Digital-age consumers have many different things vying for their attention these days, especially when it comes to advertising and marketing content. Once a marketer has a potential buyer’s attention, they only have a few seconds to take them from simple curiosity to reaching for their wallet.
Blurbs are a necessary part of that process and any comprehensive content creation strategy. There’s fine art to writing them well and ensuring their effectiveness.
Here’s a closer look at what you need to know about the subject, focused on how to write a blurb.
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What Is a Blurb?
A blurb is a brief but descriptive chunk of text created to promote something specific. It’s meant to grab a visitor’s attention, tell them everything they need to know about the promoted item, and convince them to choose it, typically in 150 words or less.
People are generally most familiar with the blurbs that appear on the inside flaps or backs of books. However, marketers use blurbs to promote many things, including movies, products, and even individual people or organizations.
Types of Blurbs
Best practices regarding how to write a blurb that converts vary according to the type of blurb you’re creating. Here are a few of the most common types.
Book blurbs
An eye-catching cover design is the key to getting a shopper to zero in on a particular book and check it out. The blurb they’ll find on the back or inside the jacket convinces them to take the next step.
A good book blurb should pique a reader’s interest strongly enough that they decide to complete a purchase. It covers just enough to let the reader know this is the book for them and leaves them wanting more.
Company blurbs
In the world of effective B2C content creation, it’s not just products that need marketing. Business owners, digital marketers, and brand managers must effectively promote the company behind the products.
Company blurbs are brief promotional snippets designed to let people know at a glance what that company is all about. This type of blurb most often appears on social media profiles, at the bottom of announcements and press releases, or in directories.
Personal blurbs
If you’ve ever set up a LinkedIn profile or needed to craft a short bio to go with a guest post, then you’re likely already familiar with this type of blurb. A personal blurb is a concise text meant to market a person, individual, or professional.
Efficient personal blurbs make big impressions in just a few words via dynamic language choices, conversational tones, and compelling details.
Why Blurbs Are Important
Marketers pour a lot of time, energy, and labor into attracting visitors via effective SEO content creation. But someone visiting your site or social media page for the first time needs a simple, efficient way to figure out what you’re all about once they’ve found you.
Well-written blurbs serve as brief but effective introductions. They tell people at a glance who you are, what you do, and why they should trust you. Additional goals a blurb may help accomplish include:
- Generating qualified leads
- Maximizing sales and conversion rates
- Boosting brand awareness
- Standing out from the competition
- Providing social proof of value
How to Write a Blurb That Resonates
Writing a blurb that helps you meet your goals is like writing any other piece of effective digital content. You need to know who you’re marketing to and what you hope to accomplish.
With blurbs, you need to accomplish all this in just a few words or a couple of sentences. Here are some tips for doing this effectively.
Define your goals
Goal-setting is crucial when crafting any marketing content, but it’s imperative when writing blurbs. (Remember, there’s no room for elaborate storytelling or extraneous information.)
Your goals will dictate the ideal language, tone, and approach to use. For example, a company blurb meant to interest investors in your startup won’t (and shouldn’t) read the same as the bio attached to a guest post on your blog.
Know your target audience
Who will ultimately be reading your blurb matters too. What do you know about your target audience and their values? Will they be reading the blurb on the back cover of a book, on social media, or somewhere else entirely?
Keep the answers to these questions in mind as you write. Imagine you’re speaking directly to a single member of your target audience, just as you would a friend or colleague.
Keep things simple
A blurb can potentially land in front of anyone, so it needs to be universally accessible and easy to digest. Use simple words any member of your target audience can understand with ease.
Avoid obscure industry jargon and complicated, rambling sentences. Well-crafted blurbs don’t need those things to get the message across.
Keep your blurb short
Even people who genuinely want to know what a book, product, company, or person is all about are unlikely to be patient enough to read through multiple paragraphs of text. Great blurbs are concise, snappy, and get straight to the point using minimal words.
Check out peers and competitors
Before crafting your blurb, look at as many successful examples as possible. How are others in your industry or niche using blurbs to market themselves and pique interest?
Figure out what’s working for others who have already accomplished what you want. Then consider how you can apply those techniques to your own material.
Make every word count
With a blurb, there’s zero room for fluff or beating around the bush. Every word should move the reader closer to the decision you want them to make by the time they’re finished.
Final Words
One guaranteed way to ensure your blurb hits all the right notes is to hire a seasoned professional to write it for you. WriterAccess is home to thousands of experienced content writers who can help you craft the blurb of your dreams.
Sign up for your free 14-day WriterAccess trial today to see what it’s all about!
