copywriting do’s and don’ts (pt ii – the don’ts)

( PT II – The Don’ts )

Depending on which copywriter you talk to, the

general advice is to come up with somewhere

between fifty and a hundred ideas before you even

begin to think about working one up in more detail.

And even when you get an idea you really like, don’t

settle for it as it is. Push it further. And further still.

Then move on to another one because you can

always come back to that ‘good’ one later.

DON’T: SETTLE FOR THE FIRSTTHING YOU THINK OF.

In the second part of our ‘Copywriting do’s and don’ts’ here,

rather predictably, are five copywriting don’ts. Actually

there are six (which ironically probably breaks the most

important rule: Follow the brief!

Oh well, rules are there to be broken.

Depending on which copywriter you talk to, the

general advice is to come up with somewhere

between fifty and a hundred ideas before you even

begin to think about working one up in more detail.

And even when you get an idea you really like, don’t

settle for it as it is. Push it further. And further still.

Then move on to another one because you can

always come back to that ‘good’ one later.

www.copywritercollective.com

Sure, between fifty and a hundred sounds like a lot

but you’ll be surprised at how much stuff you can

think of when you really try. Just scribble headlines

down on a big sheet of paper, doodle or draw

pictures, whatever it takes to translate what’s going

on in your brain into something readable.

The thing is, anyone can come up with a headline

that sounds nice or has a double meaning. Everyone

has accidentally stumbled on a word play that they

thought would be perfect for such and such a

product. They briefly feel like a copywriter. But the

real copywriter takes that neat word play and asks:

The thing is, anyone can come up with a headline

that sounds nice or has a double meaning. Everyone

has accidentally stumbled on a word play that they

thought would be perfect for such and such a

product. They briefly feel like a copywriter. But the

real copywriter takes that neat word play and asks:

“Is this saying what I want it to say?Is it getting across a message?

And (most importantly) will it make people want to buy?”

One more thing. When your job has finally gone to print or has been put online at last (or whatever) try

thinking back to what your original, first thought was. Then invariably you’ll see it for what it really was.


Clichés are clichés because they have been

overused. And because they are overused they

begin to lose their impact – if not their very

meaning. When someone reads “It’s like water off

a duck’s back” or “It’s easy as falling off a log” the

actual meaning of the words no longer register in

their mind. Instead there’s just a vague feeling of

“easiness” but phrases like this don’t conjure up

evoke an actual image of droplets of water rolling

like mercury over oily feathers anymore.

DON’T: USE CLICHÉS.

It kind of goes without saying that clichés are bad things. But

why exactly? What is wrong with using language that everyone

understands? Well, here’s the thing. Clichés are clichés because

they have been overused. And because they are overused they

begin to lose their impact – if not their very meaning.

Clichés are clichés because they have been

overused. And because they are overused they

begin to lose their impact – if not their very

meaning. When someone reads “It’s like water off

a duck’s back” or “It’s easy as falling off a log” the

actual meaning of the words no longer register in

their mind. Instead there’s just a vague feeling of

“easiness” but phrases like this don’t conjure up

evoke an actual image of droplets of water rolling

like mercury over oily feathers anymore.


And if your words aren’t working hard you’ve got a problem

because generally you need to get your message across as

quickly as possible and in as few words as possible.

Redundancy just slows things down. It’s so much better to

come up with new ways to express common ideas. It not

only makes your writing sound fresher but will keep the

reader on his or her toes. By forcing them to use their

imagination you are getting them to really engage with the

copy and, after that, they’ll be like putty in your hands.

(Doh!)

DON’T: MISS DEADLINES.Any piece of advertising whether it’s an ad, a brochure or a radio

script has to go through a lot of stages from conception to

realization. One delay tends to cause another and before you

know it the whole project is way over budget and everyone starts

looking for someone else to blame. So do your bit by doing what

you said you were going to do when you said you were going to

do it by.

DON’T: MISS DEADLINES.


DON’T: GET UPSET.The trouble with writing is that everyone thinks they

can do it. So clients feel very comfortable criticizing or

even changing a copywriter’s work in a way that they

wouldn’t dream of doing with the art director’s efforts.

Most people can’t draw so they’ll leave that up to the

‘expert’ but the words, oh, that’s a different thing all

together.

It’s not just the final deadline for a client presentation we’re

talking about here. Get into the habit of meeting internal

deadlines in an agency or even the personal deadlines you set

yourself as a freelancer. Actually, there’s nothing like a bit of

time pressure to get you thinking more clearly so they can, in

fact, be a blessing in disguise. Many’s the time when a job with

the proverbial “crazy deadline” ends up with a cracking idea

simple because everyone was forced to up their game.

It’s not just the final deadline for a client presentation we’re

talking about here. Get into the habit of meeting internal

deadlines in an agency or even the personal deadlines you set

yourself as a freelancer. Actually, there’s nothing like a bit of

time pressure to get you thinking more clearly so they can, in

fact, be a blessing in disguise. Many’s the time when a job with

the proverbial “crazy deadline” ends up with a cracking idea

simple because everyone was forced to up their game.


You have to learn to deal with it. If you say No to every change

you’re going to seem inflexible and difficult to work with which

isn’t good for a long term working relationship. But, on the

other hand, there’s a reason why you wrote the copy the way

you wrote it so sometimes you need to pipe up and explain

why that certain word or sentence has to stay. See it as a

trade-off. Let the things that don’t really matter go but be

prepared to dig in your heels on the important ones.

Generally, advertising is a terribly subjective business which

often comes down to personal opinions (or personal

prejudices). So when you present work to either a suit, a

creative director or a client you’re opening yourself up every

time to criticism. Remember: It’s not personal, it’s business.

Although it can hurt a bit to have your ideas rejected that’s just

the name of the game and it happens to everyone. You can’t

afford to get upset about it. Just move on, keep positive and

get back in the saddle.

Generally, advertising is a terribly subjective business which

often comes down to personal opinions (or personal

prejudices). So when you present work to either a suit, a

creative director or a client you’re opening yourself up every

time to criticism. Remember: It’s not personal, it’s business.

Although it can hurt a bit to have your ideas rejected that’s just

the name of the game and it happens to everyone. You can’t

afford to get upset about it. Just move on, keep positive and

get back in the saddle.


DON’T: FORGET TO GET WORKSAMPLES.

It’s so important for every copywriter, whether freelance or in

an agency, to build up a portfolio of work they’ve done. It’s

their ticket to more or better work in the future. But it’s all too

easy to lose track of projects – especially as a freelancer

who isn’t on site all the time. Once the copy is approved

there’s still a long way to go to final artwork or publication by

which time you’ll be busy with other work (hopefully!).

It’s a good idea to keep a list of work in progress and

regularly remind the account exec that you’ll need a sample

when it’s ready. Ideally you want to get pdfs too so you can

email samples to prospective clients/employers in the future.

(Handy tip: ask whoever’s making the pdfs to remove the

crop marks and to give you a clean copy of the work.)


It’s ‘ad’ or ‘advertisement’

but never ‘advert’. ‘Advert’ is what your mum

might say.

It’s ‘ad’ or ‘advertisement’

but never ‘advert’. ‘Advert’ is what your mum

might say.

What do you think of these ‘Don’ts’? What things would you never do as a copywriter? What things do

other copywriters do that drive you up the wall? Go on, tell us what you think below.


www.beacopywriter.org

copywriting do’s and don’ts (pt ii – the don’ts)

Marketing