Content is king, which is why the quality of it is paramount. Wherever you look, you will find copywriting. But not all of it is necessarily effective. This is why it’s important to get your copy just right. Do this and you will undoubtedly see a rise in your audience – and conversion rates.

So, how do you achieve this? Either hire a professional copywriter – or get in on the writing act yourself.

To help you get started – here’s our top five tips for improving your copywriting.

1. Get studying and practicing!

None of us have much time to spare, but trust me – it’s worth making time to hone your writing skills. There are lots of different ways you can do this.

You’ll find many great resources online. Simply Google ‘copywriting advice’ (or similar) to find a wealth of information on the topic to help you master your writing. Amazon also has a vast amount of guides available to purchase which might be just what you need to give you a kick-start. Now it’s time to put what you know into practice – and start writing.

Alternatively, if you are looking for something more in-depth, why not enrol onto a long distance copywriting course? The Blackford Centre for Copywriting offers a diploma in copywriting which teaches you the basics of everything you need to know. It’s well worth checking out.

2. Get your headline write

See what I did there? It’s imperative to capture your reader’s attention with the headline. Fail to do that, and you fail to get them to read the rest of your copy.

Avoid writing your headline first. They are best written after you have put your copy together.

Don’t make your headlines wordy. It’s a turn-off. Instead, keep them simple and to the point. What benefit are you offering your reader/consumer in your copy? Offer your reader this benefit in your headline first. It will draw them in.

3. Do your research, and then some

Any good writer will tell you it’s vital to do your research. Without it, what do you have? What do you know? Most definitely not enough to be able to produce an effective piece of copywriting.

This is why you need to get your hands dirty, so to speak. Fill your mind with everything you possibly can on the topic/product/service that you will be selling through your copywriting. You also need to know as much as you possibly can about your target audience too.

Google is a brilliant resource, but don’t just rely on search engines to give you what you need to know. Go to the library, or contact someone who can tell you more. Putting in the extra legwork (if there’s time) will prove invaluable and give you more knowledge to work with.

4. Keep. It. Simple.

Don’t overcomplicate whatever it is you are trying to say. Anything unnecessarily long-winded will make your life harder, as well as losing your audience.

Keep your wording simple, clear and be direct about the benefit you are offering. Write with purpose and be concise, as well as engaging. By doing this, your copy will be powerful and persuasive.

5. Be active, not passive

An active voice is more engaging than a passive voice. It will also make your copy stronger and more confident.

By using the active voice, the subject of the verb is carrying out the action. Whereas with the passive voice – the subject undergoes the action of the verb.

An example of an active voice: We have launched our new product today.

An example of a passive voice: The new product was launched by us today.

As you can see from these examples, the active voice offers a more direct approach and is easier to understand. It is more compelling and makes you want to learn more, compared to the passive voice example – which is more wishy washy. It doesn’t particularly enthral you. The sentence which uses the passive voice is longer too. Only by one word – but when word counts are tight, you need to make every single word count.