1. The story is more important than the words

As someone who gets paid to slap words together, this might be a hard pill to swallow, but that doesn’t make it any less true. It all boils down to storytelling, so no need to linger on which words to use. Make sure your story is strong and you get it across. Trust me, the number of synonyms for common words will make you cry, weep, sob and bawl.

2. Use the language of your audience

Maybe you sell unicorns that shit golden coin. In that case, you could probably scribble down what the nearest toddler tells you to and still sell. In all other cases, make sure that the words you choose are understandable to your audience. If possible, make it practical: We’re basically just talking about a good ol’ keyword research.

3. Write as if you speak

Now, the last one that made sense here is that a good speech is, in fact, a speech, not a reading. How does that apply to copy? Well, I don’t know what the voice in your head sounds like, but I know its there. No worries, we all have it (or multiple, but that’s a different subject), and it gives life to words we read. We don’t process words in our minds in a robot-like manner, so why not use the strength of spoken word in text? Have an accent? Write that in there! Use your puns, informal language, breaks in your sentences or whatever floats your boat: Make your copy YOU. Read your text out loud once you’re done. How would you feel if someone spoke these words? Edit accordingly.

This blog was originally posted on my Medium page.