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Post by Eric Brantner

At its best, copywriting is a way to connect with your target audience and to motivate them to take action. At its worst, it’s a way to alienate potential customers and to severely damage your brand. How can you be sure your copy doesn’t fall into the latter category? You can start by avoiding these highly overused and annoying techniques.

• Ellipses—I see this most often in email marketing messages. The copy will go something like this: “We’re your all in one shop…for everything you need…from bicycles to watermelons…and everything in between…all at low prices…all guaranteed to satisfy…so you have nothing to lose…and everything to gain…conveniently located…so you can get in and out…come shop with us today!” Do you see how annoying this is? I understand the point of ellipses is to insert pauses, making the content more conversational, in theory. But when I read through a paragraph full of these, I often lose track of what the main point is, and I forget what I read by the time I reach the end. There’s nothing wrong with using ellipses, just don’t overdo it.

• Quotation Marks—Everybody hates the guy who does air quotes, right? Just as “annoying” as him is the “writer” who does the same thing when he “over-quotes”, like, “everything.” See what I did there? Yeah, it’s annoying, and more importantly, it distracts readers from the main message of your content.

• Strikethroughs—We get it, you’re an annoying pain in the @$$ clever and oh-so-snarky.

• Bolded Text–By now, we all know online readers tend to scan content rather than read it word for word. As a copywriter, I’m all for making content easier to scan. One way to do this is by using bolded text to highlight the main points of the copy. Unfortunately, this is another technique that’s very easy to fall in love with and to overdo. Look, if every other sentence has a bolded phrase, it defeats the purpose. Bold sparingly, my friends.

*Bonus: This isn’t really a copywriting technique, but it’s still a word that gets overused.

• The word “that”—The word “that” can almost always be eliminated from a sentence without changing the meaning. It typically improves the flow of the copy as well. Here’s an example: “The keywords that you choose that will earn you the top search placement that you want.” Get rid of the three uses of “that” and the sentence will be fine as is.

What copywriting (or just writing in general) techniques bother you most? Share them in the replies.

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Post by Eric Brantner

Copywriting. It’s the backbone of your website. If you don’t use the right words, you’ll never convert your visitors into paying customers. So, stop focusing on those keywords for a minute, and start focusing on using these 10 results-driven copywriting words.

1. You–This is the most important word in your website copywriting. Unfortunately, few websites use it. Instead of saying “we we we” over and over, use “you.” Why? Because consumers are selfish. They only care about how your product will benefit them. They don’t want to read website copy that is just your company stroking its own ego the whole time. Remember, copywriting is a conversation. So, talk with your reader rather than at them.

2. Free–George Carlin once had a bit where he talked about how you can get people to do anything if you give them some gadget, like a toaster, for free. The word “free” is intoxicating. People love feeling like they’re getting something for nothing. More importantly, people online are wary of losing something to a scam. If you offer something for free, you put them at ease and build some trust with them. Whether it’s a free consultation or a free e-book, consider having a free offer on your website. Just don’t overdo it, or you’ll come off looking spammy.

3. Guaranteed–Again, online shoppers are more cautious than traditional shoppers. And for good reason. Let’s face it, there are lots of scams floating around the internet. Using trust-building words like guaranteed can help potential customers feel as if they have nothing to lose. It’s comforting for them to know there is always an out should the product not live up to their standards.

4. Easy–Staples has built an entire brand based solely on the word “easy.” People love easy.

5. New–New has always been an effective buzzword. This is even more true in today’s technology-driven world. Customers are demanding the latest and greatest products. They want to be on the cutting edge.

6. Proven–Of course, new means nothing if it isn’t proven. So, if your unique selling point is that your product uses cutting-edge, new technology, you better make sure you let your visitors know it’s proven to work also. Some people are afraid of new, and it’s your job to prove how it will benefit them. Statistics help.

7. Results–This goes hand-in-hand with proven. Your potential customers want to know what results they can expect with your product. Don’t hide behind vague industry terms and meaningless jargon. Get straight to the point. Tell them exactly the results and benefits your product or services will deliver to them.

