you’ve included details’ became ‘It will highlight details’ (more direct)
I wrote the section about removing exclamation marks… and then went back and deleted three of them. (!)

And, as always, my final advice is give me a call if you’re struggling.
I LOVE editing people’s work!
(I find it much easier to kill someone else’s darlings.)

Wondering what a copywriter does compared to a content writer?

Me too.

And I am one. 
…Or the other.     

I think.

If you look it up online, the distinction seems to be that copywriters write short(ish) copy to persuade you to do something like buy or click. (Think adverts). 
Content writers, on the other hand, supposedly write longer copy to inform you about something. (Think blog posts or editorial pieces).

More succinctly, you might say ‘copy sells’ while ‘content tells’.

But I’m not entirely sure about that.
Surely short copy must also inform? Why would I buy something if the advert doesn’t inform me of its benefits? And vice versa – a blog post usually persuades me that something is a good idea; to visit, do or buy.

The difference between copy and content was brought up during a recent #ContentClubUK on Twitter and the answers were a mixed bag.
You can find it here.

• Some people felt strongly about it, and believe there is a clear distinction between the roles of copywriter or content writer. 

• Some people think that they are definitely different, but there is some crossover.

• And a surprising number of professionals, like me, didn’t quite know the difference. 
  (Which I found strangely reassuring).

My opinion is that it doesn’t really matter what you call it, as long as both you and the client have the same expectations. 
For example: I can call it a bap, while the cafe owner calls it a barm, but as long as we both know I’m getting a delicious bacon butty – it’s hard to care too much about the semantics.

And if words are your bag, then chances are you can turn your hand to all sorts of different types of writing. There’s not much I haven’t written over the years, from radio ads and speeches, to investment proposals and interiors blogs, via healthcare, hospitality and hairdressing. 
I don’t believe you need to have a niche, but that’s another story.

Jonathan Wilcock uses this fruity little simile on his blog post about copy vs content:

IT’S ALL BANANAS
“Not everyone reading this will agree with what to me is an indisputable fact – a good copywriter can also be a good content writer, because guess what, it’s not a case of apples or bananas, it’s more like selling the idea of a banana or selling an actual banana – they’re both ultimately extremely banana-y.”

And Claire McCabe said she eventually got bored of having to explain what a copywriter was:

“I spent some time researching this when I first started writing. I get both definitions. But got to the point where I realised that clients don’t know, or care. And I felt the same. They want words, I can give them words. So I am ‘writer’!”

So, to sum up…
Some people are copywriters.
Some people are content writers.
Some people are both.
Some people (me) don’t know which they are.
Some people are, in fact, neither. …Possibly you, I imagine? 

So if you need someone to give you a hand with your copy content writing, then give me a shout and we’ll see if I can help.

A lesson in effective storytelling

I once heard that a best man’s speech should be like a miniskirt: short enough to grab people’s attention, but long enough to cover the essentials.

I’ve been thinking recently how much that also applies to your marketing message. 
It can be difficult to know how much information is too much. 

Take your website for example – you want it to be informative, but you don’t want to bore potential customers. 

You want visitors to read enough to pique their interest but not so much that they won’t call to find out more.

It seems the answer to clear copywriting, effective storytelling (and probably a cracking best man’s speech) is to be more like my mum.

She is, by far, is the most phenomenal storyteller I know, and she doesn’t even realise it.

Any time I see my parents, my husband’s always desperate to know what my mother had to say. 
It’s the first thing he asks when I come through the door.

It’s because – just when you least expect it — she comes out with the most haunting and hilarious stories about her childhood. 

These anecdotes are casually dropped into conversation without pre-amble, as if we’ve heard them before, or she can’t imagine why anyone would be interested. 
They’re always in some way relevant, and she just releases them like little conversational hand grenades.

Someone had mentioned that ducks shouldn’t eat bread, when she shrugged and said… “I brought a pigeon back to life by feeding it salted peanuts in the bottom of my wardrobe.”

My questions tumbled over each other “How old were you? Did your parents know you had it? How long for? Where did it come from?”
The reply came over her shoulder as she went to put the kettle on, “I brought it back from Sunday School in my muff.”

She always leaves you wanting to know more. She’s only in her 60s now, but the way she talks about her childhood, you’d think she’d lived through the Victorian era.

So remember, your story doesn’t need to use complicated language or poetic phrases to be memorable.

And you don’t need to write thousands and thousands of words to have impact.

Look at John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’. 

The language he uses is simple, direct, and uncomplicated, but the overall story has gripped and broken the hearts of readers for more than 80 years, and continues to be popular as a set text in schools and universities.
The novella sold 500,000 copies in its first edition and in 1999 sales figures for the book in the USA alone were put at 7.5 million.

Simple storytelling doesn’t mean basic.

Your copy should be loud, clear, informative and interesting enough to hold people’s attention. 
(I should take my own advice and stop at this point).

Dave Trott’s books are great examples of clear and simple storytelling that really get the message across. Take a look at one + one = three.

Top tips for clear copywriting:

– Pick one point and stick to it.
You might want to list all the USPs of your product, but your message will ultimately be diluted.

– Keep it simple.
Leave the thesaurus out of reach

– Keep it brief.
Better for customers to ask for more info, than be bored.

– Don’t confuse what you want to say, with what customers need to hear.

__________________

For a greater insight into her character, you can also read how mum made the butcher blush.

At the moment, I feel like I’m taking part in a really intense, immersive copywriting course.

At any hour of the day I will suddenly be challenged to give a clear and simple definition of any word in the english language.

