5 ways to breathe new life into long-form copy

Long-form copy can be reeeeaally boring. It can be so mundane and lacklustre that it practically begs to be ignored.

And – make no mistake about it – IT WILL BE IGNORED. 

If your copy doesn’t captivate your audience, they’ll simply stop reading and move on to something else. 

Why?

Because people don’t have to read.

We live in an age of podcasts and bite-sized video clips. So, when you’re using the written word (and lots of it), you have to work even harder to grab people’s attention. 

Is there a way to win people over?

There are a few ways, actually. 

Here are 5 things you can try to breathe new life into your tired copy.

1. Get into the habit of hunting for better words

In everyday conversation, we tend to repeat ourselves a lot. 

By recycling familiar words and phrases, we’re able to communicate quickly and get our message across in the most convenient way possible. 

But, when it comes to long-form copy, you can’t exclusively rely on the first words that pop into your head. You’ve got to expand your linguistic arsenal and hunt for other, more impactful words to elevate your copy and give it some OOMPH. 

Enter *synonyms*. 

By ditching everyday verbs and adjectives and replacing them with their more dynamic counterparts, you can add depth, dimension, and feeling to your writing. 

To illustrate this, let’s take a look at an example.

Here we have some text about dishwashers:

Original Text:

Dishwashers make life easier. They get rid of germs and bacteria, reduce water waste, and give you more time for other activities.

Ugh.

Boring, isn’t it?

Let’s make it more descriptive.

Revised Text:

Dishwashers do the dirty work for you. These powerful cleaning machines destroy germs, annihilate bad bacteria, and preserve precious water resources — freeing up space in your schedule for the things you really want to do.

See the difference?

In the original text, we used simple verbs and nouns without adjectives. And, although the message is clear and concise, it doesn’t do much to evoke an emotional response or inspire action.

In the revised version, we’ve brought some energy into it by adding emotive language like “annihilate” and “preserve” to persuade the reader of the dishwasher’s wide-ranging benefits.

You might have spotted the alliteration too.

This enhances the tone and adds rhythm to the copy, making it more pleasing for the reader.

2. Go with the flow

Another way to delight your audience is to make the copy flow.

What we never want to do is make our writing sound “bitty”. 

Bitty copy is the kind of copy that sounds like lots of “bits” carelessly thrown together. It requires the reader to work harder, as their brain tries to make sense of the deluge of disjointed ideas.

To avoid bitty copy, try to take a step back and review your writing in its entirety.

Rather than zoning in on a single sentence or paragraph, go back to the start, revisit earlier sections, and make sure that all parts of the copy feel cohesive. By doing this, you can guide the reader from one idea to the next in a way that feels natural and unforced.

If you’re still struggling to find your flow, you can also try reading the words aloud. 

This helps you to recognise the rhythm and cadence of your writing so you can make sure that it reads b-e-autifully.

3. Don’t assume too much

When you’re writing about a subject that you know a lot about, it can be tempting to throw in topical terms and phrases without providing clear explanations. You might have a target audience in mind and automatically assume that they’ll “get the lingo” and give you extra brownie points.

But don’t fall into this trap.

If you assume too much, you not only risk alienating those who aren't familiar with the terminology, but you also deprive yourself of the opportunity to demonstrate your own understanding.

People want to know that you know what you’re talking about.

This cannot be stressed enough.

By explaining things properly, you are showing the reader that you can talk the talk and walk the walk, helping you to earn their trust.

And, if providing explanations for every term feels cumbersome or disrupts the flow of the text, go with a glossary instead. This allows your reader to refer back to definitions as needed, without cluttering the main body of the text.

4. Break down concepts with creative examples

Sometimes, a definition isn’t enough.

So, to help your audience out and show that you really know your stuff, try turning concepts into creative examples.

By using clever analogies and storytelling, you can illustrate how a concept applies to real life.

Let’s check out an example.

Here is a passage describing the process of neuroplasticity in the context of language learning:

If you've ever learnt a new language, you'll know that it's not just about memorising words or conjugating verbs ; it's about immersing yourself in the language and understanding its intricacies.

At the start, every new word feels like a tiny victory. Yet, moving forward, there are more moments of frustration as you desperately try to piece these words together while navigating complicated grammar rules and surprising lexical nuances.

After much persistence, something incredible happens.

Your brain begins to adapt to the challenge.

With each lesson, each conversation, and each mistake, new neural pathways are forged, connections are strengthened, and something finally starts to click.

This is neuroplasticity in action.

When you take the time to explain things properly, people appreciate it.

We could have just said, “Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's capacity to reorganise synaptic connections.” — and left it at that.

But what does that actually mean?

By providing clear examples and making them relatable, you can help others to visualise concepts, so they’re far less likely to forget them.

5. Aim to please yourself first

And – finally – aim to please yourself first.

It goes without saying, you need to impress your audience. But that doesn’t mean that you should take yourself out of the equation.

As the writer, you’re the first person reading the copy; therefore, you’re the first person to please.

If you’ve written an article and can’t connect with it, there’s no reason to expect that your audience will either. It doesn’t matter if you’re writing about a subject that you categorically detest or have no interest in whatsoever, it’s still your job to make the copy as engaging as possible.

What makes copy engaging?

Creativity.

Pride.

ENTHUSIASM!

The more you put these things into your writing, the more you’ll enjoy the process. So, inhale some inspiration, exhale your creativity, and start living and breathing better copy.

If you put passion into what you do, it will always show in the final result.