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Making your content writing inclusive: step-by-step guide

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Inclusive content writing

What is inclusive content writing?

It means using a language that respects human diversity.

Inclusive content writing is sensitive towards

People with disabilities.
Members of the LGBTQ community.
People of different ages.
Minorities
People of different socio-economic status.
Different religious groups.
Marginalised communities.

Main points covered in this blog post

Why incorporate inclusion in your writing?
What are the benefits of making your content writing inclusive?
How to make your content writing inclusive?

You can use inclusive writing practices to write

Email campaigns
Blog posts
Informational articles
Social media posts
Web pages
Landing pages
White papers
Case studies

And every other material you use for business communications.

Here is a Conscious style guide that can help you make your writing more inclusive.

You may get customers and clients of different ages, colours, unconventional genders, ethnicities, language backgrounds, cultures and sexual orientations.

Inclusion also means being sensitive towards diverse physical abilities, mental abilities, and regional and socio-economic backgrounds.

Through your writing you can make sure that no one feels excluded.

Yes, I can understand that suddenly handling so much diversity may seem intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be.

You can also view this inclusive writing guideline from the University of Idaho that explains good writing for the following categories:

Abilities/disabilities
Gender and sexual identity
The race, ethnicity, national identity, and religion
Indigenous people

Why incorporate inclusion in your content writing?

It is the right thing to do.

We live in a multidimensional world.

Fortunately, these days we also live in a world that is much more accepting than it was even 15 years ago.

People should be able to live the way they want to live (as long as they are not harming someone by their actions and tendencies).

They shouldn’t feel excluded.

They shouldn’t be marginalised just because they have different physical abilities, or they come from a different background or race.

When they read your content, they shouldn’t feel that their beliefs are being questioned or stereotypes against them are being reaffirmed.

Hence, it is your social and ethical responsibility to incorporate inclusion in your content writing.

It is not that you don’t want to make your writing inclusive.

In many cases exclusion is not a conscious decision.

There is a concept called “implicit bias” that refers to “the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner.”

The above link says that you can act on the basis of prejudice and stereotypes even without intending to do so.

We store all our biases and stereotypes in the subconscious.

It is in our subconscious where 98% of our thinking happens.

Our subconscious helps us take automatic decisions.

What are the benefits of making your content writing inclusive?

Inclusive content writing helps you portray your brand as a forward-thinking entity.

It improves your relationship with your customers and clients.

It appeals to a broader audience.

Happier customers main more sales.

According to a Zendesk study, 54% respondents said that they prefer to do business with companies that prioritize diversity and inclusion.

A Microsoft Advertising research found that 64% people are more trusting of brands that represent diversity in their ads.

69% admitted that brands that represent diversity seem more authentic.

People with diverse backgrounds have immense buying power these days.

Irrespective of ethnicities, sexual orientations and physical and mental abilities, billions of people are doing online shopping.

We live in a globally connected world.

People in different parts of the world can easily, individually, talk about your business.

They can form opinions.

They can demolish reputations.

They can be unimaginatively loyal.

By making your content writing inclusive to become a part of a global community.

You don’t want to miss out on this massive opportunity just because you’re not careful about your language.

With just a single expression you can alienate a big chunk of your market.

Once people move away from business, especially due to a negative experience, it is very difficult to bring them back.

How to make your content writing inclusive?

This is how Salesforce defines inclusive marketing (and inclusive content):

We define inclusive marketing as creating content that truly reflects the diverse communities that our companies serve. It means that we are elevating diverse voices and role models, decreasing cultural bias, and leading positive social change through thoughtful and respectful content.

What is inclusive language?

According to Wikipedia, inclusive language encourages you to avoid expressions that can be deemed as sexist, racist, prejudiced, biased, or denigrating to a particular ethnicity or a group of people.

Here is how Hubspot defines inclusive language:

Inclusive language is the words and phrases you use that avoid biases, slang, and expressions that discriminate against groups of people based on race, gender, socio-economic status, and ability.

It is advised that you don’t identify someone’s race, gender, orientation, ethnicity, or disability status unless it is specifically needed to make a point.

Step-by-step guide to making your content writing inclusive.

Make your writing gender neutral

Unless you are specifically talking about a male or a female, avoid expressions that exclusively cater to a particular gender.

Instead of “chairman”, use “chairperson”.

Instead of “mankind”, use “humans”.

Instead of he or she, you can use they.

The world is fast becoming inclusive.

People used terms like “policeman”, “fireman” or “businessman” because these were, once upon a time, exclusive domains of men.

Now people of varying genders are in all professions.

You can’t possibly include every gender in your writing expressions, so it better be gender neutral.

Stop using ableist vocabulary

In your writing, avoid using expressions like “crazy”, “crippled”, “lame”, “dumb” and “stupid” (just a few examples).

Knowingly or unknowingly, such words can be used to stigmatize, dehumanize, and institutionalise people with physical and mental disabilities, according to Harvard Business Review.

Make your writing accessible

Accessible writing has two meanings:

Text readers should be easily able to read what you have written.
People of varying reading abilities should be able to understand what you are writing.

How do you achieve that?

Write short sentences.
Use professional but simple words.
Avoid industry jargon.
Avoid using abbreviations that are difficult to interpret.
Use bullet points to break down important pieces of information.
Writing in active voice.
Cut out unwanted information.
Keep your paragraphs short.
Use lots of subheadings to make it easier to skim through your content.

If you want you can use an app like Hemingway.

It analyzes your writing and tells you if your sentences are too difficult or too long.

It highlights complex sentences.

It uses color coding to highlight portions that are difficult to read, using too many adjectives and adverbs, using passive voice, and may have simpler alternative words that sound better.

