Write Fun & Casual Copy (not Boring AF)
A dangerous disease is decimating our planet at this very moment….
Hundreds of thousands, even millions, of new people are getting infected….
Even worse, people with higher education are affected by the symptoms the most….
It’s devastating and very hard to look at.
Have you noticed this disease making rounds?
I am talking about sitting-down-at-the-computer-itis, of course!
Main cause: Writing pointless essays in school for too many years.
Main symptom: Going into BORING MODE as soon as you sit down to write.
You know the drill.
You sit down to write – an email, a blog post, some copy for a client, whatever – and you turn into George McBorington.
Why is that?
Because you try to sound “professional”, whatever that means. You try to speak to EVERYONE, which is impossible. You try to be polite, to keep it neutral, because the world wants us to be vanilla, as Ramit Sethi says.
Finally, you end up with a boring piece of crap that people would rather watch paint dry than read it.
Yes, it doesn’t offend anyone. But nobody loves it either. Nor can they, because it’s not addressed to a specific audience.
Let’s take a look at a really boring piece of copy that doesn’t mean anything:
“High Quality Business Management, Inc. (HQBM) was founded in 2000 with one goal in mind: yours. From the beginning, we’ve been focused on delivering unparalleled service—from insight to implementation. And we continuously exceed the expectations of our clients by tailoring our services to meet their changing needs. Our continued growth is a testament to this personalized approach.”
Alriiiiight…….what the hell does this mean?
Can you explain it to me because I sure as hell don’t understand?
What does this company do? Who do they do it for?
If you understand it, congratulations, you must be a mind reader and don’t need to waste your time working for others.
Otherwise, don’t try this at home kids – such terrible copywriting can be very dangerous to your wallet.
Here's how to spot bad examples of copy:
--> You don't understand what you just read
--> They keep talking about them
--> Academical & 'clever' words
--> Boring AF
So how SHOULD you write?
As Ramit Sethi says: “Write like you would talk to a friend on a Friday night in a bar over a couple beers.”
Or as Neville Medhora would say: “Write fun. Write casual. Sometimes write wacky.”
(NOT too wacky, but that’s a whole nother topic.)
Bad example:
“To whom this may concern, I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to you today in regards to the marketing meeting that is being rescheduled from Monday afternoon to Tuesday morning. I hope this is not a big inconvenience in your day. Best regards.”
Good example:
“Hey John, the marketing meeting got moved to 9am tomorrow. See you there!”
See the difference? Personal, casual BUT still professional.
Professional doesn’t not mean you have to be boring and put people to sleep.
Why do many people suffer from sitting-down-at-the-computer-itis?
Feel free to blame school and pointless essays with a set number of minimum words. They forced us to write like we’re all on debate teams or trying to become the next Shakespeare.
Now you have to unlearn all of that crap because that’s not how the real world works. People want useful information in as little time as possible. That’s what copywriting is for.
Got it? Good.
Now get outta here and go write some fun and casual copy!
Sincerely,
Filip Stanojevic – Cured Of Sitting-Down-At-The-Computer-Itis (Seemingly)