Simple answer, rarely given at first: Writing quality copy!
Quality copy, in whatever form it is delivered, gets inside someone’s head, it joins in and contributes to the conversation already happening, and influences the outcomes that evolve.
Everything we do in an enterprise is in one way or another directed towards the objective of getting someone to do something. It therefore follows that we need to be able to communicate with them clearly, in their words, saying things they either want to hear, or are receptive to hearing which may lead to an action.
This does not happen by accident, it only happens when time is invested in the writing process, and importantly, the preparation that happens before the pen is lifted. From writing a simple email, to communicating the most complex message by any number of media, the rules are pretty much the same, only the time invested will vary.
It is also true that we humans relate to, understand, and remember stories, so tell one! Do not just deliver a bunch of words, data and illustrations, create a memorable narrative.
There are 4.5 million copy templates out there, available via Dr. Google. Scrape away the jargon, fancy words, and promises of millions of dollars if you will just do this one thing, and there is a very common thread running through most of them that offer any real value. That thread comes down to a few simple to say, but very hard to implement rules.
- Audience. Know who you are talking to
- Objective. Know exactly what it is you want to say, and why.
- Action. Communicate what Action you want them to take as a result of reading (or listening)
- Impression. What is the lasting impression you are seeking to place in the mind of the reader.
A simple acronym: A.O.A. I. That makes it 4.5 million and one!
An email will differ from website copy, and both will be different to a sales letter, and to a major verbal presentation, but all will follow those simple rules, with the obvious variations in the manner in which they are executed.
Common to all are a few further observations I will make.
- Every successful communication starts with a draft, that can always be improved. The more complex the communication, the greater the potential for improvement. Usually this is achieved by cutting words and selecting them more carefully to better communicate the meaning, motivate the desired action, and leave the lasting impression. For example, despite the following two sentences being quantitatively the same, almost everyone will feel substantially more favourable towards the first:
‘This milk is 95% fat free‘ . Versus, ‘This milk contains 5% fat‘.
The pursuit of clarity, brevity, and maximum impact are voracious consumers of the writers time, but always offer a return on the investment. Variously credited, but I believe correctly to Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) is a note to his wife while visiting Australia in 1895. ‘Darling, I wrote you a long letter because I did not have the time to write you a short one’
- In written communications, spelling and grammar are essential skills. Not because of some preoccupation with the past, but because the rules of spelling and grammar evolved to assist in delivering clarity. Spellcheck is a good first start, but it misses a lot, particularly grammar, and the construction of sentences to deliver clarity. When writing anything, from a simple email to a book, in the absence of a person playing the role of editor, read it out aloud to yourself, saying every word as it is written. There is a tool in Word, called ‘Speak’ which I have on my quick access toolbar, which reads back your copy in ‘computer voice’. While it is far from perfect, no matter how careful I have been, listening back to ‘Speak’ always highlights something that can be improved.
- Verbal communication, from a simple elevator pitch, to a major speech, should always evolve from a written draft. ‘Winging it’ is almost always a very bad idea! Once you have an elevator pitch, it can be memorised, repeated, and ‘tweeked’. Writing any communication the first time is always hard, as you have to decide what to leave out. Doing a brain dump of everything you know about a topic will just lead to a bored, and disengaged audience.
- Verbal communication in front of an audience also imposes another set of choices that need to be made in addition to the choice of words. That is how those words are to be delivered. Speaking naturally, including all the intonation and body language as you would to a single person, is always best, but with caution. Colloquial and ‘expressive’ language that may be acceptable one to one, may not be in front of an audience. This is a judgement to be made each time, usually somewhat dependent on the audience. Practise helps, as does the recognition that it is natural to be nervous, and importantly, working on the written drafts until you know the content intimately, removes a lot of the self imposed pressure.
While the basic rules will remain consistent, the formats used will differ markedly. A sales letter will look different to the copy on a website, which will be different to the presentation you do to an audience. However, the basic AOAI framework will help in the writing of the copy that is the foundation of delivering the message.
In addition to my simplistic A.O.A.I. template, there are many others of value from successful writers, as noted, roughly similar. The following two I commend, which come from books I have read and re-read on several occasions.
R.O.A.M. Readers, Objective, Action, iMpression. Josh Bernoff, ‘Writing without Bullshit’.
P.A.S.T.O.R. Person Problem Pain; Amplify; Story, Solution System; Transformation, Testimony; Offer; Response. Ray Edwards. ‘How to write copy that sells’.
When you need help developing and articulating your strategy, and figuring out how to implement, call me. 0410 627 318
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