https://bloomerang.co/resources/webinars/ Andrew Buck will show you how the right words can spark emotion, spur action, and start a lifelong relationship.

1. How to Write
Effective Web Copy
The presentation will begin shortly.
For best audio quality, dial in by phone.
(check your email for
dial-in info from ReadyTalk)

2. 3
This presentation is being recorded!
The recording and slides will be emailed to you.
Please chat in any questions for our guest.
We will answer them in the formal Q&A session
at the end of the presentation.
Follow along on Twitter with #Bloomerang @BloomerangTech.
For best audio quality, dial in by phone.
(check your email for dial-in info from ReadyTalk)
Before we get started »

3. 3
https://bloomerang.co/demo/video

4. 3
Our guest presenter »
Andrew Buck
• Content Strategist at Mighty Citizen
• 15+ experience
• Managed the re-branding project of the
Austin Humane Society, resulting in
increased donations
• Oversaw the public image of United Way
Capital Area during the largest PR crisis in
its history, increasing positive media
coverage by 1300% in the process
• Improved membership and member
revenue of Central Texas' largest nonprofit
professional organization by 25%
• Studied English and Communications at
The University of Texas

5. How to Write
Effective Web Copy

6. David Ogilvy

8. It i p g
an
I am n .

9. Andrew Buck
Content Strategist
abuck@mightycitizen.com
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY

10. By the end of this webinar, you should be able to:
▪ Identify the most common challenges that professional
communicators face online
▪ Write for how users actually read online
▪ Increase the readability of your Web copy
▪ Make your online copy “sticky”
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY

11. What We’re Up Against

12. Attention Span
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY
12
seconds
9
seconds
8
seconds
Humans
in 2013
Humans
in 2000 Goldfish

13. Every 60 seconds...
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY
204 million emails sent
4 million searches performed on Google
2.4 million content shares on Facebook
571 websites created
217 new people begin using the mobile Web

14. How do people
read on screens?

15. They don’t read.
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY
They skim, search, and scan.

16. At what grade level
does the average
American adult read?

17. HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY
8th50% of American adults cannot comprehend book written
above an 8th-grade level.

18. Kenneth L. Peters, principal of Beverly
Hills High School, announced today that
the entire school faculty will travel to
Sacramento next Thursday for a
colloquium in new teaching methods.
Among the speakers will be anthropologist
Margaret Mead, college president Dr.
Robert Maynard Hutchins, and California
governor Pat Brown.
Nora Ephron
“There will be no school next
Thursday.”

19. Make Your Web Copy
More Readable

20. First, write everything.
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY
▪ Get the ideas out of your head.
▪ Your first draft will be terrible.
▪ Smother your “inner editor” by
lowering your standards.

21. Second, cut.
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY
● Aim to cut 50% of words.
● Shorter copy is easier to scan—and
has more energy.

22. “Please note that although Chrome is supported for both Mac
and Windows operating systems, it is recommended that all
users of the site switch to the most up-to-date version of the
Firefox Web browser for the best possible results.
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY
Word Count: 41

23. “For best results, use the latest version of Firefox. Chrome for
Mac and Windows is also supported.
Word Count: 17
Cut: 59%
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY

24. 4 Quick Ways to Simplify Your Copy
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY
▪ Eliminate prepositions when possible.
Of, In, For, About, Into, On, etc.
▪ Cut “to be” verbs.
“The program is designed to serve single moms” becomes “The program serves single moms”
▪ Use the active voice, not the passive.
“Jim was hit by the wiffle ball” → “The wiffle ball hit Jim”
▪ Cut filler phrases.
“One can easily see that...”
“It is important to realize...”
“It goes without saying…”

25. The F-Pattern
Implications:
● People won’t read everything
● Most important information goes
at the top of the page
● Information-carrying words
should go along left side of page
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY

26. Which of these
is easier to read?

28. Use Structure on Your Pages
▪ Add white space
More paragraph breaks than normal
▪ Break up text with images
But only relevant images!
▪ Add scannability
Headlines, sub-headlines, and lists
▪ Get creative
Use pull quotes, stylish buttons to other pages, video, etc.

29. Make Your Content Sticky

30. Once you know something,
it’s impossible to imagine what
it was like not to know it.
The Curse of Knowledge
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY
Your audience doesn’t have your
experience. You may need to
spell things out for them.

31. Sticky content is one or more of these:
▪ Simple
▪ Unexpected
▪ Concrete
▪ Credible
▪ Emotional
▪ Stories

32. Herb Kelleher,
Founder
“We will be the low-cost airline.”
Simple

33. “But will it increase ticket prices?”
Simple
“Then no.”

34. Simple doesn’t mean dumbing down.
It means finding the core of the
idea—and expressing it compactly.
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY

35. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cmT8M_67ow

36. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HMHJ4UTLXM

37. Unexpected content can stick
if it is both surprising and interesting.
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY

39. Dunn, North Carolina
Pop.: 1,400
Charlie Strong’s
Core Values

40. Charlie Strong’s Core Values
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY
1. No drugs
2. No guns
3. No stealing
4. No earrings
5. Attend class
6. Treat women with respect

41. Dunn, North Carolina
Pop.: 1,400
Image search for “helpful”
Image search for “V8 engine”

42. Concrete messages are immune to
user confusion.
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY

43. Credibility
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY
▪ External:
• Testimonials
• Awards
• Reviews
▪ Internal:
• Details
• Data & Statistics

45. Emotions
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY
Mad
Sad Glad
Afrad

46. Dunn, North Carolina
Pop.: 1,400

47. Dunn, North Carolina
Pop.: 1,400

48. -66% +36%

49. Emotional: What People Care About
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY
▪ Themselves
▪ Their identity
▪ Their tribe (family, friends, neighborhood, etc.)
▪ Connect something people don’t care about to
something they do.

50. Stories
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY
How you share your message tells people how to respond to it.
Make a Claim
“Argue with us over the facts.”
Tell a Story
“See things from our point of view.”

51. Imagine:
A flashing light
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY
Someone tapping on your skin
A word that begins with the letter b
The Eiffel Tower
What happens:
Visual area of your brain activates
Tactile area of your brain activates
Your lips move subtly
You look upward slightly

52. Pop Quiz:
Who is the hero of the
stories your organization
tells?

53. 3 Plots to Spot
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY
David v. Goliath
The hero faces a huge challenge
and succeeds.
Odd Couple
The hero joins forces with
someone/something unexpected.
The MacGyver
The hero uses innovation or
ingenuity to succeed.

54. Summing it Up

55. Takeaways
▪ Our job is to make it as easy as possible for people to understand our message.
▪ The writing is in the rewriting.
▪ Cut your text and use page structure.
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE WEB COPY
▪ Sticky content includes:
• Simple
• Unexpected
• Concrete
• Credible
• Emotional
• Storytelling

56. More Free Resources
www.mightycitizen.com/bloomerang

57. How to Write
Effective Web Copy
Andrew Buck
abuck@mightycitizen.com

58. Questions?

59. https://bloomerang.co/resources
•Nonprofit Wrap-Up
•Bloomerang TV
•Bloomies
•eBooks
•Daily blog post
•Weekly webinars
•Templates
•Guides

60. Upcoming free webinars »
1/17, 1pm eastern
Face to Face with a Donor Prospect for the First Time
Marcy Heim, CSP, CFRE, PLCC
https://bloomerang.co/resources/webinars