Words.

Words are incredibly powerful.

Coming from a design background, I was trained to believe that tools, magazines, marketing collateral, advertisements, websites etc are only valuable if they’re well designed.

There’s some truth to that – tools like websites and apps need to be usable, and appropriate design plays a role in generating perceived value (eg, fancy packaging for fancy jewellery adds to its perceived value).

But I was also trained to believe that my role was the most important, and things like copy could be thrown in at the end, often as an afterthought – an idea I was reminded about in a conversation with copywriter friend James Turner (who’s experienced his fair share of this!), as well as a Business Made Simple podcast episode I heard yesterday.

Copy – words – are probably the most important piece of any communication… possibly any interaction you’ve ever had.

Think about it:

• You may be with your partner because of the words you chose when you met
• You probably landed a job or two because of the words you chose in your interview
• You likely landed a client because of the words you chose in your proposal
• You might recall the words a teacher said to you when you were younger because they still cut deep
• Your kids might make your heart explode with love because of their unique ability to make amazing, hilarious and adorable word choices
• You might own something very expensive, or something that was “very unlike you” to buy, because of the words used in the ad
• You might have burnt a friendship or caused an argument because of a poor choice of words
• You might have salvaged a relationship because of a thoughtful choice of words.

Words are powerful.

It may not always be practical to hire someone to write copy for you, and unless you’re a bit crafty with words y’self, thinking you can just “wing it” is probably not ideal either.

If you can afford someone to help, especially with something big like a website, landing page, or advertisement – get a recommendation and definitely do it.

Your next best option in my opinion is following a formula. Google (or ask you AI assistant) to find you a template for:

• A landing page
• A sales email
• A telephone script for a sales meeting
• High converting ad copy
• An email nurture sequence
• A kindly worded “no thank you SMS”
• Or yada yada…

Never underestimate the power of your words.