How to write like a human

You don't have to search far before you come across an example of artificial, wooden, committee-driven fundraising copy that sounds untouched by human vocal cords. Break your materials out of that mode, and you'll shine like a star in your donors' lives.

The Bad Language blog talks about human writing at Being human is overrated (but not when you are writing). Here are the hints for writing like a human:

• Write like you speak.
  
• Interview someone.
  
• Short sentences.
  
• Short words.
  
• Marketing speak has no place in people-centered writing.
  
• Don’t be afraid of humor. (I don't agree with this one: You can't count on other people getting your joke. In fundraising, humor usually falls flat.)
  
• Replicate speech patterns.
  
• Embrace the exclamation mark.
  
• Use everyday metaphors.
  
• A sense of person, place or time.
  

It takes an excellent writer not to sound like a writer.

Technorati Tags: copywriting, marketing

Comments

[Katie]

A little tongue in cheek. No claim to be an excellent writer. Just one in favor of choosing carefully where to place emphasis since exclamation points everywhere make none of them important. Same with too many statements in bold text. If it is critically important, bold is great...too much bold and no one can figure out what is most important.

[Elizabeth]

And this is why "excellent writers" shouldn't touch fundraising, even with a ten-foot pole.

Pained,
Elizabeth

[Katie]

This is very true, but do we have to embrace the exclamation point? If I am writing like a human, can I choose to write like a "not 11-year-old" human? Exclamation points, especially used too frequently, always make me look for smiley-face "o"s and signatures with S/S/A ("Stay Sweet Always!!). Sorry, I guess we passed notes too much in Jr. High.