| |
| |
|
Copywriting Information |
|
|
|
Three Steps To Pump Up The Drama In Your Copy
All the world's a story. Video games have storylines; newspapers report stories; country music lyrics tell a sad tale. At a quick glance it would appear that fiction writing and copywriting are two mutually exclusive disciplines. But it just isn't so. Fiction and copywriting share the same heart: emotion. What's the goal for a fiction writer? I mean a slam-bang Harry Potter series type fiction writer? To write best-selling novels. And what's the target for a copywriter? To write best-selling controls, of course. There are three fiction techniques that can pump up the drama in your copy:
Let's look at them one at a time. IMAGERY Imagery is defined as 'mental images' or 'figurative language'. What it does is create pictures in a reader's head through words. The best way to get an image across is to find some common ground with the reader. That's where similes and metaphors help. While some might think that this kind of writing has no business being in direct-mail copy, I'm here to disprove that. Here's an example for organic tranquilizer we'll call Calm-All: Take Becky: When she learned that Robin had won the award she rightfully deserved, she lost it. Came unglued. Threw Robin's staplers and boxes of paper clips. We've all, at one time in our lives, probably felt like Becky. And that paragraph gives us a visual image of how she's feeling. But what about Robin? How about this: Take Becky: When she learned that Robin had won the award she rightfully deserved, she lost it. Came unglued. Threw Robin's staplers and boxes of paper clips -- the ones that were all lined up -- just so -- like soldiers on a battlefield. The addition of 14 words, 'the ones that were all lined up -- just so -- like soldiers on a battlefield', added depth to the scene and gave us a mental picture of Robin without fully describing her. The soldiers on the battlefield simile sets up the tension. TENSION Tension can manifest itself in lots of forms. There are tension headaches, tension rods, and tension in fabric. One of the best tools a writer can have is the ability to create tension in a storyline. Now, this does not have to be the cliffhanger from Dallas -- it can and should be more subtle than that. It could be just a line. That's it, right there. The line right above where you are now -- a one sentence paragraph -- creates tension all by itself simply by disrupting flow. That's where you want something memorable, disturbing, thoughtful. How about Becky and Robin? What was the simile about the boxes of paper clips? That they were all lined up -- just so -- like soldiers on a battlefield. The tension started in two places in that phrase: 'just so' and 'soldiers on a battlefield'.
The icing on the tension cake is a line you haven't seen yet: Take Becky: When she learned that Robin had won the award she rightfully deserved, she lost it. Came unglued. Threw Robin's staplers and boxes of paper clips -- the ones that were all lined up -- just so -- like soldiers on a battlefield. She even wrote on the walls. Now, by itself, wall writing isn't that big a deal. After all, you probably did it when you were a kid or during that stint as a graffiti artist in San Francisco. So what makes it more? The fact that it follows the paragraph where Becky lost it, had a meltdown, when postal. And it makes you wonder just what she wrote. It creates tension because its behavior you don't expect from a rational adult. Why? Because society tells us that when an adult is angry and hurt writing on walls isn't acceptable. It's something a child would do and we can't be seen as having so little control. Okay, now Becky's a psychopath because she wrote on some walls. The reader will hold her breath on several levels with different emotions:
With 21 words, your direct-mail copy for Calm-All caused your reader want to order to make sure she never reacts like Becky did. And when she's held her breath long enough, you let her go. RELEASE This is the point in a work of fiction where the writer lets go of the reader's throat and lets her come up for air. And it's the thing that keeps readers turning pages whether they are bound in a book or enclosed in an envelope. Here's Calm-All's release: Take Becky: When she learned that Robin had won the award she rightfully deserved, she lost it. Came unglued. Threw Robin's staplers and boxes of paper clips -- the ones that were all lined up -- just so -- like soldiers on a battlefield. She even wrote on the walls. Hey, it's okay to make a scene sometimes. It's all right to get rid of pent-up frustration. It's just not your fault. The last two paragraphs following the tumult of Becky and Robin make the push for Calm-All a slam dunk: When you're on your very last nerve, reach for Calm-All. Just for fun, here's Becky and Robin as a scene from a novel: Becky lost it. Did exactly what her parents had warned her never to do: DO. NOT. MAKE. A. SCENE. Wisps of dirty blond hair stuck to the sweat on her face. Fury pounded her into the production room, all sense of business decorum lost. Finding Robin's things, her tools, Becky decided to destroy them as Robin had destroyed her. First was a wide tipped Magic Marker and next the graffiti on and over Robin's desk. Robin's boxes of paper clips - all lined up just so like soldiers on a battle field -- were cast all over the floor. And the stapler, pitched at just the right angle, shattered the glass on the frame of Robin's Ad Age Award. The award that was rightfully Becky's. The imagery is found in the third paragraph where we can actually see what Becky looks like at the point of explosion. The tension comes in the paragraph after that and the release is the last sentence. CONCLUSION Direct-mail copy's story is told through the needs and desires of a reader for an offered product or service. Elements of fiction -- imagery, tension, release -- can enhance direct-mail copy and make the sale. Remember:
