The Nine Signs of Good Copywriting

The Nine Signs of Good Copywriting

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What is copywriting? •  Persuasive writing with a commercial purpose.

– Different than journalism, PR, fiction.


The Nine Signs of good copywriting 1.  Empathy 2.  Clarity 3.  Efficiency 4.  Spin 5.  Appropriate voice 6.  Appropriate style 7.  No clichés 8.  Truth 9.  Craftsmanship


1. Empathy •  “You benefit.”

– Second person. – Benefit-oriented.


1. Empathy

“We created a furniture polish that leaves the competition in the dust!”


Bad:

“With this new furniture polish, you’ll pick up more dirt, faster. So you can polish off your housework in a hurry.”

Good:

1. Empathy •  Avoid “we we” headlines. •  Be the audience. Analyze in first person.

– Do I care about this? – Do I believe it? – What do you want me to do?


2. Clarity •  Make it easy to understand.


2. Clarity

“Rapidly rising consumer expectations and a sharp downtrend in customer loyalty, plus intensified global competition and the resulting commoditization of products and services, have lead to a complete paradigm shift in supply chain strategy, in which the satisfaction of the individual consumer should be the sole basis for a corporation’s analysis, management, and improvement of its supply chain.”


Bad:

“Today, supply chain management isn’t about supply. It’s about demand.”

Good:

2. Clarity •  Simple. One idea per sentence.

– Cosmopolous: “Bed of nails.” •  Complete information (no confusion by omission).


2. Clarity

“New FedEx ShipManager software, available through 1-800-Go-FedEx, will replace your old PowerShip 3 hardware and make your automated shipping faster and more versatile.”


Bad:

“Introducing FedEx ShipManager software—our new automated shipping program that replaces your old PowerShip 3 system. With ShipManager, you’ll get your documentation done even faster. It works for more types of shipping, too. Order it today. Call 1-800-Go-FedEx.”

Good:

3. Efficiency •  Maximum impact with minimum words.

– Brief. – Every word pulls its weight. – Content rich, fluff poor. – Specifics, not generalities. – Active voice.


3. Efficiency •  Verbs good. Adverbs bad. Adjectives okay.

–  If a word has to be modified, it’s probably weak. Or else you’re trying too hard. – Adverbs often overstate. This hinders credibility. •  “Very” •  “Extremely” •  “Uniquely” •  “Supremely” •  If it ends in -ly, it sounds like a lie.


3. Efficiency

“Toro is designed to easily and swiftly cut down all kinds of pesky weeds.”


Bad:

“Toro manhandles weeds.”

Good:

3. Efficiency •  Long isn’t always wrong.

– Long copy is smart for high-interest, high-cost products. – Can create a positive impression even if it’s never read. •  “Wow, this Acme Widget 2000 must be good. Look at all the stuff they have to say about it.”


4. Spin

“This tiny water heater is so puny, it makes your shower ice-cold within five minutes.”


Negative:

“This space-saving water heater is perfect for conservation-minded bathers who are on the go!”

Positive:

4. Spin •  Duty: Present product in most favorable light. •  Manipulate structure to deemphasize unappealing info.


4. Spin

“You could win a free pizza if you take a couple of minutes of your time to fill out and mail this 10-question survey.”


Bad:

“Just answer a few questions and you could win a free, mouthwatering Domino’s pizza for your entire office.”

Good:

5. Appropriate voice •  For audience. •  For situation. •  For brand.

– Brands have personalities.


5. Appropriate voice

“At Progressive Insurance, we understand the motorcycle riding lifestyle. So call and discover the peace of mind and potentially significant savings you can experience with us.”


Bad:

“Progressive gets it. So give us a call and check us out. You might save a hundred bucks or more.”

Good:

5. Appropriate voice •  Write like you talk (conversational). •  Anticipate reader reaction.


5. Appropriate voice

“This Gore-Tex jacket is 100% waterproof. What more could you ask for?”


Bad:

“Gore-Tex has 9 billion holes per square inch. And yet it’s perfectly waterproof. (Hey, we didn’t believe it either, but it works, so now we believe it.)”

Good:

6. Appropriate style •  For medium. •  For creative approach.


6. Appropriate style •  Brochures vs. websites:

– Linear vs. nonlinear. –  Intrigue vs. inverted pyramid. – Links.


6. Appropriate style •  Direct mail vs. email:

– Envelope tease vs. subject line. – P.S. vs. boilerplate. – Special characters.


6. Appropriate style

“New fan design offers more power, greater efficiency.”


Advertorial headline:

“This will blow you away.”

Ad headline:

7. No clichés •  Overused language:

– Has lost its meaning, has little impact. – Fosters cynicism. – Does not distinguish.


7. No clichés

“Good Industries offers you, our valued customer, a unique blend of quality products, fast delivery, friendly service, competitive prices, and a commitment to total quality excellence. It’s all part of the time-honored tradition our customers have come to know and trust since 1974. Good Industries. The name says it all.”


Bad:

8. Truth •  Honest, factual, accurate. •  Understatement is better than overstatement.


8. Truth

“Jonesboro offers unlimited entertainment options.”


Bad:

“In Jonesboro, you can watch Arkansas State athletics, dine at a surprising variety of Asian restaurants, or enjoy fishing at the many lakes and streams nearby.” “If you’re looking for something fun to do, you’ll find a thing or two in Jonesboro.”

Good:

8. Truth

“Enter and win!”


Bad:

“Enter and you could win!”

Good:

9. Craftsmanship •  Created with care and precision.

– No typos. – No extra spaces. – No inconsistencies. •  Capitalization. •  Punctuation. •  Wording.


About puns •  Not one of the Nine Signs. •  Typically:

– Shallow. – Draw attention to themselves. – Done to death.

•  Not always bad.


Traits of the greats •  Care about content, not just creativity.

– Hungry for information. – Full of questions and challenges.

•  Easy to work with. – Open-minded, not defensive, crave feedback. – Can-do attitude toward revisions.


Unheralded traits of the greats •  Ability to work with little or no direction.

– Can wing it and get it 80% there. •  Ability to ascertain direction when client has a hard time articulating it.

– Use empathy, ask questions.


Choosing a writer •  The best copywriting happens when the assignment aligns with a copywriter’s style, experience, and

desire. – Brochure Writer + Website = Brochureware – Technical Writer + Emotional Plea = Flat Copy – Humor Writer + Technical Manual = Sloppy Copy


Recommended reading •  Hey Whipple, Squeeze This

– by Luke Sullivan •  The Copy Book

– by the Design and Art Directors Club of the United Kingdom •  The Copywriter’s Handbook

– by Robert Bly •  www.alertbox.com (for web writing)

– by Jakob Nielsen


Contact

Sheperd Simmons President 901-654-2101 [email protected]

counterpartCD.com twitter.com/counterpartCD facebook.com/counterpartCD linkedin.com/company/counterpart

July 2, 2015 Proprietary and confidential. Please use discretion. 37

Memphis Web and social

Lisa Evano Director, Dallas Office 214-447-0220 [email protected]

Dallas

Date post:	17-Aug-2015
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The Nine Signs of Good Copywriting

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