It makes suggestions so that you can keep your readability around Grade 6, which is easier to understand and yet, not oversimplistic.

Design a style guide

If you work with multiple content writers, it can become a hassle to pay for every writer regarding inclusive writing.

Instead, you can design a downloadable style guide containing step-by-step instructions on how to incorporate inclusion when writing.

Here is an inclusive writing style guide from Google.

At many places it is also called “diversity style guide”.

Inclusive content writing is more than being politically correct.

It shows you respect individual differences.

You show respectability towards cultures, gender orientation, ethnicity, and regions.

It shows your commitment to socially conscious practices.

By putting in an effort to make your writing inclusive, you show your willingness to include the greatest number of people when you communicate.

10 tips to make your boring content writing interesting

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How to make your boring content writing interesting

Do you feel your content writing is making people fall asleep?

These pieces of advice can turn your boring content writing into an interesting piece of content:

Tell a story
Write a compelling headline
Get to the point as fast as possible
Make your writing easier to scan
Use small and simple sentences with lots of white spacing
Hook your readers with a captivating introduction
Experiment with short form content
Use active voice
Write in the language of your readers
Avoid redundant phrases and expressions

For your content to be interesting and persuasive, it should brim with excitement and fervor.

No matter how informative and well-researched your article or blog post is, if people are not enthused, if they are bored, they leave after reading a few lines.

I agree that boring and interesting are subjective.

In a study conducted by Digital Marketing Community, 98% of the respondents who were surveyed said that written content is the most used type of content in the marketing industry.

Yet, one in three marketers admitted that the content is not effective.

It means there is lots of content out there that is boring and uninspiring.

Very little interesting content writing.

Some content writing that may seem boring to one reader may seem quite interesting to another.

Maybe some people are just interested in hard facts and useful information.

It doesn’t matter how that information is presented.

Nonetheless, as a professional content writer, it is your job to make your writing engaging and interesting to cater to a wider audience.

Here are a few things you can do to make your seemingly boring content writing interesting.

1. Tell a story

Stories are always interesting.

A story brings in a human angle into your narrative.

Even when you tell stories about animals, we tell their stories as if they are humans – they talk like humans, they show emotions like humans, they behave like humans.

Yes, features are important, but along with telling the features of a TV, also tell how a new TV changes the viewing experience of a family that was getting disinterested in TV content.

Tell about Peter who was about to shut down his business and then how his business was saved with the help of an on-demand app.

Marketing and selling are all about emotion.

This Forbes article says that by telling a story, you can hit the emotional quotient.

The article further says that tell stories that are real, or at least tell stories that can evoke real emotions and feelings.

A story can instantly make your boring content writing interesting.

2. Write a compelling headline

If 100 people come to read your blog post or web page, 80 read just the headline and only the remaining 20 read the rest of your copy.

A headline makes people read the rest of your copy.

You need to get your headline right because your readers make their first impression about what you have written based on their perception of your headline.

If your headline does not move them, they will leave after reading just the headline.

Stay away from crafting fake headlines just to make them sound interesting.

Click bait may work for some publications, but for genuine businesses, “click-bait” headlines can be counterproductive.

Take care that your headline has the following qualities

It portrays the usefulness of your content.
It conveys urgency.
It is unique and stands out among the crowd.
It provides specific information – what you are delivering.

People at Buzzsumo analyzed the headlines of 100 million articles and drew some solid conclusions.

One of the conclusions is that the headline that has around 60-65 characters performs the best on not just search engines, but also on Facebook and Twitter.

I’m sure by headline they mean the meta title because that’s what is displayed on Google and social media websites when you post a link.

Your headline is the <h1> tagged caption that is actually displayed on your homepage with a big font.

The big-font caption can be as long as you feel like – just make sure it can be read in a single breath.

3. Get to the point as fast as possible

Many content writers, perhaps to create longer articles and blog posts, talk about everything but the main issue.

They will write 500-600 words before they come to the main agenda.

By that time people are bored.

Avoid long, rambling sentences.

Don’t fill up your article or blog post simply to write long form content.

Convey your main point in the first paragraph.

For example, if you are writing a blog post on 13 benefits of hiring a professional content writer, you don’t need to first explain who a content writer is and what a content writer does.

People who want to read about the benefits of hiring a professional content writer already know who a content writer is and what a content writer does.

I’m not saying that you should reduce your blog post to its bare bones, but the points that can be omitted, omit them.

4. Make your writing easier to scan

Divide different sections under subheadings.

Craft your subheadings in a manner that they tell the reader what is followed in the smaller text.

For example, in the subheading “Make your writing easier to scan”, you can easily make out what the topic is about and then after that, it is up to you whether you want to read the remaining text or not.

Aside from subheadings, convey smaller points in bullet points.

Bullet points are easier to read.
They provide your reader something quick to read.
They are easily scannable.
You don’t even need to write complete sentences.

You can also use block quotes to highlight portions you don’t want your readers to mess.

5. Use small and simple sentences with lots of white spacing

As you can see in this blog post, every sentence has its own line or its own paragraph.

No line has more than one sentences.

This makes the blog post easier to read.

Long paragraphs having multiple sentences can be difficult to read and hence, after a while, they bore the reader.

Small sentences, of single lines, keep the readers interested.

Even if your content writing is not as interesting as you would like it to be, just because it is easier to read, people read.

6. Hook your readers with a captivating introduction

After your headline, it is the first few lines that are responsible for making your readers read further.

These first few lines are the introduction of your article or blog post.

57% of the page viewing time is spent above the fold, according to a Nielsen Norman Group study.

Above the fold means the portion of the web page you have just loaded, and you haven’t scrolled down yet.

