search-engine supremacy. Instead,
aim to create meaningful, content-rich
text and incorporate keywords when
it makes logical sense. This will help
prevent search-engine penalties for
keyword-spamming, and ensure that once
prospective clients find your website, your
authorial voice is natural and engaging
enough that they want to stick around.
INVERTED PYRAMID FORMAT
Lede/Headline
Who/What/Where/When/Why
Detail 1/Detail 2/ Detail 3
Lead with the good stuff.
According to the Web analytics
firm Chartbeat, approximately 1/3 of
website users don’t scroll beyond what
they see onscreen when they first land
on a page. This is why it’s crucial that
you front-load each page’s copy with the
most-important information.
In my college newswriting class, we were
taught to structure articles using the
inverted pyramid (shown at right). This is
a useful model for Web writing, as well.
Open with a strong lede; i.e., a succinct
but detailed first sentence that hooks the
reader and makes the focus of the page
explicit. Order the rest of the information
from most to least important.
Be authentic.
As a coach, your first priority is
to forge a connection with your client in
service of building trust and intimacy. The
intimacy-building process begins when a
prospective client visits your website and
begins to assess a potential fit. This is why
it’s crucial that you present your authentic
self in your website copy.
Write in your own conversational style,
making the same word and sentencestructure choices that you’d make if you
were pitching a potential client face-toface. Don’t forget: Conversation is at
the heart of your coaching practice, so
capitalize on the opportunity to show
clients what this will look and sound like.
Consider the personal attributes that you
believe characterize your coaching practice
and look for ways to infuse your copy with
them. Perhaps past clients have praised
your sense of humor: In this case, let your
playful use of language or wry wit shine
through in your Web copy. Showcasing
Newspaper articles are
written using an “inverted
pyramid format. The most
important information at
the top (beginning of article)
and the least important
information at the bottom
(end of article).
Final Detail
Adapted from www.readwritethink.org
your true self will help you narrow in on the prospective clients you’re
meant to be working with.
Check, double-check and triple-check
your copy.
The quality of your website reflects directly on your practice: Sloppy
copy that’s riddled with errors sends prospective clients the message
that you can’t be bothered to attend to details and leaves them
wondering if your coaching is characterized by that same inattention.
On the other hand, carefully edited copy free of grammatical and
mechanical errors conveys the thoughtfulness, professionalism and
dedication that consumers seek.
When you’ve finished writing your copy, print out your pages and
edit on a hard copy. (Research published in 2008 in the journal
“Journalism & Mass Communications Educator” shows that errors
are more likely to be detected on the printed page than on a
computer screen.) Read your draft out loud and listen for awkward
phrases, missed words, repetition and grammatical errors, such as
subject-verb disagreement. Next, edit line by line with a focus on
mechanics (e.g., capitalization, punctuation and spelling). Keep a
print or electronic dictionary at hand and double-check any spelling
or definition that you’re unsure of. Finally, take a break from the
material for a day or two before returning to it for one last edit: Time
away from the text will allow you to approach it with fresh eyes and
catch any errors you may have missed before.
If possible, enlist the assistance of a few eagle-eyed colleagues,
friends or family members to review your copy, as well. In addition
to identifying mistakes that you may have missed, they can provide
valuable insight into whether you’ve followed recommendation No. 1
and created copy that truly speaks to your audience.
Coaching World 27