Creative block
The main suggestion seems to be ‘talk to someone about what
you’re trying to do’ – it’ll force you to restate the brief, and in
doing so you might find another angle. Engaging the other side
of your brain with some poetry, web browsing, walking around
the block or staring out of the window also figured highly.
Advice on getting into copywriting and improving your writing
Just do it. The theme of ‘practice, practice, practice’ came up
several times. Copywriting is definitely a craft you learn by
doing, although ‘doing’ can also mean reading the best books on
the subject, talking to the best people and generally getting
involved in the whole world of creative communications.
Top tips from top copywriters
No list of pithy proverbs is going to make you a brilliant copy-
writer, except perhaps this one:
G As copywriters we’re basically in the meme business.
G Be brief; the brain is a cognitive miser. It’s too busy
thinking about love or lunch.
G Churchill said it all: begin strongly, have one theme, use
simple language, leave a picture in the listener’s mind, and
end dramatically.
G Don’t start writing until you’re genuinely excited by your
research.
G Get used to having your work mangled.
G Go as far as you can creatively, for your own sanity as much
as anything. The client will always bring you down to earth.
G Great designers are often great writers. Learn from them,
particularly the way they control the creative process.
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G If it takes too long to write then it’s probably wrong.
G If you’re stuck, explain what you’re trying to do to someone
unconnected to the project. That’ll force you to come at it
from a different angle.
G Like poetry, copywriting is about using as few words as
possible to say as much as possible.
G Never underestimate your readers’ intelligence.
G Pick your battles. Not everything is worth fighting for.
G The backstory isn’t superfluous; often that’s where the real
power lies.
G The best copywriters tend to write like they speak, or rather
how they’d like to speak.
G The brand is the star, not you.
G The first sentence is the most important, but the second has
to work even harder.
G The more senior the people you work with, the faster you’ll
progress.
G The reader is everything. Agree who they are early on.
G The real work is getting the thinking right; the rest is
colouring in.
G Think about who’s ultimately signing your work off – what
do they want?
G To become a better writer, you need to become a better
reader.
G What’s the story you’re trying to tell? If you don’t know,
don’t start writing.
G Wit works wonders, just don’t overdo it.
G Words are ideas, and ideas are the key to brilliant copy. Get
plenty of ideas down, then edit with cruel brutality.
G Your favourite phrase probably has to go.
Interviews 113
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114 brilliant copywriting
Interviews
brilliant
questions and answers
Tim Rich
‘Copywriters work in this incredibly fertile, endlessly fascinating area
between their clients and their readers. They act as translators. So brilliant
copywriting is the compelling, believable expression of what the company
has to say in a way the reader wants to read.’
To east London, and Tim Rich’s live/work weavers’ cottage at the very end
of Brick Lane. Built in the closing years of the eighteenth century, the
whole row were originally connected by now bricked-up internal doors,
effectively turning the terrace into a cloth production line 100 years before
Ford’s automotive adventures. But I digress. Tim’s focus on corporate
communications provided an unusual perspective on the craft of
copywriting. Not for him the fast turnaround, marketing-orientated work
that fills so much of my time. Tim’s work is deeper, slower and more
detailed, which brings its own set of challenges. Here’s what he had to say.
What exactly do you do and how do you describe it?
I’m a writer and editor for businesses. I specialise in corporate
communications, so I write speeches, annual reports, strategy papers,
corporate tone of voice stuff and everything that flows from that. My work
is about how the business communicates with the world, rather than
promoting specific products and services. My audience can range from a
single environmental protester to a huge pension fund.
What are the main differences between your work and what’s
sometimes called marketing copywriting?
It’s a longer form. The sustained argument is the bedrock of corporate
copywriting. Plus, I usually work with senior people in the corporations I
deal with. They take writing very seriously because they’re aware of the
influence their words can have.
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Interviews 115
How did you get into copywriting?
I was a design journalist so I met lots of great designers – people like
Alan Fletcher and Mike Dempsey – who had a sophisticated idea of what
copywriting should be doing. It was an extraordinary blast of influence. So
when I got into copywriting the people I was learning from were designers
who had a real feel for words and were often doing great writing
themselves.
Was there anything you learned on early jobs that you’ve used ever
since?
Certainly how to cope with scale – I learned to manage the sheer
volume of information and build my argument. Another thing I learned is
that there’s no room for being temperamental. The focus of everything
must be the reader. And although I’m clearly on the side of the client – not
least because they pay me to represent their interests – they don’t pay me
to be one of them. They employ me to sit between them and their readers.
It’s tempting for copywriters – all copywriters – to go native and start using
the phraseology of the clients. If you go too far that way your value to your
clients – and your reader – rapidly diminishes.
You mentioned how important words are to corporations, which
obviously puts you in a sensitive position. How do you establish trust
with a new client?
It comes down to listening. I don’t mean to sound like an American
greeting card, but listening is everything and I’m constantly struck by how
often copywriters just don’t seem to really listen into the words clients say
in briefings and interviews. Listening comes in two forms – what they said,
and what they meant. You’ve got to get both.
Are there any personality traits that characterise brilliant
copywriters?
Most copywriters I know are introverted, and that can be a problem.
Business is increasingly presentational, so the writer really needs to be able
to stand up and talk about his or her work in an intelligent, articulate way
– and invite criticism and comment. That can be a challenge.
L
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116 brilliant copywriting
You’ve worked as both a journalist and copywriter – what are the
big differences?
In an article you’re presenting certain points of view that build towards
a particular conclusion, all clearly authored by you. A piece of copy for a
client has to leave the reader with a clear and consistent set of points – it’s
about what the client needs to get across, not what you want to write
about or what the pros and cons are. The value of copywriting lies in what
lodges in a reader’s brain and what they take away with them, so it is very
much about defining and expressing memorable messages.
Based on your experience as both a journalist and a corporate
writer, have you evolved any tips that could help junior writers?
You need to get everyone who’s influential on the project to agree who
the readers are. It’s amazing how often that doesn’t happen. Reading your
words out loud is also enormously helpful – if it’s not easy to speak it won’t
be easy to read. Also, don’t be afraid to ask stupid questions and to be the
only person in the room who disagrees.
How do you get things moving when the words just won’t come?
If something isn’t working then I know myself well enough to not try
and force it through. I’m far better off taking a half-hour break and going
for a walk or reading a book. But I also talk to people. Usually I’m stuck
because I’m missing vital information or I’ve misunderstood something or
I’ve got sucked into some kind of limitation. So phoning the client can be
amazingly effective at clearing block. It’s about getting another point of
view to shake stuff up.
How do you plan and prepare for a new job?
Just read everything about the company you can get hold of. Here’s a
tip: if you want to know about a company quickly go to the press release
section of their website. Press briefings are written for journalists, many of
whom are considered hard of understanding, so very quickly you can find
out about what’s going on. I hate starting until I’ve got the whole
argument mapped out and agreed with the client. I’m trying to bring the
argument to life, and if I’m not clear of the argument I shouldn’t be
writing. So I write to a plan that defines what every paragraph should say.
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