How to write “textured” copy? Here are 3 ways

Copywriting with texture can give people enough room to reflect on the content. It may sound like metaphysics, but texture is real. So how can we write high-quality copy?

Some copywriting we forget after reading, but some copywriting makes us think about it forever. The reality is that most of the copywriting we see in daily life is rough enough that it not only fails to arouse people’s desire to buy, but also fails to leave any impression on users.

Think about which advertising copy you saw today that you still remember?

A text with texture can give people enough space to think about it. It sounds like a kind of metaphysics, but texture is real. Try to compare the following two sentences:

A: Start your journey with a free mind and say goodbye to the morning rush hour

B: Don't mention the mountains you've climbed, only the morning rush hour

Both can be used as automotive copywriting. Obviously, the latter has more "texture" of copywriting, giving us more room for reflection and thinking, thereby deepening brand awareness.

Let’s look at another set of copywriting:

A: The afternoon coffee shop is my second home.

B: If I'm not at home, I'm in a cafe. If I'm not in a cafe, I'm on the way to a cafe.

Obviously, the latter copy is more memorable and more in line with the cultural product of coffee.

The quality of the copywriting is based on the accumulation, summary and refinement of a large amount of life experience. Although there is no shortcut, there are still rules to follow. Here are three techniques I think to create the quality of the copywriting:

1. Catch small emotions

Expert copywriters can create the extraordinary from the ordinary because their copywriting expresses some emotional sensitive points that the general public tends to overlook but can empathize with. High-quality copywriting has a strong ability to capture emotions and is good at using a small thing to express a macro theme.

For example: An advertisement that impressed me deeply in the past two years:

The copy in the advertisement translates to: Broken heart in Tokyo, luckily, the wine was strong.

This copy evokes rich associations and aftertastes by depicting the subtle and sensitive heart of a young girl. When we see this copy, our attention is not only focused on the events depicted in the copy itself, but we will appreciate it in a larger and more macro context.

The texture of this type of copywriting is usually reflected in "seeing the big picture from the small", placing the description of characters and events in a large background and framework, and finding the micro emotions under the macro perspective .

We focus on small events and emotions to enrich the overall brand background and make the copywriting story fuller and more appealing.

For example: the coffee shop copy mentioned above, "If I'm not at home, I'm in the coffee shop. If I'm not in the coffee shop, I'm on the way to the coffee shop" (this is a famous saying of Balzac), actually reflects the cultural atmosphere of the coffee shop from a very detailed behavior, which can be directly linked to the lifestyle, matching the brand tone and enriching the brand connotation.

This is called " saving the cat " in screenwriting. Simply put, if we want to write a story about a villain (or hero), the main storyline of simply describing him killing people and setting fires (or saving the world) will make the character seem very thin and make the character become a stereotype.

But if we add a plot to the script: the bad guy saves a cat while crossing the road (or a small incident like helping an old man cross the road), the character image will immediately become richer and more three-dimensional, giving the audience more aftertaste and making the audience like this character more.

The same goes for copywriting. Find the "saving a cat" event, stir up the user's emotions, and let the user slowly and independently savor your copy.

2. Create a style

Every brand has its own style. Stylized copywriting will make the brand more recognizable, and the benefits of stylization are more than that. By comparing copywriting works, we can find that those "textured" copywriting are usually very stylized copywriting.

Stylized copywriting can match the tastes of niche groups. The niche here does not refer to a small number of people, but rather users who are precise enough for your advertising audience. The copywriting that is most effective and can best attract targeted users must be stylized, and the brand style can be amplified through the copywriting style.

Advertisements are meant for potential target consumers, not the general public . If you want them to be profound and resonate with the public, you need to target niche groups. Advertisements are not advertisements, but "narrow advertisements". The effective isolation of advertising information can sometimes bring greater influence to the topic.

Long and comprehensive copywriting cannot leave a deep memory, but people will be impressed by many copywriting styles. In fact, many advertising styles are directly related to the creative characteristics of the agency (advertising company). We can also find that some advertising companies only take on certain projects that are "suitable for their temperament".

To achieve the stylization of copywriting, you need to abandon the following copywriting vocabulary: noble, advanced, global, leading, and other popular words that are not important or itchy. These popular words are used too frequently and can no longer form brand differentiation, nor can they create the "texture" of the copywriting.

Let’s look at the following ads, all of which have strong stylized characteristics:

In my opinion, a copywriter should be a T-shaped talent. Not only does he need to have a broad range of knowledge and be able to write different types and styles of copy according to projects and scenarios, but he also needs to have a killer feature and the ability to write stylized copy in his own style to match the characteristics of the brand you serve. When we observe the works of various copywriting masters, we can find that their classic copywriting all has a strong personal style.

3. Write less

The phrase "less is more" has been overused, but we can find out when we look at excellent copywriting that there is basically no nonsense (except for some long copywriting, but the application scenarios of long copywriting are becoming fewer and fewer).

The shorter the copy, the more it tests the copywriter's skills and the more it reflects the "texture" of the copy, which is more obvious in traditional media.

The first tip is: use more verbs and fewer or no adjectives

Writing copy has little to do with literary talent. If we observe carefully, we will find that good copywriters basically use no or few adjectives. What copywriting needs is not gorgeous literary style, but effective output of brand proposition. Adjectives are simply smoke screens that will make users more confused. In comparison, verbs and nouns will be more vivid.

Try comparing the following two sentences:

A: As sweet as sugar

B: Sweeter than first love

Everyone should be familiar with this. There are no adjectives in copy B, but it is still more impressive. Adjectives do not have much impact on the central idea of ​​the whole sentence. If we want to extract key information, the first thing we eliminate is adjectives. Adjectives can be regarded as "invalid information" to a certain extent.

The second tip is: Use concrete events instead of abstract descriptions

In copywriting, we must have something to describe. The skill at this time is to express it indirectly through events and behaviors. This can not only make the copywriter say less nonsense, but also more effectively reflect the product characteristics.

For example, if you need to express the antiquity of a store, compare the following two statements:

A: The shop opened in the 18th century, and we can still see traces of history on the mottled walls.

B: The 18th century writer XXX was a frequent customer of our store.

There is no need to describe the detailed characteristics of various historical senses in detail. The same message can be cleverly conveyed with just one event. People always like to listen to stories rather than long, boring and lengthy product descriptions. It is more efficient to convey brand information through story events.

Conclusion

Copywriting that is repetitive and has no memorable points is actually a waste of opportunities for brand exposure. Creating "textured" copywriting, stirring up the target audience's emotions, and forming a unique brand style will not only make the brand image richer and more vivid, but also occupy a unique position in the minds of consumers.

Author: Zheng Zhuoran, authorized to be published by Qinggua Media .

Source: Spread Gymnastics (ID:chuanboticao)