Below the fold, only 17% people read, and only the most determined people go beyond that.

So, whatever important point you want to make, make it in the introduction.

There is another thing I have started doing recently.

If you have a look at this blog post 10 advantages of hiring a professional content writer for your business, you will notice that I cover all the main points in a bulleted list in the beginning.

I have done that even for this blog post.

This gives a bird’s eye view of the entire blog post and makes it easier for people to decide if they want to read further.

They immediately know what points I’m covering.

7. Experiment with short form content

Although most of the SEO experts and digital marketers advise you to focus more on long form content (at least 1500-2000 words), you can also experiment with short form content – around 400-500 words.

This way you can write on highly focused topics.

You don’t beat around the bush.

Your readers don’t get intimidated by a seemingly never-ending stream of text.

There is no danger of information overload.

Since for every topic you are writing a new blog post or a new web page, you never run out of topics.

Smaller articles and blog posts are also easier to read on mobile phones.

Also, if you don’t get to the point, people leave midway, missing the whole idea of why they came to your article or blog post in the first place.

8. Use active voice

Content writing using lots of passive voice expressions becomes boring.

Active voice on the other hand makes your content writing interesting.

No, I don’t mean that merely using active voice makes your writing interesting, it is just that, it is easier to read and hence, people don’t get tired, and consequently, don’t get bored.

For example, instead of writing This blog post has been written by Amrit you write, Amrit wrote this blog post.

Instead of writing The dog has been taken to the vet, you can write They have taken the dog to the vet.

Instead of writing The coding will be done by our team, you can write Our team will do the coding.

This is a small thing, but if there are too many passive voice sentences and expressions in your writing, unknowingly, people get disinterested in your writing.

They are unable to make any connection.

9. Write in the language of your readers

It is important to have your own voice and your own style of writing.

But every professional content writer writes in the language of his or her readers.

This makes your writing comfortable.

If you need to use your mind to understand multiple words and sentences, it will tire you out.

On the other hand, if your content writing is smooth and easily understandable, reading becomes fast, and faster reading is usually interesting.

Avoid getting carried away with your own vocabulary and jargon.

You are not writing to impress anyone.

The purpose of your content writing is to prompt customers and clients into buying something or acting upon your call-to-action.

In my many blog posts I have suggested my readers to use simple language when writing content, but simple doesn’t mean oversimplifying your language.

Read other blogs and websites.

Study queries submitted on Google about your niche.

Observe words in the Google Suggests section.

Talk to your client.

Read reviews about similar products and services left by their customers and clients.

This way you can get the hang of what language or what expressions they use while talking about particular products and services.

10. Avoid redundant phrases and expressions

Redundant phrases and expressions are groups of words that are needless and even when you remove them, the sentence remains the same and in fact, becomes better.

For your content writing to be interesting, people should be able to read fast.

The more words they need to read, the more boring your writing becomes.

For example, consider the sentence:

The purpose of this app is to provide you directions even without an Internet connection.

You can remove “The purpose of”, and you can also remove “is to provide” and then rewrite the sentence as

This app provides directions even without an Internet connection.

Another example:

This document has been prepared to provide you an outline of our methodology.

It can be written as

This document provides you an outline of our methodology.

Another small example:

His arrival was an unexpected surprise.

Isn’t surprise always unexpected?

Therefore, you can rewrite the sentence as

His arrival was a surprise.

Use as many unnecessary words and expressions as possible to make your writing crisp.

Even when you’re writing about a boring product or service where there is nothing to talk about but descriptions and features, the points mentioned above can help you write text that is easier and faster to read.

When people can read your content writing with ease, they don’t lose interest.

They don’t feel exhausted.

Since your text is easier to read, they are not forced to abandon midway.

10 online copywriting mistakes new writers should avoid

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10 online copywriting mistakes to avoid

If you are a new writer, it will help you a lot if you avoid the online copywriting mistakes listed in this blog post.

The online copywriting mistakes covered in this blog post are:

Not writing a compelling headline
Writing for yourself and not for your readers
Not having a clear call-to-action
Lacking emotion
Not being specific
Not using a conversational style
Not making your writing skimmable
Focusing more on features and less on benefits
Focusing more on SEO and less on readers
Being too salesy

Copywriting is a serious business.

When people read your copy, they buy from you or subscribe to your service.

That is, if you can convince them.

Convincing people, especially through copywriting, is one of the hardest tasks to achieve because you are making them part with their money.

Do you spend money after casually reading something?

No. You need to be completely convinced.

Even if someone asks you to spend a single dollar on something, you don’t spend casually or without being convinced.

Certain online copywriting mistakes can prevent you from convincing people or making a connection with them.

Online copywriting is different from conventional copywriting because when people read your copy on the web, there are too many distractions.

On the phone there are non-stop notifications.

On the computer there are too many links to click.

There are numerous social media updates to check.

Emails and messages are continuously coming.

There are no such problems with conventional copywriting.

There are no distractions.

There are no links to click.

No notifications.

No messages.

It is just a magazine or newspaper, or a TV screen that is completely static.

On the other hand, even a single online copywriting mistake can send your prospect away.

Therefore, mistakes, when you are writing for the web, can be costly.

Listed below are 10 mistakes you should avoid.

Not writing a compelling headline

Writing compelling headlines is so important that many experienced copywriters spend 50% of the time on coming up with the most effective headline and the remaining 50% on the remaining copy.

There are special headline analyzing tools.

Why are headlines important?

There are multiple reasons.

In online writing, I always say that there are two versions of the main headline

The meta title that is visible to the search engine crawlers and content aggregators (such as social media websites).
The big-font headline that you see at the top of every blog post and web page.