8. Save–Save is another buzzword that’s been thrown around forever. It can be even more effective today with the condition of the economy. But the word “save” doesn’t always have to be about price. Your product could “save” time for the consumer. It could “save” them from trouble. It’s not always about saving money, especially if you’re marketing yourself as a top-shelf brand.

9. Maximize–I like the word “maximize” because it creates the perception that your product achieves the maximum benefits possible. However, make sure you aren’t too vague when you use this word. Back it up with facts that show how your reader will “maximize” the benefit.

10. Benefit–Copywriting 101: tell your readers how they will benefit from using your product. What better way to accomplish that than by using the word “benefit?”

How many of these words do you use in your website copy? Would you add any to this list?

Post by Eric Brantner

Are you tired of your content not getting the attention you desire? Do you try in vain to hit the front page of Digg or Reddit or even niche social media sites? While much of it has to do with knowing how to properly promote the content, the truth is you have to know how to write hot social media content if you want consistent success. You have to understand what social media users crave.

Follow these 10 tips to help you write social media content that consistently goes popular.

1. Do Your Research- No matter what you’re writing, the first step to crafting a piece is to do your research. For social media content, that means understanding the type of content social media users desire. Determine who your audience is—are you going for success on big social media sites like Digg and Reddit or on niche sites within your industry? Understand which type of content seems to consistently go popular, and write about a topic that hasn’t been exhausted.

2. Write a Killer Headline- Your headline plays, perhaps, the most important role in determining how popular your social media content gets. Social media users have thousands of submissions vying to capture their attention. How can you stand apart from the pack? By creating a compelling headline. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel with your headline. You just have to make it enticing enough for people to click on it.

3. Follow with a Great Opening- If you’re lucky enough to write a headline that attracts readers, you better make sure you start off on the right foot. You only have a few seconds to convince the visitor to keep reading. That’s why it’s crucial that your opening paragraph sucks the reader in.  A lot of times, your opening paragraph is what will be used as the article description on social media sites. Make sure it cuts straight to the core of what your post is about. Which brings us to the next point:

4. Eliminate Fluff- Web readers have no tolerance for fluff. Don’t try to pad your content with non-essential text that doesn’t further your points. Online readers already have a short attention span; so it’s crucial to make sure you keep it focused.

5. Be Conversational- The key word in social media is “social.” Get rid of the stiff, boring content that lacks personality. Bring your readers into the conversation. Talk to the readers just like you would if you were sitting next to them face to face. An interactive, personal tone will generate buzz for your content.

6. Don’t Be “Salesy”- Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by trying to promote yourself in your social media content. Social media users will bury any content that displays ulterior motives. Your blogs need to add to the online experience by being useful and educational.

7. Stand by Your Opinions- Aren’t you tired of all the “me too” blogs crowding the internet? Doesn’t anybody have a new opinion anymore? While it can be scary to go against popular belief, you’ll never gain any respect if you don’t stand by your opinion. “Me too” content has been done thousands of times before, and that style of writing severely limits your chances of penning a popular piece.

8. Use Pictures- Well-chosen pictures act as a great supplement for your social media content. Let’s face it—no matter how great your writing is, few online readers want to be greeted with a long block of text when they click on your post. Pictures are great because they make your content easier to scan and they add another aesthetic to your piece.

9. Be a Resource- In a way, this goes back to point #7. If you want your content to rise to the top of social media sites and to generate inbound links, you need to write pieces that act as a resource. How can you do this? By going deeper. Provide detailed analysis that can’t be found anywhere else. Imagine you’re writing a post about free online tools for web designers. While this has undoubtedly been done before, the way you can make your piece a leading resource is by including the most tools and links to some hidden gems that others have overlooked. In short, you want your content to be a piece that someone can learn all they need to about a particular subject from.

10. Keep Trying- Social media marketing requires a long-term commitment. You have to keep trying to write hot social media content. The best thing you can do is to learn from your mistakes and to keep tweaking your approach until you hit on a formula that works for you. It’s a learning experience, and you just have to be willing to stick with it.

Would you add any tips to this list? Share your favorite social media content writing tips in the replies!