64 brilliant copywriting
Do less to do more
Time is not infinite, so to do something really well I need to stop
doing other stuff that just gets in the way. That means priori-
tising on the basis of what really matters (which, incidentally, is
almost certainly the thing I’m avoiding most). It also means
making space and clearing my schedule. None of that is particu-
larly easy, so if I really do need to clear the decks I start by
making a list of everything that’s distracting me and work
through it, dealing with everything one task at a time.
In a nutshell:
G Attention is the key to getting stuff done.
G The thing you’re avoiding is the thing you need to get on
with.
G If it’s tough, break it up.
G Shut down your browser and email.
G Do the hardest bit first.
G Work when you work best.
First draft
Even if I’ve done all my research as diligently as possible and put
procrastination firmly in its place, there’s a good chance my first
draft will stink, at least in places. That’s fine – the important
thing is to get something down. It’s far easier and more efficient
to work on something that’s committed to your computer than
to endlessly debate the right approach without getting anywhere.
Choose your tools
If I’m doing headlines, straplines, names or other forms of
compact writing, I use a pen and an A3 pad. If it’s anything
longer I type directly into the laptop. If I’m working with paper
I like to divide the sheet into two columns – one for fully formed
M05_HORB7347_01_SE_C05.QXP:M05_HORB7347_01_SE_C05 2/6/09 09:49 Page 64
During 65
thoughts, the other for jotting down odd stuff that may be useful
later. It’s the same on screen – I’ll have two Word files open side-
by-side, a main document and a scratch pad for natty ideas
that may prove helpful, and I just swap stuff between them as
appropriate.
Ask – and answer – the right question
One thing I’ve often noticed as I’m
writing is that if I can’t find the right
answer, I’m probably asking the
wrong question. The solution is to
revisit the brief and find another
angle with more promise. I’ll try
rephrasing the main point of the brief until I find a chink in the
problem’s armour, then I really let rip.
A change can be as good as a rest
If I’m stuck I find that changing locations can work wonders
– if it’s not happening at my desk I might look for an empty
meeting room; if I’m working at home I might ditch the
office and try the kitchen table. Similarly a change of tools
can kickstart my creativity, so if it’s not working with Word I
might try a stubby pencil and a Moleskine notebook instead.
At least that way I can pretend I’m Bruce Chatwin for a few
minutes.
Try to have fun – really
If I don’t enjoy writing it, the chances are no one will enjoy
reading it, so I try to have fun – or at least not feel sorry for
myself.That usually involves reminding myself that there are lots
of truly terrible jobs out there, and copywriting – for all its
apparent sturm und drang – isn’t one of them. It’s a brilliant, cre-
ative, hugely privileged thing to be doing. I can’t emphasise that
enough.
if I can’t find the right
answer, I’m probably
asking the wrong
question
M05_HORB7347_01_SE_C05.QXP:M05_HORB7347_01_SE_C05 2/6/09 09:49 Page 65
It’s a draft, not the final proof
For my first draft I just want to get strong ideas down on the
page. I can reorder them, edit them, improve them and so on
later. I’ve also learned that an imperfect full draft is better than
two pristine paragraphs, so I get it down, all of it, in the knowl-
edge that I can tidy it up later. The pernicious influence of
perfectionism that causes copywriters to rework a tiny part of the
whole again and again is really cow-
ardice masquerading as diligence.
There is no such thing as perfection,
so I try to stop worrying. I always
overstuff the first draft in the belief
that it’s far easier to cross bits out if
I don’t need them than go back to my source material once the
trail has gone cold.
In a nutshell:
G Divide your page or screen into two – one for fully formed
thoughts, one for rough ideas.
G If you can’t find the right answer, you might be asking the
wrong question.
G Changing locations can work wonders.
G Reject perfectionism – get it down and tidy it up later.
Making headlines work harder
I think of headlines as the textual equivalent of those first few
seconds in front of a potential new boss. I need to make a good
impression because the stop/go decision is usually made within
moments of that first meeting. It’s exactly the same with head-
lines.
Their job is to do some or all of the following: grab the reader’s
attention, weed out anyone for whom the body copy has no rel-
evance, give a quick overview of the whole piece and encourage
punters to read on. A good headline that manages to do one or
66 brilliant copywriting
perfectionism is
cowardice masquerading
as diligence
M05_HORB7347_01_SE_C05.QXP:M05_HORB7347_01_SE_C05 2/6/09 09:49 Page 66
more of these things means 90 per cent of the selling battle is
already won. Incidentally, even if a piece doesn’t need a formal
headline, jotting down something equivalent is a useful disci-
pline as it forces me to focus my thinking into a pin-sharp
phrase.
So without further ado, here are a few top tips for heavenly head-
lines.
Keep it simple
On the whole I try to use the simplest words I can. Ace copy-
writer Ed McCabe commented, ‘Show me something great and
I’ll show you a bunch of monosyllables’, while Winston
Churchill expressed the same point with characteristic brevity,
‘Little words move men’. Having said that, it’s important to
emphasise that the occasional colourful word or phrase has a
vital role to play in varying the rhythm and texture of my piece.
It’s a technique I use all the time to create interest. The longer,
During 67
M05_HORB7347_01_SE_C05.QXP:M05_HORB7347_01_SE_C05 2/6/09 09:49 Page 67
more highfalutin alternative isn’t necessarily wrong (and indeed
might be just right) – it’s really a question of what’s appropriate
for my readers.
68 brilliant copywriting
brilliant
example
Small is beautiful
Try help rather than assist, start instead of commence, and about in place
of concerning. Similarly, use beats utilise, buy trumps purchase, and get
wins over obtain. Put it all together and you get something like this:
Before
Are there any points on which you require explanation or further particulars?
After
Got a question? Just call.
Before
Repair or replacement of malfunctioning components is free of charge.
After
If something breaks, we’ll fix it for free.
Don’t automatically dismiss the obvious
I could try being ultra-direct (‘Golf sale this way’) or I could
arouse curiosity (‘Did you know . . .’). I could offer a piece of
news or provide an answer to a common problem (‘How to . . .’).
I could present the headline as a question, provided the question
is genuine and relevant, which probably means it focuses on my
audience’s self-interest. There will also be times when I can grab
the reader’s attention using words like why, quick, easy, free, save,
bargain, results and so on. These are familiar because they work,
so use them if they’re relevant.
M05_HORB7347_01_SE_C05.QXP:M05_HORB7347_01_SE_C05 2/6/09 09:49 Page 68
..................Content has been hidden....................
You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.