C is for Concise

First a quick story...

If I cast my mind back to the days of my English Language A-level classes (seems so long ago), there's one exercise which has always stood out. 

In it we read a long, rambling letter about NHS funding. We then had to summarise each paragraph in as few words as possible.

There was one particular paragraph, packed full of long words and linguistic clutter, and it lasted some five or six lines. I can still remember the teacher, with a deadpan expression, chopping it down to just two words: 'Needs money'. Masterful!

The moral of the story: be concise
Fluff is something that you either pick out of your belly button or hoover up off of the carpet. There's no room for it in writing.  

Be concise. Don't use three words where one will do, especially if you're writing advertising copy. For instance, why say 'make a decision' when you can simply write 'decide'? 

Strip away adjectives if they don't add anything to the text. Don't write 'hit somebody hard'. The beauty of the English language is we have a whole load of colourful expressions for acts of violence. So why 'hit someone hard' when, instead, you can slug 'em, crack 'em one, thump 'em or lamp 'em! Bit colloquial, I know, but you get the picture. 

The more concise you are, the easier you'll get your message across. Bury it in a mound of adjectives and set verb + noun phrases, and mix it up with some lousy punctuation, and your message will be lost. Not only that, so will your reader. Ouch!  

The first in a new series...

I've been writing for a long time now. It's something I've always done, in one way or another. 

First it was a spoof diary back in the school days. 

Then in the college years, and even before then, I was scribbling letters by good ole snail mail to penpals. 

'A' levels out of the way, I was free to contribute to the student newspaper in my uni days. Email was also starting to become a friend of mine. There were the love letters, too.... Loves that are lost now. Only the memory remains. 

Now we're in the digital era, my writing has turned to copywriting and blogging. Both are fun. 

So yes, I feel I've a fair bit of experience in the writing department, either from writing professionally, writing as an amateur or writing from what life has given me. People have said I do it well. Some have asked me how I do it. All I can say is I have passion for it. I've indulged it by reading, reading about writing, and by writing, and I've decided to share a few things I've picked up along the way.

I'd like to kick off the first in my own little A to Z of writing tips. The series will do what it says on the tin. Like all good A to Zs, why not start with the letter A?

A is for Audience

It's a golden rule, especially in advertising, that you should think about who (or, if we're going to split grammatical hairs, for whom) you're writing for. Know your audience. What do they like? What makes your blog, column or stories so special that they're reading your work instead of someone else?

Knowing your audience will keep you and your writing focused on the task, or better said, the text in hand. It'll help you provide useful, engaging content that speaks to them, instead of generic, mind-numbing drivel that talks at them.

Our parents always warn us when we're young not to talk to strangers. That applies to writing too. Find out who your audience are, learn about their likes and dislikes and, even though you might not have met them, they won't be strangers to you any more. More importantly, when they read your writing nor will you feel like them one to them. 

Get people to go your way with Lenny Kravitz

Remember Lenny Kravitz's old school rock 'n' roll hit Are You Gonna Go My Way? ? Was listening to it just today and it dawned on me that in the song lyrics he gives two great pieces of advice for copywriting. So without further ado, I thought I'd share with you how he informs how to get people to go our way!

'We must engage...'

Spot on, Lenny. You're writing to persuade. You want your audience to buy your product, hire your service, subscribe to your newsletter, return to your website, etc. Unless you're hoping to lull them into a deep sleep and sell to them using the power of hypnotic suggestion - in which case, change your day job- your words have to engage. 

So keep your audience interested. Hook them with your words. The longer you hold their attention, the more likely they are to do what you want them to.

'.... And rearrange...'

Well sung again, Mr Kravitz. 

Maybe the ideas aren't coming to you. Maybe you've done your first draft but aren't particularly happy with what you've written. 

So rearrange the paragraphs. This sometimes reveals a new, better angle from which to persuade your audience. It can strengthen your copy, too, by exposing weaker paragraphs or points. You can give them the snip and, by doing so, tighten up your copy and make it more persuasive. 

Easier said than done - so how do you do it, Mr Clever Clogs!

