WRITING
Writing, copywriting, and UX writing – wrapping up your brand.
Not all writing on a page is created equally. Before the proverbial pen hits the paper, it is vital to understand the purpose of your writing, who you are writing for – the demographics, behaviours and motivators of your personas – and what you want your reader to know and feel after reading your content.
Although the set of parameters of each writing discipline is constant, the purpose of each differs.
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Writing - Informative, valuable long-form content such as an annual report article or a whitepaper will serve to drive awareness and brand credibility
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Copywriting - Persuasion reigns in the art of writing marketing copy across an array of formats and channels – and working more pointedly to motivate a specific action (like a registration or sale)
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UX writing - The art-meets-science of making sure the user understands what to do and how to do it when seamlessly navigating an organisation’s digital product. Examples include elements such as menus, buttons, labels, chatbots, error messages, and onboarding instructions.
EXPERIENCE > I wrote an article about how to write microcopy that addresses different user scenarios
People are information hunters
Did you know that up to 80% of the content on your webpage rarely gets read?*
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Users are predatory-like in their scanning for the information they are after – hence the importance to optimise on page content for SEO.
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Use clear headlines and sub-headlines to provide structure
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Prioritise important information towards the top – including a call-to-action button
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Avoid creating walls of text
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Remove superfluous words
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Limit sentences to 20 words maximum and consider using bullet points
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Help the user understand any industry-specific terms
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Write in plain English (readability)**
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Address the accessibility of your page and its content (both from a cognitive and situational perspective)
Your brand is on the line
Your brand gets judged by how easily your readers can understand you.
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Your content must be easy to read.
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Ultimately, we need to ensure the user is thinking: This brand gets me. I can trust them.
EXPERIENCE > I co-designed and delivered writing training workshops for staff to understand the importance of brand voice, how to communicate for different formats, and created an easy-to-understand tone of voice guide. You can read more in the brand voice section on the website.
SOURCES > Up to 80% not reading your webpage * https://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-little-do-users-read/
Writing in plain English ** https://www.stylemanual.gov.au/