Your meta title draws people from search engines and social media websites to your blog or website.

Once people are on your blog post or web page, it is your headline that encourages people to read your remaining copy.

What are you offering through your copy?

Why should people read it?

What are they going to gain after reading?

Take for example the headline of this current blog post.

It tells you that it explains online copywriting mistakes that are made by new or inexperienced writers.

You want to avoid these mistakes.

So, you read this post.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when writing headlines and meta titles:

“How to” headlines and titles performed better than other formats.
Include your main keyword in the headline and title.
Use power words to trigger emotions.
Remove all redundant and unnecessary words.
Write your headlines and titles based on what people are looking for.
Write headlines and titles from the perspective of your customers and clients.
Use the language used by your customers and clients.
Keep your headlines and titles easy to understand and straightforward.

Writing for yourself and not for your readers

This mistake is often committed by new writers because they are always eager to impress and showcase their writing prowess.

Remember that when you are writing for business websites and blogs, you are not writing to display your writing abilities.

Every headline that you write, every sentence that you write, every word that you use, is intended to generate sales.

No matter how great your writing is, if it fails to impress the right customers and clients, it is not effective.

Before you start writing the main copy, do some research and understand what language your target readers use.

Do some Google research.

Note down what type of queries are popular on Google.

These popular queries usually give you a glimpse into the language used by your target customers and clients.

It is often advised that your writing should be understandable to a 6th grader.

Also, B2B and B2C copywriting are different.

You can use industry buzzwords when writing for B2B customers and clients.

Avoid using industry buzzwords and jargon when you are writing for B2C customers and clients.

Don’t use overly long sentences.

If there is even a single word that you think would require people to refer to a dictionary, remove it.

Not having a clear call-to-action

Your call-to-action is the action you want people to perform after they have read your email message or landing page.

In your copy, or in the end of your copy, you need to tell your readers exactly what they should do.

Your call-to-action must be specific.

Take for example: “Download this guide immediately to learn how to make $3000 within the next 2 weeks.”

Or: “Click here to get a free sample website.”

In the first call-to-action example I have used precise numbers – $3000 and 2 weeks – to give them a clear idea of what they stand to gain if they download the guide.

In the second example, they know that they’re going to get a free sample website.

Make sure you don’t overpromise in your call-to-action.

Don’t oversell and don’t undersell.

Capture the imagination of the reader.

What is the strongest desire of your target reader and then capture the desire in the call-to-action.

Use emotions like fear of missing out (FOMO), scarcity, curiosity, and greed, to motivate people to react to your call-to-action.

Never use multiple call-to-actions in a single email and on a single landing page.

If you want people to download your e-book, stick to that.

Don’t alternate between “Download e-book”, “Click the link”, or “Contact us for more information”, and so on.

This is distracting and confusing.

When people are offered multiple call-to-actions they opt for none.

Here are some examples of call-to-action you can use in your email or on your landing page

Download the app
Add to cart
Shop now
Join for free
Learn more
Get n% off
Get started
Subscribe now
Save $25 now
Explore further
View Demo
Contact us
Book your seat
Continue to read
Go premium
View portfolio
Read White Paper

Again, don’t use multiple call-to-actions in a single email or on a single landing page.

Lacking emotion

Selling and buying are all about emotions.

Rarely it happens that people make a buying decision based on facts.

Yes, facts are important.

You need technical information.

You need a list of features.

But eventually, it is the emotion that decides whether one purchases or not.

Copywriting is mostly about emotions and psychology.

If emotion is lacking in your copy, you cannot make a connection with your readers.

Without making an emotional connection, it is near to impossible to make them spend money on your product or service.

Emotions in your copy can exist in different forms:

Different types of fears – danger, missing out, losing money, not making enough money and so on.
Not having a social life
Failure
Guilt
Rejection
Anxiety
Desire to achieve something
Desire to become someone
Desire to experience something
Anger
Sadness

At the top, capture the right emotion in your headline.

What are they going to achieve?

How is it going to make their life easier?

They may get smarter.

They may improve their search engine rankings.

They may make more money or save money.

They may get a healthier body and a fit physique.

They may improve their relationships.

They may win the heart of their childhood sweetheart.

They may have a more fulfilling relationship with their spouse, siblings, or co-workers.

They may be able to go to a long-awaited vacation.

They may save time that they can then spend on their hobbies or making more money.

Hook them with a compelling reason to read on.

While it is advisable to use lots of emotional and power words in your copywriting, make sure you don’t overdo.

To achieve a balance, sound genuine.

You actually want to help people.

You actually want to help them make more money.

You actually want to help them become better writers.

Not being specific

You need to tell people exactly what they are getting out of your proposition.

You need to be specific.

In no uncertain words, they want to know what your offer stands for and what it does for them.

What is specific: “You are going to make $3000 in 2 weeks” or “You’re going to make lots of money very fast”?

Naturally the former.

Which is more specific: “Get thousands of subscribers with our method” or “Get 6000 subscribers in one month with our method”?

The latter, of course.

“Guestimates” don’t work in copywriting.

Give them concrete facts.

Concrete facts are psychologically reassuring.

It helps them paint a definitive picture.

It gives them clarity.

Specifications with statistics are ideal for case studies, headlines and testimonials.

A testimonial saying, “I saved 20 hours last month using this time tracking mobile app” is far better than a testimonial saying, “I saved hours of work last month using this time tracking mobile app”.

Sometimes you need to exercise discretion when using specificity.

Suppose you are offering a weight loss solution to your readers.

You cannot suddenly tell them that they can lose 20 kg of weight in 3 weeks unless it can be medically proven.

You can get into legal troubles.

You can endanger lives.

