In my experience, copy tends to receive far
more scrutiny than design during the creative process. This makes sense for the
simple fact that copy is literally telling the reader what the brand wants to
get across. But how can you tell when copy is actually good or bad? Here are
four tried and true signs that your copy is top quality – and how to manage it
more accurately and efficiently.
1.
Clear and concise
Is the copy easy to follow? If the casual
reader can get through it and not get stuck, or worse – lost – you’re on the
right path. And once you’ve found the right balance, save some of these as
examples to follow in the future.
2.
On brief
Is the copy hitting your creative brief?
The copy should help you achieve your core objectives, be written appropriately
for your target audiences, and should align with the creative direction that’s
informed the overall concept.
For example, we were once tasked with
updating the digital channels for a university’s student dining program. We
were handed draft copy with headers like “Majestic meal options!” and “Oh –
what a feast!” The copy wasn’t bad, but the headers weren’t quite geared to
students. In response, we offered a new direction for the headers, such as
“Budget bites,” “Sweet savings” and “Fast, fresh, affordable” – simple copy
that hit the brief and aligned with students’ on-the-go mindset.
3.
Interesting to read
Are you pulled in? Intrigued and want to
read through to the finish? Your copy should incorporate proven writing
techniques as appropriate per the brief:
Alliteration
Several words grouped together that start
with the same letter: Four founding fathers. Tingling taste buds.
Rhyming
No description needed, but be sure to use
sparingly or it can read like a song: BOGO FROYO (buy one get one free frozen
yogurt)
Repetition
Like a basketball coach with ten seconds to
focus the team: bring it home, bring it home, bring it home.
Variable
lengths
Experiment with different sentence lengths,
paragraph lengths – even word lengths. Predictability quickly results in
boredom.
Descriptive
Strive to elicit emotions and speak to
senses: Heart-pounding. Feverous and fast-paced. Calm, cool, collected.
Active
over passive
“Joe did something” is always easier to
follow than “Something was done by Joe.”
4.
On brand/on guide
Many marketers associate brands with
graphics – logos, colours, photography and illustrations – but when it comes to
copy, certain choices are important to align with as well.
Do you have technical requirements around
spelling, e.g., advisor vs. adviser? Do you have style preferences, such as
fundamental vs. essential (one denotes a base, one denotes a requirement),
supporting vs. guiding (one backs, one leads)?
When thinking about and incorporating some
of the writing techniques in #3 above, watch for options that really help
support your overall brand, or the product or service you’re writing for – and
document it to help wash, rinse and repeat.
What
to do with this information today
Start a tone and voice guide for your
organization. Establish your technical requirements and style preferences, then
elaborate by creating a list of “this, not that” – a way to specify the types
of words your organization would prefer to use, or the tone you’re striving for
to help represent your brand. Augment your tone and voice guide with examples
that have worked in previous ads, emails, letters, etc. Your biggest enemy is a
blank page, so write down whatever springs to mind and take one step at a time.