Photo: Todd Anderson_CC

3 Quick Tips For Writing
Punchy Mobile Copy

Mobile is huge for travel. Gigantic.

Travel booking on mobile devices grew nearly 100% last year alone. And this recent article by HeBS Digital shows that the trend isn’t slowing. However, most tourism and hospitality companies haven’t yet set up mobile functionality to really take advantage of the growth. These things take time, of course.

Fortunately, tweaking your web copy for mobile can be done right away. And as you probably guessed, that means writing copy that’s much, much shorter. Mobile users are distracted. They want information now and they won’t put up with scrolling through screen after screen of grey text to find what they’re looking for.

But rather than just hacking down your existing content to fit a smaller screen, make an informed decision on what you’re cutting out.

And just to be clear: a separate mobile website (rather than a using an all-purpose responsive one) may not be right for every business. There are pros and cons for going either way. But keep in mind that a responsive website delivers the same content designed for those big ol’ desktop monitors.

That may not be a huge issue for some companies. But if you’re a travel business that has long, descriptive pages about tours or attractions, you may want to think hard about getting a dedicated mobile website.

So if you are going with a separate device-focused site, follow these 3 quick tips for punchy mobile copywriting.

Cut down the descriptions and ditch the fluff

The average desktop website has between 300-500 words of content. On a mobile-dedicated site, you’ll want to keep it at around 100 for readability. That means you don’t have the space to delve into details about scenery, attractions or other enticing descriptive bits.

Get the must-know information out first. Think basics.

Although sensory-focused copy can certainly be persuasive, all this descriptive detail is unlikely to have an effect on harried mobile readers. So hack this stuff down…. or even cut it out altogether. Your prospects won’t be in the mood to imagine themselves hiking up that mountain anyway if they’re squeezed inside a packed subway car. Remember, they’re going to be much more distracted when reading copy on a mobile device.

Keep the important stuff up front

Even when using a desktop computer, people often only scan a few lines and then click somewhere (hopefully deeper into your website). But on a mobile device, you’re lucky if they make it to the third sentence. That means you’ve got to front-load all the most important details.

Think location, core services, main features/attractions or highly desirable amenities. And lots and lots of benefits that show why they should book with you right now. Bullet points are also your friend because they’re nice and easy to scan on a mobile device.

And make every word count — this is no time for watered-down language. Power-up those verbs, select only the most scintillating adjectives and keep your sentences super-short.

Snatch their attention with benefit-screaming headers

Never be subtle on a mobile device — your audience simply doesn’t have the patience. Instead, hit them subheads and headlines that shout benefits loud and clear. Keep them tight and focused on exactly why your business is worth reading about.

Subheads are especially important: mobile readers can quickly scroll to the bottom of the page with a simple flick of their thumb, which means you need strong, engaging headers that force them to take notice.

To sum up: if you cut out the fluff, front-load the important details and focus on strong subheads, your mobile copy should do its job just fine.

But don’t think that mobile copywriting is easy just because there’s less text involves; it takes time to craft an effective message with so little space. So if you’re not able to hire a professional travel copywriter, prepare to spend some time refining your copy. It’ll be worth it.

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