1. Edit and proofread – It’s obvious, yet many people continue to let misspelled words fly online. If your audience isn’t educated, you might just get away with it. But, it’s often better to be safe than sorry. Your words affect your credibility and trustworthiness. Letting your errors show is like letting weeds grow on well-trimmed grass.
2. Junk the jargon – You are not your audience. Not everyone, including your customers or donors, understands words common in your field. I’m against a full “dumb down,” but it’s important to explain what those words mean or remove them if they don’t add to the overall meaning of your sentences.
3. Stay short – Long articles, especially those without any design elements (images, bold text, links, etc.) to make the text look better often don’t stand a chance. You’re competing for people’s time, and too often, for short attention spans. This might not apply to all copy (I’ve read plenty of arguments for successful, long direct mail letter-style Web pages), but I’d stay on the safe side and cut, cut, cut.
4. Start with an attention-getter – This is universal writing advice. It could be a question, a statement, or a quote, but it should interest your reader enough so that he or she will keep reading.
Example: Question: What’s black and white and read all over?
Answer: A newspaper. Then, you could continue to write about the history of the modern newspaper, how the Internet affects newspapers, etc.
5. Be clear – Don’t write about vague ways you will meet people’s needs. How will you meet their needs? Their inquiring minds want to know. Your copy is like a map — it should have a structure and give directions that are easy to follow. It’s crucial to your success and again, to your overall image. Your message affects your money.
The Classy Writing Blog
Great Nonprofit Websites Worth a Visit
“These websites effectively market the organizations they represent and their overall missions….” Read more.
Quotes
“A good Web page is written both for scanners and for readers.” ~ Nick Usborne
“Readers will make a decision about whether or not to become customers or to take action on your offer based on something they read.” ~ Greg Torbert
Comments? Suggestions? Need help? Feel free to contact me.
Michelle Troutman
classywriting.com
