Do you ever worry that your website, brochure or email campaigns sound like a fax machine wrote them? At school we were taught to write in a style that uses lots of long words and phrases and obeys the rules of grammar. The problem is that, whilst youre English teacher might be pleased, writing can sound cold and impersonal unless you can give it a more human tone.

Conversational writing is an informal style that mirrors the way you talk. Its a popular way of writing on the web because its easier for readers to connect with (than, say, the writing youd find in an essay or textbook) and makes them feel comfortable.

Conversational copywriting is also an effective style of writing for copywriters because it enables you to promote your products in a friendly, positive way that doesnt sound like a shallow sales pitch.

So how can you adjust your copywriting into a more conversational style? Here are a few tips to guide you:

1.Break some rules It might upset your old English teacher, but dont be afraid to start sentences with words like and, because or but if it helps to break up long sentences and help your writings flow.

2.Use contractions These mirror the way people talk e.g. youll or theyre

3.Address the reader as you and write from the first person Imagine youre talking to a friend in a bar about a great product youve discovered or valuable information youve got to share e.g. As you know, there are plenty of scam artists out there only too happy to fleece you of your hard earned cash. I recently fell for one of their scams hook line and sinker. I want to help you avoid the mistakes I made but I explaining how to spot scams in my new eBook.

4.Use colloquialisms and metaphors - Youd use colloquialisms and metaphors in everyday speech, so feel free to use them in your copywriting to make it more friendly and conversational.

5.Use storytelling Storytelling is a powerful vehicle for communicating your message in a way thats interesting and engaging to read. Try telling a story about your product and how it solved a problem to keep readers glued to your words

6.Relax whilst youre writing Feel free to just write whatever comes into your head when youre writing and dont worry about stopping to correct grammar or syntax. Even if your first draft sounds like its rambling, you can always edit it later on.

7.Read it out loud marketing copywriting should sound like something youd say when talking about a product. So read it out loud to hear how it sounds.

Any salesman will tell you that people like to conduct business and buy things from people. Not cold impersonal machines or messages that sound as though they were written by the T1000.

This is why a friendly and conversational tone can be more powerful when trying to sell. It can be powerful at connecting with readers, building empathy and fostering trust. So whether or not youre a copywriter, try adopting it when writing online to engage with readers.