EFFECTIVE COPYWRITING

CHARACTERISTICS
CHEAT SHEET

SIMPLICITY Simplicity is a key characteristic of effective copywriting.

Keep your sentences punchy and not overly complicated.
Your brain burns fewer calories to digest simple language
therefore the message registers with less effort.
Simplicity also allows for clarity and ease of understanding
resulting in less confusion and frustration. Make your copy as
simple as possible but no simpler.

PERSONALITY People resonate with personalities they are attracted to and

copywriting is one of the most effective ways to express
personality through language and tone.
Use your brand persona as a guide for your copywriting and
inject personality in what you want to communicate.

EMOTION When you know the challenges and struggles of your

audience and how they feel about it, you can resonate
effectively by demonstrating understanding through those
emotions.
Use emotionally charges words and sentences to draw
the emotion out of your audience and make them feel
something through your copy.
EFFECTIVE COPYWRITING
PROCESS
CHEAT SHEET

#1 Getting started is the hardest part. Give yourself permission

to write as ugly as possible. Start by writing WHAT you want
WRITE UGLY FIRST
to say, forgetting initially HOW you want to say it. Many
writers make the mistake of trying to shape the WHAT and
the HOW at the same time and struggle to get started.

#2 Your Brand Persona is an extremely effective tool that offers

your brand a distinct edge in the marketplace. Use your
WRITE AS YOUR
Persona’s characteristics, language, tone, opinion and attitudes
BRAND PERSONA as you write your copy. If you can effectively communicate
your persona’s characteristics which have been developed
from who your audience is, the changes of resonating
through your copy multiply.

#3 As you write, speak to your audience persona.

Communication becomes much easier and more effective
WRITE TO YOUR
if you direct it towards a single persona rather than a group
AUDIENCE PERSONA of people. You audience for the most part are digesting
your communication as an individual. Your they feel you’re
speaking directly to them, your copy will register and
resonate more effectively.

#4 If you write using complex terms or assuming a higher level

of understanding, you alienate sections of your audience and
DROP THE JARGON
confuse others in the process. This ties in with the simplicity
characteristic. Focus your language on making your message
as simple as possible but no simpler.

#5 Lean your copy heavily towards adjectives. Most copy you

present to your audience should have some kind of call to
INJECT ACTION
action to invite them to take a step closer to becoming your
customer. Action based language gently encourages activity
and increases the chances of your audience becoming your
customer.