Copywriting: You Should Pay More for Less

“Excuse me,” you’re saying, “Did I read that right?  Pay more for less?”  Yes, you did.

When you hire a copywriter, you expect to get a lot for your money, right?  Who can blame you?  Regardless of what I'm purchasing, the more I receive in return for my hard-earned cash, the better I feel.  With good writing, however, be sure you understand what “more” is.

Long paragraphs stuffed with unnecessary adjectives and jargon definitely have more words.  But do they convey more meaning?  In most cases, the answer is no.  In fact, the opposite is often true.  For time-strapped readers who may only have a few moments to skim a passage, bloated prose is irritating at best and alienating at worst.

When it comes to copywriting, the “more” you’re looking for is more engagement.  This, in turn, leads to more business.

My advice:

• Tell your copywriter that you prefer work that is interesting and brief; be unwilling to sacrifice on either measure

• Words like “lean” and “tight” will get your writer’s attention; use them liberally when discussing your project

• In reviewing drafts, don’t hesitate to scratch words that read well but are unnecessary

• Remember: SEO (search engine optimization) is about keyword density not keyword quantity

• When reconciling a completed project and the invoice, know that keeping words out of a passage is more difficult than putting them in

What are some of the benefits of lean, tight writing?

• Increased comprehension (studies show long sentences/paragraphs are hard to understand)

• Decreased printing/production costs

• Increased social sharing

• Faster revisions/updates

What you want from a copywriter is text that communicates your message effectively.  When verbiage is both compelling and concise, you'll know you've hit the jackpot.