May I Get You A Drink?

“A rose only becomes beautiful and blesses others when it opens up and blooms. Its greatest tragedy is to stay in a tight-closed bud, never fulfilling its potential.”

– Dale Galloway, author

In This Issue:

May I Get You A Drink?

by Krista Jones

Have you ever noticed that when you read a great copywriter’s material, you get a real sense of their personality? You feel like he is on a bar stool right next to you casually telling you about this great thing-a-ma-bob that he just happened across.

Of course to anyone who has never tried his hand at it, this intimate style of writing seems easy. But it takes practice to let your personality come through in your writing. In fact, many writers have one hell of a time finding their voice.

I suppose there are dozens of reasons why we struggle with finding our voices. But I bet if you pulled each one out by its roots you’d find fear.

Here’s a partial list of the things you might be afraid of …

I know because I worried about all those things when I first started copywriting.

I remember turning in my first “homework” assignment to my coach, Will. I had written a sales letter for a vitamin for men (if you’ve taken AWAI’s copywriting course you know what I’m talking about).

After reading the letter, Will told me—in a nice way—that my writing was great for a term paper, but I needed to loosen up a bit if I wanted to connect with my reader and actually make a sale. Then he suggested that I write a personal letter to a close friend recommending the vitamin to him.

Well, that exercise helped me relax quite a bit. I envisioned my neighbor, George, who was into vitamins and herbs. I rattled off a letter in about 30 minutes. When I read the letter aloud, I was surprised by its fast cadence and emotional tone. The letter connected, not only with George, but with Will.

Another thing that helped me loosen up was using the “Readability Statistics” in Microsoft Word (see today’s Quick Copy Tip). I used to write at an 11th – 12th grade level. But after consciously trying to relax and write more like I speak, I’ve been able to get my writing down to the 7th – 9th grade level. (In case you’re wondering, that’s a good thing!)

But probably the single most important thing that helps me tap into my voice is finding ways to get excited about the products and services I’m selling. It’s easy to find your voice when you’re writing about something that lights you up. (If the product isn’t something you’re interested in, just think about someone who would be interested in it and focus on how it would benefit them.)

The way I see it is if you’re struggling with finding your own voice, you have two choices: pour yourself a glass of wine or take the following steps:

Resource Referral: Critical Elements for Finding Your Voice

Working with a coach was instrumental in putting me on the road to uncovering my voice. It added a critical element to my development as a copywriter: constructive feedback. If you need help finding your voice, a coach’s leadership goes a long way. To learn how you can get that type of critical feedback, click here: www.acceleratedtrainingservices.com/cp

And as I mentioned above, journaling also helps you find your voice. One of the best things about it is it helps you scoot around the censor that sits in your left brain shouting nasty comments like: “You’re not a real writer. No one wants to read that crap!”

For me, one of the best ways to override my inner critic is to write “morning pages,” which is basically stream of consciousness writing. If you’ve never done this before, I urge you to try it. Consistently writing morning pages is a powerful way to develop an abiding trust in yourself.

You can read all about how, when and why to write morning pages in Julia Cameron’s classic book, The Artist’s Way. The book also provides other fun tools to help you uncover and recover your creative side.

I wouldn’t feel right closing this referral without mentioning another outstanding book, Hypnotic Writing by Joe Vitale. Bob Bly calls it “the most important book on copywriting to be published in this century.”

All I know is it’s one of the best copywriting books I’ve ever read. It’s full of practical advice—in fact I used it to write a great lead for my last project. It’s probably the only book I own that has sticky notes in almost every chapter.

The long and the short of it is Hypnotic Writing will make your writing more persuasive. If you’re serious about becoming a great copywriter, get this book today.

Quick Copy Tip: A Powerful Tool for Loosening Up

Have you ever heard that most Americans read at a 7th-grade level? Sounds pretty scary to me, but it does show us why we should keep our writing clear and simple.

If you use Microsoft Word, you can test the "readability" of your writing by clicking on "Tools," then "Options," and then "Spelling and grammar.” Then click the check box at the bottom that says "Show readability statistics."

After you spell-check your document (click on “Tools” and then “Spelling and Grammar”), a box will pop up showing stats like the number of words, number of paragraphs, number of sentences, sentences per paragraph, words per sentence, and percentage of passive sentences.

It will also show two indicators that are based on the Flesch-Kincaid formula for readability. These indicators measure reading ease (based on 100 points) and grade level.

I use these stats all the time. My writing used to be in the 50-55 range for reading ease and now it generally ranges from the lows 60s to the mid-70s. When the reading ease is 65 or higher and has no more than 5% passive sentences, I know that I’m comfortable with what I’m writing and it has a good chance of connecting with the reader.