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4 Ways to Leverage the Power of Conversational Copywriting by Karon Thackston
Back before the web, in the days of broadcast media — like TV, print, and radio — copywriting was about writing AT your audience.
These were one-way media. The audience was passive. They couldn’t talk back. As copywriters, we simply wrote at our audience, hoping to push them toward making a purchase.
However, the web is utterly different. It’s not one-way.
This means we no longer need to write AT our audience. We can engage WITH them.
And when your communication goal shifts from writing AT to engaging WITH… everything changes.
At least, it should change.
But, strangely, all too many companies and marketers are still stuck in the habit of one-way, old-school, full-on broadcast copywriting.
Which is a pity, because applying conversational copywriting principles to interactive media (including websites) delivers a lot of valuable benefits.
Let’s take a peek at 4 of them.
#1 — Conversational Copywriting Lets You Simplify and Clarify Your Message
Here’s some text I found on a website recently:
“We empower organizations to monitor cloud spend, drive organizational accountabilities, and optimize cloud efficiency so they can accelerate future cloud investments with confidence.”
No kidding. That’s what they wrote, word for word.
Why would they use such ridiculously complicated language? Hard to say. But I’m guessing someone figured it made them look smart.
The trouble is, it’s a terrible piece of communication.
Now let’s imagine the marketer was at home, sitting at his kitchen table, telling his neighbor what it was he did at work.
“We help companies make smarter use of cloud storage.”
A little simpler and clearer, right?
That’s the basic model for conversational copywriting.
You always ask yourself, “How would I explain this, or pitch this, if I were sitting at my kitchen table, talking to a neighbor or a friend?”
As soon as you imagine that picture in your mind, the business jargon falls away, the crazy 30-word compound sentences get broken up, and you actually start communicating with clarity.
DISCLOSURE: SOME OF THE LINKS IN THE PAGE ABOVE MAY BE “AFFILIATE LINKS.” THIS MEANS IF YOU CLICK ON THE LINK AND PURCHASE THE ITEM, WE WILL RECEIVE AN AFFILIATE COMMISSION. WE ARE DISCLOSING THIS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION’S 16 CFR, PART 255: “GUIDES CONCERNING THE USE OF ENDORSEMENTS AND TESTIMONIALS IN ADVERTISING.
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