The wishy-washy answer is: maybe it does and maybe it doesn’t; it depends on who you are and who you ask. But the fact that we are all emotional beings makes us believe that the answer is: Absolutely!
External factors can cause our focus to shift to the bad stuff that happened in our day and writing becomes just about the last thing we want to do.
If you get up (very likely on a gray and dreary day) feeling kind of down, you may have more trouble than usual getting started. If gloomy weather, an argument with your spouse, a poor night’s sleep or whatever other reason leaves you feeling stressed and anxious, take note.
Frequently, an anxious mood can easily translate to nervous copy. On days like this, your writing takes no real direction, meandering hither, thither and yon without a clear destination in sight. It’s hurried and erratic. And readers looking for your message would probably be hard pressed to find it.
Another mood that can creep into all of our psyches – not just writers – is self-doubt. Who knows where this (hopefully temporary, not permanent) insecurity came from? The point is it tiptoed into our intellect without even a hint that it was coming and it’s slaughtering our copy.
Self-doubt makes us switch into people-pleaser mode, creating timid copy that fears insulting readers. Instead, the copy takes absolutely no stand on anything and ends up being, above all, quite forgettable.
On the other hand (of course there’s another hand), over-confidence can go too far in the opposite direction. So if you’re feeling in that “I’m so hot” mood, watch out. This warning tends to take on special significance in sales copy. It’s good to feel good about yourself and your subject, but don’t let that feeling appear in your copy too overtly.
Instead of proclaiming, “Look what I can do,” tell your prospects “Look what you will get.” Remember to focus on benefits, not features. You’re building rapport. Your copy needs to connect with strangers, so leave your ego at the door.
So we all have moods. They’re part of what makes us human. The bigger question is:
What can we do about it?
The trick is to keep our human failings from occupying our web copy.
Start by distancing yourself. Take a hike. Literally. Get up and walk around. Have a friend or colleague read your copy and look for signs of your mood. And ask yourself a few questions:
• What is my copy’s real goal?
• What are the goals of my reader?
• Have I guided them on a logical journey or is their trip though my words erratic?
• Then, sleep on it. Again, literally. And look at your copy with fresh, rested, anxiety-, self-doubt- and ego-free eyes in the morning.
