10 Simple Edits That'll Instantly Improve Any Piece of Writing

编辑副本归结为两个关键因素：认识到弱点并知道如何修复它们。这是写作过程中的关键部分，但是，经常被忽略了。毕竟，如果您不知道一开始有一个问题，该如何解决？

That's why, if you struggle with editing, you’re going to love this article ...

Because by the end of it, you’ll be armed with 10 powerful, uber-specific editing actions that’ll make your copy more addictive, engaging, and compelling than it was before you got to work revising it.

Whether you’re writing a landing page, a blog article, an email, or a web page, making the following changes will have a profound impact on your readers. Namely, these edits will make them more likely to do what you want them to do -- and that’s what great copy is all about.

10 Simple Edits That'll Instantly Improve Any Piece of Writing

出于所有意图和目的，令人着迷的读者是一个参与的前景 - 这正是营销人员想要的。毕竟，订婚的前景更有可能继续阅读您的副本，这使他们更有可能达到a call-to-action that’s irresistible.

您准备好像专业人士一样编辑副本了吗？这就是你要做的...

1) Open with questions that get the reader to say “yes.”

Inertia, be it mental or physical, is a powerful force. In other words, whether it’s a long-term relationship or a boulder rolling down a hill, the longer it’s in motion the harder inertia makes it to stop. That’s why writers love using it, especially in their introductions.

The idea is that the longer you can get the reader to say “yes” to your honest, accurate statements, the more likely they are to keep saying “yes” and, ultimately, harmonize with your message. Why? Because they’ll feel like you understand them; like you know exactly what they’re going through.

Make them say “yes” enough and they’ll get the feeling that your product or service can help solve their problem. Hopefully, it can.

2) Double tap the “Enter” button every 1-3 sentences.

如您所知，击打“输入”或“返回”两次在段落之间留出空间。但是，仅仅因为这个空间没有言语，并不意味着它没有目的。

正如摄影师和设计师使用负面空间创建一个焦点一样，作家可以使用空白来创造重点并引起人们对重要事物的关注。

White space also makes copy appear less intimidating and more readable. It structures the message in a polished, elegant frame that invites readers to dive in.

3）大胆的关键好处。

Bolding the benefits will quickly point readers to the information you absolutely need them to know. In fact, in-text formatting of any kind -- italicizing, underlining, capitalizing, back-linking -- will help you capture and maintain a reader’s attention. That happens because我们的思想很难注意变化.

Imagine watching a play go from a monologue to a dialogue in the same scene. Or a movie fade to a perfectly white screen. It gets your attention, right?

新事物，认为您的潜意识。突出的东西。让我们集中精力。

4) Isolate important information using bullet points.

AsKurt Vonnegut once wrote，“可惜读者。”这意味着在您写作时对他们轻松。考虑一下他们必须专注于您，并立即理解您在他们面前放置的每个单词和每个小标记。他们必须在网上完成所有工作，而注意力是高级的。因此，请帮助他们。

Bullets and numbered lists will:

• Organize your text, making it more scannable and digestible.
• Highlight your key points and other important bits of information.
• 标题和副标题之后吸引最大的注意力，使其成为福利的理想船只。

(Click here to learn 8 quick tips for writing bullet points people actually want to read)。

5）以“想象”，“记住”或“图片为……”开始句子

这些话是触发器。他们让读者知道您要告诉他们一个故事，慢跑他们的记忆或给他们画一张照片（the way I do here). People love that stuff. Always have. According to producer Steven Moffat, “We’re all stories, in the end.”

因此，以这种方式考虑：句子或段落开始时“想象”一词的目的与您最喜欢的Netflix节目的标题顺序相同。它向您表示您将要体验自己喜欢的东西。它产生了预期的感觉。它造成悬念。无论您是在看电视还是阅读电子邮件，这都可以使您几乎参与任何情况。

6) Incorporate the word “because” as often as possible.

“因为”是另一个触发词。它使人们知道他们即将听到一个理由 - 原因 - 据著名的研究人员兼作家罗伯特·西尔迪尼（Robert Cialdini）博士说，这是一个原因，很擅长让人们点头：

“人类行为的一个众所周知的原则说，当我们要求某人帮我们一个忙时，如果我们提供理由，我们将更加成功。人们只是想拥有自己的理由。”Influence.

为什么?Because science proved it.

(Note:The word “because” has the same effect on paper as it does in-person.)

7) Convert sentences to active voice.

没有什么能像被动声音过度使用那样杀死写作。一种与此战斗的简单方法？将句子转换为主动语音。

主动语态意味着每个句子的主题doing the action rather than receiving it. The latter would be passive voice. For example:

• Active:Usain Bolt打破了世界纪录。
• Passive:The world record was broken by Usain Bolt.

See how much stronger and more confident the active voice is? Its counterpart is comparatively weak and deflated. Passive voice is just, kinda … meh. It can make you sound like you’re playing a round of Clue. You can do better.

为了使您的文本具有被动性，请首先为“ by”一词进行CTRL-F。这很快将突出显示主题可能正在接受动作而不是这样做的句子。或者你可以让海明威编辑find them for you.

8）重写第二人称的一切。

Second person is the most engaging narrative mode because it’s the most personal. Pronouns like “you,” “your,” and “yours” will help the reader see themselves in your copy and, consequently, in the story your product or service is trying to tell.

Great writing speaks to readers on an intimate level. It connects with them, which is incredibly difficult to do. But writing in the second person makes it easier.

9) Count your adverbs and then cut that number in half.

Or, better yet, quarter it. In his memoir,关于写作, Stephen King wrote, “The road to hell is paved with adverbs.” Why so harsh? Because adverbs are very, very good at weakening your writing. See?

If you want your writing to grab people by the collar, replace that mediocre adverb-verb combo with a single punchy, potent verb. For example, instead of writing “she’s very mad” you could write “she’s irate.” Or instead of writing “adverbs are very, very good at weakening your writing” you can write “adverbs sabotage compelling sentences.”

10）修改您的呼吁行动是通话价值。

Before you publish that landing page or send out that email, you shoulddouble-check your call-to-action(you know, the essential end-piece that tells your reader what to do next). Make sure it’s clear and concise, bold and visible, urgent and compelling. Most importantly, make sure it communicates benefits (i.e., the value that awaits those who do what you’re asking).

例如，如果您是旅行社，请不要让您的副本阅读“立即致电免费报价”或同样典型且无动于衷的东西。取而代之的是，以偷偷摸摸的高峰行动以行动：“现在打电话，让期望开始”或“立即点击，明天就走了。”

让您的潜在客户看到自己的行动，他们更有可能接受它。

Feeling Prepared?

编辑并不容易。修改创意工作需要胆量和性格。但是请记住，您这样做是有原因的：使您的写作越来越清晰。最后，进行这些编辑将需要时间和精力，但是它们会产生更多的电子邮件，更多的股票和更多的转换。

And believe me, it’ll be worth it.

What are your best editing tips? Share them with us in the comments section below.