The Copywriter's Secret Weapon
While William Strunk Jr. originally wrote this text for his English students at Cornell University over a century ago, The Elements of Style has become mandatory reading for modern copywriters, content marketers, and digital agency owners. It strips away the fluff of academic writing and demands clarity, vigor, and brevity—the exact traits needed to convert web traffic into paying customers.
Core Rules for Better Copy
If you want your writing to hold a reader's attention, Strunk outlines several non-negotiable rules. Here are the most critical takeaways for modern digital writers:
- Omit Needless Words: This is Strunk's most famous rule. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, just as a machine should contain no unnecessary parts. If a word does not advance your argument or paint a picture, cut it.
- Use the Active Voice: The active voice is more direct and vigorous than the passive. Instead of writing, "The software was used by the team," write, "The team used the software." It speeds up the reading pace.
- Write with Nouns and Verbs: Adjectives and adverbs are often crutches for weak nouns and verbs. Don't say someone "ran very fast" when you can say they "sprinted." * Put the Emphatic Words at the End: The most important word or phrase in a sentence should come at the very end to maximize its psychological impact on the reader.
Why Read the 1918 Edition?
This original edition captures Strunk's advice in its purest, most uncompromising form. By mastering these foundational rules of grammar and composition, marketers can write landing pages that load fast in the mind of the reader and copy that practically forces the prospect to take action.