Be More Relatable and Interesting by Writing Creative Copy That is Engaging and Fresh
Eye-catching stat. A big, bold statement. Something funny.
That’s how you start a blog, right? Well, it doesn’t have to be. You’re here because you’re looking to start writing creative copy that is engaging and fresh, right?
If you want to write engaging and fresh copy – you need to find your own voice, style and process. I’ve put together a few methods that worked for me when trying to find ways to write copy that stuck out amongst the endless amounts of written content out there. Hope it helps!
Don’t Be Formulaic
The first thing to do when looking to freshen things up is to throw out the old. That’s right. Get rid of it. All of it! The old would be pretty much any writing concept that has been turned into an acronym. There’s no shame in your game if you use some of the classic methods, such as PASTOR or AIDA, but you came here for fresh, so that’s what you’re going to get!
People will tell you that these are proven formulas that work because people subconsciously recognize and relate to the formats. Well, if you want to stand out and feel different, then try writing something that isn’t recognizable. Develop your own acronym. Something meaningful to you. Then you can write a blog about that too.
Another way to eliminate formulaic writing is to try and not be a slave to keywords and SEO best practices. Yes, they are best practices for a reason and can help with search results. You don’t need to abandon keywords altogether. Just try and not go by a checklist.
Write from your heart and figure out where keywords and h2 tags fit in later. Dumping these formulas will be a good first step in the direction of fresh and engaging.
Don’t Copy Others, Make Your Own Style
Similar to dumping formulaic writing styles, you’ll want to stop trying to write like others. This all about developing your own style. Take Neil Patel for example. He has a distinct style of writing.
He paces his writing uniquely where nearly every paragraph is one or two sentences (mainly one). A good way to stay concise. He generally conveys information by introducing the topic, the problem(s) or reason(s) why you should care, statistics backing why you should care and then solutions/valuable information. This may vary by the blog, but if you did a blind test with Neil Patel readers where you gave them one of his blogs among 5 other blogs, I’d bet they be able to point out which one is his.
Because he has a style that’s all his own.
So, when you sit in front of your laptop and you’re ready to start churning out some new, engaging content, make sure you eliminate other styles you’ve emulated before and put effort into your own style.
So, what is your style and how do you develop it? This brings me to my next point…
Be a Storyteller
No one tells a story the same way. You can write a blog like someone else. You can mimic format, tone, etc. but no one can tell a story like you. This is the approach I recommend.
When you approach copy with a storytelling mindset, it forces you to break all your preconceived notions and simply write from beginning to end. The blog or web page’s beginning, middle and end is entirely up to you. Take your reader on a journey, instead of trying to look like every other page on the internet.
Research suggests that conveying information through a story can be more impactful. To the point that we can pass the effects of a life experience on to someone just by telling them the story of what happened.
Buffer co-founder Leo Widrich wrote a wonderful article on the subject. “It’s in fact quite simple. If we listen to a PowerPoint presentation with boring bullet points, a certain part in the brain gets activated. Scientists call this Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area. Overall, it hits our language processing parts in the brain, where we decode words into meaning. And that’s it, nothing else happens.
When we are being told a story, things change dramatically. Not only are the language processing parts in our brain activated, but any other area in our brain that we would use when experiencing the events of the story are too. If someone tells us about how delicious certain foods were, our sensory cortex lights up. If it’s about motion, our motor cortex gets active,” Wildrich writes.
When developing your storytelling style, there is no need to overthink things or be overly cute. You can start by asking yourself, “what am I trying to say?”
Let’s say you’re telling users about your product, you’re answering a question, you’re providing advice or something along those lines. Now that you know what you want to say, simply write about it the way you understand it.
Start from the beginning and take it from there.
Let’s say you want to write a webpage on a new subscription service your company is offering. What’s the first thing you want people to know about? Write that first. What’s the next thing they should know about it? Write that next.
I think you pick up what I’m putting down. Write the page as a story – a story from your eyes. Your story. Only you can tell that story.
Don’t Lose Sight of the Goal When Writing Creative Copy That is Engaging and Fresh
In the world of copywriting and web content writing, I think it’s important to note that in midst of all this creative storytelling and finding your voice, you usually have a goal to achieve. It’s important to tell a story, or write a page as a storyteller, that accomplishes your goal as well.
Let’s say you’re writing a webpage for a product, and the product is a toilet that doubles as a back massager. Sounds practical! Your story can be about someone who is pressed on time, has a bad back but had way too many black beans added to his lunchtime burrito. A lovely image, I know.
Or you can write about how the actual inventor thought of the idea. You never know what gem could come out of a real-life situation. It’d also be a true story (with some creative liberties possibly). The key would be to make sure the story accentuates how this idea helped the inventor or someone they know, and how it can help many more people as well.
This storyteller approach can keep your readers engaged, feel fresh and drive results. So, when you ask, “how do I start writing creative copy that is engaging and fresh,” keep in mind that no one can tell a story like you – and make sure to use that gift to your advantage.
