A famous copywriter’s favorite technique in editing. You wouldn’t want to miss this. [Every Tuesday “Write with the Pen of the Masters”]
Building a constant and loyal audience for a publishing platform is more than just thinking of a topic that readers are curious about.
It’s also more than writing blocks of paragraphs and making sure you reach the required word count.
There are so many steps that take place before you hit “PUBLISH.”
Here at Valens Research, we take all the steps seriously.
We do our best to provide dailies, weeklies, and monthlies of compelling research and content that our subscribers rely on.
We make sure that the content we publish is as refined as we can make it.
What better way to achieve that than to get a bit of guidance from an expert and our admired conversion copywriter guru…
Joanna Wiebe?
Here’s her favorite technique for editing and proofreading content!
THE SPECIFICITY SWEEP.
Now, what is that?
The “Specificity Sweep” is an essential editing technique where you look for parts of your content that can be revised to be more specific. You want to “bring words to life” and create actual images from your copy to the reader’s mind.
When you’re done with your first draft, read through it…
Again and again.
Look for sections where you could be more specific.
Bear in mind though, being specific has nothing to do with word count.
Being specific does not mean cutting down sentences to create as short a copy as possible.
Short, catchy taglines are great, but not when they leave audiences confused.
Being specific also does not mean painstakingly listing all applicable adjectives.
You’re writing marketing copy, not a novel.
Try going through your draft and leave comments and notes for yourself.
Continue the sweep by asking:
- Is this section focusing on one topic?
- Does it create vivid word pictures and engage with the reader’s imagination?
- Is this giving the readers work to figure out what I mean and connect the dots?
Our goal here is not to just change everything to be more specific.
We also want to identify how we could rewrite parts strategically so readers can easily understand or remember the message.
How?
- Use numerals and symbols (%, $)
Ex. Subscribe now and get a 30-day free trial! - Tell action-based stories
Ex. Stay tuned for our next copywriting newsletter! - Personalize your copy or use trigger words
Ex. Here are the most recent articles you’ve read on our site. - Use visual words
Ex. Short but sweet! Why is succinct and concise copywriting better?
There are a few other tips to try with the specificity sweep. → Our past content can help make sure that your message is clear, easy to understand, concise, and at the very least a 9th grader can understand
And you’re all set!
“The best copywriting doesn’t happen in the writing stage—it’s during editing.” – Joanna Wiebe
If you add this sweep technique in your editing process, you’ll improve the quality of your copy in no time.
You can apply this technique in most, if not all, of your steps before publishing content.
Trust us. It’s worth a try!
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Tuesdays: Write with the Pen of the Masters”
Who doesn’t find content writing to be a skill that requires a lot of practice and effort?
In fact, many people may even find copywriting very intimidating.
However, you can be a good writer as long as you have the right tools. You won’t always get things right the first time, but with enough time and practice, you’ll get the hang of it!
When you write a copy for any brand or for your company, your aim is to make an impact and…
…to get people to remember.
Getting people to remember means getting consumers to buy your product or to avail of your service.
And when you get your content to deliver the results you want, THAT is a great copy!
Every Tuesday, we publish content based on tips and insights from the masters of content writing, copywriting, and storytelling.
Become more familiar with ways to write great copy that helps you gain ROI from your efforts, drive profitability, and achieve your business goals.
Learn time-tested tactics that better capture the attention of your target audience, and maximize the benefits of great copywriting.
Hope you found this week’s insights interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Tuesday’s “Write with the Pen of the Masters!”
Cheers,
Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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