Organizing Your Data to Write Better Copy

Last quarter I talked about interviewing / gathering data. So now you've got several thousand words of notes, hopefully digitally recorded. What comes next?

GETTING ORGANIZED

I suggested organizing your interview questions into 4 groups. I'm going to label them for you A, B, C, D.

·what is the business problem? = A

·what is the high level solution? = B

·can you tell me more about the solution? = C

·why should I trust you (as my vendor?) = D

Any decent piece of writing has a beginning, a middle and an end. So before you start editing / writing you want a map, to show you where you are going. Take a blank sheet of paper, write four major headings and label them A, B, C, D, as above.

Now read your notes. When you find data relevant to "A" (the business problem), underline that copy and mark a big "A" in the margin (in red?) . Keep working through until you have marked up relevant copy for all four sections of your piece.

You will be leaving out anything that does not seem suitable as you go.

THE CUT AND PASTE JOB

Next comes a cut and paste job. Group together all the "A"s, then the "B"s, "C"s and "D"s.

Next, take a look at all the ideas you have in the A group. It helps if you take a new sheet of paper and write a list of the ideas or facts in the A group. Now prioritize. Be ruthless. And trust your first instinct. If an idea seems to leap out and have life, put it first. The less important ones come later. Weed out any repetition or weak data. Now you work on flow. Do you have a logical flow of ideas that your reader can follow? Are you telling him/ her a story that you yourself could believe in?

You will go through the same exercise with the remaining blocks of notes, ie "B","C" and "D".

EDITING IS PRIORITIZING

Editing is prioritizing. Often you will want to limit a list of ideas to 3. Three has a flow to it. And is about as much as any reader or listener can grasp at one sitting.

Finally you polish. Now you are reading for flow or musicality.You are cutting out superfluous ideas and words.

This is the long way to write.

THE SHORT WAY TO WRITE

The short way is to sift and prioritize all your notes in your mind ie you turn on your thinking tool. The key idea will pop into view, and hey presto, you begin writing about that one. You have a feeling for what comes next and what after that. You understand how to prioritize your ideas. Soon with a bit of jiggling ideas around the page, your story has a beginning, a middle and an end.

You can teach yourself the short way by writing the long way, again and again. Or by turning copy round in the middle of the night for an 07.00am deadline as I often had to do as a newspaper feature writer.

"When we encounter a natural style, we are astonished and delighted: for we expected to see an author, and we find a man." Blaise Pascal. Quoted with thanks to John R. Trimble, Writing with Style published by Prentice Hall.

Do you have a robust marketing plan to execute against? How clear and persuasive is your website, brochure copy or direct mail? Call Neroli Lacey NOW to win more business TODAY.

About The Author

I'm Neroli Lacey of Beyond Communications Inc. in Minneapolis, MN. I've been helping executives transform their businesses and their lives with outstanding marketing materials since 1995. VISA, 3M and Perot Systems are some of my bigger clients. I have worked with clients in Boston, San Francisco, Dallas, Austin, Minneapolis, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin and Delhi. I used to be one of the top journalists in Britain writing for The Times, The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, The Guardian, The Evening Standard, New Statesman, Vogue and Tatler.

Before newspapers I was an investment banker. I grew up in London, England, studying Latin with Greek at Bristol University.

Please visit my website: www.beyondcommunications.com

Or contact me at: neroli@beyondcommunications.com

612-215-3826

---

How To Become Qualified As A Proofreader

The field of proofreading is not as easy to get... Read More

Professional Copywriting Services - How to Provide Your Own

Just because you're running a small business doesn't mean you... Read More

Copywriting Makeover: Making An Emotional Connection - Part 2 of 2

In part one of this article series we began looking... Read More

Web Writing - Dont Lose Your Visitors Attention!

Did you know that your writing can have a huge... Read More

The Biggest Mistake Copywriters Make

Most of the sales pieces people ask me to rewrite... Read More

Long Copy vs. Short Copy? If You?re Still Debating This, You?re Missing The Point!

I've seen this ongoing debate debate jump up again recently... Read More

Copywriter Rates, Getting The Facts Beforehand

Have you ever had the experience of hiring a freelance... Read More

Common Mistakes That Can Kill Your Web Copy

Sometimes learning what not to do is as important as... Read More

7 Essential Tips for Reviewing and Approving Copy

Nothing can turn strong copy into a 97-pound weakling faster... Read More

Copywriting: Secrets of a Freelancer

Lately, I've been getting emails from other copywriters who ask... Read More

Headlines That Pull, Persuade and Propel!

When writing direct response copy, there are a few things... Read More

A Copywriters Rant: Either You Get it, Or You Dont

Today I am having a rant inside of my own... Read More

Getting Paid for Your Articles

If you've been writing web articles to help promote your... Read More

Touching the Prospect?s Emotions in Your Sales Letter

Your prospect has emotions? and you MUST touch these emotions... Read More

Deciding What Voice to Use in Copy

You have to choose a character or an angle that... Read More

Direct Mail Sales Letters Flow Better With Subheads

A subscriber to my newsletter asks: "Got any good pointers... Read More

Freelance Copywriting Advice #1: Take the Scary Jobs

From time to time you will be faced with an... Read More

What a Ghostwriter Can Do for You

Do you ever have brilliant ideas for articles, books or... Read More

19 Secrets to Making Your Ad Copy More Effective

The sales letter is the key; the sales letter is... Read More

Dissolving Buyer Scepticisim ... A Lesson In Copywriting

When making a purchasing decision, people have their "rip off... Read More

Progressive Headlines Guide Customers To Buy

Headlines are, without a doubt, one of the most important... Read More

Cleaning Up Your Copy

When you are beginning to write, you gather as much... Read More

Copywriter Trick Unveiled: How to Write Better Copy Faster

"Talent alone cannot make a writer. There must be a... Read More

Its Time To Start That Swipe File

Just as great fiction is an art, so is great... Read More

Copywriting: Engage Prospects By Involving Their Senses

Imagine a bland, colorless existence. Where food had no taste,... Read More

Impulse Writing for Better Ad Headings

Writing headlines for your ads is the most important part... Read More

A Copywriting Lesson from Dr. Seuss

Looking for inspiration for your next marketing communication? Try the... Read More

The Secret to Drilling Down Deep in Your Target Market

Here's another drill ripped out of the Field Guide for... Read More

Copywriting for Astrology, Numerology, Tarot, and the Mystic Audience

These days, you don't have to traverse the dark forest... Read More

Copywriting: Drafting Rules for Professionals

As a professional contractor who wears many hats, you owe... Read More

Art Of Writing Profitable Classified Ads

The art of writing profitable classified adsEverybody wants to make... Read More

What A Ghostwriter Needs To Do To Earn Top Dollar

The huge demand for writers online is really for ghostwriters.... Read More

Are You Asking the Right Questions in Your Copy?

It's a common approach to writing copy. You begin by... Read More