7 Great Ways of Improving Your Microcopy

From navigational search bars to loading messages and notifications, there are numerous examples of microcopy. These textual snippets may be included to guide the visitor and give extra information where needed. It pays to focus on microcopy (literally) as the text snippets can make the difference between visitor frustration and delight. And we’ve set you on the right path by featuring a selection of microcopy best practices in this blog.

Other examples of microcopy include:

• Error messages
• Success messages
• Online form fields
• Image captions

Strive for clarity

Similar to other website text, your microcopy should be clear and easy to understand. You should use short everyday words and avoid jargon (unless you’re entirely confident that the reader will understand it). Keep the focus on guiding, informing or supporting the reader and limit the length of each snippet.

Use a conversational tone

Following on from the previous point, it’s essential that you write your microcopy in the reader’s language. This will mean using the kinds of terms and phrases that your audience encounters on an everyday basis. Imagine that you’re having an in-person chat, adopting a similarly casual and friendly tone in your microcopy.

Here are some tips for conversational copy:

• Don’t be afraid to break grammatical rules
• Use personal pronouns (‘you’ or ‘your’ instead of ‘we’ and ‘our)
• Use common contractions
• Use the active rather than the passive voice.

Take care with humour

While it might be tempting to inject your microcopy with humour, you should take care not to cause offence or exclude particular people. What one person finds hilarious another might find needless or over the top. As the Mailchimp style guide suggests, “if you’re unsure [about the use of humour], keep a straight face”.

Support the reader

If you’ve taken the time to research your audience then you should have a good understanding of their pain points and motivations. These factors should be considered when writing your microcopy, showing support and keeping the reader on-side. For example, you could reassure the reader that they won’t receive spam after signing up for your newsletter.

Write with purpose

How would you like the reader to respond after reading your microcopy? Perhaps you’d like to give them added reason to buy a product or register for an upcoming event. Keep such intentions at the front of your mind, linking your microcopy with calls to action for added impact.

Keep it on-brand

Consistency is key when it comes to your business copywriting. That being said, you should adopt the same branded style when writing your microcopy as you would in the creation of a brochure or newsletter (following your brand voice and style guidelines). Consider how you’d like your audience to feel (happy, inspired etc.) and write your microcopy accordingly.

See what works (and what doesn’t)

As with elements of your website design, it’s worth paying attention to the effectiveness of your microcopy. You should keep a close eye on your website analytics and don’t be afraid to make changes for greater effect. There’s every chance that a small textual tweak could make a big difference to your website conversions.

Count on Amplify PR

The tips covered in this blog will allow for the crafting of microcopy that engages and resonates with your audience. With that in mind, it’s well worth having a review of your website to identify the opportunities for blending in or updating your micro-content.

If you’d like any further guidance or copywriting support then please drop an email to hello@amplify-pr.co.uk or give us a call on 02380 176194.

Amplify PR is a Southampton-based PR and content marketing agency with experience across multiple sectors. Get in touch to find out more about our services.