There are any number of ways to engage with your copy:

• Open with a strong sentence. - Remember the cliché 'SEX! That got your attention!'? Think of something that will hook the reader. It could be a question. It could be a powerful statement, such as 'How I made more money by.... ' . Tap into the reader's interests and write something that twigs them. 
• Be original in your writing - Avoid clichés. They look lazy. If the readers feels you haven't made the effort to write for them, they won't make the effort to read for you. And why should they, says I!
• Challenge the reader - Not to hand-to-hand combat, though! Say something like 'These are just 5 ways to engage your reader. Bet you can't think of more.' They'll be itching to defy you!
• Break long pieces of text up -  Copy that looks like one neverending block of text looks dull to the reader. Split it into sections, with bullet-pointed or number lists or even with images. This makes copy visually more appealing. More importantly, it makes it easier to read which, you've guessed it, also holds the reader's attention easier.
• Vary sentence length - Short sentences of 10 to 16 words work best in copy. But don't keep every single sentence to that length or your copy will become monotonous. Write longer sentences, too, to keep the text inflected.

That's engaging, but what about rearranging?

One good approach is to start at the middle. Save your first draft, delete the first few paragraphs (or place them towards the end of your text) and see what emerges. As well as revealing possible new, better or more original angles, the second benefit of this is that it can put your points into perspective. Changing the order of paragraphs can make the copy more persuasive. That's because it highlights the weaker points, which you can either leave towards the end or simply leave out. 

The third benefit is that it makes the copy stronger in general. A lot of the time, our first few paragraphs act as a warm-up, helping us to hit our stride. Delete them and you'll see how the copy suddenly seems tighter. After all, you're audience is busy and wants you to get to the point, too! 

What would you do?

So, Lenny Kravitz has spoken me to from the music studio with some helpful words of advice. Now I'm passing them on to you.

Have you got any suggestions on engagement or rearrangement for me? Are there any musicians you think have given us some sound advice on copywriting? Surely we could draw something from all those rock ballads that are out there!

What makes a good writer?

A lot of people have said to me in the past 'I love reading your letters' or 'I love reading your emails'. In my earlier years people said I should be a writer.

I've often wondered: 'What's the secret?' Or even, what are the secrets? What am I doing that makes the words special to others? It's only now, in my adult years, that I've finally come to a few conclusions:

Show your soul

All writers have something of the romantic... of the idealist... of the dreamer in them. That's my personal belief. In all the letters and emails I've ever written, I've hardly ever held back. Some of my deepest feelings - love, joy, sorrows, fears, hopes, aspirations, wishes, regrets - have permeated the pages or the screen. I've put a lot of myself into the words. By doing it, I've connected with the reader.

Love what you do

Possibly the key to success in anything we do, not just to writing well. Enjoy what you do and you'll do it so much better. I love writing. I love it! And back in my years as a translator, some of my very best literary translations came from my passion for words, from the wish to reproduce the original text's elegance for the reader.  

Be original

This has a lot to do with personal perception. The work of the Impressionist artists was great because they painted scenes they way they perceived them, not the way artistic norms dictated. For instance, they would sometimes paint hazy grey skies instead of clear blue ones, because that was the impression they had of the sky on the day. 

And so you must be original with your words. Avoid clichés. Describe things as you perceive them. The chances are your description will be much more original. An honest description is much more rewarding both for you as a writer and for your reader.   

Be a bookworm

As well as being passionate about writing your own stuff, be passionate about other people's stuff. See how others express themselves. Find out what themes interest you. Discover new authors, new words, new ideas, new perspectives, new narrative techniques and even new worlds. Develop your own style. There's more fact in fiction than you'd imagine.

Time to spare a few thoughts?

And so I snap out of 'reflexive writer mode' now, to ask what you think makes a good writer. Do you agree wholeheartedly with me, or do you disagree violently! 

In fact, what do you think about this blog? Have I been practising what I've preached today? Or should I pick up a few more books and learn from the masters? Do tell!

Good Finds, Great Feelings

Whenever I'm back in my hometown, which isn't often, I do a tour of the charity shops. Carrying my trusty backpack on my, er, back, I stride in and out of charity shops, hunting bargain books.

And if it's not the charity shops, then it's a trip to the boot sale! Fans of Stephen King, J.K. Rowling and Dan Brown should all get themselves there!

Based up in Edinburgh, yesterday I popped into a Barnados for the first time in a few months, just on the off chance. Imagine my delight to see Gabay's Copywriters' Compendium in the Special Interest section! It's nothing short of the copywriter's equivalent to the Bible.

'Don't mind if I do,' I said to myself, after letting out an unmanly squeal at my find. Coming across such a specialist book at just 5 pounds, when it costs 17 pounds or so in the shops or online, brightened up my day. Not that it was going badly in the first place, but you know what I mean. 

