When it comes to writing copy it can be so easy to over-complicate things.
Yesterday I saw a sales letter written for a big up-coming seminar. What struck me was how so many words were used to say so little.
It reminded me of a leaflet I saw last week: It was similar to yesterday’s sales page.
It also had the added handicap of having big words where smaller ones will do.
I say big and small in both senses. They literally had more letters in them, and they were more complicated.
Let’s just say a ten year old child wouldn’t understand it.
And if a ten year old child doesn’t understand your copy, chances are a lot of adults won’t, either. The average reading age of most native English speaking countries is probably around that age.
So if you want to ensure everyone understands your writing, without having to go over the same sentence umpteen times, keep it simple.
No one’s got the time to take out a dictionary to check what you mean.
And the moment your reader has to think about what you’re trying to say, you’ve lost him.
Whatever you write copy, keep the message simple. If you’re telling a story, keep that simple.
I know, you might be thinking, “Well, what about our more sophisticated readers?”
What about them?
You’re not giving English lessons. You’re trying to make a sale.
You wouldn’t expect a salesman to watch his grammar in front of a prospect. Why should your sales copy?
After all, copywriting is just multiplied salesmanship, isn’t it?
Best,
Rezbi
The Copy System
www.directmarketingcourse.com
www.hotbuttoncopywriting.com
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