Hi, I’m Tiffani.
I like to read and write.
Friday, June 26, 2009
I’m here to talk to you about your (web) copy.
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(my boss)
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Community Specialist and Account/Project Manager Blue Flavor
M.A in Ethics & Philosophy University of Chicago
Lived a block from Barack Obama
Ran a vegan restaurant
B.A.’s in Psychology Religious Studies Indiana University
Studied Wolof in Senegal
A little more about me
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Disclaimer:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.noob.no/noob-kid.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.noob.no/&usg=__ReP5lYrAQ07A1QMhty6DpiQ4xRg=&h=470&w=500&sz=22&hl=en&start=7&sig2=kzue5KcaIjXcQ5hHV3wTsw&um=1&tbnid=D4JjcMr5g0MkSM:&tbnh=122&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dnoob%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DG%26um%3D1&ei=yBlBSpfLOJTYswOgsNCfCQ
I’m still a new kid.
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What is Copywriting?
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Brain dump. Journalism. Magazine writing. Diary. Self expression.
Making yourself laugh. Writing an email. Tricking people.
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Not just pretty pictures. Or grids. icons. colors.
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Copywriting is a user experience problem!
http://www.websiteoptimization.com/secrets/seo/1-13-honeycomb-morville.jpg
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Copywriting is using words to sell
stuff.
products, businesses, opinions, ideas.
http://www.claudehopkinsaudio.com/oglivy2.jpg
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Copywriting is using words to create
tribes.
(of people who like you and your biz)
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/09/bloggers/image/sethgodin.jpg
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"Getting across the perfect message, with the perfect
words."- Rob Nightingale
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This is copywriting.
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Good copy addresses a very important
question.
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WIFMIt’s business!
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What really persuades consumers to buy or not to buy is the content of your advertising, not its
form. - David Ogilvy
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Some Basics.
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Be a good writer. (like, generally)
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Get these books.
Don’t know how?
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The Four Big’ns
Brevity. Simplicity. Clarity. Humanity.
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Brevityten words, not thirty.
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http://www.braintraffic.com/what-we-do/
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Simplicity
http://www.charlesknobloch.com/hvra/2007-11GLImages/I4.jpg
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Clarity
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Jargon
Write plainly where possible. Everyone can understand plain language. You can be taken seriously
without jargon.
Use it when it matters.
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The Acme Defense Systems strategy is to understand the enduring needs of customers and provide value-added solutions to meet their requirements. The strategy includes understanding the art of using current and emerging technologies to improve the capabilities of existing products and delivering new solutions.
We care about customers. We make our products better
by using new technology.
Actual Sentence Translated
The strongest defense system in
the world.
Copywritten
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Humanity
your Self, in writing.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/3066025100/
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What does a lie sound like? How do we decide to trust? There’s a reason why you can figure out in an instant whether a mail is spam or not. It’s not a single, measurable thing, but a whole set of small, invisible variables with which you can instantly make a judgment — I do not trust this mail.
You have a complex set of analytical mental muscles that help you make critical snap emotional judgments. Whether it’s a mail, a website, or a person, your brain can instantly look at 12 imperceptible aspects of a thing to determine how you should feel.
Rands in Repose
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Experimentation leads to great new things.
http://www.hss.state.ak.us/gcdse/history/Images/section%2003%20-%20renaissance/3e-early-surgery.jpg
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“Hard writing makes easy reading. Easy writing makes hard reading.”
- Zinsser
Good writing takes work and patience.
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Writing to sell.
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Do your homework. Know your position. who’s your
audience? what does your product
do? what does your audience
want?
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Be clear and direct.
orange juice from Uwajimaya
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Show benefits and features.minimal design!
friendly, confident
benefits listed
Navigation ties in perfectlyasks question
free!
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Get specific (wifm)
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Grab peoples’ attention.
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Rock the visuals.
(From Kind Company)http://kindcompany.com/
sexy!
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The good news is that anyone who touches copy can make a difference by
insisting that every chunk of text on the site is doing something concrete.
“Selling” is a muzzy, undefined process, so you can’t tell if you’re doing it
properly just by looking. Copy needs specific goals to accomplish.
- Erin Kissane
But remember:
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/writingcontentthatworksforaliving/
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Web Copy is Special.Why?
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It’s about helping people do stuff.(plus all of the above)
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It’s interactive, silly.
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Find. Understand. Act.From homepage to contact form.
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Copy in direct proximity to an action must be insanely clear.
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Your Audience
who are they?
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Goal-driven, page-scanning, self-interested creatures...
in a hurry.Friday, June 26, 2009
Dealing With Scanners
• use bullet points• highlight important words • few words• chunk sections •one idea per paragraph
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/03/Gort_Firing.jpg
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Invert the Pyramid.
main point
support
history
title
end
http://www.radiantdaggers.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/inverted-pyramid.jpg
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Finesse Headings.
http://media2.moma.org/collection_images/resized/343/w500h420/CRI_7343.jpg
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be conversational.
whassup?chillin.
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Imperative statement:
Passive voice: The CMS was built with scalability in mind to facilitate ease of use by you.
Active voice: We built a scalable, easy-to-use CMS.
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Cut the Crap.Throw out what doesn’t work.
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Tell a story.
http://museum.msu.edu/museum/tes/talltale/talltale02.jpg
with your copy, visuals, and brand.
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More Special Considerations for
Web Writers.
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Designers and Writers“Ideally, you should work with a writer from day one to design the voice of the copy in conjunction with the visual language of the site. And getting a writer involved early can help you solve lots of other problems—from content strategy issues to information architecture snags. ”
- Bronywn Jones, A List Apart
http://www.alistapart.com/articles/betterwritingthroughdesign/
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You’ll need a plan.(a content strategy)
Kristina Halvorson, of Brain Traffic
Content Strategy Queen
Content strategy plans for the creation, publication, and governance of useful, usable content.
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Who will make it? Who will publish it? How often? For what audience? Who will be responsible for overseeing it?
What are our key themes?
This is why some copy sucks.
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Know technology.(nothin’ fancy)
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You’re in business.
http://www.earlyofficemuseum.com/IMagesWWW/Equitable_Bldg_NYC_Largest_Business_Bldg_in_World.jpg
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Business’ Goals User’s Goalsyour job.
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Pop Your (Web) Copy.
http://www.obfuscated.org/static/images/douchebag.jpg
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Readings
The Copywriter’s Handbook, Robert W. BlyContent Strategy for the Web, Kristina Halvorson
Killer Web Content, Gerry McGovernContent Critical, Gerry McGovern and Rob Norton
Ogilvy on Advertising, David OgilvyThe Art of Writing Advertising, Ogilvy, Bernbach, etc.
Letting Go of the Words, Ginny RedishWhen You Catch an Adjective, Kill It, Ben Yagoda
On Writing Well, William Zinsser
Friday, June 26, 2009
I hope I made you happy.
[email protected] [email protected]
twitter: ticjones
Feel free to hire me.
Friday, June 26, 2009