So you’ve got something to sell, and you’re ready to go to market. To refine and package your offer for customers, you need to use the copywriter’s “cut" and "frame” techniques.

So what are cutting and framing about?

Cutting Is About Clarity and Precision

Cutting is about making sure that nothing obscures your message. No extra words, no imprecision. You want to be exact. Every word should earn its right to be included.

The best way to learn how to cut effectively is to practice. Here’s an exercise that will always be useful, no matter how many times you complete it:

1. Take a paragraph and rewrite it to be half the length, ensuring that you keep the most important information. (You’ll find that you have to make decisions about what exactly is the most important information.)
2. Once you have the paragraph cut in half, cut it in half again.
3. Cut it in half one more time.

If you think this sounds simple, give it a try. It’s straightforward but illuminating. By the end, you should have a really clear sentence (or two) containing only the essentials. You may choose to add some specifics back in, but you won’t have any more fluff.

Framing Is About Making Information Easy to Digest

Framing is about creating structures that illustrate, highlight, or break down your important concepts into digestible pieces. Here are some ways you can implement framing to organize information:

• NAME your method, plan, training, or process. 
• Use SECTIONS, visual elements, columns, rows, or grids to group topics and break up the flow of text.
• Use IMAGERY to illustrate key points and messages wherever possible.
• Use SHAPES to package information or illustrate a concept.
• Use BULLETS to create scannable sections with important points to remember.
• Use NUMBERS to quantify the Concrete Transformation or other important details. (Number the steps to getting started, key features, etc.)

When you watch commercials, see ads, read emails, visit website home pages or sales pages, assess what kind of framing techniques are being used and whether they’re effective. Take snapshots or write down which kinds (and designs) you like the best.

Then, see what you can do to organize your information into framing elements on your website and in your marketing collateral. I guarantee you’ll sense the difference in accessibility — and your potential customers will, too.

This is an edited excerpt from my book Mission, Market, Message: The Actionable Guide to Marketing for Small Business Owners, which you can purchase on Amazon.