Finding your words

Creating content for your brands, words and visuals, can be challenging. How do you tell stories that speak to your audience? What does your brand voice even sound like? How do you create visuals in a style that is consistent with your brand? I'm currently writing a content creation guide for my clients and I'll be sharing parts of it here. We'll start with finding your words. A.k.a. copywriting for your brand. 

Great copy is...

Conversational

People buy from people, so try to make it sound like you’re having an actual conversation with your audience. Imagine talking to someone specific, like a previous client or a friend who is part of your target audience. Talk to them directly, make a joke sometimes or share a personal anecdote.

Say ‘you’ more than you say ‘I’. Also, if you are a solopreneur don’t use ‘we’ or the third person ‘he / she’ if you can avoid it. It will create an extra distance between you and the reader and that is generally not what you want.

Emotive

Our emotions drive our actions more than our thoughts. So if you can evoke them in your copy, the more powerful it will be. You can show empathy for what your reader might be struggling with and how that makes them feel. You product of service could make them feel calm, safe, proud or excited for instance. If your copy can bring up these emotions, you’re on the right track.

Descriptive

Write about tangible items, people and places rather than abstract ideas and thoughts whenever you can. You can also use words that evoke the senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, feel) to pull the reader into the story. 

Dynamic

Mix short, medium and long sentences in your copy. This will vary the pace and keeps the reader's attention. Avoid very long paragraphs and sentences that go on forever. See if you can add some spark to the text. Even a simple button on your website could bring out a smile if it has great micro-copy.

Getting started: a simple writing prompt

There is a trick I learned from Braid Creative to jump-start the writing process. It is the simplest prompt:

“What I really want to tell you is….”

It works because it helps you to focus on what is essential, write honestly and get some words down on paper. A first draft is supposed to be messy. You do NOT have to get it right the first time. Play around with words, rearrange them, delete the ones you don’t need.

I promise it will get easier once you’ve been writing for your brand for a while. Your voice will become steadier. Your brand vocabulary will grow. You’ll be able to build on what you’ve written before to expand your content. The trick is to stick with it until the words flow naturally.

If you have any copywriting tips or tricks that work for you, hop on over to Instagram and let me know!