So… Why the fuss about non-boring digital copywriting?

When I started copywriting almost 20 years ago, ‘long form copy’ meant up to 1000 words. ‘Short form copy’ meant 300 words or so. Now ‘long form copy’ means 200 words and ‘short form’ means 5 words.

The problem is, so much of it is still boring.

Making it shorter doesn’t make it lekker-er.

We could blame the internet, I suppose. Compounded more recently by the mainstreaming of AI, the internet has broadened the array of message spaces and the access of anyone-who-wants-to to write anything they want.

The overall quality has been radically diluted.

Think about it: Copy used to be found predominantly in print media, sales collateral, TV and radio, billboards, and maybe some digital. All hard-to-reach places for the average Joe. Now you can find ‘copy’ in banner ads, squeeze pages, IM campaigns, Insta captions and social media posts.

Plus, because so many of these spaces are small, people think they’re a) quickish and b) easyish to populate. Rookie error.

Modern channels require short writing, yes. But, to ensure that your viewer spends less time reading, you actually have to spend more time writing.

I can write two 1000-word articles in the time it takes me to produce copy for a single 30-second radio ad…simply because writing long is easy but writing tight is tough. Scriptwriting is one of the strictest disciplines out there.

Digital copywriting means spending more time writing than you think you’ll need.

1. Start by defining the audience for digital copywriting

Let’s start with why you define them. Google’s copywriters say, “When you spend 90% of your time  researching the customer , the remaining 10% (the writing) falls in your lap.” Is that convincing enough for you?

Some things you need to think about:

– What message must this piece of copy convey?
– How much do my readers already know about this specific message?
– What’s the main benefit to them?
– What are their information needs?
– What do I/client want the outcome to be (i.e. what’s the call to action)?
– What language/phrasing will readers quickly and easily understand?
– Is there a theme, concept, design or pre-determined style and tone?
– What info can I chop to make the text fit – or add to make it clearer?

2. Digital copywriting should give the brain what it likes

– Use numbers in your copy. Digital media overflows with guesswork and vagueness. Using data and numbers is a good way to get attention.

– Use contractions like ‘don’t’, ‘we’ll, ‘you’re’, etc. They’re essential to creating the right rhythm. And they’re shorter.

– Use short sentences of 14-16 words or less. (If you can’t be bothered to monitor your average sentence length, use an app to help you.)

– Five times more people read a headline than those who read the body copy, so avoid catchy but meaningless headings that readers must think about to understand. The best headlines are seven words or less.

– Start sentences with subjects and verbs. In English we read from left to right, so early subjects and verbs help readers to quickly glean the meaning of a sentence. Also, we most often write about things and people, so ‘naming’ and ‘doing’ words should do most of the heavy lifting.

3. Digital copywriting should map out the user experience

“But I’m the writer, not the designer or UX specialist!” You are the writer, yes, but part of your job is ensuring that your copy has a smooth flow, that it’s logical and coherent, and that you’re not missing any steps.

Plus, because people engage with digital copy in a different way to ‘real world’ print copy, media content or billboards, it’s a good idea to write visually. Viewers scan, skim and scroll. At high speed. And digital whatchamacallits (home page takeovers, half-page expandables, roadblocks, skyscrapers, MPUs, banners, buttons) are often moving, flashing, sliding.

In conclusion

Digital copywriting is not rocket science and pretty much anyone can do it. But it takes longer – and strategy, sense and scroll-friendliness are needed.