How to Write Great Copy – Book 15 of 50

How to Write Great Copy by Dominic Gettins is an excellent book if you are a copywriter who is writing ads for print and most traditional media.

Unfortunately for me, I am focusing on web sales copy, and in the book Gettins did not touch much on how to write that hypnotic-syle copy that gets customers clammering with their credit cards… so I glimpsed through a lot of the pages.

There are good, interesting and very relevant points in the book though.

Here’s my summary.

1. Eight rules of copywriting
• Know your target market.
• Do research.
• Answer the brief.
• Be relevant.
• Be objective.
• Keep it simple.
• Know your medium.
• Be ambitious.
2. Getting noticed – first job of the ad.
3. Look for opportunities to build buzz.
4. Be specific to pinpoint who you are talking to. Go and talk to them!
5. When you can pinpoint who it is, you will know better how to talk to them.
6. Talk the same language as your audience. What appeals or amuses them?
7. Do research – media, subject matter, read something fresh, don’t make up things from your own head.
8. The ad should only have one message. What is this message and how does it benefit the customer?
9. Don’t use up all the space or minutes just because you were given. Say what is relevant, then stop.
10. Don’t say the same thing that you are saying in pictures.
11. Don’t get "too creative" and lose the message.
12. To be relevant, communicate.
13. The very fact that there is a need for advertising shows people don’t care what you do. You need to find a point of contact.
14. Tell the truth with a spin. "We’re number two, we try harder"
15. Keep the message and ad simple.
16. Avoid
    • Complicated tense – use first person.
    • Complicated construction – use short sentences.
    • Stresses – reduce the copy until everything will be read without bolding.
    • Cliches, mini cliches, long words.
    • "-ing" sentences.
    • Dull words.  Use active descriptive words.
    • Showing off talent. No flowery scripts.
    • Showing off knowledge.
    • Undesirable personal styles – agency or personal marks.
    • Bad dialogue – don’t copy real dialogues exactly.
    • Redundant words and sentences.
    • Abstract words.
    • Mistakes – spelling, grammar.
    • Sloppy layout.
    • Unintentional repetitions.
    • Adjectives that don’t mean much.
    • Ambiguity – could the sentence possibly have another meaning?
17. Know your media.
18. Radio – cut your talk as much as you can.
19. Poster – 6 words or less. Really need to stand out.
20. Press copy – go for long copy. make sure the copy flows. Aim for reading age of 12, but don’t write like a 12 year old, be original, not overly
21. Television – spend time on your script.
22. Be ambitous and crazy with your ideas.
23. To get ideas, go out more. Look at more simulating things to feed the brain.
24. Use freelancers only for a quiet life, and simplicity of working with them.
25. Review and improve your work.

On to the next book! whee!!