Style elements and how they can help you write powerful potent persuasive copy
In the previous lesson I told you about the importance of voice, tone and style.
Now let’s talk about style elements that can dramatically improve your copywriting style. And how they can help you write powerful potent persuasive copy.
1. Verbs
Verbs are one of the best friends a copywriter can have.
Nouns are just naming words, words you give to things, people, places or ideas.
Nouns are lifeless, they just sit there.
Adjectives describe nouns. Verbs electrify them, because verbs are action words. They're amplifiers of language.
Ever wondered why brands with great products (and marketing) become verbs?
"Google it"
"Pass me a Kleenex"
"Let's Zoom"
"Waiting for my Uber"
That's because these products ended changing our behaviors as consumers.
And because verbs are action words, we ended adopting these popular brand names as verbs.
Because verbs are important. You can use them to express doing something, feeling something or something happening.
So if you want to become a better writer, start using more verbs.
Use more verbs and less adjectives and watch your writing become more vivid. More memorable. And more persuasive.
Good examples of verbs in copywriting:
I figure anything that tastes that bad has got to work. And believe me, Listerine works! It even kills germs that can cause bad breath. [Copy from a classic Listerine ad]
“…and you can almost hear it chuckling to itself as you begin to use it” [Copy from a 1967 Porsche Carrera ad]
Good copywriting depends on verbs to create and spice up product descriptions.
Average copywriters tend to use a lot of adjectives and dull words.
(*cof cof awesome and amazing are words that have been abused beyond all meaning that, hey, it's truly awesome. And amazing!*)
This makes their writing feel very dull - Shocking I tell you, just shocking.
So when you edit your writing always ask yourself:
Does this sound too dull? Am I being too repetitive?
Is this memorable?
Check your verbs and edit, edit and edit.
2. Sense-based Descriptors
Verbs are one of the best friends a copywriter can have.
Nouns are just naming words, words you give to things, people, places or ideas.
Nouns are lifeless, they just sit there.
Adjectives describe nouns. Verbs electrify them, because verbs are action words. They're amplifiers of language.
Ever wondered why brands with great products (and marketing) become verbs?
"Google it"
"Pass me a Kleenex"
"Let's Zoom"
"Waiting for my Uber"
That's because these products ended changing our behaviors as consumers.
And because verbs are action words, we ended adopting these popular brand names as verbs.
Because verbs are important. You can use them to express doing something, feeling something or something happening.
So if you want to become a better writer, start using more verbs.
Use more verbs and less adjectives and watch your writing become more vivid. More memorable. And more persuasive.
3. Metaphors
A metaphor is a collision of two ideas apparently unrelated. You just throw them together to describe something. And boooooom, suddenly you're painting vibrant pictures with words.
Remember Britain's first woman Prime Minister? In 1976 Margaret Thatcher made a speech in Kensington Town Hall.
Thatcher attacked the Soviet Union calling it “a failure in human and economic terms".
In response the Soviet Defense Ministry newspaper, Red Star, gave Thatcher the nickname Iron Lady.
The Russians thought they were insulting Thatcher. But here's where things get interesting. Thatcher loved it, and she embraced the nickname.
Her supporters embraced it too. Because they admired her strong personality. So Iron Lady became a term of endearment.
That's the power of a good metaphor. And why metaphors are one of the most powerful writing tools you can use when you write copy.
When you compare one thing to something else unrelated, you don't just explain it better. You tell the reader to "feel about this as you feel about that."
Good examples of strong metaphors in copywriting:
"It's more than just oil, it’s liquid engineering",
This was Castrol's slogan in the 1980s. The metaphor liquid engineering transformed a boring commodity product into something sophisticated.
“It's What Comfort Tastes Like".
Werther's Original used this metaphor to make a vivid association between its candy products and comfort food. And if you think about it, this is a clever way of making consumers feel good about eating candy. Because who doesn't love comfort food?!
4. Alliteration
What do American Airlines, Best Buy, Coca Cola, Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme have in common?
Their brand names use alliteration.
Alliteration is a form of rhyme.
It's the repetition of a specific sound in the first syllables of a series of phrases or words.
When you use alliteration, you're adding proven, powerful possibilities into your writing.
Many people think alliteration is just for writing poems.
But you don't have to write poems to take advantage of the power of alliteration.
When you write copy you can use alliteration to make your sales message more memorable and more devilishly daring.
Good examples of alliteration in copywriting:
Beanz Meanz Heinz - Heinz ad
big. beefy. bliss. - McDonald’s ad
Pocket. Pulling. Power. - New Lynx bullet ad
