I’ve been paying attention to how everyone from clients to clergy and teachers to toddlers communicate. And one thing I’ve noticed is that those who incorporate a personal story (theirs or someone else’s) capture — and retain — their audience’s interest.

Telling a personal story (and by personal, I mean sharing an experience related to what’s being shared with the audience) helps create an emotional connection between you and your audience. It puts your message into context but it does so in a way that’s relevant, engaging and memorable to the reader or listener.

Need some inspiration for how to infuse a little human interest into your copy? Read a newspaper, listen to a sermon, visit with a former soldier, or ask a child what they want to be when they grow up and why.

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While I’m a proponent of proper punctuation and a serious stickler about spelling, I also know that conversational copy is a much more compelling read.

If you’ve been stuck in the world of long, complex sentences, it’s time for a change. And, conversely, if you’ve been writing like you’re texting your BFF instead of talking with your customers, throw in an actual sentence now and then.

The combination of varying sentence lengths and types will mimic real-life dialogue, making your copy not only more fun to read but also worth the time it takes to read it.

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Get Great Copy Shortcut #6

Sitting. Staring. Cursor flashing.

Almost nothing is more intimidating than a blank page and an equally blank mind.

Which is why I employ one of my favorite shortcuts … the nano-brainstorm. This shortcut is especially good for short, pithy bits of copy, headlines and taglines.

Here’s how it works:

1. Open a blank document and save it. (I’m a frequent saver.)

2. Open a browser window to Google.

3. Set a timer for 5 minutes. No more. No less.

4. Google the keyword(s) of your topic “+ quotes poems songs” and press enter.

5. Quickly click in and go through some of the results. When you see something that inspires you, toggle to your document and copy the text over or type the words in. Continue until you hear:

* DING * Time’s up.

1. Reset the timer for 5 minutes. No more. No less.

2. Now start typing variations of your own. Keep going until you hear:

* DING * Time’s up.

Start a fresh document and continue with your writing project. Make sure to keep your filled up nano-brainstorm document just in case there are some reusable ideas.

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From pseudodictionary to unword, the web is replete with sites dedicated to made-up words. TV personalities and sitcoms are famous for them, too. (Think Rachael Ray’s “fantabulous” and Archie Bunker’s “groinocologist.”) Made-up words have no doubt helped define pop culture for the better part of the last few decades.

Using made-up words is especially fun among family and friends. Our favorite is “musharoni pizza,” short for half mushroom, half pepperoni. It came about purely by accident, but it stuck and is now a standard at our house most Friday nights.

But take heed: made-up words have little to no place in your web copy. Words like “customerization,” and “dimensionalize” are not so much clever as cute and do little in the way of optimizing search or helping customers understand who you are and what you have to offer.

And, while you’re at it, be wary of overused words such as “solutions” and “optimized.” Best way to do that is to speak to the benefit of the customer … not to yourself or your company.

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