What makes copy excellent?

Someone asked me the other day, “How do you know excellent copywriting when you see it?"

There's a lot that goes into great copywriting.

But the words on the best websites, advertisements, email marketing, and social media content have at least two qualities:

Authenticity and thoughtfulness.

First, excellent copy is authentic: it lines up with who you are, your values, and the way you talk. NOT the way you want to be or the way you want to present your brand.

The outside (copywriting) should always match the inside (your voice and values).

Excellent copy is also thoughtful: it's written with thoughtful consideration to the vast range of experiences and contexts and assumptions and opinions of your audience.

Good writers think like designers, who ask questions like:

• What parts of this could people find confusing?

• Could any part of this accidentally offend someone?

• What might someone misunderstand about this?

Unlike in face-to-face communication, you rarely get a chance to explain yourself when you're writing for your business. So you have to do your best to get it right.

Writing thoughtful copy also means that you don't necessarily say the first thing that comes to mind.

Often, the first thing in your mind is the most authentic, unedited version of what you want to say. And you should keep it.

But sometimes, we think and talk in cliches, superlatives, or generalizations like:

• The biggest problem with ____ is ____

• Everyone loves when _______

• The best thing about ____ is _____

• Everyone hates when _______

• Everyone agrees that _____

Writing truly thoughtful content isn't something you do alone. Or do quickly.

I write my client's websites over 4-6 weeks. It's a long and thoughtful process.

I ask lots and lots and lots of questions to understand my client and their business, brand, offers, goals, personality, audience, context, and more.

No matter how good of a writer you are, you're too close to your business to write with true objectivity.

I think business communication is always going to be slightly left of real-life communication.

But the closer we can collectively get to clarity, authenticity, and thoughtfulness in our marketing...

The more we'll connect with other humans and see our work making the impact we want it to make.