3️⃣ tips to trim down your copy

The fact I was able to buy a place in 2021 was a freakin’ miracle.

It took 8 offers, 50+ showings, and hundreds of hours to finally secure my lil’ townhome.

After 4 rejected offers, I even tried writing a “love letter” to one of the sellers, which is borderline illegal in Colorado.

Could my copy chops get me a place?

Nope. They went with an all-cash offer.

Oh, it gets better.

During one full day of house visits, the air conditioning went out on my beloved 2007 Lesbaru.

It was – of course – during record high temps in Denver.

Driving 70mph on I-25 with every window down couldn’t keep me cool.

I arrived at each showing a progressively sweaty, drenched mess. My face was red as a freakin' tomato. 🍅

What takes the cake of house-shopping mishaps?

When I unexpectedly ran into my ex’s cousin outside of a showing.

How?! Denver isn't that small!

I hadn't seen him since pre-covid times, so a conversation was warranted. But during the small talk, I carefully measured every word, knowing it would get back to my ex and her family. Ugggh.

AWKWARD. 😳

The hardest part of the house-shopping process?

Having to fall in love with a home, throw everything at it, then move on to the next round of showings upon rejection.

Usually in less than 48 hours.

The dizzying love-it-then-ditch-it process is scary similar to copywriting.

There’s a common adage in the writing community: “Kill your darlings.”

You must love your copy into existence then mercilessly ax paragraphs (or pages!) that don’t make the cut.

💔 It’s heartbreaking! 💔

But necessary.

If your copy is too long or even slightly confusing, you’ll lose readers' attention...and a possible ideal client.

Or too many words might muddle or bury your unique message.

The struggle? We therapists and healers can be a wordy bunch.

Not your fault, !

You’ve had to meet word counts since middle school.

You're trained to stretch out a sentence and add complicated, jargon-y terms.

Plus, it's agonizing to cut copy that took all your courage to get on your website.

But consider this…would you believe I regularly cut out 10% (at least) of my copy between first and final draft? It can range from entire paragraphs to unnecessary filler words.

Cutting that much would feel wasteful in any other industry.

But for your copy, it’s the smartest move you can make.

Here’s why:

Good copywriters know what to write. ✍️

GREAT copywriters know what to cut. ✂️

(Pssst, if you write copy for your biz, you are a copywriter.)

If a part of you is hesitant, I respect that. It can feel scary to pare down the draft you worked so freakin’ hard to create.

But, can I be real with you?

Underneath this resistance to trim your copy is actually scarcity mindset.

It's the fear that you won’t get more ideas, your inspiration will run out, or there is a limit on the number of amazing words you can write.

This just isn’t true, .

Your ideas are not scarce.

Your creativity is not finite.

You’ve got soooo many spectacular words left to write.

3 things you can do ~ right now ~ to trim down your copy:

📌 Ditch the passive voice

If you wanna skip the grammar lesson, scan your copy for have, had, or been. If it's near another verb, it's probably in the passive voice.

Active voice is automatically more captivating and readable to your ideal clients. It tends to shorten sentences, too. Win-win!

FYI - Passive voice is encouraged in academic writing, so don't get down on yourself if you find it all over your copy at first.

🥊 Don't be wishy-washy

Most service-based professionals use "perhaps, maybe, possibly, chances are" in their copy because they don't want to assume the client's experience.

This language is great for sessions, NOT great for copy.

These words dilute the power of your overall message.

Only use these words for emphasis and where you really need them.

It will feel unnatural at first, but it's best practice. Trust me.

👾 The 10% Game (my fav)

Once you have a solid draft, find out the total number of words in your copy.

Challenge yourself to cut down your word count by 10%. (I make it a game!)

If your first draft is 600 words, then you'd want to cut out 60 words. It seems nominal, but it forces your brain to scrutinize every word.

Plus, it gives you a concrete goal, so you can feel a sense of accomplishment. (Yay, dopamine!)

To sum it up...

Stellar copywriting is simply the ability to know...

...what to write to draw in ideal clients,

...what to cut to keep their attention,

and the ability to keep your inspiration flowing through it all.

You got this!

🧡 Ari

TL;DR Good copywriters know what to write, great copywriters know what to cut. To quickly trim your copy: assess for passive voice, eliminate ambiguous words, and eliminate 10% of your word count when editing a draft.

LOCAL Calling all Denver peeps! I wanna see you! I'm hosting a low-key networking series this summer for therapists and healers. Register here!