
You
Writ
ing sales copy for a new or to-be-relaunched product takes a lot of energy and concentration. When you f
inish that first draft, take a rest.
Then go back to what you’ve written with this sales copy checklist, which outl
ines
the eight most frequent corrections and improvements I make on copy given to me by clients or students.
1. Pronouns. Do you have a preponderance of “we” or “I” and very little “you”? Wherever possible, change pronouns to “you,” which comes across as more captivat
ing and relevant to
the reader than “I” or “we.”
In many cases, this seem
ingly mechanical reword
ing task forces you to ask yourself, “Why should
the reader care about this?” or “What does this mean for customers?” That’s great, because shoppers and
information seekers are look
ing for what’s mean
ingful to
them, not for a monologue about
the company.
2. Verb
tense. Hunt for places where you used future-
tense verbs (”will ____”) and change
them wherever you can to
present tense. This conveys more confidence and has a stronger impact. For example, change “Before leav
ing, we will check all pipe connections to make sure
they are tight” to “Before leav
ing, we check all pipe connections and make sure
they are tight” or even better, “Before leav
ing, we make sure all pipe connections are tight.”