Bad copy pulls punches, and sneaks around the point. It tries to sell people without telling them - tires to sell by trickery. And really… it just comes across as weak. On the contrary though, good copy is real, and it’s honest. If it’s sales copy, it asks for sales. If it’s fundraising copy, it asks for money. It backs it up, sure - it tells you why you should give money. But it never shirks from the point. Good copy isn’t ashamed of what it is. It stands on it’s own, self-validated (and more powerful).
Example: I wrote the following for a client the other day: At the Auditory Oral School of New York, we’re doing some amazing things. We’re teaching deaf and hearing-impaired children to listen and speak normally. We’re teaching them to interact normally in the world, and we’re giving them the ability to live normal lives. Lives not hindered by what’s regarded as a tragic anomaly… but lives enriched by sound, and lives open to whatever experiences these children seek.
…However, as you can imagine, doing amazing work is difficult. It takes persistence, energy, and money. We’ve got the first two covered, but we need more money...
I think it’s good. I think it’s to-the-point, and I think it’s powerful. But, the response came back negative - they thought it was too “aw shucks.” Too informal. Translation? It made them uncomfortable, and they didn’t want to make their donors uncomfortable. Translation? They didn’t actually want to ask for money. They just wanted to imply it, and wanted rich people to comply. That’s bullshit. It’s waste of time (for me and for them). If you don’t want to ask for money, don’t hire a writer to do it. If you do, than go ahead and do it. Be comfortable with what you’re doing, then write stuff that backs it up. Don’t write stuff that compromises what you’d like to say… write stuff that enhances it. Have some personal power, and write powerful stuff.
Anything else sucks.
Writer’s have to read. I try to as much as I can, so this past Sunday, I revisited one of my favorite pastimes; spending a lazy weekend afternoon in Barnes + Noble. I took a breeze through the business section (mostly for laughs), and once again, I was struck by what I saw. Either a lot of dumb people are making money (and writing books), or there’s a (mistaken) perception out there that readers are idiots. I mean, most of the stuff was ridiculous. On par with all the crappy “get rich quick’ stuff you see all over the web. Bad writing, crappy conclusions, and worst of all, a tone that insults the reader. ‘you’re inadequate. I’m not. Read this, and you won’t be anymore. You’ll be rich (and happy).’
Obviously, these books make money, and what do I know - maybe some of it actually works. I doubt it, but maybe. Even so, it’s not the brand I’d want anywhere near my startup or near my website. Good copy inspires, respects the reader as intelligent, and still comes off as convincing. It’s top-quality stuff that actually has something to offer, and that offers it plainly… there for the smart reader to accept or not. Good copy isn’t about being (or pretending to be) adequate, and it’s not about being ‘convincing.’ Good copy (and the best writing) is about being honest and about being sincere. The best copy isn’t about selling against the reader’s will… it’s about selling without trying.
Apparently, someone’s reading these books (because people keep writing them). And yeah, there’s probably money to be made by doing it (even on your website). But in a shrinking Internet world where each site is fighting for their space (and for their users), I wouldn’t sacrifice quality for quick cash.
Would you?
Well, at least 5 things they do wrong when it comes to writing. I’ll let the other stuff go for now.
1. They can’t spell. This bothers the hell out of me… and more than likely, it bothers the hell out of everyone who looks at the site. Nothing says ‘we’re incompetent and lazy’ like spelling and grammatical errors. Learn how to spell application, synergy, and tomorrow. Learn the difference between our and are. Even spend a couple minutes on it’s vs. its’. It’ll pay off.
2. They don’t revise. I’ve written here that EVERYBODY is a writer. It just takes effort, hard work, and revision. Everything that goes on a website should be at least 3 drafts deep. At least. I see a lot of copy that isn’t, and it’s not terrible stuff either, just another draft or two from being top quality.
3. They don’t care. I think number 1 and 2 reflect this one… I think most people don’t spell well and don’t revise well because they don’t care. They just don’t put the effort in, and I think that’s stupid. Startups aren’t selling a product - they’re selling a brand, and a brand experience. Your ability to write that experience into existence isn’t just crucial. It’s everything! You need to care, and you need to spend time on it.
4. They communicate poorly. I think a lot of startups have a good idea, and they have a good idea of how it’ll help other people. But they just can’t communicate it. I go to their website, and see that there’s something there. I see potential, and sometimes, I can ‘get it.’ But it takes a lot of effort. Usually, more effort than I have the time for… I leave before I get it. Obviously, that’s not good. The big idea (and the brand-experience) needs to there. It needs to be right up front, and it needs to be accessible.
5. They’re boring. This brings me to my last point. New startups are exciting. They’re unique, fresh, smart, and filled with seat-of-your-pants type freedom. If your copy communicates this - it really shows how cool you are, and really shows how cool your product is, people will climb over each other to get a piece of it. But if your copy doesn’t do that - if you can’t show the visitor who you are, and what your product really does, it’s boring. You’re missing the point, and missing your best opportunity to get people there, and get people using your product. Unfortunately, I see that happen a lot. Far too often.
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Apparently, more people need to read StartupWriting.com
