Professional writer
Do you want to look and sound like a professional writer?
A good piece of writing is hard to define, but you know it when you see it.
Words that flow, sentences that are easy to follow, and paragraphs that draw you in all help to create text that appears effortless to the reader. So, how can you make your writing better?
You can do loads of reading and hope some of it rubs off on you, or you can keep reading and discover ten things that will dramatically affect your writing.
If you’re ready, let’s get started.
Ten tips to sound like a professional writer
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Same old, same old
Clichés, hackneyed phrases, commonplace words, whatever you want to call them, should be avoided at all costs (sorry, that one slipped through).
But if you want to stand out as a writer, take the time to think of a different way of expressing yourself rather than falling back on trite phrases such as ‘in this day and age’, etc.
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Converse
This is not a new subject to this blog, but one worth repeating; the most effective way of writing is a conversational style. It’s how we’re used to communicating with each other.
It’s friendly, unpretentious and gets to the point quickly.
Keep your language simple, your sentences straightforward, and your message simple.
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You
Writing in the second person seems quite strange for some people, but it’s the best way to engage with your readers.
You see it more commonly on blogs where the author writes directly to their readers and recounts personal experiences, so the use of ‘you’ and ‘I’ is pretty widespread.
So, what’s stopping you from using them in your sales writing? You’re still writing to a person; you want to engage with them, so you should address them directly.
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Stories
Everyone loves a good story – since childhood, they’ve been part of our lives, so don’t stop using them now.
That doesn’t mean starting your brochures with ‘Once upon a time…’; that would just be daft. The story should be a case study or testimonial showing how your product or service has helped a real person.
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Watch your grammar and spelling
It’s obvious, but it still needs to be discussed.
Always check and double-check your writing before publishing it. No one expects you to be a red-hot grammarian, but at least try to get the basics right.
The same goes for your spelling. Although your trusty spell checker will throw up blaring errors, it may not spot those occasions when you’ve used the wrong their or there. So always check your writing, or get someone else to, before publishing.
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No flower power
Flower power comes from overdoing adjectives.
Adjectives are the ‘descriptive’ words that turn your writing into horrible flowery prose.
After writing your first draft, read through and cut out as many of the little suckers as you can. The result will be leaner and far more powerful.
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Adverbs
You want clarity and power. Why use a phrase like ‘ran quickly’ when ‘dashed’ has more effect?
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!
Yes, I know I used one earlier, but surely I can be forgiven just one, right?
Exclamations are great in reported speech and dialogue, but you’re unlikely to use either in your sales writing.
The words used by professional writers convey stress without having to stick an ! at the end of them.
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Cut
As you write, you will tend to add in all sorts of words that aren’t needed. Once you’ve completed your first draft, read through and cut out any words that don’t add meaning.
Tightening your message this way will increase its impact.
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Evidence
Writing will appear hollow if you write about something without offering examples or backing up your arguments with evidence.
Add statistics, quotes and other research data to support your points.
There you go. If you want to emulate the style of a professional writer, these ten tips should see you on your way. I’m sure there are many other tips to help you write like a pro, but these are my favourites.
Sally Ormond is an independent copywriter and owner of Briar Copywriting Ltd. For tips on copywriting, marketing and social media, you can also read her words of wisdom on Freelance Copywriter’s Blog.