I spent some time working at an ad agency as a copywriter. I found it challenging to write something original for the dozens of ads we would do every day.

Whenever I got nervous that my ideas are not creative enough, my colleagues would promptly bring me back to the real world. “Natalia, nobody reads copy!” - they would say.

This was actually a very valuable lesson, yet one I’m still learning.

The two types of writing

This is a very simplified view of writing, of course, but I’m all for keeping things simple. As usual, this is just my view of it - feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.

In general, with business writing, you get two different types of texts: long and short. Long texts are your whitepapers, blog posts, ebooks, articles, press releases, etc. Short texts are ads, landing pages, social media posts, and similar.

Over time, I found that just because you’re good at one, doesn’t mean you’ll be good at the other. Some say it’s the difference between a content writer (focused on long forms) and a copywriter (short forms), and it’s rare to find a person who can do both. Maybe, maybe not - I like to keep an optimistic view that anything can be learned, given enough will and effort.

With that being said, I always had a preference for longer forms - I’ve always been the talkative kind. So, one of the biggest challenges for me is writing shorter texts. Which is where the point of today’s post can be quite useful.

Write for scanning, not for reading

People read in different ways. Sometimes they will go over texts in close detail, pointing out every tiniest typo or mistake. Other times they will just look for the highlights. And on occasion they won’t read at all, and just go over the imagery to see if anything catches their eye.

And what’s important - the same person can do all of it. Depending on the context, device, time of day, and lots of other factors, we all look at the (same) written word differently.

In general, if you’re writing a book, story, essay, or any longer form, it’s fine to use long paragraphs, complex sentences, and take your time before you get to the point. But when you’re writing business content - less is more.

Of course, if you’re writing a blog article or something, then different rules apply. But if we’re talking about a service/selling website that aims to convert, your audience will have already seen thousands others like it. Maybe their own looks quite similar. So, if you clutter your page with essays that don’t really say anything, you’re wasting their time. And no one wants to do business with a time-waster.

I learnt it best when working on an ebook. With all the intros, contents, credits and other self-indulgent stuff, my CTO (thanks!) pointed out that it wasn’t until page 10 or so that you got to the main topic. And the truth was, if we didn’t grab the audience by page 3, it was already too late.

Business people are 1) busy and 2) bored. Make your point fast or you won’t make it at all.

Specific > clever

It’s a trap I’ve fallen into many times, and you may have, too. Because we just love to use the clever words we’ve just learned, or obscure references that make us laugh, we end up with copy that’s all about us and not at all about our reader.

The trouble with “clever” copy is that it’s self-indulgent. We write it to make ourselves feel better about our own smarts.

But our audience may not see it that way. They have their own problems, references, and expectations. They’re not looking at your business website to be entertained, they’re looking for information.

Make your point, and make it simple. Keep the niche stuff for your personal projects. When writing for business - cut the crap.

But I have so much to say!

And that’s when you write an article :) Or an FAQ section. You could make a video, an animation, an infographic, a whitepaper, a slideshow, a podcast, and a million other things.

Think about your message and match it to the right medium. Don’t write an essay when all people are looking for are highlights. And don’t give them highlights when they want an essay. It’s not about form or content, it’s both. Making them both work at once - that’s our superpower.

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