Anyone who’s ever transcribed a real life conversation knows that they rarely read well on paper. They’re often rambling or repetitive or incoherent. And the thing about real life conversations is that there’s more than one person talking. What we mean by conversational writing is a cleaned up and one-sided version of a real life conversation. Writing that feels direct and warm and chatty, with the reader playing the part of the other half of the conversation.

We all want to be remembered and recommended. The best leads come via our contacts, because the ground work is already done; you’ll already have been talked up, so there’s less explaining to do. Your website can be a brilliant referrer too. Here’s how to make yourself memorable.

Just like devouring a bag of salty crunchy crisps, or savouring a bowl of smooth vanilla ice cream, sometimes writing is so delicious, that you can’t help yourself going back for more.

How do you make your writing tastier so that people keep on reading?

A copywriter asks questions. What’s the most important thing to say here? What do you want people to do when they read this? How do you want people to feel? Good copywriters get inside the head of the ideal reader, just like you want to get inside the head of your ideal client. Think like a copywriter, and you’ll know just what to deliver to the people you serve.

Our words are a proxy for everything we can’t do at the moment.

We can’t meet people; touch them, hug, laugh, persuade, smile, show, flirt, reassure, explain, commiserate, calm. We can’t just be with each other, passing the time doing nothing in particular, sharing the everyday mundane things that connect us - but our words can do at least some of that for us.

Here’s how to make your writing feel more immediate and alive while you’re isolating.

You want your writing to feel like the conversation with a friend, not a lecture from a distant expert. So how do you do that? How can you write so that readers stick with you?

Having a few metaphors up your sleeve is a short cut to making your writing warmer and more memorable. But how do you write a good one, and how do you use them to best effect in your content?