ukswg copywriting slides_slideshare_v1-1

Welcome to

Copywriting fornon-copywriters

Alan Barker

I GAVE THIS SESSION AT THIS CONFERENCE:

I RUN THIS CONSULTANCY:

www.kairostraining.co.uk

... AND I WRITE BOOKS.

I’M ASSUMING THAT YOU’RE NOT A COPYWRITER. MAYBE YOU WRITE:

... REPORTS, EMAILS, LETTERS –

THE KIND OF WRITING I CALL

FUNCTIONAL

IT’S A BIT LIKE THE KIND OF WRITING WE WERE TAUGHT AT SCHOOL.

NEWSLETTERS, MARKETING

EMAILS,BROCHURES, LEAFLETS, BLOG POSTINGS- AND EVEN TWEETS AND TEXTS

BUT MAYBE YOU’RE FINDING

YOURSELF WRITING

MORE AND MORE :

... THE KIND OF WRITING THAT’S OFTEN CALLED:

COPYWRITING

WHAT’S THE

DIFFERENCE?

I LOOKED AT SOME OF THE GUIDES TO COPYWRITING, AND THEY SAID STUFF LIKE...

Copywriting: received wisdom emotions.

Show definite benefits, and start at once.

Tap the primal emotions.... AND...

Copywriting: received wisdom #2

gets attention focuses on the target reader stresses benefits differentiates your organisation from others proves its case establishes credibility and conviction builds value closes with a call to action

ALL VERY GOOD, BUT -

BUT HOW DO YOU

ACTUALLY DO THIS

KIND OF WRITING?

LET’S THINK ABOUT THREE KEY VARIABLES...3

Three variables

functional copy

committedreader contract

uncommitted

FIRST: THE CONTRACT THE READER MAKES

WITH YOU.

Three variables

functional copy

committedreader contract

uncommitted

FUNCTIONAL: THE READER

WANTS TO READ

COPY: WE HAVE TO ATTRACT THE

READER’S ATTENTION

committedreader contract

uncommitted

purposeinform perform

Three variables

functional copy

SO THE PURPOSE OF THE WRITING

DIFFERS...

committedreader contract

uncommitted

purposeinform perform

styletext voice

Three variables

functional copy

.. AND THE STYLE WILL

BE DIFFERENT,

TOO.

styletext voice

THE WORD ‘TEXT’ IS

RELATED TO THE WORD ‘TEXTILE’...

styletext voice

FUNCTIONAL STYLE IS ‘WOVEN’

INTO COMPLEX PATTERNS...

THE WORD ‘TEXT’ IS

RELATED TO THE WORD ‘TEXTILE’...

Once final decisions are made about the available funding for 2011/12, this strategy will also need to involve making difficult decisions about the level and allocation of money raised from council taxpayers and the Mayor’s revised priorities across the GLA group.

LIKE THIS:

styletext voice

... AND COPYWRITING FOLLOWS THE RHYTHMS

AND PATTERNS OF SPEECH...

Here’s some advice for companies in search of a better bottom line: Send your workers home early.

Sound silly? It certainly does to most executives.

... LIKE THIS!

Three dimensions of copywriting

Sense

Sound

Structure

THIS PRINCIPLE PLAYS OUT IN THREE

DIMENSIONS...

Three dimensions of copywriting

Sense

Sound

Structure

THIS PRINCIPLE PLAYS OUT IN THREE DIMENSIONS...

... AND I’VE GOT THREE

SUGGESTIONS FOR EACH...

Three dimensions of copywriting

Sense

Sound

Structure

AND THE FIRST DIMENSION IS:

Sense

Be clear

Be memorable

Use the senses: literally or metaphorically

HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES -

Monkey visits German pizzeria, vandalises toilet

A PRETTY CLEAR

HEADLINE!

Sense: be clear

Sense: be clear

IF YOU’RE

BOB THE BUILDER – SAY SO.

Sense: be memorable

YOU CAN EVEN DRAW

ATTENTION TO HOW CLEAR YOU’RE BEING...

Sense: be memorable

YOU CAN

EVEN DRAW ATTENTION

TO HOW CLEAR YOU’RE BEING...

...IN FACT, THIS

TAGLINE HAS

BECOME SO MEMORABLE, IT’S NOW

LIKE A PROVERB.

Sense: be memorable

PROVERBS ARE INTERESTING.

Sense: be memorable

THEIR MEANING IS ‘OPEN’...

Sense: be memorable

...WE HAVE TO ADD SOMETHING FROM

OUR OWN EXPERIENCE TO MAKE SENSE OF

THEM.

