7 Easy Ways to Improve Your Writing

This is the first guest blog written by Jamie Hudson a freelance copywriter based in the Midlands. In this post he writes about the simple steps you can take to improve your writing. Hopefully this will be the first of many guest blogs to be featured on FreelanceCopywritersBlog.

Do you have something to say about copywriting or marketing? If so get in touch with your ideas and perhaps you too can appear here on a guest bloggers slot.

But now, without further ado here are Jamie’s 7 easy ways to improve your writing.

Everyone needs to be able to write well.

It will help in every area of your life, professionally and personally. It will help you to recognise good writing in your own advertising and marketing communications. And spot bad writing which is harming your brand, proposition and offer.

It will help you to communicate more effectively with your colleagues, business partners and outside suppliers. Use these guidelines and you’ll be able to write better creative briefs, internal documents, proposals, complaint letters, even love letters to your partner.

The ability to write well is vitally important for all of us. After all, if you can’t say what you mean, how can you mean what you say?

These seven tips can be applied to any kind of writing. They will give you a set of guidelines you can refer to.

1. Never, ever try to be clever

Communicate your thoughts and feelings, your views and opinions as simply and clearly as possible. You are not trying to show everyone how clever you are. If you come up with a word or phrase that you are particularly proud of, cut it out immediately.  Any piece of writing should make the reader think, ‘Great, I want that product now,’ or ‘That strategy is spot on – let’s do it’, or ‘That’s a cracking brief’

Not, ‘Wow, that’s really clever.’

2. Read it out loud

By reading aloud you’ll see if it flows nicely and leads smoothly from one point to the next. You’ll also quickly discover any passages which hold up the flow and need cutting or rewriting. And remember, a piece of advertising copy shouldn’t sound like advertising copy. If it does, rewrite it. 

3. Give us a KISS

It’s a much-used acronym, but one of my favourites: Keep It Simple, Stupid.

Use short, simple words, not long, complicated ones. Use short sentences. Did you know that the easiest to read sentence is eight words long? While sentences of more than 32 words are very difficult for most people to take in.

Use short paragraphs with only one thought per paragraph. In particular, try to ensure that the first paragraph is no longer than one sentence.

While we’re talking about simplicity, lots of writers think that if they’re writing about complicated subjects, they have to use complicated language. Not so. The Wall Street Journal is written in a language that’s understandable to a 17-year old. But not the front cover. That’s meant to be understood by a 15-year old.

4. Mind your language

In almost every type of writing, you should use words that ordinary people use every day. Sit on the bus or tube and listen to people talking. Hear the kind of words that they use. For example people don’t undertake things. They carry them out. Or better still, do them. Get the idea?

Oh, and forget jargon too.

5. Don’t use that tone of voice with me.

Tone of voice – when it’s right, you don’t notice it and you take in the message. When it’s wrong, it’s irritating and you feel either talked down to, or up to which is just as bad. Above all, always try to write in the language of the person you’re writing to. The language they themselves will use every day.

6. Your most powerful word.

So what’s the most powerful word in any kind of writing? Suppose you’re inspiring your colleagues, selling a product online, writing a DM pack or wooing a lover – what’s the one word they want to hear more than any other?

Free is good.

So are Save and Save money.

Even New will attract attention.

But the best word you can use is You. Along with Yours and Your.

7. Get a freelance copywriter to write your copy for you.