Forget the eight-second attention span. That’s so 2015. More recent research suggests it’s even shorter.
Humans are under constant assault from pings and distractions, and we expect answers fast. If your content doesn’t perform within the first few seconds, it’ll be overlooked.
With your website and social posts, you have 3 seconds or less to capture the attention of would-be buyers. Those first moments set the tone. To hook their interest, you’ve got about 7 seconds more.
Due to our shrinking attention spans, we’ve become super selective about the content we consume. That’s why it’s more important than ever to produce copy that hooks.
If your headline is weak, you waffle on, or if the text on your website is too long, too vague, or obviously AI generated, your audience has closed the tab or scrolled on.
Why editing is a must
It’s okay if you use ChatGPT or Claude to write copy, or at least help with a draft. That’s how it’s done these days. By all means, use it. Just make sure you edit.
Edit hard!
Editing removes the unnecessary and strengthens what matters. It catches the weak headline before it goes live. The vague sentence before it loses the reader. The extra paragraph before it kills momentum.
Without editing, your copy could be bloated, repetitive and forgettable, even if the original idea was strong. Don’t be like so many others and post for the sake of posting. Don’t rush it. Don’t copy and paste from ChatGPT before giving it a good lookover first.
With a good human edit, you can transform your (or the bot’s) scattered writing into a strong and recognisable brand voice. That means every message you put out there has the same personality, pacing, vocabulary, and emotional tone.
There’s no need for your writing to be perfect for people to connect with your brand. What it needs is consistency. People connect with your brand because your communication feels coherent, intentional and recognisable. Over time, that consistency builds familiarity and trust.
Trust is what you need to do well in business.
The principles of copy editing – the 5 Cs
There are 5 foundational principles to use if you want to transform raw writing into polished and professional text. As a minimum, your messages must be grammatically sound and easy to understand. Before you push that publish button, read it over a few times with fresh eyes and make sure your copy is:
- Clear
- Correct
- Concise
- Consistent
- Complete
As a seasoned writing pro, I’d like to add another C.
- Creative
Content saturation is an issue, so what you produce must stand out. You can do this by adding some creativity to your writing, but only if and when it’s appropriate. Add a dash of humour to reinforce a point, or an analogy that resonates.
If you can put a little smile on your reader’s face or give them an a-ha moment, you’re winning. Just don’t overdo it. It’s not poetry you’re writing, and people don’t have much time.
Bonus read: Why your website needs customer-centred copy
A human edits better than AI
AI writing tools are supposed to speed things up, but it can be hit and miss. You may have noticed that it can also slow you down, not to mention confuse the heck out of you.
For short form, such as product descriptions and social media posts, AI is great. You can bang those out in no time with ChatGPT and that’s the reason I don’t really offer those services anymore.
However, if you use AI to write your website copy or for long-form content pieces, you’ll need to master some editing skills.
AI predicts language. Humans interpret meaning.
Copywriting is about understanding nuance, emotion, timing, tone, audience psychology, and what a piece of writing is trying to achieve.
I have clients who DIY but find that it still takes them ages to edit and tweak. They say it’s not as easy as it seems to make words match their brand’s tone of voice or fit the design or wireframe.
That’s when they send it to me because yes, I can fix it.
As a person who works with words, editing is part of the job.
In the past, I’ve edited other writers’ magazine and newspaper articles, blog posts, reports, white papers, even whole novels. Now I edit ChatGPT drafts.
It’s just how the work has changed and I’ll roll with it.
The tools have changed, but the standard hasn’t.
~ by Martine Pierhagen, senior copywriter and founder of Sweet Orange
If you need better copy, Sweet Orange is here to help. Together, we can craft messages that resonate with your target audience and ideal client. Let’s surprise them with great comms and build trust so they will find you, buy from you, and remember your brand.
Flick Martine a message now or call her on (+64) 021 492 040 to find out how.
With thanks to amazing creators from around the world that generously upload their work for free sharing on unsplash.com, canva, pixabay and other royalty-free stock photo platforms.