Tips & Tools For Three Common Copywriting Dilemmas
Tips & Tools for writing engaging website copy for anyone stuck in one of the three common copywriting dilemmas.
Throughout the years of coaching clients on their website and sales page copy, I've noticed that people generally fall into one of three types: The Academic, The Professional, and The Perfectionist (formerly The Disbeliever).
Each type comes with unique gifts and challenges that can block you from connecting with your audience effectively. In this post, I break down each profile and give you practical tips and tools so you can make your website copywriting more effective and engaging immediately.
Read through each profile and choose the one you identify with most (you’ll probably relate to them all on some level). Remember, it’s not scientific, just themes I’ve seen emerge throughout the years.
My intention with this post is to give you focused tips and tools so you can improve one thing immediately versus trying to learn every aspect of writing clear, resonant copy and feeling too overwhelmed to start. Tiny changes can make a big impact.
PS. This blog is the condensed/summarized version of Episode 16 of The Business By Intuition podcast. If you prefer to listen to the full episode, click here or follow along with the transcript here.
1. The Academic
Superpower words: knowledge, analytical, credible
People who identify strongly with this profile tend to be highly educated and accomplished writers. Most are even published authors, but they recognize that copywriting is a different kind of skill (and different from any form of writing they've done).
They’re educated, experienced and have great credentials, which makes them experts at what they do.
So what’s the problem?
Their expert knowledge makes it hard for them to relate with their ideal client in a way they can understand. Effective, engaging copywriting should be clear and relevant for your audience.
The downfall of the Academic is their writing tends to be complex and laden with jargon. I have to remind clients who fall in this category that they’re writing for their ideal clients — not their colleagues who have a thorough understanding of the modality or concepts already.
Big words and industry jargon confuses and loses your audience.
The key is to place yourself in your ideal client’s journey and ask yourself:
What challenges/struggles/life events have led them to your work?
What are they hoping to find here?
What’s their awareness and understanding of your modality/industry/work when they find you?
Tips & Tools for the Academic:
Simplify your writing: The standard in copywriting is to write at a sixth to eighth-grade level. That might sound like you're dumbing yourself down, but if your writing is complicated, it makes it hard to read. Don’t try to sound smart or impress people with your fancy lingo. Meet people where they’re at, and they’ll connect with you on the grounds of genuinely feeling seen, heard and understood.
Hemingway app Score your writing on complexity.
plainlanguage.gov. Simplify your writing by finding substitutes for complex words.
Grammarly Write with more clarity.
2. The Professional
Superpower words: direct, confident, authority
People who identify strongly with this profile struggle to strike a balance between polished and personal (a.k.a human) because their nine-to-five career has stifled their personality and creativity (which make you both unique and interesting to your ideal client).
Many clients who relate to this profile often wonder, “how do I inject more personality into my writing?”. Their copy feels stiff, lifeless and too buttoned up to engage their audience for more than a few seconds.
In other words, people who fall into this type tend to write formally, more like writing a workplace policy than having a casual conversation with a friend.
Do you write in the third person?
Do you use "we" and "us" versus "me" and "I"?
Do you write in long sentences that sound more like a historical novel than a natural exchange between friends? (Ex. The objective of my mission is to… versus, I help…).
Tips & Tools for the Professional:
Sound like a human: Imagine you’re talking to a friend, client or someone you’re comfortable with. They’re telling you about a problem they’re having, and it’s something that you can help them solve. What’s the dialogue like? How are they describing the troubles they’re experiencing? How are you responding? Are you dry and professional? Or is your unique self shining through? Channel that energy, and write like you (and they) speak to breathe life into your copy.
Record yourself: If it’s hard for you to write in a conversational style, record yourself, transcribe it and edit it into clear and concise copy. It’ll be rambly, and you might veer off track, so editing is important, but at least the essence of your authentic tone and voice will be present.
Read: Finding Your Authentic Voice as an Introverted Solopreneur and Write Like You Speak to dive deeper.
Grammarly Detecting tone.
Idioms Dictionary Finding slang words to make your writing less formal.
3. The Perfectionist (formerly The Disbeliever)
Superpower words: thoughtful, relatable, trustworthy
People who fall into this category avoid writing because they don't think they can write, and they’re critical when they do. They’re held back in the belief that they have nothing interesting to say and paralyzed by fear of doing it wrong.
You might recognize yourself in this profile if your website/sales pages lack content because you’re constantly questioning, is it good enough? Am I good enough?
There’s a desire to appeal to everyone, which leads to watered-down, generalized copy that doesn’t reflect who you are or resonate with the people you want to serve (or anyone at all).
Tips & Tools for the Perfectionist:
Write to one person: When you write for everyone, you’ll appeal to no one (an old marketing adage). Write as if you are in a one-to-one, heartfelt conversation with the person who’d be the best fit for your work/offer. This tip can guide your writing into clear, human-driven copy.
Write a shitty first draft (SFD): Allow yourself to make mistakes and do it wrong. Write with the pure intention of honing your voice, getting thoughts onto paper and playing with a style of writing that feels right for you. Clarity and confidence come from the doing.
Set a timer: Perfectionists need timers, otherwise, they’ll procrastinate endlessly. Set a 10-minute timer and write stream-of-consciousness style without stopping, editing, judging, or criticizing anything you've written. If you don’t know where to start, pick one aspect of your website copy you want to write about (ex. the backstory that led you to this work).
Ommwriter Write and think distraction-free.
eggtimer.com Set a 10-minute timed free writing session
Grammarly Editing and feedback on your writing.
Reflection Questions
Which profile resonates most right now and why?
What awareness did you gain? What was most helpful for you?
What’s one thing you will implement to help elevate your website copy right away?
Feel free to drop a line below to share what was most helpful for you.