Monday, 09 July - 15:54 Category: Content

Like I Have Time To Write!

SYNOPSIS: If you hate writing copy for your website then use a Dictaphone to talk your thoughts through and get them written up.  It is, perhaps, the most painless way of writing copy we've found and perfect if you're always busy!

If you read my previous post then you’ll know I was advocating you write copious amounts for your website so you can fly up the search engine rankings.  But it’s not easy when you’re a busy business person.  And we’re not trained to write (well, not since school).  And you don’t have time.  And what do I say.  Ugh, it’s just easier not to.  Right?  Well, writing for your website is so important because it is the primary means of communication between you and your Browser.  Having great, compelling copy which helps the Browser can be the difference between winning and losing a sale.  But you don’t need to be Dickens to write, in fact the more conversational the better.  Very few people react well to ‘corporate’ language after all nobody speaks like that.  (Thank God, because if I hear the word “leverage” used as a verb again I’ll scream!) 

Here is a tip to help you get past first base and writing (well, talking actually)… 

Most of the business people I meet are great at talking about their business and the needs of the clients but freeze when you ask them to write it down.  (It’s the primary reason why web projects can take ages to complete.)  However, if you’re good at talking then take advantage of this skill; buy a digital Dictaphone (Here’s the Olympus one I use.), talk your thoughts out and get someone to transcribe them.  That way you’ve only got a bit of editing to do before your web copy is complete.  A variation on this is to send the MP3 the Dictaphone generates to a copywriter to spend an hour or two polishing it up for you.  (Most copywriters are freelance and don’t charge a great deal for the service and they’ll usually turn it around in a day or so.) 

A variation on that is to dictate directly into your computer.  There’s plenty of great software out there that will do an excellent job of writing for you.  I use Naturally Speaking and a wireless headset (Plantronics CS60).  The latter was a real boon because now I can wonder out of the office building and half way down the street and still talk into Word.  (Just being free from wires seems to free my thinking more.) 

One of the keys to writing is to relax.  Really, don’t worry about style or structure to start with, let it flow - the style will take care of itself and you can mess with the structure later. 

We’ve had lots of success with this approach as most of our clients don’t have time to write War & Peace websites.  It’s a painless solution so give it a go, you’ll be surprised at how easy it all becomes when you put it into practice.

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Posted By:Jed Wylie on Mon, Jul 9th 2007, 15:54