I continue my back-to-basics series by sharing the first lesson I learned about copywriting, which is that simple words and short sentences sell.
This basic principle still guides me when I help authors develop book promotion materials.
It’s always tempting to make your book marketing copy more complex than it needs to be when you detail the benefits of reading your book.
However, if you want to entice more book buyers – simple is the way to go.
This week’s video tells you why.
To find why simple words and short sentences sell,
watch this week’s Book Marketing Copy Quick Tip video.
Here is a brief summary of what I cover in this week’s video.
Readers’ Eyes Scan for Periods
The main reason to keep your sentences short centers on how we read marketing copy. In a word, we read marketing copy quickly. And when we read quickly, our minds want to get to the end of a sentence.
If you write long sentences with a lot of punctuation, readers will digest half of your sentence – and then their eyes will flash through the rest until they hit the period.
You probably do this when you read marketing copy. So assume potential book buyers will do the same when they read your marketing copy.
One way to keep your sentences short is to place periods where you might normally place commas.
With marketing copy, it’s perfectly fine to start sentences with connecting words such as and, but, so, and because.
Doing this keeps your sentences short and sweet. It also gives each of your thoughts their own individual stage.
No One Will Complain Your Copy Is Too Easy to Read
Using simple words and short sentences makes your book marketing copy fast and easy to read. And no matter how sophisticated your audience is, they’ll never complain your copy is too simple to understand.
Remember, the easier it is for potential buyers to read and digest your marketing copy, the more books you’ll sell!
Simple Doesn’t Mean Dumbing Things Down
Keeping your copy simple doesn’t mean you have to “dumb it down.” Of course you want to consider the intelligence of your target market. And of course you want to consider industry jargon when writing your book marketing copy.
Even with these considerations, it’s always good to lean toward the simple side of what’s acceptable with your target audience.
Want to see a good example of this point? Just take a second look at the style in which I’ve written this blog.
I know I have an intelligent audience (which includes you!). However, I still choose to write in a simple, straightforward style. But I manage to do this without my copy feeling “dumbed down” or oversimplified.
When you read my blogs, I’m going to speculate that you’re never disappointed when the detailed writing tips I deliver are quick and easy to read. And I doubt you find them to be at an intelligence level that’s beneath you.
So when you write marketing copy for your book, I encourage you to lean into simplicity. This will help you attract more readers, which leads to more book sales.
I go deeper into each of the points above in this week’s video, so please watch it.
Until next time, take a lot of action and make things happen!
Casey
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Will this post help you write book marketing copy that is simple and to the point? Please leave a comment and let me know!
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