News
 The
Seven Sins of Copywriting
By Deborah Ramstorf
Marketing communications specialist Deborah Ramstorf
gives her opinion on what are considered the big
no-no’s of copywriting. Ramstorf calls them the
seven deadly sins of copywriting. So, the question
is – are you guilty?
Here are Ramstorf’s list of the seven sins of
copywriting:
1. Lack of appeal. Find out why someone would use
the product or service. What
motivates them? What needs are satisfied? Does it
save time? Improve their health?
Make them more attractive?
2. Failure to understand voice and tone. Each
company has a unique voice—folksy,
professional, fun and funky, warm and fuzzy. Capture
the voice through vocabulary,
phrasing and punctuation.
3. Writing about features, not benefits. A machine
wash quilt is a feature. Convenient and economical
to keep clean and fresh, is the benefit.
4. Failure to include a call to action. Every piece
must have one. What do you want the
reader to do? Order? Call their sales rep? Log onto
your web site? Watch for more
details?
5. Using long sentences, big words or jargon.
Simplicity is key. Don’t make the reader
work to figure out the message, and nothing
alienates the reader faster than “insider”
jargon. Use everyday words and short sentences.
6. Lack of sub-headlines. A big block of copy is
intimidating. Effectively written subheads can tell
the whole story.
7. Not reading your copy out loud. No matter how
well-written, on-target the copy, if
there are spelling, typographical, or grammatical
errors, it smacks of sloppiness and you
lose credibility. Read your copy out loud or have
someone proof for you.
--- Tips excerpted from www.beverlyshoresgroup.com.
Contact Deborah Ramstorf at
deb@beverlyshoresgroup.com or 219.874.1589.
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