The blank face. The too-eager nod. The “oh yes I know what a conversational copywriter is.”
It’s how many in-person networking conversations have gone for me. And you know what? I should expect it. Every time, it teaches me a better way to explain what I do while talking to someone.
Conversational copywriting isn’t necessarily about sounding casual. The people who stand out in professional events are the ones who can communicate what they do in the most conversational way. It’s the same when you’re talking about your business in the written form.
We’ve always lived in a world that loves jargon, but now we have AI and ChatGPT creating a lot of similar-sounding writing. So it actually makes you stand out to just…sound normal. Which weirdly enough, isn’t intuitive when it comes to writing. There’s a science to that human-sounding copy that gets people pulling out their credit cards.
As your resident conversational copywriter, I want to teach you this.
1. Shorten your sentences
Long, complex sentences with multiple clauses, sophisticated vocabulary, and intricate structures might demonstrate your intellectual prowess in academic circles, but they’re hard to follow when the average reader is probably scanning your website on their phone while sitting on the toilet.
See what I did there?
That sentence was way too long.
Short sentences, on the other hand, are scannable.
They create momentum to read the next line.
They feel more authentic.
They’re easier to process when your reader is in autopilot mode (which, let’s be honest, is most of the time).
As a conversational copywriter, I’m constantly reminding myself that the average adult reads at a 6th to 7th-grade level. So, make your copy easy to read.
Split up or shorten your sentences when they get above 14-20 words. That last sentence was 18 words long FYI.
Mix in shorter sentences for emphasis and slightly longer ones for explanation. This variety creates a natural rhythm while keeping everything accessible.
And don’t be afraid of sentence fragments. Used strategically, they work. Really well.
2. Talk to your ideal clients
Honestly, I might change my name to copylistener because writing in a conversational way means you need to pick up on the things that matter to the end consumer.
There is always the elementary advice that needs to be repeated… talk TO your reader by using “you” more than you use “we.”
But to go deeper, conversational copywriters write in a human way by having conversations.
Your copy should feel like you’re reading your ideal client’s mind—like you’ve been eavesdropping on their internal dialogue and are now joining the conversation they’re already having with themselves.
If you’re pretending you’re a conversational copywriter, you don’t just write how people talk, you figure out your copy by talking to real people first.
Send a survey. Shoot a DM. Follow up on that email. Ask your past ideal clients or customers about their experience working with you. Talk to them about their specific pain points, goals, and aspirational identities. Record and transcribe them (with permission). Listen again and copy and paste phrases that stand out in the transcript.
- Who exactly am I writing to?
- What keeps them up at night?
- What language do they use to describe their problems and desires?
- What references would make them nod in agreement?
- What objections might they have?
If you can’t answer these questions for an ideal client you can picture in your mind, go back and talk to them.
3. Write it how you would say it
Ok, kind of obvious thing to say as a conversational copywriter, but it’s not as easy as it seems. Complex things feel simple to you when you’re so close to your business. Then when you try to explain what you do, it’s really, really hard to figure out how to say it in a way that normal people understand.
Going back to your ideal clients can help you break out of your expert shell (see #2). That way you actually know your audience and their level of knowledge about your industry.
For example, in certain situations, my saying I write words that sell things is better than saying I’m a conversational copywriter (see story in the introduction of this blog).
You can test what you’ve written by asking someone outside your industry (1) what you do and (2) to read what you’ve written and tell you what you do.
If you really don’t want to talk to people, you can record yourself talking and then transcribe that explanation.
Go deeper and ask about your favourite terms, “What does this actually mean?” If the phrase you want to say is “utilize our proprietary methodology to leverage synergistic outcomes,” record yourself explaining what that means. Then transcribe what you said. There’s your copy.
P.S. If the terms aren’t well-known, there is nothing wrong with using improper wording to explain something, IF it makes it clearer for your audience.
4. Relearn your punctuation
One of the easiest ways to make your writing sound like something someone would actually say is to get your punctuation right.
Have you ever really listened to how people talk? It’s all over the place with run-on sentences, unfinished thoughts, and hedging. You don’t need to include all those details when you write, but you can make your copy feel more conversational with the right punctuation.
For example:
- Dashes connect ideas without starting a whole new sentence — just like we do when we talk.
- Ellipses invite the reader to lean in… because something interesting is coming.
- Parentheses (like these) act as asides or whispered comments between friends.
Things I avoid as a conversational copywriter:
- Colons unless it’s an actual list. See phrase above. When I want to use a colon, I try to use a dash or ellipses instead.
- Semi-colons; even worse than colons because most people have no idea what they really do, which is distracting. Start a new sentence — or use a cute little dash.
- Periods after headlines. You want people to keep reading, to finish the thought. Periods signify the end of a thought, so don’t use them if the formatting allows.
Conversational copywriters use punctuation to create the natural pauses, emphases, and flow patterns of human speech. You’re not writing to win your English teacher’s praise. You’re writing so that the reader hears the words in their head like they’re having a conversation.
5. Make your headlines scannable
Few people other than you and maybe me will read your website like a book. That means your headlines matter.
Your headlines need to open the conversation, convincing scanners to keep reading. They need to make your ideal client pause their scroll, look up from their phone, and think, “Wait, this is talking to me.”
Put away all the things you’ve read about marketing and think about the last time you tried to get attention from a specific person, because that’s what we’re doing here.
What did you say?
How did you personalize it to what you knew about that person and what they want?
How did you convince them to keep listening to you with your words?
Now, edit your headlines with that in mind.
Great conversational headlines:
- Address the reader directly
- Promise specific benefits or solutions
- Create curiosity gaps
- Use simple, everyday language
- Often incorporate numbers for structure
- Can include power words that interrupt autopilot
If you’re limited on time when writing your copy, focus on your headlines.
6. Study examples written by conversational copywriters
It’s not 100% true that conversational copy is just writing exactly how people talk. The casual way we string words together would be hard to follow if you just transcribe the grammar and ums of a normal human interaction.
That is a very great start, though, so do that and then edit.
It’s helpful to learn how to write conversationally by figuring out the typical structure that conversational copywriters use.
If you want some samples of websites written by a conversational copywriter (hi, it’s me), here are some very chatty examples I’ve written:
Note the asterisks for punctuation and the lack of periods. This photographer’s page is very conversational and SEO-optimized and has made her a bunch of sales, so I recommend checking it out.
Note the pain points that her clients mentioned (long to-do lists & complicated workspaces). Would be better without the periods IMO (I wrote it lol).
Note the very clear headline, the dot dot dot and the simple ways of explaining what this nutrition coach does with her clients.
7. Hire a conversational copywriter
Whoops, ok sorry, I had to include this. Because writing conversationally isn’t actually intuitive. Neither is writing something that sells something. That’s where I come in.
A conversational copywriter captures your voice and makes it clearer, more engaging, and more effective than you could on your own.
When looking for a conversational copywriter, look for someone who:
- Asks questions about your audience before talking about tactics
- Spends time understanding your voice and brand personality
- Has a portfolio showing they can write in multiple conversational styles (not just their own)
- Provides a clear process for research and discovery
- Can explain the strategic thinking behind their copy choices
- Ideally has experience in your industry or with similar audience types
If you’re a founder who likes to talk things through, inquire about conversational copy services.
When it comes to selling online…
Remember that behind every screen is a person looking for someone who understands them. Respect that reader as an intelligent decision maker, not just a lead that needs to be converted. Conversation starts with empathy.
