Copywriting and impact
Great copywriting can have tremendous impact.
The tag line, 'Go well, Go Shell' was remembered more than 20 years after it had been dropped by the oil company. It was memorable.
But whether it’s for a potentially famous tag line, or for something far more mundane, copywriting has to follow certain rules. And probably the most fundamental of all is for you, as the copywriter, to get to know your audience.
Knowing the audience will make the process of writing easier because it simplifies the decisions you have to make. You will find yourself asking questions and making choices rather than following rules.
When you know the audience, it’s easy to decide:
- How much information to include
- How long to make your text
- How subjective or objective you should be
- How formal or informal you should be
Copywriting is one of those activities that requires reflection. The best copywriters do not write a word until they have completed extended study and research about the topic.
If it is a product or service that they are writing about, then they work on uncovering every possible benefit and all the separate selling points. It is only then that the actual copywriting commences.
And thorough research is rarely done in isolation. Normally, the copywriter needs to talk to all sorts of people including marketing specialists, product managers, and the end users.
Before actually beginning the copywriting phase, it is also important to get to know the competitive situation. The advertising for competitive products can be instructive as can competitive websites.
If your readers respond with "so what?" after finishing one of your memos or reports, you may be using language they don’t understand. ‘Weasal words’ are words with the life squeezed out of them. They are vague and give the reader a picture of nothing. Some examples include:
- empower
- paradigm
- synergy
- downsize
- utilise
- proactive
- dialogue
When they were first used there was nothing negative about these words. But now they are weasel words. They have been overused. They are tired. They convey little meaning. Writers use them today, not because they are ‘just right in a particular case’ but mainly out of habit.
An additional list that good copywriting avoids absolutely, includes:
- Knowledge based
- At the end of the day
- 24/7
- Core competency
- Quality
- Game plan
- Service
- Value add
- Customer centric
Excellent copywriting always aims to be positive. Just as a child needs to learn what’s right—not just what is wrong – so all readers are likely to respond better to positive messages. If you want to get an affirmative response from your readers, focusing on the positive is important.