The recipe for spicy copy always includes salt – lots of it – fresh hot pepper such as a jalapeno or Serrano, and earthy-flavored herbs. Without spice, your copy is tasteless. It reads like every other piece of website content or advertisement or brochure.

At best, readers forget spice-less copy. At worst, they don’t read it at all.

Next time you sit down to write, bring the salt, hot pepper, and herbs with you to the keyboard. I’m about to show you how to add the spice your copy desperately needs.

Salt for Headlines and Imagery

We’re visual creatures. Readers need pictures for engagement. The good news is that it’s simple to find free stock photography or use your own photos in marketing materials. It’s also possible to suggest an image without any pictures at all.

The best headlines evoke an image.

The importance of headlines cannot be stressed enough. There are even books written on the topic. Headlines matter that much.

But for the purposes of this article, let’s make it simple and say that your headline should address a problem your reader has and that you’re able to solve. It should also reference a concept that’s easy to grasp and one that will cause the brain to automatically conjure images.

What if the article to this headline read: “How to Make Your Copy More Interesting”? What kind of pictures would you have automatically thought of? Nothing interesting comes to my mind.

“Wake Up Your Readers with Copywriting Spice” produces countless images for me…alarm clocks, people sitting in front of computer screens with wide eyes, salt, peppers, etc.

Hot Pepper for Facts, Anecdotes, and Quotes

What sound do you make when you bite into hot pepper? Chances are it’s something this: “Whoo!”

Aim to give your readers that same reaction when they read pieces of your copy. Give the reader surprising facts, emotional anecdotes, and inspiring quotes. Here’s an example.

Version 1: The retail industry has grown significantly over the last year.

Version 2: By fourth quarter 2010, U.S. retail sales reached just over one trillion dollars, which is an 8% increase from the same quarter in 2009.

Which sentence are you more likely to care about?

Herbs for Subheads, Bullet Points, and Short Paragraphs

Herbs round out meals, because they add pleasing scents, flavors, appearance, and some even aid digestion. Herbs are used as a garnish for this reason.

If copy doesn’t look easy to read at a glance, then it might not be read at all. Think of herbs as the subheadings, bullet points, and short paragraphs of your copy. Herbs make your copy smell nice and make it easy to digest, too.

End with More Salt…and Maybe Lemon

Mirna recently posted about how important it is not to piss off your readers. In the post, it says you must not bore your readers and must give them what you promise. I agree.

At the end of your copy, pull it all together. Use salt (to taste) to achieve that perfect flavor. Be sure you answered any questions you asked in the piece, make sure your last paragraph coincides with your headline, and provide that oh-so-important call to action.

If after that the copy is still missing something, then add lemon, a notorious flavor enhancer. I think of lemon as “the main point.” Whatever you’re trying to say can be distilled in one sentence. And sometimes that one sentence at the end of your copy can be incredibly powerful.

Here’s an example: If you don’t add spice to your copy, no one will remember it.

Guest Author: Sara Lancaster writes spicy copy for businesses through her website content writing agency, No. 2 Pen. For fun, she writes the food blog, Saucy Dipper, which includes actual sauce and dip recipes. You can find Sara on Twitter as @SaraLancaster.

Infograph by GO-Gulf.com – Dubai Web Design Company