About The Author Victoria B. Rosendahl mailto:rosendahlwrites@yahoo.com Overnight delivery address: 118 Mill Pond Road, Warner, VA 23175
MORE RESOURCES:
Original content improves on-page SEO so copywriting is also an ... - NewDesignWorld (press release)
Copywriting - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Six Reasons You Don't Need a Technical Writer (and Why They're Dead Wrong!) I know, I know. Times are tough. 3 Tips For Writing Better Headlines The single most important element of your website's copy is the headline. Take away practically everything else and you can still manage a sale (if the headline's good enough and you have a strong enough call to action). How To Find A Copywriting School Have you heard the good things about the field of copywriting? If you have, then you know that a qualified copywriter is an invaluable asset to those looking for them. Becoming this asset means going to a copywriting school. How To Write Powerful Headlines I want to tell you how I go about writing headlines. I like to keep swap files of headlines around for future use. Writing Effective Sales Copy Whether you run a home-based business or Microsoft, one thing is always true: products do not sell themselves. So what makes customers buy? Words. 10 Tips for Writing Effective Web Copy On the Internet programmers and designers rule, not the writer. Yet words drive targeted traffic to your site, carry content, make the sale, convey marketing messages, persuade people to buy and make the difference between your site's success or failure. How To Ethically Use A Swipe File For Your Ad Copy Did you ever wish you could afford to hire one of those professional copy writers who charge $5000 or more to write a simple sales letter? Or worse, have you laid down your hard-earned cash for a self-proclaimed "professional" writer, and gotten back something your 3rd grader could have written?If you spend countless hours staring at a blank page trying to come up with compelling ad copy for that "killer" sales letter (you know, the one that's going to make you rich beyond your wildest dreams?).. Making Your Purpose Your Business Step #4 - Organizing & Developing Online Content If you have done your homework then you are ready to organize and develop what will be your online content. Your content is very important as it will be used for promoting you, your work, and your website. Revealed: The $12,500 Copywriting Formula Have you heard of Brian Keith Voiles? Probably not, but if you have eyes you've seen his ad campaigns and you probably even bought products that he created ad campaigns for. Would you like to have the formula he gets paid $12,500 to put into use for Fortune 500 Companies?Well then, today's your lucky day, isn't it? If you follow this formula whenever you write a sales letter or an ad you'll see how well it increases your success. Prevent Procrastination With Positive Pressure My wife and I recently bought a house.It's currently being built and moving day is slated for December. Copywriting Tricks: Nailing the Voice Professional copywriters are well-familiar with what's commonly referred to as "the voice." What is this exactly, and why do you need to master it in your writing?If writing is icecream, then "the voice" is the flavor in your scoop. Keeping It Real: The Only Copywriting Trick That Works Much of today's accepted copywriting wisdom comes from old books written for a different, quieter world.For most of the twentieth century, widely promoting a successful message was expensive and difficult, requiring control of significant resources and substantial time commitments. Copywriting Makeover: Making An Emotional Connection - Part 2 of 2 In part one of this article series we began looking at the Cruise Vacation Center site: a travel site whose copy was sorely lacking in emotional appeal and visual imagry. (You can see the previous version of the copy here: http://www. Why Is FREE The Most Powerful Marketing Word You Can Use? As the famous cowboy Will Rogers once said, "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there".So what does that have to do with "FREE"? Quite a lot really. Copywriting Secrets Of Indias Mystics Hi everyone,Been ruminating on this one for a little while now but it's probably one of the most profound discoveries of my life. It all began with a little book about music and it's had such a deep influence on my copywriting and small business, indeed my whole outlook on life, I'd like to share it with you all now. Segmenting Your Target Audience Through Your Copywriting Ask any copywriter what the first commandment of copywriting is and they'll quickly tell you "Know Thy Target Audience." In order to write effectively you have to know this one group of people and know them well. Website Promotion: 10 Secret Motivational Triggers That Make People Buy Unless you know the secret motivational secrets that make people buy, your efforts in website promotion may not be fruitful.Here are some website promotion triggers to help you:1. How To Test The Body Of Your Sales Copy For Weaknesses Your sales copy is the life source of your business. If your sales copy isn't pulling in a decent conservation rate, then your business is suffering. Quotations as Expressions in Life Quotations are expressions, usually in the spoken form or in literature, which are referenced to by others. Usually, quotations are written within quotation marks, as a verbum dicendi, to indicate that it was an expression given by a particular person. The Lead: Sinking The Hook Into Your Prospect You only have an instant to capture your prospect's attention. No matter the medium - a sales letter, print ad, or commercial - she's going to make an almost instantaneous decision about whether you are worth her time or not.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
