During 69
Give readers a reason why
This was the big insight behind John E. Kennedy’s description
of copywriting as ‘salesmanship in print’ I mentioned in the
Preface. I’ve said elsewhere that sales are often made for appar-
ently illogical, emotional reasons; that doesn’t mean I should
neglect the search for clear, rational reasons for the reader to
decide in my favour. The more reasons I can give my reader for
doing something, the more chance I’ve got of getting them to
comply.
Use plenty of subheads
The headline/subhead pair is a brilliant combination that I
strongly recommend you try. Having two bites at the textual
cherry means I can write one line in a straight, informative style,
and the other as something more kooky and intriguing.That way
I can both explain and draw readers in – a sort of 1 ⫹ 1 ⫽ 3
thing. It doesn’t matter which way round I play it – if the head-
line has its head in the clouds I just make sure the subhead has
its feet on the ground (or vice versa).
brilliant
example
Headline/subhead pairs
Try combining a straight headline with an intriguing subhead:
Walker Hulme Solicitors
Not the law of averages
or
Market forecast
No crystal ball required
And turning it around, try combining an intriguing headline with a straight
subhead:
L
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Write your headlines last
If I’m unclear which angle is the most promising then I write my
body copy first and see which theme emerges as the winner.
Plus, I’ll know far more about what I’m trying to say by then, so
I’m twice as likely to get it right. This advice also applies to first
sentences and the introduction of longer pieces as well as head-
lines proper.
Search your body copy for hidden headlines
I’ve found many of my best headlines lurking in my body copy,
so if I’m stuck I go through everything else I’ve come up with to
see if there’s a dapper phrase hiding in there somewhere.
Another great trick is to consider rejected headlines as signoff
lines, or indeed my signoff line as a
headline. It’s surprisingly easy to get
the right sentiment in the wrong
place, so try mixing and matching –
it’s a fast way to reveal a new per-
spective on a piece.
Never throw anything away
It’s amazing how often an idea that didn’t quite make the grade
on one job can be revived to work brilliantly in another context.
So I store away anything even remotely good. Even if I don’t use
70 brilliant copywriting
it’s surprisingly easy to
get the right sentiment
in the wrong place
Are we there already?
The comfiest kid-friendly sleeper seats of any major airline
or
Penzance on your patio
Everything you need for summer fun without leaving home
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it intact second time around it may spark some new line of
enquiry. Think of it as recycling the world’s precious supply of
potential headlines.
In a nutshell:
G Little words move men.
G Don’t automatically dismiss the obvious.
G Give readers a reason why.
G If the headline has its head in the clouds, make sure the
subhead has its feet on the ground (or vice versa).
G Write your headlines last.
G Search your body copy for hidden headlines.
Make your body copy the best it can be
Body copy is where you make your case. If the headline sells, the
body copy tells. It’s where the information lives, but that makes
it sound a bit pedestrian, which isn’t the case at all. On the con-
trary, body copy is where the process of persuasion often takes
place.
Advertising has largely abandoned
anything that could be called ‘long
copy’. Today’s advertising copy-
writing is all about compression – a
single word or short phrase that interacts with a powerful visual
to achieve the ad maker’s intention. Yet body copy – long body
copy – is in rude health in many other areas of copywriting. If
you write for brands, design, PR, sales and so on, you need to
know how to create a compelling argument that stretches over
paragraphs or even pages. Here are my top tricks for brilliant
body copy.
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the headline sells, the
body copy tells
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Stop writing body copy
Instead just write good stuff that people want to read. The
American crime writer Elmore Leonard once said, ‘If it sounds
like writing, I rewrite it.’ I try to do the same. I try to find some
way to connect the world of the product with the world of
people. Mercedes Benz cars aren’t about getting from A to B,
they’re about personal prestige. Apple computers aren’t about
emails and Word, they’re about coolness. Plus, it helps enor-
mously if I can get genuinely excited about my subject. In the
end it’s about making the truth as interesting as it can be.
Organise your argument
Use the traditional inverted pyramid structure much beloved by
journalists. This basically means put my strongest material up
top in an effort to capture the reader’s attention and keep them
with me as the argument unfolds.To do that I need to divide my
main message(s) from subordinate or supporting messages and
group accordingly. But the important thing is to start strong.
Start strong . . . then stay strong
For a powerful beginning, I might
try doing what composer John Cage
suggested and start anywhere –
plunging my reader into the middle
of an argument is a great way to grab
their attention. It’s far better to
confuse them for five seconds than it is to bore them for five
minutes. If that feels too much I might write a few warm-up sen-
tences (or indeed paragraphs), I just make sure that I then delete
or demote those sections. The result is usually a far, far stronger
start.
If I’m looking for a more conventional way in, classic
opening gambits include stating an offer, making an
announcement, telling a story or asking a question. Equally I
72 brilliant copywriting
plunging your reader
into the middle of an
argument is a great way
to grab their attention
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could use a provocative quote, stress a benefit or identify
with a reader’s problem. A useful technique is to ask what
would make me react? Remember, facts persuade more than
polished claims. According to Strunk and White’s The
Elements of Style, ‘The surest way to arouse and hold the
attention of the reader is to be specific, direct and concrete.
The greatest writers . . . are effective largely because they deal
in particulars.’ So the more facts the better, and that means
serious research.
During 73
brilliant
example
Strong openings
Imagine being smashed against a vice, dipped in paint thinner and then
thrown from a motorcycle at 30 mph. That’s how we test our mobile
phones.
or
Business is a cruel, shallow money trench where thieves and pimps run free
and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.
Bring order to your ordering
There are five main ways to organise the ideas thrown up by
your research: by location, category, hierarchy, time and the
alphabet. Say I’m writing a brochure for a vintage watch retailer.
I could organise the description of the watches by country of
manufacturer (location), year of manufacture (time), model
(category), popularity (hierarchy) or simply in alphabetic order.
The method I choose would depend on, and influence, what I
wanted to say. Each method yields a subtly different sort of
understanding and lends itself to a different kind of information,
so try a few options.
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