Sometimes there's nothing like the lift of a good discovery. It doesn't always have to be finding money on the floor either. For instance, a friend and I discovered a quaint little coffee shop that we'd never noticed before, while strolling together down Leith Walk.

This month it's been Gabay's Copywriters' Compendium for me, but what's the best discovery you've made recently. And is it something to write home about?

Tell Me a Story

Recognise the man in the video below? 

Correct. It's the late Steve Jobs - Rest In Peace - giving his famous 2005 Stanford Commencement speech. At the same time, although it wasn't his intention, he's giving a masterclass in copywriting.

By encouraging people to follow their dreams, it's inspiring. By drawing on his own experiences of adversity, it's poignant. It connects with people's emotions and moves them to action. It's one of the best speeches I've ever heard. It's beautiful.

And how does he do it? With one of copywriting's most effective techniques: some good ole storytelling! People love to hear stories, and Steve Jobs's story, as Apple-ites and non-Apple-ites alike know or will imagine, is particularly engaging.

By telling his own stories but making them relevant to his audience, Steve Jobs taps into people's emotions. By explaining what he learned, he rewards them. By combining the two, he moves them to action. Brilliant.

Whether you're a techie or not, whether you're a copywriter or not, listen to this speech and learn from it. Your future starts now!

(Source: Stanford University; http://www.youtube.com/stanford)

(Licence link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/.) 

Codename Copywriter: How Crime Novels, Thrillers and Spy Fiction Can Improve Your Copywriting

I love the ability of crime, thriller and spy fiction authors to hook us with twists and turns to the very end. I admire their general storytelling panache. Recently, it occurred to me that they'd make tremendous copywriters. 

How so?

Short sentences

One reason these novels move so fast is that they contain short sentences. Writers keep the narrative crisp - and the reader turning the pages - with short sentences. In fact, they've become a James Ellroy hallmark.

Good copy does the same. You've got to grab the reader's attention and hold it. Dip into a decent crime or thriller and see how it's done.

Attention to detail

One of the terrific things about fiction is the attention to detail. I love the sharp observations that make a certain novel so characteristic of its genre. The George Smiley trilogy is masterful at it. Only in Smiley's world would you mistrust the postman or postwoman, teachers or lecturers; and would seemingly innocent conversations be loaded with codewords and secret messages.  

Copywriters must pay attention to detail, especially while researching products and target audiences. Do so and you can sell things from angles the competition has never even thought of. Tickety-boo!

Do tell, but not too soon

Ninety-nine per cent of the time, copywriting gets the product's star benefit, the unique selling point (USP), straight off its chest rather than bottling it up inside. We can't always save the best till last. By that time, you could have lost your audience.

However, sometimes it's good for copy to keep the reader in suspense. How do our friends in the crime, spy and thriller world do it? By delivering bit by bit. The end of each chapter normally has a twist that compels us to keep reading. Of course, you don't get the twist, the whole twist and nothing but the twist: you just get part of it.

We can do this in copywriting. Veil your benefit in mystery slightly to make your audience read on for closure. Don't string it out too long, however. And make sure you reward them for reading to the end. If you don't, they'll feel cheated and angry.

Right... 

I'm off to continue with The Honourable Schoolboy (I'm gagging to know if Smiley nails Karla in the end! But don't tell me just yet!). 

Have any novelists influenced your own writing or, for that matter, your life, even? I'd love to hear who they are.

Blog-o-sitting

Read an interesting blog article by copywriting titan Bob Bly, in which the intrepid wordsmith discussed one of the dilemmas of blogging.

Mr Bly was worried about the time he'd been away from his blog and how, by not posting for several months, fewer people were now commenting on his blog posts. He was asking if you should blog frequently, even if you have nothing to say, just to keep people coming back to the blog. Hmmm...

Content is...

King. We all know that on Planet Wordsmith. To keep people returning to a blog you need to create content that people enjoy. (It optimises your site as well because people link their sites to it or share it with their friends, and if you're skilful enough they'll do both).

Lousy content drives people away, whereas good content attracts loyal followers who frequently return for more. One of my favourite bloggers hasn't posted for six months, but I still go back to it, hoping a new post will crop up. One day she'll grant me my wish, though!

What are you going to do about it?

My advice is don't worry. Think of the cinema and literature trilogies we follow. J.K. Rowling may have taken a while between Harry Potter novels, but people still clamoured to read them. Lord of the Rings fans hadn't found something else by the time parts two and three came out on the big screen.

