Are you looking for the magic formula to take your content to the next level, engage your audience, and get the sale? It’s time to ditch everything you learned in English class and embrace the art of writing conversationally. Writing in a conversational tone allows you to create a lasting connection with your audience. Anyone can do it! You’ll grab their attention, grow your engagement, and convert more sales. These actionable tips will help you easily transform your content into a conversation, and get your audience listening. Let’s get into the HOW!
Listen Up!
The best way to talk to your audience is to listen. Know your audience by finding out where they are and listening to how they talk. Check out books they’re reading, podcasts they’re listening to, or read what they’re saying on social media. Pay attention to the phrases they’re using and what they’re interested in. Get to know them so you can speak directly to them. If you’ve ever seen me talk about research, that’s exactly what you’re doing here… this post gives you the nuts and bolts of copywriting research and why it’s important!
One is Not the Loneliest Number
When addressing your audience, write as if you’re talking to one single person. Lose the plural pronouns in favor of singular words like “you.” If you speak to everyone, you’re speaking to no one.
Not sure how to do this? Here’s an example:
Original text:
“Any business owner looking to increase online audience engagement should consider hiring a professional copywriter.”
The problem? This sentence is vague and talks to everyone.
Instead, try this:
“If you’re a business owner needing to increase your audience engagement, you should hire a professional copywriter.”
Consider creating buyer personas for your ideal audience. What are their names? Demographic? Personality? What is it they need? Craft your audience as individuals in your mind and speak directly to them at all times.
Lose the Formalities and Break the Rules
It’s time to unlearn everything you learned in English class over the years*. Believe me, it’s okay to use contractions. It’s okay to use incomplete sentences. We do not talk so formally in our real lives, so why would we talk formally within our content? I bet you stumbled a bit when I said “do not,” right? It was a jarring contradiction to the informal tone I’ve been using up until then. Keep the tone light by keeping it natural and writing conversationally.
While you’re at it, use shorter words and sentences. Nobody wants to stubble over a complicated word they’ve never heard of, nor do they want to read long run-on sentences. Keep it short and sweet.
But wait, there’s more to writing conversationally!
You can also start a sentence with “because/and/but/or”, and use a preposition at the end of a sentence. Because we do it all the time in conversation, it will help your content feel more natural. The better your content flows, the easier it will be to engage your audience.
If your audience uses slang words (or curses a little), y’all should consider occasionally using some in your content if it works with your brand. (see what I did there?) If it’s not natural to you, don’t do it. It will come across like you’re trying too hard. If it works with your brand, add a few as the conversation allows.
*My apologies, Ms. Hinderman…I appreciate everything you taught me.
Ask Questions
Break up the text and grab your audience’s attention by asking questions! Questions are a great way to ensure you’re using conversational tone. They serve as a reminder to your audience of their needs, and how you can solve them. You’ll notice I used a question for my very first sentence in this article. I addressed a problem you might be having, and in the next sentence. I told you how it could be fixed. Use this trick throughout your content to keep your audience engaged.
Read Out Loud
The easiest way to discover whether or not you’re writing conversationally is to read it out loud. Reading it will help you discover what’s working and what doesn’t flow.
If you keep trying and still are writing too formally, consider recording yourself saying what you want to communicate, and then use the recording as a starting point. Just be sure to lose any “Umms,” “hmms,” or “like, totallys” you may have used. There is such a thing as too informal.
Be Authentic
Remember that a conversation is two-sided. Talk about your audience and their needs, but don’t be afraid to inject your personality. You know your audience (see the first step), so let your audience know you. Use examples and stories like you would in daily conversation. Be YOU. YOU are the key to writing conversationally! You are offering something different than everyone else because YOU are the one offering it. Remind your audience that there is a real person behind the sale.
What’s Next
Now that you have the tools you need to write conversationally, it’s time to give your copy an overhaul. If you want feedback on your conversational tone or you’d like someone to do it for you, book a call with me! I’ll give you the tools you need to captivate and engage your audience.
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