But in all other situations where you are sure of the numbers you are using, don’t hold yourself back from using them.

Even if you don’t have numbers, seek them.

Verify them.

Don’t just randomly use statistics.

Always get them from proven facts or from authoritative sources.

Not using a conversational style

You need to write as if you’re talking to the other person.

Conversational writing gets you higher response.

It appears genuine and authentic and it allows you to make an emotional connection with the reader.

Avoid using formal writing.

People can easily relate to what you are saying if you can write in a conversational manner.

Conversational writing doesn’t mean you use slangs and hanging words the way you actually use in conversation.

On the other hand, you should use phrases like

Awesome, right?
I will tell you what happened…
This is how the story goes…
Then something suddenly changed.
You won’t believe what happened.
You know, it wasn’t always like this.
You won’t be able to resist.
I totally get you if you’re cynical.

Use shorter sentences.

Make your writing easy to read.

Never use words that you don’t use in your day-to-day conversations.

How do you know that your writing sounds conversational.

Read out loud.

You can also use a text-to-speech tool.

If what you are reading out loud doesn’t sound natural, it is not conversational.

If you can easily say what you have written, it is conversational.

Conversational writing helps you

Make a real connection with your readers.
Use emotional and power words.
Write in a manner as if you’re talking to someone face to face.
Cater to the needs and desires of your readers.

Not making your writing skimmable

Skimming means people don’t read every word that you have written; they just go through the headline, subheadings, images, and the main highlights.

Most people won’t read completely.

They will read the first few sentences.

They will read the headline.

They will quickly browse through the main highlights.

This is how they read.

Even search engine crawlers sometimes read in that manner.

Therefore, it is good for your search engine rankings if you make your writing skimmable.

How do you do that?

Capture all the main points you are covering in the subheadings.

Use block quotes whenever you think that certain text shouldn’t be missed by your readers.

Express multiple points that are logically related to each other using bulleted lists.

Avoid using large and difficult words that take time to pronounce or say.

Write short sentences that are easier to read.

Write in the conversational style.

Tell stories of how your product or service has changed lives instead of simply spewing facts and figures.

Use sufficient whitespace between paragraphs and lines.

Write in the manner of questions and answers to keep readers hooked.

The idea is that a reader should be able to understand what you are conveying by simply going through all the highlighted portions of your copy.

Making your text skimmable also makes it easier for people to read your web pages, landing pages, emails, and blog posts on their mobile phones.

Skimmable text is less distracting and less tiresome.

Focusing more on features and less on benefits

Features can be quite alluring.

It is fine to tell people how many reports your accounting software can generate, and you must.

But along with that, you should also tell them how much time they are going to save using this reporting feature.

So, instead of saying, “You can generate 107 different reports with our accounting software,” you should say, “The 107 different reports that our accounting software generates can save you 3 days of work every month.”

Here is another example: “Our phone comes with 256 GB of memory – no need to frequently delete your photos and videos to make space.”

People want convenience.

They want to save time and be more productive.

They want to achieve more.

They want to remain healthy.

They want to cherish their memories.

They want to look smart in front of others.

They want to impress someone.

Take for example the iPhone and other phones.

It is known that the iPhone comes with less megapixels camera than the other phones.

Still, its photographs are exceptional.

The benefit is that people can take photographs in lowlight despite the less megapixels camera.

This is a benefit.

I’m not saying that you skip features completely.

But write your copy in such a manner that whenever you mention features, you also mention the benefits.

Focusing more on SEO and less on readers

This is a typical mistake committed by new writers.

The client tells them that search engine rankings are important.

They are given a list of keywords to focus.

They are asked to write the copy based on those keywords.

All they are interested in is improving search engine rankings for those keywords.

Let’s be frank: search engine rankings are important.

Every business requires targeted traffic from Google and other search engines.

But search engine traffic alone does not generate business for you.

Focusing too much on search engine traffic is counterproductive.

You need to deliver on your promise.

People must derive value out of your writing.

Even for better search engine rankings, you need a lower bounce rate.

Even if people find your link in search results, come to your website or blog, and then immediately leave, this harms your search engine rankings.

To tackle this pervasive problem, Google is rolling out a new, “Helpful Content” algorithm update.

Lots of people are producing content just meant for search engine rankings.

This content doesn’t deliver any new value.

Through this new algorithm, Google will downgrade the rankings of such websites and blogs.

It will give more prominence to web pages and blog posts that deliver on their promise.

Write engagingly.

Write human-first content.

Make people your priority when writing.

Let SEO be natural and organic.

Being too salesy

If after every couple of sentences, you are asking people to buy from you or use your service, they are put off.

The goal of your copywriting must be to convince people that you are trying to help them and not take away their money.

When people are reading your copy, they are constantly asking, “What’s in it for me?”

You must convince your potential customers that they are going to get much more than what you are asking them to spend.

For that you need to persuade them.

You may like to read: 4 Ps of persuasive copywriting

The decision-making process (acting on your call-to-action) happens in your customer’s mind.

You must facilitate the process through your writing without forcing it on the customers.

Educate your customers.

Back your claims with data and testimonials.

Highlight the benefits.

Talk in their language.

Address all their concerns.

Provide answers to all their questions.

If you are continuously asking them to hire you or buy from you, it will creep them out.

It doesn’t mean you don’t use your call-to-action.

What is your call-to-action after all?

In many cases, it is asking them to buy from you.

But use it only when you feel that after reading what you have written, they would like to proceed.

Don’t just randomly throw in your call-to-action or ask them to buy from you.

This ends my list of online copywriting mistakes that you should avoid as a new writer.

Never forget that you need to put the interest of your readers at the forefront of your writing.