Don't forget how disappointed we feel when a novel feels rushed or robs us of a good ending. There's nothing worse than a spy novel, detective novel or thriller which wraps up with a cavalry-coming-over-the hill-style finale. Aaaargh!

That said, don't neglect your blog for too long. Keep your eyes and ears open for blog-worthy material. Everyday thoughts, statements, things we read and events can all trigger good content. Just a question of being observant and being creative.

Oh and don't forget to throw some keywords into your posts. They'll help you take care of the blog by attracting new followers in searches while you're away.

We can do that. We're bloggers and that's what we're here for!

Copywriting like the corners of your mind

Whether you're a writer or a reader, and whether it's a novel or a piece of copy, a piece of writing must get off to a good if not thunderous start. If it doesn't you can kiss your reader or potential customer goodbye.

So how do you do it? A book I read today advises starting from the middle instead of the beginning. Sound advice, says I! Deleting opening paragraphs tightens up copy. Sometimes it creates new angles to approach writing from. Power structures aren't only a political thing, you know!

But what if you could do it in life too? If you could start your life at any point, when would you choose?

For instance, would you go back to when you were five years old and starting school? Would you go back to teens with maybe memories of your first kiss?

Perhaps you'd just skip all that malarky and start in your adult years, maybe in your first job? Or even leapfrog all that and start when you're already doing well at work and have mouths to feed and bring up?

I think I'd start at the summer either side of my first year at uni. I couldn't fail to be happy back then. One because I was starting a new stage of my life, the other because I'd successfully completed the first year. I had a job that fed me and supported my studies. Good times.

Maybe even the best of times.

A Brand Too Far?

So they're thinking of renaming the Olympic Stadium the Ann Summers Stadium once 2012's Games are over. Not sure whether to laugh or cry!

Naming a sports stadium after a sex toy company. That's a first. Laughable to us but a marketing masterstroke for Ann Summers. Being a Newcastle United fan, I console myself that there'll now be a stadium with a ghastlier name than our former 'Sportsdirect.com@St James' Park Stadium'!

As I've said in earlier entries, I'm interested in advertising. I once read Naomi Klein's No Logo, a scathing attack on globalisation and corporate culture. In it she wrote how even people are becoming branded by having company logos etc. tattooed on themselves in return for scholarships or whatever. Extreme, yes, but what people do with their own body is their business.

That said, 'Ann Summers Stadium' is a step too far even for me. Change is good, there's no disputing that. But do we follow the money so much now that we'll just throw all integrity or self-respect outta the window?

After the impressively monumental fiasco with the tickets for the 2012 Games, I can see them in the meeting room: 

Okay, we've made a hash of the tickets, yes, but it's not too late to put things right if we can just come up with a good name for the stadium. Now, I had a call from Ann Summers and they suggested calling it the "Ann Summers Stadium". We've already stuffed up the tickets thingy, so I say "What the hell!" and just go with it anyway and make a big pile of money. In all fairness, it does have a kinda ring to it. So can I get a show of hands on 'Ann Summers Stadium'?... Ann Summers it is. You may go about your business.

And Britain, your cringing time starts... Now! Or laughter if you support Newcastle! Muahahahahaha!

Who's your copywriting mentor?

Like any doctor worth their salt reads the British Medical Journal, as an advertising enthusiast I read a lot about copywriting. 

Now I'm reading From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor, the inspiration behind Mad Men. Offensive title, I agree, but an interesting, gossipy insight into advertising's golden age. I've just read the chapter on 'killers' - that sounds self-explanatory, but is it what it seems? You'll have to read it yourself, just to check!

This is for entertainment, of course. But who's your copywriting author of choice? Like you'll find The Bible in many hotel rooms, all good advertisers have Ogilvy on Advertising on their bookshelf. May the Lord have mercy on your soul if not!

Is your mentor, perhaps, John Simmons? A titan in the writing for business world, with books like Twenty-Six Ways of Looking at a BlackBerry and The Invisible Grail, Mr Simmons shows us the power of creativity in copywriting.

Maybe you're a fan of Andy Maslen's slick, no-nonsense guides to copywriting? I know I am! I've learned some crucial tips on how to crispen up copy from Write to Sell. Thanks for those!

You'd also be right to be a fan of Roger Horberry's down-to-earth but engaging style. In Brilliant Copywriting, he gives a fine insight into how he tackles the different stages of the copywriting process. He also interviews copywriting's big hitters, who let us in on in how they got started. 'Tis is a most useful book!

