Some people say that content is king. I’d like to take it a step further and say that great content is king. But how do you know whether your copy is great or just mediocre?

Anyone can write. Literally. But not everyone can write copy that converts. As a business owner, you will bump into many situations that call for writing awesome content.

On his blog, Brian Clark shares the number one secret to writing a great copy and it’s this: Write words what your readers can relate with. That’s one neat piece of advice.

Here are some more tips to make your copy engaging and great:

1. Model impactful over lengthy and obscure: It’s been said over and again — don’t reinvent the wheel. If you know someone who is good at writing copy that connects with their customers, model that person. What words do they use, how do they open their piece and what’s the tone? Modelling is one of the techniques that comes from Neuro Linguistic Programming or NLP. And from personal experience, I can say it’s pretty effective if you apply it in your everyday life, not just business.

2. Stay close to your original message: What’s the purpose of your copy? Is it to drive the customers to your new website? To introduce a new service? To bring in more sales? Be clear on your purpose and then tackle the copy. Begin with the end in mind — always!

3. Proofread: No writing is a job well done unless it includes the final steps of editing and proofreading. Even if you don’t realise the importance of well-written and grammatically sound content, edit and proofread heartlessly. Your spell check software may not mark them but your readers will note those “knot”s in the place in place of “not”s and “hear” instead of “here”. This also applies for words with the same spelling but different contextual meanings. For example, “down” could mean the opposite of up or someone who’s feeling low lately.

Awesome, precise and clear writing is a craft that takes time to develop. Like any other thing, practise makes perfect writing. There is no exact way to write, neither is any form of writing right or wrong. Writing is subjective and takes consistent work (and rework at times). So don’t be afraid to dive in and give it a shot!

That said, sometimes it is wise to leave the work to the experts. Delegation and outsourcing are ways of the smarter business woman or man.

If you’re after a fine copy for your business, get in touch with me at pooja [at] ghostwriterpooja.com.au and we’ll work our magic for you.