[Hot Writing Trend] Short copy — Huge opportunity

[The Writer’ s Life]( October 1, 2018 Hi {NAME}, Warren Buffett recently said if he used an iPhone as much as his colleagues, he'd give up his private plane for one. These days, you can pretty much run your entire life — including your business — with your smartphone. (Which, Buffett says, is also the reason he invested more in Apple last month.) So, it's no surprise the majority of digital advertising dollars are being spent on mobile advertising (70% according to eMarketer) … And why the boom in mobile means huge opportunity for writers. People who read email, look at websites, or search for information on their phones have different needs. And if you're a web writer trained to know how to provide the best experience, you can make a great deal of money and be in huge demand. Today, Heather Robson is here to share some big trends in mobile marketing, and how you can answer that demand … Heather is Managing Editor of Wealthy Web Writer, our popular membership site that helps writers make a great living writing specifically for the Web. Right now, you can take a test-drive of our newly revamped [Wealthy Web Writer membership site for just $1](. For just one buck, you'll have access to all the roadmaps, webinars, articles, and popular templates that can help you be a huge success as a web writer. [Go here for details.]( To your success, Rebecca Matter President, AWAI P.S. Heather will be at Bootcamp with me in 16 days! She'll also be at Job Fair looking for writers for Wealthy Web Writer … And while Bootcamp itself is sold out, you can still participate in real time from the comfort of your own home. [All the details of how you can join us live — from home! — and even participate in the Job Fair and live Spec Assignments are here.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Writing for Mobile — Think Shorter By Heather Robson [Two hands holding mobile phone with mobile friendly text and search icon digital marketing concept] It's no secret that more and more people use their phones to surf the Web. Just take a look around next time you're out to eat and count how many people are looking at their phones. I promise you … it's a lot. And businesses are catching on. All the money that businesses spend on digital advertising … this year, almost 70% of that is being spent on mobile advertising specifically, according to eMarketer. You read that right. There's a good chance, seven out of 10 of your client's online advertising dollars are earmarked for mobile. This year, mobile advertising will surpass TV advertising as the world's largest marketing medium. Spending on mobile is big — and those numbers above just reflect the spending on advertising. Never mind that companies need more than mobile-ready ads. They need websites that look good on mobile. They need emails that are easy to read on a small screen. And they need apps that are a pleasure to use. This all adds up to a huge opportunity for web writers who understand how to write for the mobile environment. If you can give your clients smart advice about mobile and then write copy that delivers a good mobile experience for their users, an experience that results in more engagement, more subscriptions, and more spending … your client dance-card will be full, full, full. On the other hand, if a prospect asks about mobile and your answer is I don't know too much about that … well, that isn't going to be good news for your web-writing business. A little over 10 years ago, print copywriters were realizing that to stay competitive, they needed to learn to write for the Web. The same thing is happening again, only this time it's web writers realizing they need to know mobile to stay at the top of the game. More Than Just Responsive — Writing Mobile-Ready Copy for Websites When writing copy for a website, you want it to translate easily to a mobile device. Now, the web developer is responsible for making a website easily viewed on a mobile device. There are a couple of ways a developer can tackle this problem. The most common approach these days is to use a responsive design, where the site adjusts to fit the screen size, so the user doesn't have to do any left-to-right scrolling. If you're writing for a responsive site, your copy will read the same no matter where it's being viewed — but it won't necessarily look the same. You won't have control over the line breaks, for example. If you write a long headline, it's conceivable your reader will have to scroll just to finish reading it. Not ideal. It's up to you to deliver copy that fits the needs of the site … and more importantly, of the user. Keep two things in mind about the mobile environment. First, obviously the screen is smaller than on a desktop. And second, people might be anywhere when viewing a site on a mobile device. That means they're more likely to be distracted when visiting your site than they would be on their desktop at home. To write mobile-friendly web copy, the first rule is to think shorter. Keep your headline short so it doesn't run more than two or three lines on a mobile device. Use short sentences and short paragraphs too. You don't have to make every single sentence