case. This may result in changes to the brief, but that might be
all you need to achieve a breakthrough. At the least it’ll show the
client that you’re serious about solving their problem.
Invoking the brief is also the way around the hateful ‘I’ll know it
when I see it’ predicament. This is when a client rejects your
work with some gibberish along the lines of, ‘Come to think of
it, I’m not quite sure what we need here, but I’ll know it when I
see it.’ This approach has all the efficiency of wandering around
The British Library scanning the shelves for a particular book
rather than going to the index. It’s a whirling vortex into which
time, money and morale are sucked. If a client responds in this
way it’s tantamount to saying the brief is irrelevant. They might
be right of course, so use this occasion to get to the bottom of
what they really want. Whatever you do, don’t allow yourself to
be messed around as a result of client indecision. Stick to the
brief, or insist on a new one, or get out. That’s easier for me to
write than for you to do (especially if you’re a staff writer), but
unless you’re resolute you risk becoming their drudge. And
drudges don’t do brilliant copywriting.
Ask what’s wrong, not what’s right
If you’re making progress it sometimes pays to deliberately ask
for criticism from the client. If they
play along you’ll learn more about
your craft and they’ll get an even
better piece of work. You don’t have
to do your efforts down, just ask ‘Is
there anything I could do to make
this better?’ or words to that effect. If you ask something like
‘What do you think?’ the chances are they’ll reply in the affirma-
tive even if they have reservations. Asking what more you can do
shows how willing you are to do that extra bit to make a piece of
work brilliant. It’s a ‘good is the enemy of great’ thing.
The basics 13
ask, ‘Is there anything I
could do to make this
better?’
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Find out what they really want
One of the best ways to make clients happy is to find out what
they want –Imean really want.You might think that’s what the
brief is for, but in reality the chances are you’ll have to read
between the lines. In any event, find a form of words that
capture what the client wants to feel about their company but
can’t quite articulate. If you can clarify their thoughts like this
then they’ll love you for it. I helped rebrand a London housing
association whose implicit mission was to improve people’s
lives, and came up with the strapline ‘Love where you live’.
That simple little phrase gave focus to all their efforts and
reflected exactly why they did what they did. I’ve still got the
tee shirt.
Take the rap
Things occasionally go horribly wrong. If that happens and
you’re involved, I recommend you ’fess up. That doesn’t mean
grovelling, it means showing an honest capacity for self-criticism
and an understanding of the responsibility that being a brilliant
copywriter entails. Explain what happened and how you’ll put it
right. A useful trick here is to use the future tense as a way of
defusing criticism. Say something like, ‘Obviously it’s unfortu-
nate that the copy I wrote led to your lengthy imprisonment and
the collapse of your company, but what’s really important here is
sorting out how we can prevent this from happening again.’ It
shifts the focus forward towards a sunny future. Does this
rhetorical trick contradict my advice to accept responsibility for
mistakes? Maybe, but there’s no sense in needlessly offering
yourself up as a whipping boy (unless you’re into that sort of
thing).
How much work should you show?
Sometimes your problem is an embarrassment of riches. If
you’ve been particularly prolific then you’re faced with the
14 brilliant copywriting
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problem of what to show the client. Present them with too many
options and the chances are you’ll confuse even a really attentive
patron (plus you’re showing zero editing skills or decision-
making ability). Show them too few and you’re underselling
yourself (and you risk leaving out what could be the winning
idea). I’ve often presented what I thought were the best options
only to have the client pick something from my reject pile. So my
suggestion is show everything but clearly divide them into an A
and a B list, with an explanation of each. This is particularly
important if you’re responding by email where you don’t have
the benefit of introducing your work in person.
Stand up for yourself
If you get the opportunity to present your own work to clients I
suggest you take it. Don’t leave it to
others to do the talking for you. Even
if they’re polished and you’re rough-
hewn, with fingers of butter, fists of
ham and feet of clay when it comes
to presenting, it shows you care and that you take ownership for
your output. Plus it’s a good occasion to get first-hand feedback
that could result in a far better piece of work. The trick here is
don’t try too hard. Deal with your audience as an equal, not a
supplicant. Naturally you want them to like your work, but it’s
not the end of the world if they don’t (even if it is). As any hot
date will tell you, neediness isn’t very appealing.
In a nutshell:
G Use the brief to settle disputes.
G Ask what’s wrong, not what’s right.
G Take responsibility for any errors.
G Read between the lines to help them understand
themselves.
The basics 15
deal with clients as an
equal, not a supplicant
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G Show everything, but divide your work into an A and a B
list.
G Present yourself as their equal.
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