Are Adjectives Killing Your Marketing Copy?

Using a lot of adjectives and adverbs in your marketing copy can literally kill the impact of the ‘idea’ or ‘message’ that it carries. As a result, you should not be expecting growth of sales from it. It’s true that avoiding overuse of adjectives will help you improve your marketing copy so why should you not do it?

One of the reasons that goes down in the favour of banning adjectives in copyrighting is that they may often sound misleading. Rather than picking up the right form of adjectives that will go on to make your copy a more persuasive one, a wrong choice in adjectives not only makes your copy sound misleading but it can also go against you with disappointed readers losing attention and tuning out.

Now the question is how do you actually decide when you’re using the right adjectives or the wrong ones? Also, if you don’t know how many should you be using, how can you improve? In this article, we shall explore the techniques that help you get hold of perfect adjectives and how you can use them with confidence.

How to use Adjectives in your Marketing Copy

Before we begin, it’s important to say that no dictionary in this world can tell you the most ideal adjectives to be used. They cannot tell you how to choose the most promising adjectives. However, there are a few rules that can help you find out the secret behind writing an engaging and persuasive sales copy – minus the annoying adjectives!

Why aim at an adjectives-free copy?

You can leave adjectives out of your copy and that is going to make your copy shorter and easier to read. This means people can read it faster, get the highlights and grab the idea easily. However, if you’re trying to paint a beautiful picture with words (words being your only forté) then use of ‘logical’ adjectives only, seems justified. When it comes to writing down vital instructions, you must ensure that the guidance in the form of text is simple, clear, to-the-point and also far more easy to follow.

So, what should you do? Here are a few useful guidelines to help you prepare copy that incorporates the best use of adjectives.

#1 . Avoid use of hollow adjectives

Placement of long and not-so-fitting adjectives is going to make your copy look cumbersome. Since they also make your sentences look longer than they should actually be, readers are forced to put in more effort – it doesn’t go in your favour. Use of flowery words will also make your copy appear less genuine and more insincere. Use of redundant adjectives is never useful for reading.

# 2. Consider using specific adjectives to persuade readers

Use of specific or concrete adjectives is a far safer choice to make. They do not just improve your marketing copy in terms of it’s credibility but they also help you address technical details in the most effective way. Use of these type of adjectives is also going to avoid any confusion with the ‘idea’ that a typical sentence in your marketing copy shall carry.

Remember, your sales copy should focus on explaining the ‘real benefits’ of the details mentioned. For example, your customer will be more interested in reading about the pain that your product can heal and how they can use it, rather than the handful of “feelings” they may possibly have. Be simple and straightforward which means use of fewer adjectives, placed only wherever required.

# 3. Engage readers with your emotion-rich adjectives

Emotion-rich adjectives are a better choice when it comes to making your marketing copy sound sincere and genuine. Such adjectives can appeal to anger, nostalgia, enjoyment, fear and so on. For example, when you come across phrases like ‘contact us for an instant courteous refund’ you’re actually indicating that customers are important. Now even if the word refund doesn’t go well with the adjective courteous, it still lets you sound like a brand that cares! Your company gives your customers an assurance and a warm feeling with respect to your brand.

Lastly, use of sensory adjectives like ‘fizzy’, ‘refreshing’ and ‘stuffy’ in your marketing copy will let your customers feel the way you are suggesting. Those adjectives ensure that the abstract ideas you’re trying to place are far more impactful, effective and remain intact in the memories of your readers (or rather the customers).

So, we mean you CAN use adjectives in your copy but with a little care!

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