C is for Churchill
I mean the man, not the dog!
Winston Churchill was obviously very clever and effective when it came to writing a speech, with his wartime orations being some of the most well-known of all time. This was not by chance. He constructed his speeches to create maximum impact with his own five-point plan:
1. Begin strongly
2. Have a theme
3. Use simple language
4. Leave a picture in the reader's mind
5. End dramatically
If it worked for him, it can work for me. Which is why I have developed my own "Daren Kay five-point plan for writing letter copy":
1. Never be boring
2. Have a structure, which is routed in the concept
3. Use relevant language
4. Create desire
5. Strong and clear call to action
In particular, I think it is all too easy for us to forget point number one: never be boring. We get so wrapped up in trying to incorporate all the required messages of the campaign that we forget to ask ourselves if what we have written is actually interesting for anyone else. The late Graham Robertson, former executive creative director at Brann, had a saying which was "Never be boring". We have no right to people's time (and none of us have enough time for ourselves as it is), so we need to earn that right by ensuring that we write to them from a point of interest.
D is for design
Good copy does not just stem from the words, but how it appears. Essentially, the look of the copy should reflect who it comes from and who it is aimed at. Use art direction to bring out key messages in whatever way you can -- be it with different typefaces, handwriting, different coloured inks or whatever. This can be an extremely simple but effective way of drawing people in, and yet (other than for charities who are masters at peppering their copy with wobbly underlining and handwritten "personal" messages) it is very rare to see art direction used in copy.
If you look at Clearasil's mailing aimed at teenagers you can see that it is perfect -- with its "hand-drawn" hearts and arrows -- for the teenage girls it is aimed at. But this copy didn't just happen. The copywriter spent a great deal of time talking to the target market and reading their magazines to ensure that she understood the language and look that would really appeal to them -- and that research paid off with a perfectly tailored letter.
Robertson was a firm believer that for copywriters to become good copywriters, it is essential to step outside of our ivory towers and mix with people of different ages, class, lifestyles and races because you never know who you are going to have to write to next. It is only by really understanding the language, ethos, beliefs, likes and dislikes of the person we are writing to, that we can write interestingly and relevantly. Pretty important in DM really.
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