Set a definitive goal.

Decide what you want to communicate.

Understand what your readers are looking for and what motivates them the most.

Write in a language they can easily understand.

Most importantly: deliver on your promise.

10 copywriting tips: Become a better copywriter instantly

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10 copywriting tips for becoming a better copywriter

Want to become a better copywriter instantly? These copywriting tips can help you.

10 copywriting tips explained in this blog post include:

Learn to write irresistible headlines
Write for search intent
Make an emotional connection
Write short sentences and paragraphs
Avoid using jargon and difficult words
Research your topic thoroughly
Focus on advantages and deliverability
Make every sentence count
Be open to editing and revising
Don’t obsess over SEO

Copywriting is a term that is heavily used in advertising.

The writers who write marketing literature and advertisements are called copywriters.

But these days the term is also used for writers who write for websites and blogs.

That’s because just like in advertisements, when you are writing for your website or business blog, you need to convert visitors into paying customers and clients.

In fact, whenever you write to convince, whether it is a web page, a landing page, a blog post, a case study, or an email, you are doing copywriting.

You are writing to convince.

In that sense, everyone who writes to convince, is a copywriter.

What is the difference between copywriting and content writing?

Content writing is mostly informational writing.

Of course, you need to write well.

Even in content writing conversion matters.

But content writing is mostly done to provide educational and informational content to the visitors so that they have a reason to visit your website or blog repeatedly.

Content writing is extensively used for SEO purposes.

Copywriting, along with informing and educating, also sells.

It has a clear call-to-action.

The end purpose of a piece of copywriting is to sell or to achieve the call-to-action.

Your call-to-action doesn’t always have to be selling.

It can be downloading an e-book.

It can be subscribing to your newsletter.

It can be signing up for a seminar.

It can be using a free product.

Whatever you want to achieve to establish a long-term relationship with your prospective and existing customers and clients, comes in the ambit of call-to-action.

Good copywriting skills are essential for

Clearly communicating your brand message.
Improving your CTR (click through ratio).
Engaging visitors in a constructive manner.
Creating value driven content.
Improving search engine rankings (in the context of writing for websites and blogs).
Attracting more visitors to your website and blog.
Keeping your prospective customers and clients proactively engaged in the long-term.

Want to become a better copywriter instantly?

Here are 10 copywriting tips you can implement instantly.

1. Learn to write irresistible headlines

It is your headline that draws people to your remaining text.

When I talk about headlines, I refer to the title of your web page or blog post, the main headline that appears at the top of your web page or blog post, and in the context of writing emails, your subject line.

These are highly important pieces of content.

The web page or the blog post title is called the meta title.

It shows up in search results.

If it is not captivating, if it does not convey the right message, people don’t click your link.

If they don’t click your link, they don’t come to your web page, and if they don’t come to your web page, there is a little chance of them becoming paying customers or clients.

You may like to read: 8 types of headlines you can use in copywriting

There is a reason why sometimes I differentiate between the meta title, the headline and the email subject line.

Your meta title must be less than or equal to 60 characters because this is the length that appears on Google search results.

With the headline there is no such restriction.

The headline appears on your own page.

You can make it as long as you want.

The same goes for the email subject line.

You cannot have a very long email subject line because then it won’t fit in the inbox preview panel.

For meta title and email subject line, your headline must be as few characters as possible, and at the same time, contain the main phrase.

For example, the main title of this blog post contains “copywriting tips” because this is the main intention of this blog post.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when writing your headline

Include the phrase that represents your subject matter.
Include the hook (become a better copywriter).
Use simple, positive language.
Be provocative.
Use Power words.
Make an emotional connection.

2. Write for search intent

Search intent is the intention with which your target readers search Google (or any other search engine).

Are they simply looking for information?

Do they want to navigate to a website?

Do they want to do research before purchasing something or subscribing to a service?

Do they want to purchase a certain product and for that, they’re looking for more information?

All these are different intentions.

You may want to read: How effective content writing and searcher intent are interrelated

Even subtle differences can send your copywriting efforts to an entirely different direction that you don’t want to pursue.

Whether you are copywriting for yourself or for your client, carefully understand the search intent you want to target and then write accordingly.

This will help you become a more effective and better copywriter.

For example, what search intent am I targeting through this blog post?

I am targeting people who are searching for copywriting tips with an intention of becoming better copywriters.

3. Make an emotional connection

It is suggested that power words be used for making emotional connection through copywriting.

This Entrepreneur article claims that research has shown that adds that touch readers’ emotions are more successful than adds that touch their intellect.

The same applies to copywriting.

Most, if not all, buying decisions are emotion-based.

In terms of copywriting, emotions can be divided into 6 broad categories:

Loyalty
Confidence
Fear
Anger
Curiosity
Greed

You must have come across samples of copywriting that offer you a “bargain” or a “cheap” offer, or promising to “double your investment”.

These are all appealing to your greedy side.

Words such as “sneak peek”, “top secret”, “members only”, and “classified” make you curious.

Visit this Optinmonster link to go through 700 power words that you can use to make an emotional connection through your copywriting.

They have categorized these words under basic emotions such as curiosity, greed, anger, lust, vanity, and so on.

4. Write short sentences and paragraphs

This is particularly important when you are copywriting for web, and I have observed I have mentioned this copywriting tip in almost every blog post on the subject.

Short and simple sentence is also good for your SEO.

Although search engine algorithms are becoming quite advanced, it is still difficult for them to analyse compound and complex sentences.

Simple sentences are easier to analyse.

They help you improve your search engine rankings.

Your readers also find reading small sentences easier and meditative.

The same goes for paragraphs.

You must have noticed on some websites that they have single-sentence paragraphs.

