Landing pages became an exercise on language. Writing for them became one of the most zen-like exercises I've had to face as a copywriter. This is my story
I remember when I began to write for these blogs. Most of my time, surprisingly enough, wasn't spent on research (and, I have to say, I take research as the only tool that enables me to write about any topic at all). Deadlines would pile up and office time wouldn't suffice me to keep my production steady. What was wrong with me? I mean, this isn't (writing essays about) rocket science, so why is this taking me so long?
Old habits die hard.
When I got interested into this line of work, I would spend days working on my own production. It would take me weeks to finish a short story, making sure that every single word meant what I wanted it to mean. I love toying around with words. It made classes a bit less boring and recess a bit less lonely (yeah, sucking at sports makes you take odd turns in life). So writing was as delicate as brain surgery to me. It is still, but I have to save time and meet daily deadlines.
I thought "hey, it's only a matter of writing, right? I've been doing it all of my life, so this is a no-brainer". How wrong I was. The first week as a copywriter changed my dietary habits and, by Friday, I was getting my vitamins and proteins from caffeine. I was edgy all the time and, when the time to show my work to my bosses, I would be at the verge of an anxiety attack. Any correction would destroy my ego and any of the proposed solutions would damage the intricate structure of my writing until, to me, it was no longer functional content.
Keywords? Optimization? h1, h2...? Title Tags, Description Tags? ... is this still English?
It hit me, it was a revelation that came to me unexpectedly. While I was researching about landing pages, I stumbled upon a series of blogs. Only after giving them a fourth look, I realized that the way they wrote was simple, straight-to-the-point advertising exercises. The language was simple and jargon-free, the intentions were clear and the call to action was screaming to me, begging me to do something. Click, call, go... ANYTHING!
So, this is what I learned about writing for Landing Pages content:
- Use bullet-points. They synthesize valuable information on an easy-to-read-format (see? you're reading already! See you at the bottom!)
- Be concise. Your intention should be clear in the first two lines of the paragraph. Don't make your reader (also a potential customer) wander through a maze of ideas.
- Be brief. Save time, save everyone else's time and don't waste space. People have a short attention span. Writing long and hearty contents will help you earn a Pulitzer, but it won't put bread on the table if you're a copywriter.
- Consistency is key: Don't digress from the main intention of your landing page. Define the shortest distance between two points and send 'em straight where you want 'em to! (Oh, you're here already! Welcome back!)
Writing for Landing Pages is an exercise on simplicity. How can I get people to do a certain action in as little words as possible? I'm still learning how. In the meantime, I have these blogs to share what I've found and to keep my literary instincts sharp and working.
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