Just Plain Talk – Copywriting Without Hype
Have you seen all the hype lately? Online copy is filled with hype which frankly doesn’t work. It turns off the readers, the clients, even other copywriters! Despite these problems, copywriters still churn out hype-filled copy (I admit, I’ve been guilty myself on more than one occasion!). How do we avoid writing hype-laden copy?
For a great resource on fine-tuning your copy for maximum impact, check out this site: http://thecopydoctoronline.com – The Copy Doctor.
Follow these three simple steps to get the hype out of your copy:
Talk about the reader’s pain. The pain you’re trying to relieve, through your product or service, is the focal point of your reader’s awareness. Write about their pain, focus on it, and use language that lets the reader know you empathize with their pain, you understand it, and that you possibly have a solution to it. That will result in your copy not sounding hype-y, even if it makes extraordinary claims. Your reader won’t necessarily perceive extraordinary claims as hype, if the copy is relevant to their life and their problems. Focusing on their pain is one of the ways you allow that perception to grow.
Tell relevant stories. Don’t just make your copy academic facts and hyperbole about your product or service. Tell stories. Have you noticed how politicians always have a story to tell? They may be asked a pointed question about how they voted on a particular issue, and they often respond with something like, “Well, you know, I’m glad you asked that question. Just the other day, I was talking with Agnes Mooreson, who is an 83-year-old widow living on Social Security, and she told me” Then they launch into a story that’s relevant to the point. We know they rehearsed it! We know they were waiting for this question and had this story prepared! But it’s very disarming, because it draws you into the story (whether you’re willing to be drawn in or not) and takes a lot of the air out of the argument against their position.
Value detail, not description! Sprinkling your copy with handfuls of descriptive adverbs and adjectives doesn’t make your copy look better – instead, your copy looks like hype. What’s the difference? Consider the following two examples. First, “We have the best doctors in the industry. They give exemplary care!” Now contrast this with another example: “Our head surgeon, Dr. Bob Smith, is a graduate of Harvard Medical School. Over the past ten years, he has reduced patient mortality by 40%, while still providing world-class care”. Which one of these would you prefer for your next doctor? Notice how the first example is full of hype, while the second example contains simple facts and details about Dr. Smith’s education and accomplishment, without all the hype. Isn’t that better?
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