In copywriting, one of the first rules you should learn is to
stay away from Written English. Written English has set rules that must
be followed to produce results, and can often be cold and impersonal.
Imagine getting a card in the mail and seeing this:
"Blake's Barns would like to thank their customers for 10 long years of business."
If I saw that, it would go directly in the trash. This "thank you" note is bland, cold, and shows no feeling whatsoever. That is the power of Written English. Written English has its place in the literary world, but it does little to help a copywriter get inside the minds of their audience.
Now, imagine the same card appearing with this on it:
"We would like to thank You for 10 long years of business!"
This line is personal, welcoming, and has more likelihood of getting me to read whatever else is on the card (I'm assuming it's a celebratory offer).
As you can see, Spoken English is more relaxed and warm, inviting the audience to a personal conversation rather than a sales pitch. This is a great strategy for getting inside the audience's head and gently persuading them to follow your advice.
Switching from Written English to Spoken English can be a little intimidating, especially if you've used Written English all your life. A simple way to make the change is to remember our every-day conversations.
When we talk to someone, we tend to use personal pronouns like "you, we, and us." We also use contractions and fillers, and it's perfectly OK to insert these items into your copywriting where appropriate.
Another thing that Spoken English does is tap into our emotions. Emotions are a key factor in getting someone to do something, and Spoken English is a gateway to those emotions.
If I were to sell you a gym membership, I wouldn't say "Join this gym for x amount a month." Those are just the facts, and facts are nothing without motivation.
Instead, I would say "Are you tired of being tired? Wishing you had the shape and energy you once had? The join *name of gym* today! For x amount a month, you can look better and feel better in no time at all. Call or stop by at one of our many locations!"
The second paragraph is personal, inviting, and taps into the emotions of the person who's reading it. Limited time offers are even better because it makes the audience feel like they might miss out on something big, and that is often the greatest motivator of all.
In conclusion, Spoken English is a great tool to use when copywriting since it often makes the audience feel like they're apart of something. If you can make the reader feel like they're holding a conversation with the company instead of just listening to a sales pitch, you've succeeded. Spoken English is often the key to successful advertising, and learning how to use it well can enhance your own writing as well.
In fact, this whole article was written in Spoken English. Did you notice?
Imagine getting a card in the mail and seeing this:
"Blake's Barns would like to thank their customers for 10 long years of business."
If I saw that, it would go directly in the trash. This "thank you" note is bland, cold, and shows no feeling whatsoever. That is the power of Written English. Written English has its place in the literary world, but it does little to help a copywriter get inside the minds of their audience.
Now, imagine the same card appearing with this on it:
"We would like to thank You for 10 long years of business!"
This line is personal, welcoming, and has more likelihood of getting me to read whatever else is on the card (I'm assuming it's a celebratory offer).
As you can see, Spoken English is more relaxed and warm, inviting the audience to a personal conversation rather than a sales pitch. This is a great strategy for getting inside the audience's head and gently persuading them to follow your advice.
Switching from Written English to Spoken English can be a little intimidating, especially if you've used Written English all your life. A simple way to make the change is to remember our every-day conversations.
When we talk to someone, we tend to use personal pronouns like "you, we, and us." We also use contractions and fillers, and it's perfectly OK to insert these items into your copywriting where appropriate.
Another thing that Spoken English does is tap into our emotions. Emotions are a key factor in getting someone to do something, and Spoken English is a gateway to those emotions.
If I were to sell you a gym membership, I wouldn't say "Join this gym for x amount a month." Those are just the facts, and facts are nothing without motivation.
Instead, I would say "Are you tired of being tired? Wishing you had the shape and energy you once had? The join *name of gym* today! For x amount a month, you can look better and feel better in no time at all. Call or stop by at one of our many locations!"
The second paragraph is personal, inviting, and taps into the emotions of the person who's reading it. Limited time offers are even better because it makes the audience feel like they might miss out on something big, and that is often the greatest motivator of all.
In conclusion, Spoken English is a great tool to use when copywriting since it often makes the audience feel like they're apart of something. If you can make the reader feel like they're holding a conversation with the company instead of just listening to a sales pitch, you've succeeded. Spoken English is often the key to successful advertising, and learning how to use it well can enhance your own writing as well.
In fact, this whole article was written in Spoken English. Did you notice?
No comments:
Post a Comment