Sense: be memorable

NOBODY IS THE ‘AUTHOR’ OF A

PROVERB; PROVERBS BELONG

TO ALL OF US.

Sense: be memorable

GREAT THINKERS CAN CREATE NEW PROVERBS...

Sense: be memorable

... AND SO CAN GREAT

COPYWRITERS.

Sense: use the senses (literally)

ANOTHER WAY TO MAKE OUR WRITING MEMORABLE IS TO APPEAL TO THE SENSES...

Sense: use the senses (literally)

FROM TASTE

TO SOUND..

.

Sense: use the senses (literally)

IN THIS EARLIER

VERSION, THE COPYWRITER HAD TO TELL US WHAT TO

DO!

WE CAN FIND

OTHER EXAMPLE

S OF THESE

EFFECTS IN SIX-

WORD STORIES..

.

...OTHERWISE KNOWN AS

FLASH FICTION...

Sense: use the senses (literally or metaphorically)

Window box, modest lawn, wildflower meadow.

HERE’S A SIX-WORD STORY

THAT USES THE SENSES REALLY

WELL...

www.smithmag.net

(LOTS MORE

SIX-WORD STORIES HERE.)

Sense: use the senses (metaphorically)

METAPHOR IS A GOOD WAY OF CONVEYING AN IDEA BY USING THE SENSES...

Sense: use the senses (metaphorically)

AND WE CAN PLAY

WITH METAPHOR

S BY MAKING THEM

LITERAL.

Sound Keep it simple

Give it rhythm

Play with patterns

THIS IS THE SECOND

DIMENSION OF

COPYWRITING...

Sound: keep it simpleA

BRILLIANTLY SIMPLE BRAND NAME...

Sound: keep it simpleA

BRILLIANTLY SIMPLE BRAND NAME...... REGULAR

ALTERNATION OF

CONSONANTS AND

VOWELS.

Sound: keep it simple

THIS COMBINATION OF VOWELS SEEMS

TO BE PROBLEMATIC...

Sound: keep it simpleWHEN SONIC SIMPLICITY

WORKS, IT REALLY FLIES...

Sound: keep it simple... AND WHEN IT DOESN’T

WORK...WHO REMEMBERS IT?

Sound: keep it simple(and give it rhythm)THE SIMPLICITY (AND DOUBLE

MEANINGS) MAKE THIS SLOGAN SO MEMORABLE...

Sound: keep it simple(and give it rhythm)... THAT IT’S BEEN

STOLEN FOR ANOTHER CAMPAIGN!

Sound: give it rhythm

WHY NOT

‘PEPPER AND

SALT’?

Sound: give it rhythmWHY NOT

‘PEPPER AND

SALT’?

BECAUSE WE

PREFER REGULA

R RHYTHM

.

Sound: give it rhythmWHY NOT

‘PEPPER AND

SALT’?

BECAUSE WE

PREFER REGULA

R RHYTHM

.

STRONG – WEAK – STRONG - WEAK

Sound: give it rhythm

THE SAME EFFECT

CROPS UP IN ALL SORTS

OF PLACES – EVEN GREAT LITERATURE.

..

Sound: playing with rhythmic patterns

... AND WE CAN PLAY

WITH THESE EFFECTS

TOO, JUST AS WE CAN PLAY WITH SENSE AND

METAPHOR...

/troch/ ee/

iamb trochee

RHYTHM IS ALL ABOUT ALTERNATING STRONG AND WEAK

STRESSES...

Sound: playing with rhythmic patterns

Sound: playing with rhythmic patterns

APPARENTLY, MANY ‘FEMININE’ BRANDS

HAVE IAMBIC NAMES...

APPARENTLY, MANY ‘FEMININE’ BRANDS

HAVE IAMBIC NAMES...

Sound: playing with rhythmic patterns

... AND MANY ‘MASCULINE’ BRANDS

ARE TROCHAIC... APPARENTLY...

Sound: play with patterns

WE CAN ALSO PLAY

WITH VOWEL SOUNDS (IT’S

CALLED ASSONANCE..

.)

Sound: play with patterns

...AND CONSONANT

SOUNDS (WHICH IS

ALLITERATION)

Sound: play with patterns

OR BOTH!

Sound: play with patterns

Pickles, pregnancy, puking, pain, premature. Priceless.

HERE’S A LOVELY

ALLITERATIVE SIX-WORD

STORY.

Structure Inform or perform

Shape your sentences

Be unusual

INTO THE THIRD

DIMENSION...

Structure: inform

A VERY EFFECTIVE

FUNCTIONALSTRUCTURE ISTHE PYRAMID:

Structure: inform

Say it first, then

support it.

