How to exceed readers’ expectations and write copy that is passed in one draft?

This article attempts to explore how to exceed readers' expectations from the perspective of writing skills and reader psychology, helping everyone to write copy that can be passed in one draft with a greater probability.

The matter of "revising the manuscript" is like a sword of Damocles hanging over the copywriter's head. We work hard to build a castle of words, carve it into what we think is perfection, and then submit our work with full ambition and wait for acceptance. Unfortunately, most of the time, a simple “make some more changes” from our leaders or clients can easily shatter our inflated confidence.

Unlike creative writing, "revising a manuscript" is a time-consuming process. It drains our energy, confidence, and passion for our work. It can be said that for copywriters, the three words "passed in one draft" are as appealing as "I love you", which means high efficiency and a sense of accomplishment.

If you want your copy to pass on the first draft, it has to make the reviewer happy, and people will be happy only when their expectations are met or the results exceed their expectations. This article attempts to explore how to exceed readers' expectations from the perspective of writing skills and reader psychology, helping everyone to write copy that can be passed in one draft with a greater probability.

1. AB testing: writing copy with product thinking

ABTest (AB testing) is a commonly used strategy in product development, advertising and other fields. When a product is about to launch a new feature, two versions, A and B, will be created. Users will be allowed to use them and their feedback will be collected to determine which version is more popular with users. Only the more popular version can be officially launched.

The same is true in the field of advertising. Advertisers first release two different versions of content, A and B, on a small scale (these advertising content may differ in image color and title ), and then test which version has a higher click-through rate and conversion rate , and then release the version that is more acceptable to users on a larger scale.

Simply put, AB testing is an effective way to reduce risks and improve user experience . When writing copy, if you also have the AB testing mindset, the chances of passing the first draft will be greatly increased. Writing two slogans with different directions for the same new product, writing two outlines with different directions for a soft article, and writing two titles for the same article may take up more of our writing time, but the time saved on communication and revision is more.

For example, when you have to write a copy for a fitness app with the goal of stimulating users' desire to exercise, how would you write it? If you want to make it easier for your manuscript to be accepted, you have to make it harder for yourself. We might as well write from multiple angles and use AB testing to increase the acceptance rate:

A copywriter:

Obesity is your ugliest piece of clothing, go to the gym and take it off.

(Angle: Users’ aversion to obesity)

B copy:

It’s better to huff and puff on the treadmill than to sigh in front of a mirror.

(Angle: Small scenes of user’s life)

C copywriting:

After going to the gym for 2 months, I received 200 WeChat messages from my idol.

(Perspective: Using stories to depict a better future)

Putting these three copywritings, ABC, in front of the customer at the same time, even if none of them is 100% satisfactory, at least he can choose a direction that is closer to his ideal goal. The copywriter must be clear that in actual work, communication with leaders and clients actually involves a process of trial and error. Instead of complaining, it is better to learn to test the waters smartly and do an AB test for the client to avoid wasting time in repeated rejections, communication, revisions, and complaints.

2. Seeking endorsement: Let “insight” take a ride

The importance of "insight" is self-evident. It is not something that copywriters should pursue, but something they must possess. But in our daily work, we often fall into a deadlock: "Insight" is like metaphysics. It seems that everyone can come up with their own "insight" and can justify it. However, in most cases, what we think is "insight" cannot convince others and cannot impress customers and users.

At this time, the copywriter needs to find endorsement. The essence of endorsement is to build trust, using some interesting stories, anecdotes, history or success cases to tell customers that this approach is effective and has been verified to a certain extent, so as to strengthen their confidence in the copy. In this way, it is like letting your own insights and creativity take over, so that you can more smoothly reach the ideal destination of your customers.

For example, if you were asked to name an app whose main function is “note-taking”, what would you name it?

The Chinese name of the note-taking software Evernote is “印象笔记” (Impression Notes), and its logo is also an elephant’s head. It is conceivable that if you propose the name "Evernote" to clients, they will definitely frown and ask, what is so good about this name?

Then you tell them that there is a saying in the United States: An elephant never forgets. Elephants are animals with amazing memories, and this note-taking software called "Evernote" will help users record their work and life, just like the brain that users unload to the server, and become an extension of their memory.

Just imagine that if, when a customer asks you “What’s so good about this name?” and you can’t come up with a follow-up statement, and can only come up with empty, unfounded reasons like “This name is easy for users to remember,” then the chances of impressing the customer will be very small.

3. The Golden Sentence Effect: Keeping Copywriting Insulated from Mediocrity

Although many copywriting masters or pseudo-copywriting masters disdain to play word games , in today's advertising circle, clients still have a clear preference for golden sentences. Golden sentences are becoming popular and their approval rate is also higher.