They may seem odd in the beginning, but after a while, you find that they are easier to read.

Especially on mobile phones.

These days all my paragraphs are single-sentence.

If you find it odd, at the most, use two sentences in a paragraph.

Not more.

Remember that many people read your copy on their mobile phones.

Even marginally big paragraph will cover half the screen.

This can be distracting and intimidating.

Short sentences, divided in short paragraphs make it easier to read on mobile phones.

5. Avoid using jargon and difficult words

Again, I have written about this copywriting tip multiple times.

Jargon is a set of industry-specific words.

Jargon words are known to people within a profession, or an industry and they are mostly not known to the outsiders.

My rule of thumb is, use jargon words when you are copywriting for B2B purposes and avoid using them when you are writing for B2C.

When visiting technology websites, you must have come across expressions like “paradigm shift”, “bleeding edge” and “bandwidth”.

As much as possible, avoid using such clichés.

As a trained copywriter your vocabulary is much better than an average person.

If you understand “ubiquitous” it doesn’t mean that the person reading your copy also understands the word.

Use common words.

Do some research on Google to find out what type of search queries people submit and then use the language in those search queries.

In the above screenshot, as you can see that when I partially enter copywriting tips without hitting the enter key, Google gives me the suggestions of the search queries people normally use after copywriting tips.

In the below screenshot, after hitting the enter . Key, when I scroll to the bottom of the Google search results page, it gives me the suggestions of the search queries people often use with “copywriting tips”.

Such research can help you decide what words to use when writing copy.

6. Research your topic thoroughly

The more you research, the more convincing will be your copywriting.

When you are writing about the product, read about it as much as possible.

Read about the competitors.

Read why competitors are better.

Read why the product you are writing about is better than the competitors.

Study the customer profiles.

Gather industry data.

Although I’m giving the suggestions, I also understand that if you are writing for a client, every client has a limited budget and you cannot spend much time on research.

But if you are writing for your own website, leave no stone unturned.

Don’t assume that you know everything about your target audience.

7. Focus on advantages and deliverability

Trained and experienced copywriters focus on the benefits and what the product delivers rather than on its features.

This Hubspot post describes the difference between features and benefits nicely.

You may say that this headphone is wireless – this is a feature.

What is the benefit?

No more tangled cords.

You may say that an air fryer comes with a removable basket – this is a feature.

The benefit is that it is easier to clean after using.

No matter how great the set of features are in a product, ultimately, it is a set of benefits that prompts people to buy a product.

People don’t subscribe for a tool like Grammarly because it may have 50 features; they subscribe to it because they don’t want to commit grammar and structural mistakes and be embarrassed because of that.

How does your product or service make a consumer’s life easy?

I’m not saying completely ignore the features, but when copywriting, give more stress to benefits and what your product or service delivers.

8. Make every sentence count.

In many copywriting books you will read:

The job of your main headline is to make people read the first sentence of your first paragraph.

The job of the first sentence of the first paragraph is to make people read the second sentence of your copy.

This goes on.

Every sentence has a purpose: make the reader read the next sentence.

Just as every sentence has the capability to draw your readers into your copy, every sentence can also send your visitors away by making them feel clueless and directionless.

Therefore, get rid of sentences that are not needed.

Don’t say something repeatedly just to increase the word count.

Make every sentence special.

9. Be open to editing and revising

Most of the word processors these days do half the proofreading for you.

They can catch spelling mistakes.

They can catch grammar mistakes.

They even tell you if there is no subject verb agreement.

Hence, when I say that you should revise and proofread what you are writing, I’m talking about the structure and flow of your document.

Can sentences be shortened?

Can you include more data?

Can you remove difficult and redundant words?

Can you move chunks of text up or down for better flow?

Can you remove portions that are not needed?

Can you add another subheading?

All these things can be taken care of during editing and revising.

10. Don’t obsess over SEO

SEO copywriting is essential.

It means striking a balance between writing for search engines and writing for humans.

Mistakenly, many copywriters get carried away with writing for search engines and in the process, completely ignoring the human readers.

Write for your human readers first.

It doesn’t mean you ignore your keywords.

Throughout this post I have used the main keywords for the post: “copywriting tips” and “better copywriter”.

The new Google “Helpful Content” update algorithm is going to penalise websites that focus more on search engine optimization and less on publishing relevant, human centric and helpful content.

You should write human-centric copy not just because Google demands that, it is also important for your conversion rate.

Unless your copywriting makes an impact that positively affects people, you can’t become a better copywriter.

These are some copywriting tips that can help you become a better copywriter within a few hours.

You can also implement some long-term practices that will help you develop as a copywriter gradually, such as

Develop the habit of knowing your product thoroughly.
Practice copywriting every day.
Learn from the masters and other prominent copywriters.
Understand the industry for which you write your copy.
Focus more on people and less on your copywriting style.
Empathise with the readers.
Read good books on copywriting.

5 SEO copywriting tips to improve your rankings and conversion rate

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SEO copywriting tips to improve your rankings and conversion rate

Effective copywriting follows a multipronged approach.

It aims to improve your search engine rankings organically.

It also aims to improve your conversion rate in addition to meaningfully engaging your visitors.

Many clients these days prefer to hire SEO copywriting services instead of content writing services because then they can get the best of both worlds.

What exactly is SEO copywriting?

Is it same as SEO content writing?

Not necessarily.

Remember that the end goal of copywriting is to convert leads.

The end goal of content writing is to generate organic traffic.

Therefore, in the conventional sense, you use content writing to generate organic traffic and then you use copywriting to convert that traffic into paying customers and clients.

Another big difference between copywriting and content writing is that when you write copy for a web page or even a blog post, there is a clearly defined CTA (call-to-action).

