We all need a little refresh every now and then. Whether it means refreshing your hair, wardrobe or mindset, having a clean slate or fresh start can work wonders, even with just a few tiny tweaks.
The same goes for your copy.
Copy can get stale or boring over time without some upkeep, if not to your audience at the very least for you! Who wants to stare at the same paragraphs day in and day out? At the studio, we’re big believers that it’s the little things that make a big difference. Not every brand is ready or needs a full rebrand or entirely new copy, but there are a few ways to zhuzh it up (hello copy refresh!) that you can do in a day.
Yep, something as simple as changing a few words can bring your copy back to life. We suggest focusing on the adjectives first, Is there something more on-brand or more fresh you could change it to? Think of words that embody your brand and your story, those should be the ones you go back to over and over again.
Have a funny story that you can tie back to a service or topic in your business? Why not turn it into a post or an email? Did your dog, child, partner or parent say or do something that inspired you? That is a great place to start. After all, stories are what make us.
Have a subhead on your website that’s not enticing and easy-to-miss? Time for a copy refresh. Find a metaphor that adds more personality and uniqueness. This may not happen overnight but think about metaphors that can relate back to how you want clients or customers to feel after working with you. We like to use “copy that moves mountains” a lot because that’s how powerful we want the copy we write for our clients to be.
Things move fast and it’s easy to let things slip through the cracks when your brand or business is growing. Nothing says old copy like an outdated about, services or products page. Do you have two kids but it says you only have one or have you moved to a new city? Make it current. We recommend doing an audit every 6 months (at least!). It’s a great way to make sure that you never have an awkward client call when someone asks about life in Vietnam when you’ve been living in Oregon for years—oops.
Humor in copy can be tricky especially if it doesn’t come naturally but adding a laugh, even if it’s a dad joke, here or there will make your copy so much more fun to read. If you don’t feel like humor comes naturally to you, think about funny things that have been said to you or experiences that made you laugh and see if you can pull from those. Let’s face it, everyone has an embarrassing story they’d like to forget, this may be the moment to let it shine.
This list is not the be all and end all, there are so many tiny tweaks you can make to really make your copy POP. But, the underlying theme is to make your copy a living breathing entity just like your brand. It’s not something you write once and never touch again, it should be something you tinker with and update as you and your business evolves and grows. A little copy refresh can go a long way.
For more copy tips and news from the studio, make sure you subscribe to our newsletter!
AND if you need to check on some copy mistakes many people make, here is a good post for you.