So who's your copywriting mentor? I've learnt great things from all of these copywriters. Does that make me a polytheist (believer in many gods!) where copywriting is concerned?

That innocent way about them

If you asked my friend 'Who'd win in a techie war - Steve Jobs or God?' he'd answer 'Steve Jobs is God.' In a matter of seconds, your trick question would have backfired on you!

He loves all things Apple. Their 'his' brand and can do no wrong. I've got to admit they're pretty good!

When I'm not ensconced in a crime or spy novel, I read books on marketing and business for my work (copywriter). After reading A Book About innocent: Our Story, I think this quirky smoothy company is 'my' brand. (If you're thinking of starting your own business it's well worth a read.)

Why? Well, I love their values and principles, their interaction with their customers and their ethical way of running the business. Most of all, I love their creativity, warmth and sense of fun! And how can any copywriter not worth their salt dislike the copy on innocent labels! The drinks are non too bad either!

So yeah, innocent are my brand. Now grab a smoothy and tell me which is yours.

'Gone Fishing'

Addressing you today, my dear reader, as a copywriter. I picked up a terrific tip from the copywriting e-zine The Writer and decided to pass it on.

This article was about the power of the 'Out of Office' reply and it hit the nail bang on the nut. I'd never thought about it before but, yeah, the automatic reply is a great opportunity to sell both your service and yourself. An absolute corker, in fact! 

Instead of putting 'Currently out of the office on business. Will be back on blah blah...', go for something that's witty, chirpier or shows a touch of character. You could tell the client about:

• how you're on holiday strolling round in a loud shirt
• how you're sitting in the dentist's chair hoping you'll still come out with all your teeth
• how you're in the doctor's waiting room and are onto your tenth issue of Bella.

Personality is a vital part of copywriting. Cliches and stock phrases assassinate copy whereas a sprinkle of personality brings it to life. It makes the copy fresh and invigorating while still gunning for its main objective: to sell or persuade.

But remember to include the number and/or email of the person assigned to solve your client's particular pickle while you're away. If not, you could come across as a bit of a joker. You're still still trying to do business, don't forget!

We're Gonna Be Elected

Just when I thought this blog was about to go bare today, somebody dropped some inspiration through my letterbox: a campaign letter for the local elections! Hurrah!

The election campaign is in full swing and the parties are out canvassing. Labour were the first to hear what I thought: that getting through my Cracker box set that Saturday afternoon was more important to me! 

Being a specialist in marketing texts, I welcomed this charming little leaflet which was offering me a free lesson in persuasive writing. In trying to win my vote it showed me a few do's and don't's.

Brownie points go to it for:

• Homing in on people's main reasons to vote against other local parties. Some research has led to some decent copy.
• Giving facts and figures.
• Asking questions
• Using simple language. There are some gorgeous phrases in there!

However, it gets parking tickets for:

• 'Knocking' copy - though it's (rightly) taking a pop at other parties, it's also giving them free publicity.
• A lack of anticipation - voters are cynical. Copy must address all possible objections.
• Slightly sloppy punctuation - sometimes the rules can be ignored, others they can't. Funny old game is writing, innit!

Though this leaflet hasn't won my vote, it's certainly done my writing some good. The others will as well.

So hey, parties might not have figured out their purpose yet, but maybe they can still serve us. I just hope their election leaflets and letters are being printed on recycled paper though...

Viva la Originality!

'Don't be a raincloud just because you can't be a star.'

This cheerful little phrase is my mantra. I've no wish to infect others with my own despair!

That inspires me. Now it's your turn. 

Is there some ingot of wisdom in particular, or maybe a story or experience, that makes you tick? Or is there something else that keeps the glint in your eye?

As a blogger and copywriter, I constantly have my eyes peeled (ouch!) for things that will trigger an intriguing blog article or generate a fresh, engaging piece of copy.

Just yesterday I was reading an interview with Will Awdry, the creative director of the London branch of Ogilvy, the advertising agency. Mid-way through the interview, he said the most marvellous thing:

'Originality is never dead.' 

That's a gift of a quote for creative people! I liked it so much that I jotted it down in case it ever comes in handy for a work project.

In fact, a lot of people could apply Awdry's quote to their lives too. For if you've never been able to settle or find what you're looking for in life, the world will always have something new for you to discover.

But fall out of love with the world?

Not on your life! I've got originality to find!