One of the hardest tasks a copywriter must do on a daily basis is write compelling, motivating copy that not only appeals to and motivates its readers, but also does so without being over their head or too jargon-filled. One of the easiest ways I’ve discovered to accomplish this task is to create a point of reference that you can use in almost every situation. This reference point acts as a way to make sure you’re covering everything needed, and doing so in an understandable way that can appeal to anyone that happens to be reading your copy. In my case, this is my mother.

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Photo courtesy of Stuart Chalmer

Now, my mother is a very bright person and can understand almost anything she reads, but she’s also very much representative of almost every type of reader that exists. She needs clear, spelled out directions to complete the task asked of her in the copy. She needs every possible way to get in touch with a specific person or company, as she sometimes uses the phone, but sometimes email. She, *gasp*, skims what she reads most of the time, therefore, she needs the information to be presented quickly and easily. She has eyesight that’s…well…aging (sorry, Mom!) and she needs text that accommodates this fact. Every possible thing that should be considered when crafting copy can be explained by my mother’s behavior, so it only makes sense to craft everything I write to appeal to her and her needs.

Similar to personas, writing for a certain person makes it much easier to entice your audience as it gives your writing a face, a personality, and something to always be thinking about.

Another great reason to use your mother as a reference point in your writing? It gives you an easy way to justify your reasoning to a client. I mean, really, no one can argue with your mother.

Do you have any writing tricks of your own that help you to appeal to a broader audience?