When copywriters get together behind closed doors, there is always talk about how to punch up their copy. No self-respecting copywriter wants to bore his or her reader, but that is often what happens when the writer forgets this one thing.

Verbs.

It may seem simple, but here’s an example:

XYZ Company is the premier source for brand strategy.

Are you yawning yet?

The weak spot is the word “is.” You can use other verbs instead of “is” or “am,” “was,” “were,” or “are.” Such words are often the “kryptonite” that will weaken your copy.

Instead, you want to use verbs that are colorful and sketch a more interesting picture for your reader. You could take the above sentence and instead write:

XYZ Company drives brand strategy.

XYZ Company designs powerful brand strategy.

XYZ Company combines innovation and expertise to create superior brand strategy solutions.

You will have to use “is” on occasion. But go through your copy to see how many times you’ve used this word. Then remove it and replace it with a better alternative.

If you noticed in the examples above, every time I removed the word “is,” it forced me to come up with a livelier word, which in turn forced me to “flesh out” the meaning.

The original didn’t say much about the personality of the XYZ Company. But the last revised example featured the fact that XYZ Company pursues innovation using their expert staff.

This improvement will tell your story to your audience in a more memorable way.

Here are a few more points to remember:

Kick “is” to the curb and its boring friends

As I’ve mentioned above, there will be times when you’ll have to use “is” on occasion. But go through your copy to see how many times you’ve used it. Then remove it and replace it with a better alternative.

If you noticed in the examples above, every time I removed the word “is,” it forced me to come up with a livelier word, which in turn forced me to come up with a more descriptive sentence for the service.

The original didn’t say much about the personality of the XYZ Company. But the last revised example featured the fact that XYZ Company pursues innovation using their expert staff.

This improvement will tell your story to the audience in a more memorable way.

Turbo-charge your verbs

Compare these two sentences:

“She ate the cheese danish.”

“She nibbled the cheese danish.”

Both sentences describe the same act. The first one sounds mundane. The second sentence provides more personality.

Verbs help define your characters if you’re writing fiction. But verbs also help define your value proposition if you’re writing copy for your business.

What kind of an image do you want to convey? Here are some examples:

• XYZ Company improves your business growth.
• XYZ Company accelerates your business growth.
• XYZ Company ignites your business growth.
• XYZ Company stimulates your business growth.
• XYZ Company rejuvenates your business growth.

The word “improve” is commonly used. Using the verb “accelerates” makes it sound as though XYZ Company is passionate about getting fast results. The verb “rejuvenates” implies that someone’s business may be experiencing a lack of growth and it needs to be brought back to life.

These descriptive words paint a different picture in the mind of the prospect instead of reading “improves your business growth.”

Eliminate “there is” and “there are”

When you’re first writing copy, just let it flow and don’t try to edit as you’re writing. Once you’re finished, however, go back and notice if you’ve included a “there is” or “there are” in your sentences.

They make a sentence appear dull.

Luckily, this is an easy fix. You just cut them out of your copy. For instance, look at these sentences:

• There is an improved and redesigned widget that will decrease time spent with creating HTML code and offer you more options.
• An improved and redesigned widget decreases time spent creating HTML code and offers you more options.

By cutting out “there is,” you’ll be forced to also tighten up the rest of the copy and as a result, the sentence will sound more direct.

When you edit your copy and choose stronger-sounding verbs, you’ll avoid the “kryptonite” that will deaden your copy.

Take the time to do this and make the verbs do what they were created to do—add personality to your copy.