Are you guilty of lazy copywriting?
BEFORE WE GET ANY FURTHER, I WANTED TO GIVE A QUICK INTRO. THIS POST IS THE 2nd IN MY #PLAINPERSPECTIVES SERIES.
The goal will be to showcase a "way in which I view the world." You may agree, you may disagree, either way, I hope you are provoked to respond and share your perspective in return. There are several ways to participate:
Take to Twitter and use the hashtag #plainperspectives (clicking this link will open a new tweet for you). Once you tweet, it will automatically appear on this page for others to see and hopefully be provoked.
Hop over to Medium and highlight a section of text that especially provoked you. Leave your comment right inline and I’ll respond.
Or, if all else fails, leave a good ol’ fashioned comment at the bottom of this post
For this post, I’ll be sharing my perspective on lazy copywriting. My perspective will not sound like others you’ve heard. You may agree, you may disagree, either way, I hope you are provoked.
The risk and responsibility of writing
When we write for the public, there is a very real risk. What is this risk? That someone will actually stop, pay attention, read and take action based on what we’ve written. This action may be to subscribe, to purchase, to do something. Or it may be even more dangerous, and the reader will change their mind, adopt a new thought, see from our perspective. When we write, we create ripples. I’m not sure most of us ever stop to consider this before we hit publish.
Lazy copywriting then is the writing that approaches this responsibility carelessly. It is reckless writing. It does not always do harm, but neither does it wholeheartedly attempt to do good.
What exactly does lazy copywriting look like? I’ll give you three examples of unhealthy vs healthy storylines and then four examples of generic advice.
The unhealthy storylines (3 of them)
Dear marketers and copywriters (and anyone who is responsible for writing copy, which I know involves a lot of early-stage founders), would you respond well if I issued you a challenge? What if we stopped with these three storylines:
There's an easier way. Make progress in life without having to put in hard work every single day. Here's how...
You deserve better. It's time for a long-overdue upgrade. Here it is...
Remember when? Flashback to a time in your past when things were actually good and fun. Go there again. Here's how…
And instead, replaced them with healthy narratives such as these:
Progress is hard. but it's hardest when you can't see the way forward. Let us guide you.
It's not about what you get out of this life, it's what you leave behind. How will you be remembered? Let's talk about your legacy.
Responsibility isn't always as fun as your nostalgia, but it's worthwhile. Let us help you carry the load.
What do you think? Agree, disagree, provoked?? Share your perspective on Twitter or on the Medium post.
The generic advice (4 of them)
None of the advice listed below is inherently bad or wrong, however, it’s generic, common, touted as the ideal, when in reality it is nothing more than lazy.
Focus on time or money. Run with one of these four headlines and you will attract eyeballs.
No money, free
Save money
Make money
Save time
Put 10x into your headline. Buy this product and 10x your _____________ . This headline has slowly become more and more popular, initially stemming from the talking points of internet pioneers such as Bill Gross and Peter Thiel.
Use you and your not we and our. Go through your site and replace “our” with “your” and “we” with “you.”
Make your sentences shorter. Generic advice tells us that short sentences are better because people’s attention spans are so short these days. Wrong. It’s not about attention, it’s about consideration. See Julian’s tweet below for more context. Additionally, while not all body copy will get read, headlines do get skimmed. There’s no reason then that headlines can’t be long.
Again, none of these writing techniques automatically do harm, but if you simply put them on repeat, and do them over and over without thinking, you are practicing lazy copywriting.
What do you think? Agree, disagree, provoked?? Share your perspective on Twitter or on the Medium post.
This Perspective on Lazy Copywriting Brought to You by Plain Writing
My name is Derek and I’m a freelance writer and brand strategist who is on a mission to write in an uncommon way for my clients - simple, persuasive and exact. I call it Plain Writing.
Browse my library of past writing and strategy samples.
Also on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WritingPlain
If you found my perspective interesting or thought-provoking, considering sharing it with your network.