If You Can't Write, Don't

By Author: Bob McElwain
Total Articles: 14
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Here's a hard truth. If you can't write, don't try. Do theresearch. Provide every tiny detail. But hire a professionalto write your pages.

This costs. But not as much as poorly written copy. Faceit. How long do you linger on a badly written site? It simplywon't work. Period. Hire the help you need or find anotherline of work.
It's Not Fair
Surfers become more demanding with each passing day. Theysimply won't tolerate errors on web pages. You can get by withone or maybe even two on an occasional page, but only if thebalance is flawless.
At first glance, this seems unfair. Most do not write well.How can such people demand that you do so?
Simple. They do know how to read. And they demand copythat is easy to follow. An error brings a stumble andannoyance. Much of either brings hasty exit.
Your visitors are, after all, volunteering their time tolook at your site. Beyond a hasty glimpse at art work, unlessit offends, their focus is on the content.
That's what they came for. And that's what they want. Youwill be judged, and quickly, by how well you provide what theyare looking ...
... for. And the copy simply must shine. People won'tlinger long unless it does.
Bad Examples Give You An Edge
The abundance of poorly written sites offers opportunity.Put your site together in solid fashion, and you can put a lotof your competition out of the running.
One of the problems on the Web is that most pages areself-published. There are no editors protecting againstblunders as there are in the print media.
As a result, sloppy or bad copy abounds. And if pointed outto the webmaster, the response is likely to be, "Hey. I wrotethis. And I worked hard. If you don't like it, go away."
The point missed in comments such as the above, is thatvisitors do go away. In great big bunches. They flee frompatronizing or self-congratulatory drivel even more quickly.
It's a grave mistake to look at such sites, and assume youcan be successful with such copy. Further, there's a hiddenassumption you accept when you do so. You accept as fact thatthe webmaster is "successful." Bad thinking, to put it mildly.
What's Required
You don't have to get fancy. Some who recognize theirwriting skills are not first rate, tend to become formal, evenpedantic, when writing. That is, they put on the "top hat andtails." Which is exactly the opposite of what is required.For only great writers can pull such stunts.
You know your Perfect Customer. So just think about whatyou want to say, and how you would say it to him or her. Inyour shop. Over the phone. Wherever. But just you and yourcustomer. Nobody else.
Chances are you'd chat as you do daily with others. Dothe same in writing. If this doesn't work, say it out loudinto a tape recorder. Then type what you recorded.
In speaking, we use a lot of incomplete sentences. And wehave body language reflecting back at us that points out rightquick anything not clear, the misuse of a word, and so forth.But beyond cleaning up these kinds of things, write as youwould speak to your Perfect Customer face to face.
To do otherwise, as in pretending to be profound, is torisk all.
Some Writing Tips
Here are some ideas often overlooked. Each notion can begreatly expanded. However, it is not appropriate to do so here.If you'd like more information about writing for the Web, visitmy site and click Topics in the navigation bar to the left.Then select Writing Skills. You'll find lots of good ideas andreferences here that may offer just what you need. Now to thosetips, ...
Your Perfect Customer Comes First - Hold your focus on thisperson. Everything you write is as closely targeted as possibleon this person's needs, hopes and dreams. If you can sustainthis interaction, the rest is just mechanics.
Talk With, Not To - Telling people what to do never works.Whether selling or providing information, your only hope is topersuade readers to buy your product or accept your point ofview. In short, always talk *with* your Perfect Customer.Never talk *to* them.
Forget About Maybes - A common mistake on many sites is theattempt to please all visitors. It won't work. Talk and sellto your Perfect Customer, and nobody else. That is, neverinclude even a comment in hope of converting maybes.
Use "I," not "We" - If you're just one person, stick toyourself as the subject. There is something pretentious, kindof phony, about a fellow who is a one man show speaking ofhimself as "we." It's as if he is trying to appear bigger ormore important than he is.
Believe In Your Product - If you do, if you enthusiasticallyendorse it, your excitement will shine through. Conversely, ifyou don't believe in it, ditch it. Only professionals can sellin this circumstance. Lack of enthusiasm of itself will destroyyour copy.
Never Offend Or Annoy - Offending people is always adeadend street, a truism that hardly seems worth mention here.I did so in order to point out that accumulated annoyancesamount to offending. Seek to eliminate any copy that mightannoy anyone.
Avoid U.S. Jargon - The Web is rapidly becoming anInternational marketplace. However, many outside the U.S.who read English, are reading in a second language. U.S.jargon and slang really confuse such visitors. Use dollars,not bucks. Use men, not guys. "Behind the wood shed" hasno meaning for those outside the U.S.
Be Specific - Your writing will be stronger if all is aimedat making a very specific point clear. Only when accomplished,is it time to move on to another. "Stainless steel is anexceptional material," says little. If this is the point youwant to make, break it down into parts that collectively explainwhy the generalization is so.
Write As Fiction - The better I come to know the Web, themore convinced I am of the parallels between writing a goodstory and a good page. Pace matters. And emotional impact.And there's more. Grab a book you like, and try to figure howthe author sucks you into the next paragraph or page. If youcan do the same with a web page, you'll have a winner.
Editing Is The Secret - Edit and rewrite as often asrequired. Ask any good writer, and they'll tell you that someof what they release has been edited and rewritten a dozen ormore times. Editing is the key, really. The final result mayonly vaguely resemble the original draft.
Get A Second Opinion - While there may be little need tohire a professional editor, do ask at least one other personto read what you have written. If possible, ask them to readit out loud to you. If nobody is handy, record your work, thenlisten to it. Hold off on this until you feel the work is readyto go. There's too much error in draft copy for this to workwell.
Be Clear, Straightforward, And Friendly
Hold to the above in all you write, be certain you arespeaking one-to-one with your Perfect Customer, and the results,given editing, will be sufficient. As you gain experience, youcan improve from "sufficient" to "good." "Great" is the goal,but it certainly is not required.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Bob McElwain, author of "Your Path To Success" and
"Secrets To A Really Successful Website." For
info, see
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