The purpose of general content is to provide information and generate awareness whereas the purpose of copywriting is to prompt people to take action.

SEO copywriting means writing the copy in such a manner that it also helps you improve your search engine rankings.

Just because you are writing copy to generate leads it doesn’t mean search engine rankings are irrelevant.

Just as search engine rankings are important for your average blog post, they are also important for your business web pages, for which, copywriting is required.

What type of content requires SEO copywriting?

Frankly, anything.

It is often said that copywriting is mostly required for promotional material but even when you are writing for your blog posts and articles, you can wear the hat of a copywriter and write a convincing copy to make people take an action.

This is especially important when you are writing a business blog.

Nonetheless, you may require SEO copywriting for following types of content:

Main website copy
Landing pages
Product descriptions
Blog posts and articles.

One of the biggest benefits of SEO copywriting is that it forces a writer to write both for the search engines and the users.

Listed below are 5 SEO copywriting tips that can help you improve your search engine rankings as well as conversion rate.

Make a list of questions that people ask

Google loves questions so much that it ranks web pages and blog posts providing answers to query-based questions higher than other web pages and blog posts.

Therefore, a query like, “How can I improve my SEO copywriting?” brings better and targeted results than “best SEO copywriting services”.

You can prepare a list of frequently asked questions.

You can use websites like AnswerThePublic, Quora, and Reddit to find out what questions people are asking pertaining to a certain field.

Why prepare copy based on questions?

People type complete questions – complete queries – when they ask precise questions.

If Google thinks that your answer precisely matches the question being asked, it features your content as a snippet, increasing your click-through-rate by almost 35%.

Additionally, you express yourself better when you are providing answers to straightforward questions.

It makes your copy easy flowing.

Use your main keyword in the title

The title of a web page is different from the main headline.

The title appears as a hyperlink in your search engine listings, just above the description.

In HTML parlance, it is also called “meta title”.

The headline on the other hand is the big font message that you see at the top of a blog post or web page.

They can be same, and they can be different depending on your preference and SEO needs.

People tend to click more on the links that contain the words they have just used in the query.

Your click-through-rate is important for better search engine rankings.

The more people click your search listings, the higher they begin to appear.

This is because when more people click your link Google thinks that it contains the relevant information for the query just used.

Use the language your target audience uses

This is one of the most important SEO copywriting tips.

Why is it important to use the language your target audience uses?

People normally use search queries in the language they are comfortable in.

Since a big portion of searches are voice searches these days, people search the way they speak.

They use conversational language.

Visit forums.

Spend some time on social media websites.

Directly interact with your customers and clients.

Carefully observe the way they talk to you.

The way they talk about your product or service may be completely different than how you talk about your product or service

For example, as a mobile phone manufacturer you may talk about the AMOLED display as a great feature but for a user, the benefit is that he or she can watch videos clearer than an average flat screen TV.

As a SaaS provider, you may find the feature that your software can be used on every device but for the user, the more important aspect might be that he or she can subscribe for a lesser fee instead of paying a hefty one-time fee for a bulky software.

Write for the search intent

Your SEO copywriting becomes more effective if you write your copy based on search intent.

Search intent is the intention with which an individual uses Google or any other search engine.

People have distinct intentions and when you are writing copy you should be able to recognize that distinction.

Some people are simply looking for information.

They have no intention of doing business with you right now.

They don’t need to be convinced.

They simply need to be engaged with useful, relevant information so that by the time they are ready to do business with you, they recognize you and respect your opinion.

Their search intent is informational.

Some people, although ready to do business, haven’t made up their minds yet.

They need more information.

They need comparisons

They are ready to be sold to.

They are interested in reading FAQs, product comparisons, testimonials, and reviews.

They may be searching for something like, “pros and cons of Google Workspace and Windows 365”.

Their search intent is commercial.

Then some people are ready to buy.

They are searching for something like, “the best copywriting services for my accounting website”, or, “looking for SEO copywriter”.

Their search intent is transactional.

Write your copy targeting different searcher intents for better search engine rankings and conversion.

Don’t cram multiple keywords in a single document

Sometimes to save cost client send me a long list of keywords that need to be incorporated into a single document.

This is bad both for SEO and conversion rate.

I prefer to use only three keywords when I’m writing a blog post or web page.

One primary keyword and two related keywords.

When you are given a list of 10 or 15 keywords, unnecessarily you have to write extra words to incorporate all the keywords.

This dilutes the effectiveness of your entire copywriting process.

Whether you are doing SEO copywriting for your own website or working for a client, make sure that per page or per blog post you cover just 2-3 keywords.

Write in-depth blog posts and web pages

Both Google and your human readers prefer long form content – 1300-1500 words.

My average length is 1000-1200 words.

But, writing too many words doesn’t mean you fill up your blog posts and web pages with useless information.

Write long form content only when you have highly useful information to share with your readers.

Assuming you are delivering useful information, long form content makes readers spend more time on your website.

This reduces your bounce rate.

It increases engagement rate.

It helps you build your authority.

Long form content attracts backlinks from other websites and blogs.

Since lots of information is present on a single source, and since your bounce rate is low, Google begins to improve your search engine rankings for those pieces of content.

For improving your search engine rankings as well as engagement rate, have a long-term target for your SEO copywriting projects.

This is applicable to your own website and the websites of your clients.

Don’t overcommit.

Don’t promise results within a month or so.

No matter how excellent your blog posts and articles are, you cannot deliver tangible results in one or two months.

At the minimum, make a commitment of 6 months

It takes around 6-8 months of sustained SEO copywriting to experience some observable results in terms of better rankings and higher conversion rate.