Copy-Writing

“I find that most people know what a story is until they sit down to write one.”

 —Flannery O’Connor

Are you a writer, reader, or fellow blogger?

 

How about copy-writing? Are you a copywriter?

 

I would like to be a copywriter, for it would be nice to make a living writing, but I have a chip on my shoulder.

 

I hate to be manipulated. And that often comes with copy-writing.

 

We see an intriguing headline, and this is especially true in health-related blogs, like “NEVER Eat This!”

 

What?

 

Or “Five Foods That Will Help You Live to be 100”

.

Tell me. What are those five foods?

 

I’m willing to be dragged along for a page or two, but six feet of text on my screen is too much.

 

Here’s the scenario: First, the DOCTOR must introduce himself. Of course, he has awards up the kazoo or is chief of something. Then he must tease you with the promise that he will tell you the five foods that will give you longevity. First, though, he provides testimonials by people who have followed his advice and turned their health around. Next comes some history, maybe he will tell you about his family, or how his wife was sick and now she is running marathons. Next comes the jungle story, how he had to go into the Amazon to find that rare herb that will give you longevity. Next, he must take it to the laboratory, test it, and mix it with other herbs to give it more potency.

 

You get it, right? A supplement is coming up. and I wanted him to tell me those five foods.  

 

Maybe they are buried in that copy somewhere.

 

Would we buy his product if the text was shorter?

 

I don’t know. I was ready to buy his herb after a page, but I burnt too many calories wading through his copy. 

 

Am I the only one?

 

There is an idea in copy-writing that if you keep people reading long enough, they are more apt to buy.

Is that true?

The enemy is noise. 

 

Noise is too many words.

 

Story makes music out of noise. 

“I’ll never forget,” wrote David Bach, “the moment I asked my mom, “What really makes the world go round—money or love?” David was about five at the time. His mother looked him straight in the eye and said, “David, love is what makes life special…but without money you are in deep trouble.” Actually, “deep trouble" are David’s words, not his mother’s. He had never heard her use “adult” swear words before, but he got the message that not having money could be really painful.

 

Now, I hope that guy comes out with something I want, for I’ll buy it from him. Oh, I did. I bought his book, Smart Women Finish Rich.

Now, I have a book too. Well, don’t run; it’s a small eBook of only 8,000 words, to the point and pertinent.

Long ago and far away, (30 years ago in San Diego, CA.) I took a training to help my vision. The instructor was trained in the Bates Method of Vision Training. A few months ago, on a whim, I blogged about my experience on  https://travelswithjo.com and received many requests for more information. I wrote a second blog post that received more positive comments. So, prompted by these people who obviously had a need to help their vision, I wrote this booklet:

 

To know more or to read the Introduction of Hello Beautiful: The Art and Science of Vision Training Using The Bates Method, please go to https://jewellshappytrails.com

Throw Rocks

 

If you throw a rock into a pack of dogs (don’t worry, I won’t), the one that gets hit yipes.

Isn’t that the way it is with us writers? We throw out our words, and occasionally it hits somebody, preferably in a good way.

I just read #Seth Godin’s blog, where he told of taking someone to a fancy Italian restaurant where they had exquisite dishes, fresh pasta, and such, but his guest (probably a kid) said, “But I want a hamburger and French fries.” To the kid going to a restaurant meant a hamburger and French fries.

It was not a match.

So, dear writers, how much do we go to the restaurant we want, or take the kid to the one he wants. Yes, we want to please our audience. We also wish to please ourselves. After all, if we don’t create in a way that pleases us, we will give it up.  If we find a restaurant both of us want, Yea!

When you are first starting out, you figure you want to do this thing you call writing. You figure it’s your self-expression, but then you get hurt when nobody wants to read it. Maybe it isn’t good enough YET for public consumption, or perhaps it’s simply not a match.

You took the kid to the wrong restaurant.

That’s the reason it’s good to get feedback.

I wrote a blog on my experience with Vision Training and received many positive comments. And some readers wanted to know more. It was, after all, written by someone who had actually taken the Bates Vision Training.

My rock hit someone.

I didn’t know if I had more to say, but I settled down and wrote a small eBook titled “Hello Beautiful, The Art and Science of Vision Training. Using the Bates Method.” by Jewell D.

Now to see where that goes.