A few words on words.

I remember standing in front of my high school English class senior year, unsuccessfully reciting a poem I’d written as part of an assignment. To my horror, I cried like a baby a few words in — it was a dramatic love letter to my BFF as we were about to head off to different colleges. I BLUBBERED. Cried inconsolably. The sounds that came out of my mouth were not normal. Even the teacher wanted me to sit down and shut up.

The point of this story? I wish I’d known then what I know now. (Well, in a lot of areas of my life but let’s focus on writing for now.)

Be Brief. Less is more. If you write it in 10 words, try it again with five. Brevity is key because no one has time.

Be Current. Stay ahead of trends. I spend a lot of time reading blogs and newsletters and sites to keep up to date on what’s happening in copywriting: best practices, proven approaches, etc. It really inspires me and pushes me and makes me a better writer.

Be Relevant. Know your audience(s). When I text my mom I don’t use profanity. When I text the BFF mentioned above? Well, let’s just say we love four-letter words. I might deliver the same message to both: I love and miss you. But I say it in a way that’s most appropriate and relevant to each. (For mom, think 😘🙏🏼💖✈️. For BFF, think %$#!*%.)

Be Purposeful. Does it have a job on the page? Similar to brevity, but different in that I’m referring to overall content. Does having call-out quotes add to your story? What about historical sound bytes? Definitions? Sometimes yes, but sometimes no. Be aware and proceed accordingly.

Be Actionable. What do you want people to do? Whether it’s asking your audience to visit your website, call/tweet/snap you, or never contact you again, be clear and direct in the action you want people to take.

These are the main principles I stick to when creating effective copy. To other writers out there — what are yours?

Jen squared circa 1990. I &%#*!ing love and miss you, Jenni.