Guide

Ask for the words

How to get copy that sounds like you and not like a brochure.

Difficulty: beginner

1. 1. Give it something true to work from

   An agent with no facts writes marketing noise, because that is all that is left. Give it three real details and the noise stops.

   We have been going eleven years, we are the only place in town that repairs vintage watches, and most jobs take under a week.

   Copy example

2. 2. Name the words you never want to see

   This is the single most effective instruction for copy, and almost nobody gives it.

   Never use: seamless, elevate, unlock, leverage, empower, journey, solutions.

   Copy example

3. 3. Say who is being spoken to and how

   Give the agent a person and a register. "Professional" is not a register, it is a hedge.

   Write to one customer, as you. Short sentences. The way you would explain it to a neighbour over a fence, not the way you would write a brochure.

   Copy example

4. 4. Ask for the useful thing before the nice thing

   Most generated copy leads with a claim and buries the fact. Reversing that is usually the whole fix.

   Say what it does before saying why it is good. Put the price and the timescale in the first paragraph, not the last.

   Copy example

5. 5. Ask for two versions

   Comparing two options tells you what you want far faster than describing it in advance.

   Give me two versions of the headline, one plain and factual, one warmer, so I can pick.

   Copy example