Over the years I have found that writing web site copy to be the most tedious and one of the most difficult parts of the whole creative process.

We have all been there. Its like a constant nag in your head “must write copy for pages!” you finally give in, open a blank word document and proceed to go as blank as the newly opened document. When you go blank its time to stop. Believe me, you can carry on, but you will write flat and interesting copy. You may even spend hours tweaking it but its still stiff and lifeless. Writing copy when you don’t want to will always give average to poor results.

So how can you write copy when you are always, 100% of the time not in the mood for it?

If you are like me; more website savvy than most of your friends who lead normal lives away from a computer, you will have often helped out a friend with some sort of web related issue or maybe you have done a lot of explaining to customers how their website will work or how this service works and what the charges are and how the particulars work when this is that are blah blah blah etc etc. Well here is the key part of this blog entry….. check your outbox! That’s the key! You may be lucky enough to find some of the most well thought out, articulate and straight to the point copy you have ever written. It almost feels like you are stealing someone else’s copy as you hardly have to lift a finger to put it together and make real use of it.

The thing that’s different with the copy you force your self to write and the hundreds or thousands of emails you write every year is that when you write an email to explain something further or clarify a products outline, you are using your brain from a more natural stand point; you know exactly what you’ve got to say and you say it without hesitation. When you “try” to write copy it doesn’t work so well. When you reply to a clients email explaining how your products or services work it flows out of your head, through your fingers and onto the screen as easy as you make conversation with your friends. Is my point becoming clear?

This blog entry for instance; I blurted the whole thing out in one, spell checked it then tweaked it as I read over the whole entry once.

Check all your out going emails for interesting replies you have given. Copy, paste, rearrange, dissect and reconstruct it. You will find that you have already written the most perfect, and naturally convincing copy three weeks ago or even last year! Job done my friends!

Remeber this applies to other copy like FAQs, help files, knowledge bases and anything where you have to explain your product or services.

Check your OUTBOX!