Boring copy kills your marketing message. Don't waste valuable time and throw away your precious marketing dollars with writing as stale as day old bread. Here are 5 simple steps to jazz up your writing so readers will read it:

1. Write like you speak. The cardinal rule of copywriting, this will help you infuse new life into otherwise dead copy. If you find this challenging, then try talking aloud and recording what you're trying to say in order to write it down later. Nine times out of ten, you'll say it better than you'd ever write it.

2. Talk directly to your reader. Use the word "you." Then use it again. Don't neglect this attention grabbing, attractive little word. Readers like to hear about themselves, and they want to feel as if you're speaking to them. Give them what they want.

3. Keep it short. Nothing loses a reader like a lazy run-on sentence. Use short sentences and paragraphs to help keep readers in the game. Break complicated ideas or paragraphs down into multiple bite-sized pieces. Of course, you don't want to carry this too far. It's good to vary sentence length in order to sound more natural and less like a stuttering machine gun spitting out words.

4. Create a picture. Use words to make an image in your reader's mind. "The hole was as big as a house." You get the idea. Vivid word pictures will stay with your readers and help them stay with you.

5. Use action words. Avoid the passive voice -- that means the verbs of being like "is," "are," "was," "were," "be," "being," "been," and "become" are off-limits. Anytime you see one of those words, ask it why it's there. If you must keep it, then keep it. But, try to eliminate at least half of the verbs of being you're tempted to use.

Following these tips will ensure your copy grabs attention and captivates audiences.

About the Author

A freelance copywriter and editor, Kristen Michaelis publishes the popular monthly e-zine The Wonderworking Minute. Sign up today for your free subscription to the e-zine and receive a FREE copy of her report "How To Gain And Keep Clients Through Strategic Partnering." http://www.wonderworkingwords.com/email.html