Secrets to Writing Conversational Copy

writing conversational copy

Writing is one of those things that’s easy to overcomplicate. If you’re not comfortable with it you’ll tense up, even though your head and heart are thinking something else. And if you’re in business for yourself, stiff prose is not what you’re looking for. Clients want to connect with a real person, not some faceless brand. Which is why writing conversational copy is so important; it allows you to humanize your copy and speak their language.

So how can you create copy that’s more conversational, copy that actually sounds like you? Here are my top secrets for writing conversational copy.

Why Write Conversational Copy?

Conversational copy is what makes you sound like a real person. And if you’re a solopreneur selling handmade goods on Etsy, I want to feel like that’s who I’m purchasing from–it’s all part of the brand experience.

Conversational copy is also easier to read, easier to digest, relate to and fosters a connection with your audience. And at the end of the day, those elements translate into sales–yay!

Lifestyle businesses are a lot less formal than their corporate counterparts, so drop the overly-professional prose and embrace the world of human-sounding copy.

Secrets to Writing Conversational Copy

Word Choice Matters

If you want your copy to be more conversational, you need to axe all those words you would never use in real life. I’m talking about jargon, friends. All of that cutting-edge, state-of-the-art, utilizing, marketing speak has just got to go!

Would you ever sit in a room and say something like:

“Utilizing the new Lusty Lipstick yielded maximum results, with a powerful pigment that lasted for more than 8 hours.”

I really hope not.

But you might say something like:

“Need your lipstick to last from lunch to happy hour and beyond? Then Lusty Lipstick is your go-to. Its got some serious staying power and will take that pretty pout from day to night!”

Jargon doesn’t make you sound smarter, it makes you sound distant, stiff and formal. Lifestyle brands that are trying to create a connection with their audience need to relate to their clients by speaking in their language. When it comes to jargon, just say no!

[Tweet “Jargon doesn’t make you sound smarter, it makes you sound distant, stiff and formal.”]

Manipulate Grammar Rules

Sometimes, grammar rules are meant to be broken. My inner copyeditor is screaming inside for just having typed that, but there’s an exception to everything! Case in point, when we want our copy to sound a certain way. Then I’m giving you the green light to manipulate grammar rules a bit.

Your English teacher probably taught you to:

  • Never start a sentence with but. But I’m saying you can! 
  • Never end a sentence with a preposition. But it’s ok if you need to.
  • Only use periods to end a complete sentence. Sometimes.You.Need.To.Make.A.Point. 

Catch my drift? It’s ok to relax your lingo a bit, it will make you more relatable.

You might also like: Find Your Writing Voice Free Mini E-Course

Use Contractions

This one’s a biggie, and one of the easiest ways to make your copy more conversational! Go through your copy and start joining words when you can. You’ll go from:

It is a bright and sunny afternoon and we are enjoying our time at the beach–it is fantastic!

to…

It’s a bright and sunny day and we’re enjoying our time at the beach–it’s fantastic!

See the difference there? One of the best ways to catch these is to read your copy out loud. In real life, we use contractions when we speak. Having the words broken up sounds robotic, and that’s probably not what you’re going for.

 

Pretend You’re Talking to a Friend

If you’re having trouble stepping out of your business zone and embracing a friendlier tone, visualize yourself writing to a friend–a friend who happens to be your ideal client. When you picture yourself chatting with just one person, rather than an audience, it’s easier to relax your tone and your choice in words.


Conversational copy is a great way to humanize your brand. Use contractions, manipulate grammar rules, visualize your ideal client and axe that jargon to create more conversational copy–words that sound like you!

Want to learn more about this? you may like my guide, Find You Writing Voice.

Similar Posts

4 Comments

  1. Love this article Marlene. Such fabulous tips. I’ve been working on this a lot lately, and I’ve been getting really good feedback. I especially love your tip about writing as if you’re chatting to a friend or your ideal client. I try to do this as much as possible. Thanks for sharing your awesome tips. 🙂

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *