The Copywriting Maven

photo credit: eyeliam

Popcorn and Sleepy Time tea at the ready, I thought I was going to be watching a debate. He talks, she responds, and the moderator breaks up the fist-fight ugliness.

Instead, I heard this (direct from the transcript):

… I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I’m going to talk straight to the American people …

Hmm. I got to wondering how a client might react when having handed over a set of guidelines for a new campaign heard “I don’t really care to follow the guidelines you’ve just given me. I’m just going to write it straight to your customers.”

I think we’d be quickly shown the door, if not forcibly removed due to fear we were completely wacky and might cause someone great harm.

I wonder why the moderator didn’t step in with a “Governor Palin, this is a debate between you and Senator Biden. Not a stump speech. Please respond to the Senator and step lively. We only have XX minutes left in this segment.”

But that’s me. I like keeping people and projects focused and on track.

No wonder interviews give Palin the yips. She doesn’t like the format. I have to admit tho, it would be intriguing to watch her in a typical, free-for-all press conference — all perky poses and talking points that don’t quite connect to the questions being asked — but I’ll leave that to Tina Fey and the SNL comedy crew to sketch out that scenario.

I know, I know. Like you I was a little sad we didn’t get at least one “Sir, you are no Jack Kennedy!” moment or major foul-ups. (I did like her “O’Biden mash-up. That was fun.) But as political performances go, it was reasonably good theater.

Back to what ‘tackling the task’ means … if we treat last night’s debate as an actual debate, well, you just can’t give her a passing grade. Even the third grade kids in her shout out last night know what happens when you fail to follow the directions of an assignment.

You get an F no matter how gosh darn cute you are. Period.

According to Jewish tradition, Rosh Hashanah is the birthday of world. Now while I don’t actually believe the world is only 5769 solar years old, I like the fact we can celebrate with cake.

Because, afterall, what’s a birthday without cake? Pretty crappy, I’d say.

So rather than regale you with the serious sounds and traditions of my tribal members at this holiest time of the year, I prefer to simply wish you all things sweet and cake … and lots of it.

L’Shana Tova - Happy New Year. May you all be inscribed in the Book of Life.

Let me tell you about my big blue can.

No, no … not THAT kind of can. (And mine ain’t blue, thank you very much

As you know, I love smart thinking. It inspires me on all levels, creative and otherwise. It also helps to boost my problem-solving acumen. The trick is to see the smarter thinking that’s all around us.

Today’s case in point? My big, blue, brand-new recycling can from the county. Let’s take a look at the issues:

• Problem: Too much recyclable product going into the trash
• Solution: Increase the number of households to recycle.
• Challenge: People say they want to recycle but it’s a major hassle. Why a hassle? Not enough info on which products can be recycled. Bins are too small and can be icky to handle. Hard to drag the overflowing mess to the curb.
• Solution: Provide households with a HUGE, lidded-can with wheels with easy-to-read and understanding labeling on the top. And no more sorting, bagging. Dump everything into one neat place.

Voila! Immediately improved compliance. The difference in one week in my own neighborhood was astounding.

I read that one of the county directors had read that simply adding wheels to the recycle bin significantly boosted recycling compliance in the community that was testing different consumer strategies. A good idea was made better by making the can larger and lidded.

The key here? People want to do the right thing but won’t if it’s hard. By reducing the pain of recycling the county gets an immediate and major gain in compliance.

So what’s the lesson to be learned here? Remove the obstacles for our prospects and customers. Make it easier for them to change brands, give our product/service a try, or consider a new way of doing something they’ve been reluctant to do.

Remember, we don’t have to get them to YES. We just have to get them to “Sure, why not.” It’s the latter that’s moving me as well as my neighbors to recycle more of our household waste.

Like I said, I love smart thinking. If you have an example of smart thinking that has inspired you, too, I’ve love to hear it!

photo credit: TheTruthAboutMortgage.com

I firmly believe that when all is said and done, copywriting is a noble profession.

Invariably every copywriting class I teach gets to hear me say it. Invariably someone laughs.

Yes, sad to say, some of us use our considerable powers for evil (and you all know who you are) enriching those who least deserve it.

On the other hand, there are those of us who use our copy crafting, emotion stirring powers for the greater good. We help build hospitals, museums and libraries, and tens of thousands of charities and non-profits both great and small with our talents and techniques.

And sometimes we can help just one person have a better, brighter day.

The following video was referenced by Mike Duffey, The Winery Web Site Report in a comment he left on Mike Moran’s article, Copywriting for the Busy. It was a soft, sweet balm to this copywriter’s soul.

You don’t have to understand Spanish to enjoy it. I promise you’ll feel enobled when the video concludes. I know I did. It captures the old saw, “It’s not what you say but how you say it.” with a fresh new perspective.

Enjoy and feel good about what you do to make a living.

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• My favorite resource on landing pages - The ultimate guide to writing and designing effective landing pages - Marketing Sherpa’s Landing Page Handbook, 2008