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Creative Masterclass Article for Direct Response Magazine, March 2001
You are what you write
Head of Copy at Oneagency, Liz Holt explains how to ensure your copy is on brand and connects with your target audience.
Whichever medium you’re using, the art direction represents a brand’s body language and the copy, its voice. The two elements dovetail and work hand in hand. If your client could afford it, they would probably prefer a face-to-face chat with their prospective customer; your copy is the next best thing.
It’s crucial to achieve the right copy tone and say the right thing. What you say and how you say it should be a perfect fit with the brand’s personality. It will only communicate if it feels genuine.
If you succeed in catching your prospect’s attention, as they read, they’ll be thinking, “Do I trust you? Do I believe you? Do I want to buy from you/ give to you?” Any doubts and you’ll be instantly forgotten.
So how do you create the right tone?
Jump inside their head
Copy tone varies dramatically from client to client. Every client is unique – likewise their tone of voice. Look at the dry wit of First Direct. The freshness of Marbles. The simple warmth of Volkswagen.
Great copy is a fusion of the brand personality and your message: the trick is to say something so interesting, it stops someone in their tracks. You can only do that when you know your target inside out, ditto your product and have one clear objective.
Much of this information should be in your creative brief, but there’s much more you can do to get inside your target’s head. What do they like to listen to / read/ watch? Do they have children? What keeps them awake at night?
Once you have a feel for what makes them tick and how much they know about your product, you’ll have a better idea of what to say.
Work the concept
Is your copy inside a plastic bubble? On a piece of wood? Written on a mini tardis? Wrapped around a bottle of some interesting new beverage? Accompanying a little plastic man? Weaving around images from Buckaroo?
Your concept should be thoroughly reflected in your copy; you and your art director are each telling one half of the tale, so don’t repeat the visual.
Get to the point
You could lose their attention any second. So say the most interesting, persuasive or surprising thing in the first line. Then what? A copy plan can help you construct a logical structure. Craft every sentence so that it flows naturally to the next.
Explain the benefits of the features - unless you’re writing a teaser, in which case try using the main benefit to create curiosity.
Use the different elements
In a conventional direct mail pack, use the different elements to maximum effect. Your letter is from one person to one person, so it should have the most personal tone of voice and be engaging and direct. Generally speaking, leaflets / brochures are seen as corporate items, so you could use a more detached tone, expanding on the information in the letter. Use a flyer to highlight an incentive. Present the proposition in a different way in a lift letter – more authoritative or more emotive, for example.
Don’t try too hard
Whatever the medium, don’t make your copy feel ‘addy’ – it will sound self-conscious. Don’t be funny unless it answers the brief. Be careful with puns. In fact, avoid them altogether, unless they’re spot on and right for the tone.
Be ruthless
Once you’ve finished cooking your copy, let it cool off overnight, then go back to it and start serious editing. Keep it fresh, interesting and easy to understand.
Finally: client amendments. Give yourself the time to read through the copy from the top – don’t sit there with the account manager dictating at your elbow. It’s vital that you interpret the client’s changes so that the second/ third draft doesn’t jump logically or tonally. It must read as smoothly and convincingly as your first draft.
When your work is in your target’s hands, you’ll have a better chance of connecting and prompting a response.
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