Avoiding Grammatical Errors and Writing For Your Target Audience
Copywriting, sadly, has no one-fit solution.
If I texted my friends to meet up for a barbecue by opening with “esteemed companions,” I might give off the idea we’re supposed to show up in powdered wigs and cummerbunds. Likewise, opening a cold email to a B2B organization with “WAASSSSSSUUUUUPPPP” might end up with the email filtered into mental spam piles, if not the actual folder where outreach goes to die. Copywriting Hidden Secrets
Your copywriting deserves to be read by an invested audience—not to end up on a farm where it gets to play with all of the other ineffective messaging.
In my experience, two things kill copywriting fast. Those are grammatical errors and poor choice of tone.
This blog will discuss my tips for supercharging your copywriting for small and large tasks alike!
Grammarly
Okay, I shout out Grammarly often, and that’s for a good reason. While AI hasn’t been able yet to tie my shoes, remind me to drink water, or water my cactus (though I’m sure we’re close), it has 100% helped me attain sharper writing, more pointed messaging, and error-free emails.
One click of a button and this super-program finds errors, suggests revisions, and dusts the top of my ceiling fan. Okay, maybe not the last one. But again, we’re close!
Agreements between clauses are often overlooked (we is friends? I are sounding smart?), as well as repetitive words within documents. A sharp pair of digital eyes have more than on one occasion saved me from an amateur mistake in outreach and blog-writing. And to think, you were all none the wiser! Seriously, try Grammarly. The subscription price practically pays for itself.
Hemingway
Now that your document is grammatically optimized, can anyone except you read it? To help answer that, I suggest hopping on Hemingway.
The app’s features are surprisingly in-depth for the simple UI—plug your writing in and let the program run its magic. Hemingway scans your document for wordy passages, ineffective word choices, and general readability. When you’re working with highly detailed materials or crafting content for an uninformed client base, basic readability cannot be overlooked. Be content with being wise—not a “wise guy,” parading big words in front of an audience who just wants to know the facts.
Know Your Tone
On the subject of being a wise guy, this sometimes has its place.
By now, you will have noticed that I don’t exactly shy away from bold language in these blogs. This is because I hope my audience comes out with an understanding of the topic at hand and a taste of what makes my brand unique.
There will always be more technical content than your own, but there will never be a brand more you than your own. And in a crowded field, isn’t that great? Like in the social world, we can’t be friends with everyone—but the friends we do have to understand that we are one in a million. Ideally, your business should be founded on many of the same tenets.
My point isn’t to say that all of your clients should know your every thought on the cyber-socialism movements of Chile. Taking into account the tone of your clients is essential for not offending their sensibilities. The same goes for boring the clients you’ve won over with your personality through long-winded and jargony emails! If you’ve found one tone works better for a casual client than a professional one or vice versa, look into switching them up.
Since a large part of your day is spent writing, this also helps you from burnout. It is as hard to write jokes all day to code the back end of a site. Believe me; I’ve tried.
My biggest tip applies to copywriting to sales in general: listen as much as you can. Does your client prefer specific terms for their business? Are blogs in your field more casual or more technical? Are you getting more engagement on your work or on your professional reports, and why?
Perhaps biggest of all: learn to listen to feedback. It’s nothing personal, just business.
Copywriting in all its different forms is alchemical—blending lead words to come up with something gold.
When building your brand, it is essential to speak concisely and with just the right personality. Nailing this is difficult, but by using the apps above and some empathetic common sense, your writing will reach more ears with ease.
Not sure where to start? Let’s sit down and talk through your strategies. Together, we can get your copy sparkling, just like you.