Online copywriting is not just about short, sharp Calls to Action and attention-grabbing headlines and adverts – it also covers longer pieces of content.
Longer copy has advantages. Primarily, it allows you to provide more information and encourage the reader to convert. You can foster a relationship with a reader, whether it is on a blog, through email communications, or through articles and news releases. With more words and space available, you are able to build a voice and a personality into your writing.
The expression ‘long copy’ is somewhat misleading. As online readers behave slightly differently from offline readers, it is unlikely that a skilled copywriter will be called on to create copy for the web that is longer than 800 or 1 000 words per page (although, of course, there are exceptions to this).
Long copy needs to be structured and formatted so that it’s easy for attention-starved web readers to digest. Web users tend to scan pages quickly to determine whether or not they will read further. Specifically in longer copy, you need to take this into consideration.
There are many types of long online copy. Here, we will focus on a few that are useful for marketing:
• News releases
• Articles for online syndication
• Emails
• Blog posts
• Advertorials
• Website
Bear in mind that this is by no means an exhaustive list.
News releases
The news release is a staple of public relations. As the Internet grows, so does the overlap between PR and marketing. As a result, many copywriters are called upon to write news releases for online distribution as this is a standardised format for releasing information. Originally intended to provide information for journalists, news releases are increasingly being read without going through the journalists first. This means that they should be written in the brand tone, be accessible to the general public, and be optimised and formatted according to the principles of good web writing (more on those later). Also remember to focus on a compelling headline to win over your reader.
Articles for online syndication
Online article syndication involves writing articles that are in no way a direct promotion of your brand. In other words, they are not press releases. These articles are written to provide information and valuable content to readers about something which is indirectly related to your product or service.
For example, a hotel management company could write articles about travel tips and advice, while a pet food seller could create content around ways to keep pets healthy and happy.
Articles are submitted to online article directories, from where they are picked up and republished on other sites.
As the articles contain links and key phrases relevant to your site, the benefits for SEO can be excellent. But the strategy won’t work unless people want to read your articles – so they need to be interesting, informative, and not just thinly disguised adverts. You are aiming to inform your audience, position your brand as an expert in your field and demonstrate authority and thought leadership. While this practice is not as widely used as it once was, a well-executed online article syndication strategy can still yield results.
Emails
Email as a channel is an integral part of many online marketing strategies. Of course, content is a huge part of this; it comprises the words in an email with which a user engages.
By virtue of their nature, emails are the ideal medium for communicating and building relationships with your consumers. Successful email campaigns provide value to their readers. This value can vary from campaign to campaign. Newsletters can offer:
• Humour and entertainment
• Research and insight
• Information and advice
• Promotions and special offers
Blogs can be very successful marketing tools. They’re an excellent way to communicate with staff, investors, industry members, journalists and prospective customers. Blogging also helps to foster a community around a brand, and provides an opportunity to garner immediate feedback. This is an audience made up of players vital to the success of a company – which is why it is important to get
blogging right. A key consideration is the quality of your headlines - you have to convince your reader to grant you attention..
Website copy
Digital copywriters need to structure content effectively so that users want to engage on the site and read on. Some ways to create digital copy that is usable and appropriate for an online audience include:
• Writing text that can be easily scanned.
• Using meaningful headings and sub-headings.
• Highlighting or bolding key phrases and words.
• Using bulleted lists.
• Having a well-organised site.
• Limiting each paragraph to one main idea or topic. The leading sentence should give a clear indication of what the paragraph is about. Readers can scan each paragraph without missing any essential information.
• Cutting the fluff. Get rid of meaningless turns of phrase and words that bulk up copy unnecessarily.
• Removing redundancies. These often creep into writing by accident, but you should work to eliminate them in order to get to the point.
• Including multimedia wherever relevant. See http://www.nytimes.com/projects/2012/snow-fall/#/?part=tunnel-creek as a good example.
Writing for mobile
Mobile websites differ from traditional websites for various reasons – these are explored in the chapter on Mobile Marketing. Here are some points on creating digital copy for mobile websites that encourages interaction and achieves marketing and business goals:
• Get to the point. With limited screen space, there really is no room for wordy text. You need to determine exactly what your message is and get to the point quickly!
• Put the important bits up front. This includes contact information and navigation links. Word these clearly so that people can take the right action.
• Condense information to its simplest form. But ensure that it still makes sense and is grammatically sound.
• Use headings and subheadings for scanning.
