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TheNineSignsofGoodCopywriting
Proprietary and confidential. Please use discretion.1

Whatiscopywriting?
?? Persuasive writing with a commercial purpose.
–?Different than journalism, PR, fiction.

TheNineSignsofgoodcopywriting
1.? Empathy
2.? Clarity
3.? Efficiency
4.? Spin
5.? Appropriate voice
6.? Appropriate style
7.? No clichés
8.? Truth
9.? Craftsmanship

1.Empathy
?? “You benefit.”
–?Second person.
–?Benefit-oriented.

1.Empathy
“We created a furniture polish that leaves the
competition in the dust!”
Bad:
“With this new furniture polish, you’ll pick up
more dirt, faster. So you can polish off your
housework in a hurry.”
Good:

1.Empathy
?? Avoid “we we” headlines.
?? Be the audience. Analyze in first person.
–?Do I care about this?
–?Do I believe it?
–?What do you want me to do?

2.Clarity
?? Make it easy to understand.

2.Clarity
“Rapidly rising consumer expectations and a
sharp downtrend in customer loyalty, plus
intensified global competition and the resulting
commoditization of products and services, have
lead to a complete paradigm shift in supply
chain strategy, in which the satisfaction of the
individual consumer should be the sole basis for
a corporation’s analysis, management, and
improvement of its supply chain.”
Bad:
“Today, supply chain management isn’t about
supply. It’s about demand.”
Good:

2.Clarity
?? Simple. One idea per sentence.
–?Cosmopolous: “Bed of nails.”
?? Complete information (no confusion by omission).

2.Clarity
“New FedEx ShipManager software, available
through 1-800-Go-FedEx, will replace your old
PowerShip 3 hardware and make your
automated shipping faster and more versatile.”
Bad:
“Introducing FedEx ShipManager software—our
new automated shipping program that replaces
your old PowerShip 3 system. With
ShipManager, you’ll get your documentation
done even faster. It works for more types of
shipping, too. Order it today. Call 1-800-Go-
FedEx.”
Good:

3.Efficiency
?? Maximum impact with minimum words.
–?Brief.
–?Every word pulls its weight.
–?Content rich, fluff poor.
–?Specifics, not generalities.
–?Active voice.

3.Efficiency
?? Verbs good. Adverbs bad. Adjectives okay.
–?If a word has to be modified, it’s probably weak. Or else you’re trying too hard.
–?Adverbs often overstate. This hinders credibility.
?? “Very”
?? “Extremely”
?? “Uniquely”
?? “Supremely”
?? If it ends in -ly, it sounds like a lie.

3.Efficiency
“Toro is designed to easily and swiftly cut down
all kinds of pesky weeds.”
Bad:
“Toro manhandles weeds.”
Good:

3.Efficiency
?? Long isn’t always wrong.
–?Long copy is smart for high-interest, high-cost products.
–?Can create a positive impression even if it’s never read.
?? “Wow, this Acme Widget 2000 must be good. Look at all the stuff they have to say about it.”

4.Spin
“This tiny water heater is so puny, it makes
your shower ice-cold within five minutes.”
Negative:
“This space-saving water heater is perfect for
conservation-minded bathers who are on the
go!”
Positive:

4.Spin
?? Duty: Present product in most favorable light.
?? Manipulate structure to deemphasize unappealing info.

4.Spin
“You could win a free pizza if you take a couple
of minutes of your time to fill out and mail this
10-question survey.”
Bad:
“Just answer a few questions and you could
win a free, mouthwatering Domino’s pizza for
your entire office.”
Good:

5.Appropriatevoice
?? For audience.
?? For situation.
?? For brand.
–?Brands have personalities.

5.Appropriatevoice
“At Progressive Insurance, we understand the
motorcycle riding lifestyle. So call and discover
the peace of mind and potentially significant
savings you can experience with us.”
Bad:
“Progressive gets it. So give us a call and
check us out. You might save a hundred bucks
or more.”
Good:

5.Appropriatevoice
?? Write like you talk (conversational).
?? Anticipate reader reaction.

5.Appropriatevoice
“This Gore-Tex jacket is 100% waterproof. What
more could you ask for?”
Bad:
“Gore-Tex has 9 billion holes per square inch.
And yet it’s perfectly waterproof. (Hey, we
didn’t believe it either, but it works, so now we
believe it.)”
Good:

6.Appropriatestyle
?? For medium.
?? For creative approach.

6.Appropriatestyle
?? Brochures vs. websites:
–?Linear vs. nonlinear.
–?Intrigue vs. inverted pyramid.
–?Links.

6.Appropriatestyle
?? Direct mail vs. email:
–?Envelope tease vs. subject line.
–?P.S. vs. boilerplate.
–?Special characters.

6.Appropriatestyle
“New fan design offers more power, greater
efficiency.”
Advertorial headline:
“This will blow you away.”
Ad headline:

7.Noclichés
?? Overused language:
–?Has lost its meaning, has little impact.
–?Fosters cynicism.
–?Does not distinguish.

7.Noclichés
“Good Industries offers you, our valued customer, a unique blend of quality products, fast delivery,
friendly service, competitive prices, and a commitment to total quality excellence. It’s all part of the
time-honored tradition our customers have come to know and trust since 1974. Good Industries. The
name says it all.”
Bad:

8.Truth
?? Honest, factual, accurate.
?? Understatement is better than overstatement.

8.Truth
“Jonesboro offers unlimited entertainment
options.”
Bad:
“In Jonesboro, you can watch Arkansas State
athletics, dine at a surprising variety of Asian
restaurants, or enjoy fishing at the many lakes
and streams nearby.”
“If you’re looking for something fun to do,
you’ll find a thing or two in Jonesboro.”
Good:

8.Truth
“Enter and win!”
Bad:
“Enter and you could win!”
Good:

9.Craftsmanship
?? Created with care and precision.
–?No typos.
–?No extra spaces.
–?No inconsistencies.
?? Capitalization.
?? Punctuation.
?? Wording.

Aboutpuns
?? Not one of the Nine Signs.
?? Typically:
–?Shallow.
–?Draw attention to themselves.
–?Done to death.
?? Not always bad.

Traitsofthegreats
?? Care about content, not just creativity.
–?Hungry for information.
–?Full of questions and challenges.
?? Easy to work with.
–?Open-minded, not defensive, crave feedback.
–?Can-do attitude toward revisions.

Unheraldedtraitsofthegreats
?? Ability to work with little or no direction.
–?Can wing it and get it 80% there.
?? Ability to ascertain direction when client has a hard time articulating it.
–?Use empathy, ask questions.

Choosingawriter
?? The best copywriting happens when the assignment aligns with a copywriter’s style, experience, and
desire.
–?Brochure Writer + Website = Brochureware
–?Technical Writer + Emotional Plea = Flat Copy
–?Humor Writer + Technical Manual = Sloppy Copy

Recommendedreading
?? Hey Whipple, Squeeze This
–?by Luke Sullivan
?? The Copy Book
–?by the Design and Art Directors Club of the United Kingdom
?? The Copywriter’s Handbook
–?by Robert Bly
?? www.alertbox.com (for web writing)
–?by Jakob Nielsen

Contact
Sheperd Simmons
President
901-654-2101
sheperd@counterpartCD.com
counterpartCD.com
twitter.com/counterpartCD
facebook.com/counterpartCD
linkedin.com/company/counterpart
July 2, 2015Proprietary and confidential. Please use discretion.37
Memphis Web and social
Lisa Evano
Director, Dallas Office
214-447-0220
lisa@counterpartCD.com
Dallas

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The Nine Signs of Good Copywriting

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