or paragraph short, but if you want your words to be easy to read on a mobile device, shorter is better. The second rule is to make things scannable. Use subheads and bullet lists to convey more information in fewer words. It will make your copy easier for your visitor to read on a small screen. And they will be more likely to remember your key points … even if they're distracted. The third rule is to use relevant images to help make your point. If you can convey the same information with an image and a sentence versus writing two paragraphs, go with the image. It will make a bigger impact on your reader and make the user experience better. Email Isn't Going Anywhere More people read email on their mobile devices than on desktops … and people who use a mobile device for email actually check their email three times more than the average desktop user. People want emails to look good and be easy to read on their mobile devices. That means writing short, scannable emails that make smart use of relevant images. You'll recognize those are the same rules for writing a mobile-friendly web page. For email, you need to keep a few more things in mind. Write short, snappy subject lines. On a mobile device, your subject lines are more likely than ever to be truncated. A good rule of thumb is to keep them to 50 characters or less … but aim to go even shorter. In one study, subject lines that used 15 characters or fewer had higher open rates. Include a good, clear call-to-action in your email. And make sure the interactive element is easy to tap with a finger. You may need to work with the designer on making that happen. But it does need to happen! And finally, create a consistent experience between your email and where the call-to-action takes the reader. Your email should have similar design elements and voice as the landing page or web page you're guiding the reader to click through to. Don't Forget About Apps! Mobile apps are where readers spend a bulk of their time on their smartphones. Social media apps. Shopping apps. News apps. Games. Fitness apps. And oh-so-much more. The copy in these apps is absolutely critical to the user experience. Mobile apps that get the copy right do better than those with clunky, confusing, or forgettable text. When writing for a mobile app, create a consistent experience. Make sure every message, every prompt, every reminder, and every screen is written in a voice that supports the desired experience. Again, short copy is key. You don't have a lot of room to work inside mobile apps, so find the best, shortest way to say what you need to say. And above all, clarity is key. You cannot confuse an app user and expect them to keep coming back. Make sure every message you write to support the in-app experience is crystal clear and easy to read. A final tip that applies in every situation from web pages to emails to apps … preview everything. Always make sure that what you're writing displays the way you intend it to display on the small screen. There's no excuse for skipping this step! Businesses know that to succeed in today's marketplace, they need to provide a good mobile experience. And they need great web writers who get mobile to help them do it. So start honing your mobile writing skills, and give yourself a sharp competitive edge in your business. Do you have any questions about getting started writing for the mobile web? Please share with us in the comments [here]( so we can guide you. Test-Drive Wealthy Web Writer for Just $1! Whether you're a new or seasoned web writer, having access to the right information, anytime you need it, is key to launching and maintaining a successful web-writing career. Wealthy Web Writer is a resource designed to provide you with a continuous flow of important information, techniques, and strategies to support and guide your web-writing career every step of the way. Sign up now for next to nothing! [But hurry! Offer Ends Soon.]( Can You Write AND Get Paid Well? If you look in from the outside, you'd think I was a typical middle-class mom … I drive a messy minivan, holler at my kids to hurry up, come alive with my morning cup of Starbucks, and wave at my neighbors as they rush to work. But my reality is a 20-hour work week … a six-figure income … And the freedom to do what I want, where I want, when I want. I'm a writer. [Click here to see if this writing life is for you.]( Free 2-Part Webinar Training with Clayton Makepeace Join "America's Highest-Paid Copywriter," Clayton Makepeace on October 3rd and 4th at 3 p.m. ET for a free two-part webinar series: The Makepeace Method for Writing Million-Dollar Sales Letters in 7 Days or Less. Clayton will teach you how to quickly analyze the product you're promoting and will reveal how to fully understand how to speak to your prospect. This is a training series you don't want to miss. [Learn more about the series and register today!]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Trouble viewing this email? [View in your browser, here](. For questions or requests: [contact us online](. --------------------------------------------------------------- ©2018 American Writers & Artists Inc. 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