[Open my eyes in a morning] “WHAT ARE ISSUES?!”

[Sit down to eat] “WHAT’S PROOF?!”*

[Reversing into a tricky parking space] “WHAT DOES PRESSURE MEAN?!” **

But instead of being military-style training for my job, it’s actually just life with a four year old.

What’s a description?
What’s an engineer? 
What does portion mean?
What’s commission? ***
What’s a procession?

In all honesty, it’s really good practice for explaining things clearly. 
I love it!
I thoroughly recommend it for keeping your copywriting skills sharp.

Keep it simple

Not too long ago I was chatting to a new client about the importance of keeping things clear and simple. 

He’s launching a very technical and complicated product, but that doesn’t mean the website text should be technical and complicated; in fact, quite the opposite.

The more jargon and buzzwords you use in your copy, the more you risk alienating potential customers. 

You may know everything there is to know about manufacturing a left-flanged flux capaciteratrix, but your customer doesn’t need to.
They need to know what it is, and how it will make their life easier.

If you can explain what you do in terms that a child can understand, then your tone will automatically become friendlier and more accessible to everyone. 

And rather than sounding too simplistic, it actually demonstrates that you really understand what you’re talking about. Much more so than hiding behind specialist industry language and corporate acronyms.

We’ve all seen politicians being interviewed and tying to wrangle complex language to get out of answering a tricky question. It erodes their credibility and makes it obvious that they don’t know the real answer.

Simple and straightforward language gives off an authoritative tone and encourages trust in your brand. 

In ‘Copywriting Is’ Andrew Boulton advocates for giving the thesaurus a break and accepting that the word you think of first is most often the best:

I know I’ve mentioned ( this video ) before, but I still think it’s really clear and helpful advice: Vikki Ross suggests you should treat copywriting like a conversation, using “real words that real people really say.”

So it’s good advice for copywriting (and life) to just be clear and straightforward.

OK. 
I’m off to answer more questions about what things mean.
Quite a… defining moment, if you will.

Sorry. Dreadful joke.
I’m just grateful to have moved two years past having to explain what’s inside the banana, inside the banana.

You can read more about his many (many) questions in this old blog post too.

____________________________________________________

*I told him that ‘proof’ is when you can show that something is true.
He was thoroughly dissatisfied with that answer, because it turned out he meant “proof like waterproof”

**Disney’s Encanto is to thank for ‘pressure’ and ‘issues’

***The Forestry Commission is responsible for the local woodland. (And Forest School area).

A talented copywriter I follow on twitter was lamenting recently that she just couldn’t complete a project she was working on. Despite looking at it for hours, she just couldn’t see a way to get through it and had become overwhelmed by the ‘idea’ of it.

My advice was to write total drivel and then get out of there.
(Stay with me on this)…

By writing something that is – in theory – for your eyes only, it removes any fear of negative feedback and allows you to pour out your thoughts onto the page without inhibition. Then having a change of scenery before coming back to it gives you ‘fresh eyes’ on it and a sense of perspective. 

It will either be better than you thought, or you will be able to see what’s wrong about what you’ve written and correct it – but either way, you have done away with the daunting glare of a blank white page.

The process may not be pretty, but the results can be impressive. The priority is simply getting nearer to the finished product, by any means – and then you can edit and polish to your heart’s content. 

(From experience, please trust me when I say this is much more difficult when you’ve left it right up to the deadline.

***

My husband doesn’t care what anything looks like while it’s in progress.

As a fencing contractor he is an absolute perfectionist in his work, but he couldn’t care less about the appearance of the process, as long as the end result is impeccable.

With this mindset, he heads out into the wind and rain wearing three coats – including one ragged, bright orange Royal Mail raincoat given to him by our old postman – and carrying a pretty disgusting torn and grubby turquoise picnic bag that looks like it’s been dragged some distance behind a car.

He also has waterproof dungarees clearly designed for someone with a waistline five times larger than his. He wears these over another pair of army surplus waterproofs, which are worn over some ripped work pants, which – in turn – are worn over a pair of baggy thermals.

He cares not a jot, if it means he comes home relatively warm and dry at the end of the day. 

When you’re paddling about in cold mud for hours at a time, fashion is a low priority.

His chisel holder is an upcycled shoe and he butchered a hat to fit his ear defenders over the top. 
His phone has loud bleeping rubber buttons that make it sound like a toddler toy when he dials. It is filthy, but functional. 
And yesterday, I caught him filling up an empty rosé bottle with drinking water.

But the important thing is, it all works. It gets the job done. And his clients obviously only care about the look and strength of the finished fence. 
In fact, he’s booked up for the next two years. 

***

I try to borrow this mindset when I’m getting bogged down in work.

SO! When it comes to writing, I tell myself: forget about the process. Wear what you want and sit where you like. Stop agonising over every word. Stop scrolling social media and waiting for inspiration to strike. Don’t worry that it might be crap (because it might be! But you will improve it).
 Dive in.
JUST. GET. CRACKING.

Top tips for when you don’t know where to start:
– If you’ve been sitting unsuccessfully at your computer, grab a pad and pen and go elsewhere to scribble some notes. The act of then typing up your notes can prompt further progress.

– Go for a walk. 

– Ring someone for a chat. It doesn’t have to be about the project but it will break the monotony of staring at your screen, and put you in a different mindset.

– Talk yourself through the brief out loud. Pretend you’re explaining to a friend what you’ve been asked to do. Finding the words to describe it aloud can help you then articulate it better on the page.

– If all else fails, outsource it. 
There are some phenomenal copywriters out there ready to help, and life’s too short to stress yourself out.