The Unspoken Rules of Write Club
What makes web copy stand out? How do you blend business writing with fun? Is there a way to promote universally across all social media platforms?
These are 3 questions to ask yourself when putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboards). Let’s get started with our golden guide.
1. Less is More
Like flat rocks on water, visitors to your website are skimming!
People want the highlight reel, NOT the miniseries.
As far back as 1997 (yes, they had the internet then) a study showed only 16 percent of web surfers read word-for-word. Fast forward this number to the smartphone generation and… hey, where’d ya go?
TLDR: Write accordingly.
For example:
Do not begin to wholeheartedly undertake the arduous task of defining the parameters
of a grouping of letters and symbols into words that constitute a disproportionately
large grammatical structure when the same goal can be summarily achieved in
reduced amounts.
AKA don’t use TEN words where FIVE will do and remember, there’s time and place for a thesaurus’s finest offerings. Therein lies the economics of speech and its usefulness in standout website copy.
2. Know Your Audience and Client
Are we getting serious?
The question many in the dating world dread to hear, but also a crucial one when writing standout digital copy.
In both instances, it’s all about compatibility. Does the tone match the audience and client?
A campaign for a funeral home maaay not be the place for light and humourous (depends on the funeral home, maybe you could put the “FUN” back in it?).
But food, drink, tourism, retail or entertainment? These are more laidback industries with an audience looking to enjoy themselves, so live a little! (potential “fun”eral home slogan?)
3. Following a Timeline
What Goes Where on Social Media?
Like your great aunt Joyce who provides Facebook with hourly updates on both her extended family and the crowd from bingo, social media posting is all about reading the room (I do want to know how Pauleen’s cat’s ear infection goes though).
Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter:
- Great for traditional copy + image ads
- Can range from funny to serious to informative (or all three)
- Go outside the box with stories and reels that lend themselves to the lighter side
Snapchat and TikTok:
- Where rule books have been completely tossed aside
- It’s often “the sillier the better”
- You might even find Joyce and Pauleen on there
That leaves LinkedIn.
Should the content on this corporate focused platform reflect that audience? Yes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t switch it up sometimes.
Again, it goes back to:
- Who’s the client?
- Who’s looking at the ad?
- And what is being highlighted?
The platform pleasantly surprised us recently when our digital campaign with playful copy and popping images saw stand out numbers for engagement.
This proves that, depending on the client and what’s being promoted, you can keep it casual in unexpected places. It also doesn’t hurt when you have a great design team to compliment the copy, making the ads stand out even more.
So in short, keep it tight when you can and light when called for, but don’t feel boxed in by a platform’s preconceived notions.
Great work is something to talk about.