... LIKE THIS.

BUT PYRAMIDS SIT STILL; THEY DON’T PERFORM...

A written agenda acts as:

a plan of the meeting;an objective control of the meeting;

anda measure of the meeting's

success.

Structure: perform

For sale: baby shoes, never used.

...LIKE THIS

DOES!

Structure: perform

Every sentence takes you on a little journey somewhere.

[Susan Bernovsky]

Structure: perform

In the beginning God created heaven and earth.

And the earth was void and empty,and darkness was on the face of the deep; and the spirit of God moved over the waters.And God said …

WRITING THAT PERFORMS OFTEN MAKES

STRUCTURES BY ADDING...

Structure: perform

HERE’S AN EXAMPLE FROM A (RATHER

OLD) AD...

Structure: shape your sentencesOne day you’re in, the next day

you’re out.

THIS SHAPE – CREATING A CONTRAST – IS CALLED

ANTITHESIS.

Summarise: shape your sentences

My fellow citizens: I stand here today...

humbled by the task before us;grateful for the trust you have

bestowed;mindful of the sacrifices borne

by our ancestors.

AND THIS...

...IS CALLED A TRICOLON: A SET OF

THREE

(HUMBLED...GRATEFUL...MINDFUL)

My fellow citizens: I stand here today...

humbled by the task before us;grateful for the trust you have

bestowed;mindful of the sacrifices borne by

our ancestors.

...MUCH USED BY THIS MAN:

My fellow citizens: I stand here today...

humbled by the task before us;grateful for the trust you have

bestowed;mindful of the sacrifices borne by

our ancestors.

TAKE A LOOK AT THE WRITING ON THE

NEXT SLIDE. HOW WELL STRUCTURED

IS IT?

Structure: shape your sentencesSo what is it that has made this festival the

gem that it clearly is? I think the answer is quite simple. Great music played by some of the most wonderful musicians, surroundings which offer the audience the opportunity to feel directly involved in the experience, while at the same time giving the performers the chance to be inspired and energised by the intense concentration of those listening.

Structure: shape your sentencesSo what is it that has made this festival the

gem that it clearly is? I think the answer is quite simple. Great music played by some of the most wonderful musicians, surroundings which offer the audience the opportunity to feel directly involved in the experience, while at the same time giving the performers the chance to be inspired and energised by the intense concentration of those listening.

IT STARTS WELL: A GOOD RHETORICAL QUESTION AND A

SIMPLE STATEMENT. BUT THEN IT GETS HORRIBLY LOST...

Structure: shape your sentencesSo what is it that has made this festival the

gem that it clearly is? I think the answer is quite simple. Great music played by some of the most wonderful musicians, surroundings which offer the audience the opportunity to feel directly involved in the experience, while at the same time giving the performers the chance to be inspired and energised by the intense concentration of those listening.

AND THE GRAMMAR GOES WRONG.

Structure: be unusual

WE CAN PLAY WITH

GRAMMATICAL

STRUCTURES, TOO...

Structure: be unusual

(IT SHOULD BE

‘DIFFERENTLY’

OF COURSE...)

Bald. Unreliable. Easily distracte

HERE’S A FUNNY SIX-WORD STORY THAT

PLAYS WITH SPELLING ...

Structure: be unusual

... COPYWRITING OFTEN PLAYS FAST AND LOOSE WITH

GRAMMAR.

Structure: be unusual

(WHICH FUNCTIONAL WRITING SHOULD

NEVER DO!)

Structure: be unusual

BUT IT HAS TO LOOK DELIBERATE – NOT

LIKE A SIMPLE MISTAKE.

Structure: be unusual

I CAN’T HELP THINKING THAT THIS

NEXT EXAMPLE IS ACTUALLY A MISTAKE

-

Structure: be unusual

Structure: be unusual

Structure: be unusual(THERE SHOULD BE AN APOSTROPHE:

FOR GOODNESS’ SAKE

FOR ME, THIS IS ONE OF THE MURKIEST

ASPECTS OF COPYWRITING:

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO BE

GRAMMATICALLY ‘CORRECT’?

TRICKY!

MEANWHILE, HERE’S A SUMMARY OF ALL MY SUGGESTIONS:

Three dimensions of copywriting

Sense Be clear Be memorable Use the senses,

literally or metaphorically

Sound Keep it simple Give it rhythm Play with

patterns

Structure Inform or

perform Shape your

sentences Be unusual

BUSINESS WITH CONFIDENCE icaew.com

Alan Barker

www.kairostraining.co.uk

Copywriting fornon-copywriters