Troublesome jargon comes in at least three varieties: buzzwords, or trendy phrases used by people who consider themselves on cutting edge of their field; acronyms, dizzying alphabet soup of obscure abbreviations; and technical or specialized phraseology that just isn't much known outside of a particular niche.

"GCKL's Enterprise-level Viral Marketing Solutions Offer Leading Value-Add for P2P Revolution": that's a fictional headline containing no less than seven buzzwords. Most journalists hate buzzwords, and you should therefore avoid them, just as you should try not to complete previous thought in this sentence with "like plague." If you think my made-up headline makes perfect sense, then please take my word for it that number of people who truly understand such messages is extremely small. Usually when you attempt to translate buzzwords, all that comes from effort is mush.

Use in opt-in publications, or on Web sites, but please include resource box. If you could send a copy to me at email address: mailto:ab@digital-e.biz , I appreciate it. Many thanks. **

Summary: What makes writing copy for everything from sales letters to ads to your Web site easy? Developing a conversational style.

Total words: 600

Category: Small Business

Easy Copywriting: Develop a conversational style

Copyright (c) 2002 by Angela Booth

What makes writing copy for everything from sales letters to ads to your Web site easy?

Developing a conversational style. Try tips I've outlined below if you're trying to write copy. (Or dialog for a script, or a novel, for that matter.)

If you initially find writing in a casual conversational style difficult, relax.

You can do it. It's just a matter of getting hang of it. Write as you speak, with redundancies, which we all use in conversation, chopped out.

* It's vital that you learn to relax while you write*.

We all tend to tense up when we write. Writing, or any creative task, produces anxiety because of adrenaline pumping through our body. We need this adrenaline, it gives our words energy.

However, unless you're aware of problems that too much adrenaline can cause (anxiety, tense muscles leading to health concerns like RSI and tension headaches), your creative tasks will be more pain than pleasure.

If you have concerns about tension, do a relaxation course. You'll find books and tapes on relaxation in your local library, or at your bookstore.

The tips below will help you to build your conversational writing style. The transcribing exercise is especially helpful.

=> TIPS:

* Record a few minutes of TV commercials using audio-tape. Transcribe tape into your word processor. This lets you see what a conversational style looks like on your computer screen--- this is handy if you're trying to write an audiovisual script.