In fact, many masters of words also love word games. For example, several famous works written by British writer Jane Austen, "Pride and Prejudice", the original English title of the book is "Pride and Prejudice", and "Sense and Sensibility" is "Sense and Sensibility". Have you found anything in common? Both of these book titles use the rhetorical technique of "alliteration", which means that the first syllable of the two words that make up the title is pronounced the same. This technique can make the rhythm of the language neat and beautiful, and is also interesting to read.

The same is true in the Chinese context. Those "golden sentences" that make good use of word games can borrow a variety of rhetorical techniques to make the copy more interesting and chewy, allowing customers and users to deepen their memory of the information while recalling it.

For example, in a set of promotional posters for the 360 ​​security door lock product, you can see a variety of "golden sentence" writing techniques. The insight of this set of posters is that "forgetting to bring keys" is a frequent occurrence in people's lives, not life-threatening but extremely annoying. No matter who you are, the pain caused by "forgetting to bring keys" is the same for everyone. The 360 ​​security door lock can be unlocked with fingerprints, completely solving the trouble and distress caused by "forgetting to bring keys".

The poster uses a set of vivid character settings (young illustrators, CEOs, retired elderly people, etc.) to resonate with users of different ages and professions, while also using "golden sentences" to make the expression more interesting. For example, the copywriting method of "He manages a company with hundreds of employees, but always loses his own keys" uses the "contrast method". The image of a CEO who manages a company with hundreds of employees is contrasted with the image of a man who "can't manage his own keys" and forgets to bring his keys. The contrast highlights the core conflict of "a small key is more difficult to manage than a company", telling users that no matter who you are, you can't escape the pain of being locked out of your home because of "forgetting to bring your keys". Another saying, "When you are young, you use a bunch of keys to manage your home. When you are old, you are restricted by the keys and cannot enter the house," has the same meaning.

There are other ways to create "golden sentences", such as "end rhyme method", using words with the same end rhyme to make the copy read more catchy:

Rock and roll is not a painful belief, it is a painful and happy itch.

The "reversal method" uses the different meanings generated by reversing words to express the copy, such as:

Thin people can make clothes create stories, but fat people can only make clothes cause accidents.

The "storytelling method" uses a short story in one sentence to arouse users' curiosity about the copy. For example, George Gribbin's "My friend, he's a horse now" and Maytag's "The repairman in our town is the loneliest man" both use a short story in one sentence to arouse users' curiosity and desire to explore the information behind it.

For example, I recently read a collection of poems by Yehuda Amichai, titled "Noise Silences the Whole World". The literary techniques in the book are also clearly visible. "Noise" and "silence" are obviously two words with opposite meanings, but they are arranged as a causal relationship. By using this contrast and conflict, the reader's attention can be successfully attracted.

4. Use data wisely to give your copywriting a sense of authenticity

Copywriters know that clients want more than just a line of copy. What they really want to see is the value of the product, the user's psychology and the expected advertising effect, but all of this depends on our clever assembly and expression with words.

Although we know the importance of insight and strategy, in actual work, many times clear insights and directions are already in front of us, and all we need is a beautiful slogan or poster copy to express it better. This is the time for copywriting to play its value.

For example, on Mother’s Day , if you want to convince young people to give their mothers a high-tech smart speaker, how should you write the copy? When talking about mothers, the first gifts that come to most people's minds are pots and pans, clothes and scarves, sweeping robots, etc. The last thing they think of is high-tech digital products. Therefore, the copywriting strategy should be to first break the user's habitual cognition and express it in the simplest way: "The gifts you gave to your mother before were all wrong." Obviously, if we submit this copy to the user, it will 100% fail to pass. At this time, we need to use some text skills to package our core insights. "Data" is a very practical method:

For example, in this set of posters for the "Earth Hour" energy- saving event jointly initiated by WWF and Baidu, data such as "1 second", "1 century", "300 minutes" and "300 years" are used to highlight the huge pollution caused to the environment by small things in people's daily lives, reminding everyone to start environmental protection from small things around them.

Conclusion

Tolstoy wrote 800 pages of manuscript, but only 5 pages were finally published; Flaubert only wrote 1 line on each piece of manuscript paper that could hold 10 lines, leaving the other 9 lines blank for revisions. Writing masters are well aware of the pain of revising manuscripts, and even more so of its necessity, but they put this process in front. They shoot down their works several times and revise them hundreds of times before submitting the manuscripts to the editors. In commercial copywriting, we use techniques such as AB testing and golden sentences to ensure that when the work is submitted, it has been fully polished by ourselves, rather than enduring the polishing of others.

The author of this article @乌玛小曼 is compiled and published by (青瓜传媒). Please indicate the author information and source when reprinting!

Product promotion services: APP promotion services, advertising platform, Longyou Games