Understanding the art of modern copywriting
In a digital world driven by the churn of short-form content and the dwindling attention span of consumers, copywriters today have to be so much more than wordsmiths – says J. Walter Thompson’s Leon Traazil
Reports of the death of the copywriter in the digital era are greatly exaggerated. Yes, the nature of our industry is changing at lightning speed and the Mad Men days when the well-spoken, outspoken, quick-witted copywriter drove ideas and dominated meetings are over. Today, there’s a slew of other experts who have an equally dominant voice. It’s all about integration and collaboration.
But copywriters still matter. Now more than ever. You need the same quick wit, sharp eye and and well-tuned ear to write good, well-crafted digital copy. The ability to say much with little is a gift that keeps on giving in today’s world.
Not many have that gift. A quick glance at your social news feed is enough to know that ‘news’ content with headlines ending with “and what he did next will BLOW YOUR MIND” just doesn’t cut it anymore. I personally stopped clicking on such stories a long time ago. It’s a clear indicator there remains a gaping hole in the industry, where a wordsmith would have once worked some magic.
Equally in advertising, we face the same challenge as the online headline writer. Our copy has to be sharper, faster and more pointed than ever before to encourage a reader to linger long enough to get it. However, the role of a modern copywriter is about so much more than simply words on a page. Here are just a few examples of what a young creative at an agency can expect to deal with.
Conceptualisation
A copywriter has historically worked closely with an art director to conceptualise campaigns. But, now those demands are changing. It is not just about the slogan, the tagline, but also about how the campaign is imagined. Every idea also has to match the client’s brief and span the customer journey, across on and offline channels, with sales and the return on investment in mind at all times.
Versatility
In a world where images or video takes precedence, a copywriter’s role could not be any tougher. In the era of Snapchat and Instagram moments, content is becoming shorter. This has placed more constraints on written form expression. So copywriters must have the wit and skill to tell a story that’s short and snappy before the consumer’s attention is lost. But how do you entrap a consumer in the first three seconds of a video or in a six-second ad on YouTube? The devil is in the detail.
Contextualisation
Of course, to accompany any visual or set of moving images the copy has to be written contextually. With the advent of social media, every platform is a separate channel with a different audience and context. This has to be taken into consideration with every activation. Regional or local language also has to be simple and clear in order to allow for translation. Only then can you achieve the understanding across multiple markets ,while at the same time still sounding inspirational. That’s a difficult line for anyone to tread.
Therefore, the modern-day copywriter has to be both versatile and agile, not just sharp with words as historically has been the case. In the high-speed and highly-fragmented media environment, these are skills that can make or break brands. Mad Men it isn’t.
Leon Traazil is a regional account director at J. Walter Thompson Singapore
Why on earth is a suit writing about well, writing?
ReplyI think you nailed it here:
“It is not just about the slogan, the tagline, but also about how the campaign is imagined. Every idea also has to match the client’s brief and span the customer journey, across on and offline channels, with sales and the return on investment in mind at all times.”
And on top of that there’s the scrutiny – the data that challenges what we think about the customer, and the campaign scorecards that tells us if we’ve made the grade.
No pressure then 😉
If anyone’s got any great recommendations for coaching on copywriting for the internet age, it would be great to hear them!
ReplyThis is rich: a poorly written article, riddled with clumsy sentences and grammar, from someone who’s obviously a fan of the buzzfeed school of copywriting, attempts to dish out tips on writing good copy.
Every single ‘tip’ offered above is something that was also a pre-requisite for writing copy offline.
Just read any article by Dave Trott. There are a number of them on this website. Dave is an art director primarily (shocking, right?) and has been around long before the writer of this piece was born.
The Trottsky Doctrine, as it were, is:
1. Have something interesting to say.
2. Say it interestingly, in the shortest possible way.
3. Good writing rarely draws attention to the words,
just to their meaning.
4. Treat every sentence as an idea that takes up where the
previous sentence left off. Mind your flow.
To that I’ll add another one. Beware of tips from people who are not experts in the field.
Reply😀
Tall poppy syndrome?
I think Leon was talking about scope not practice.
Trott’s advice is good, but it’s great that Leon has risked (and attracted) your opprobrium by highlighting the challenges facing modern copywriters. More force to him.
I wish more could share their views,l but perhaps the threat from their peers can sometimes seem too great? That would be a real shame.
ReplyAgree 100%. With you.
ReplyWow, did the guy before me just say “opprobrium”?
Obviously, he must know how to write (sarcasm emoji).
Re: “…the challenges facing modern copywriters…”
The challenge facing modern copywriters is simple: they can’t write. They are treated as an afterthought (not an investment) by an industry that thinks UX/FX/Whatever-X is more important. Plus they have the disadvantage of reporting to a top layer of ECDs and CCOs who got where they are by scamming (big visual, one line of copy). So who do they learn from? Hint: it’s not an suit with no track record of good writing. Pulling some list of writing tips from the net won’t work either. Good writing is not taught. It is observed, then copied and practised until you develop your voice.
I would beware of any advice dispensed by digital evangelists as it usually is proven to be BS, designed to make them look like they know something others don’t. Look at the NYT, HBR, and various authors
from all fields. They write the same offline as well as online. To claim that there is a special set of rules for online copywriting is just false.
Of course, you write to the space constraints of the medium, the fleeting attention span of the consumer and their unequivocal distaste for advertising but that’s ALWAYS been the case. All this SEO/keywords stuff….rocket science it ain’t. It’s captain obvious territory (except for those who lack a clue).
Perhaps the writer should have included some examples of what he means by way of some work from the agency where he works. From what I have seen, it is atrocious.
ReplyHave your say