Copywriting

Copywriting:
The Language of Advertising

Four types of ads in which words are

crucial
1. If the message is complicated
2. If the ad is for a high-involvement product
3. Information that needs definition and
explanation
4. If a message tries to convey abstract qualities

Copywriter
. The person who shapes and sculpts the words
in an ad
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Advertising Writing Style

Copy should be as
simple as possible
Should have a clear
focus and try to
convey only one selling
point
Every word counts;
space and time are
expensive

Practical Tips
Be succinct
Be single-minded
Be specific
Get personal
Keep a single focus
Be controversial
Be original
Use variety
Use imaginative
description
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Advertising Writing Style

Tone of voice
To develop the right tone of voice, copywriters write to
the target audience as if they were in a conversation

Grammar
Copywriters must know the rules of grammar, syntax,
and spelling, though they will play with a word or
phrase to create an effect

Adese
Formulaic advertising copy
Brag-and-boast copy
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Copywriting for Print

Display copy
Elements readers see in
their initial scanning

Body copy
Elements that are
designed to be read and
absorbed

The Headline
Key element in print
advertising
Conveys the main
message
Works with the visual
to get attention and
communicate creative
concept
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How to Write Headlines

A good headline will
attract those who are
prospects
The headline must
work in combination
with the visual to stop
and grab the readers
attention

The headline must

identify the product
and brand, and start
the sale
The headline should
lead readers into the
body copy
Direct-action headlines
Indirect-action
headlines
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How to Write Other Display Copy

Captions
Have the second-highest readership and serve
an information function

Subheads
Sectional headlines used to break up a large
block of copy

Taglines
Short, catchy, memorable phrases used at the
end of an ad to complete the creative idea
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How to Write Other Display Copy

Slogans
Repeated from ad to ad
as part of a campaign
or long-term brand
identity effort
Can also be used as
taglines

Slogan Techniques
Direct address
A startling or
unexpected phrase
Rhyme, rhythm,
alliteration
Parallel construction
Cue for the product
Music
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How to Write Body Copy

Body copy
The text of the ad
Primary role is to maintain the interest of the reader

Lead paragraph
The first paragraph of the body copy
Where people test the message and see if they want to
read it

Closing paragraph
Refers back to the creative concept and wraps up the
Big Idea
Call to action
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Print Media Requirements

All media in the print
category all use the
same copy elements
The way these
elements are used
varies with the
objective for using the
medium

Newspapers
Copy does not have to
work as hard to catch
audiences attention
Straightforward and
informative
Writing is brief

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Print Media Requirements

Magazines
Better quality ad
production
Ads can be more
informative and carry
longer copy

Directories
Use a headline that
focuses on the service
or stores personality
Little space for
explanations

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Print Media Requirements

Posters and Outdoor
Primarily visual
Words try to catch the
consumers attention
and lock in ideas
An effective poster
marries words with
visuals

Product Literature
Also called collateral
Used in support of an
ad campaign
Typically a heavy copy
format

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How to Write Radio Copy

Must be simple enough for consumers to
grasp, but intriguing enough to prevent
them from switching the station
Ability of the listener to remember facts is
difficult
Theater of the mind
The story is visualized in the listeners
imagination
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How to Write Radio Copy

Voice
Music
Sound effects

Radio Guidelines
Keep it personal
Speak to listeners
interests
Wake up the
inattentive
Make it memorable
Include call to action
Create image transfer

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How to Write Television Copy

Moving action makes television so much
more engaging than print
The challenge is to fuse the images with the
words to present a creative concept and a
story
Storytelling is one way copywriters can
present action in a television commercial
more powerfully than in other media
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Tools of Television Copywriting

Video
Audio
Voice-over
Off camera
Other TV Tools
The copywriter must
describe all of these in
the TV script

Talent
Announcers
Spokespersons
Character types
Celebrities

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Planning the TV Commercial

Whats the Big Idea
Whats the benefit
How can you turn that benefit into a visual
element
Gain the viewers interest
Focus on a key visual
Be single minded
Observe rules of good editing
Try to show the product
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Planning the TV Commercial

Copywriters must plan
Length of the commercial
Shots in each scene
Key visual
Where and how to shoot the commercial

Scenes
Segments of action that occur in a single
location

Key frames
The visual that sticks in ones mind
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Scripts and Storyboards

Script
The written version of the commercials plan
Prepared by the copywriter

Storyboard
The visual plan or layout of the commercial
Prepared by the art director

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Writing for the Web

More interactive than any other mass
medium
Copywriter challenged to attract people to
the site and manage a dialogue-based
communication experience
Banners
Most common form of online advertising

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Writing for the Web

Web ads
Create awareness and
interest in a product
and build a brand
image
Focus on maintaining
interest

Other Web formats

Games
Pop-up windows
Daughter windows
Side frames

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Copywriting in a Global
Environment
Language affects the creation of the
advertising
Standardizing copy content by translating
the appeal into the language of the foreign
market is dangerous
Use bilingual copywriters who can capture
the essence of the message in the second
language
Back translation
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