Here’s the funny thing about effective, persuasive copywriting: You do better if you forget most everything you learned beyond eighth grade.

“Huh?” you say. “Then what was the point of high school? College?”

From a copywriter’s standpoint, higher education is valuable for other reasons — you learn to see trends, unearth truths, or recognize deep cultural patterns, among other things.

But, as far as writing goes, the most effective style of conversing hits around the sixth-to-eighth grade range.

Why? Because that’s how we speak. Few people converse in lengthy sentences peppered with split infinitives and semi-colons. Instead, our conversations tend to have short sentences. Colloquialisms. Common phrases. Personalized observations. Slang.

When it comes to writing persuasive copy, the same holds true. You don’t want to bore your reader with long descriptions of the background and reasoning behind your product or service. Instead, write as if you were having a conversation. Hit your key points first. Make them interesting and brief. Use an active voice over a passive one.

Follow these tips, and you’re bound to have your readers stick with you for much longer. Ideally, to the point of sale.

Maximize contrast between the typography and the background.

Reason: a greater amount of contrast makes it easier to distinguish an image. This is especially true for the contrast in
color between text and paper.

As for type size: yes, older readers prefer large type. But type style also matters. Avoid ornate typefaces and overuse of italics. Choose a serif type.

A bit more spacing between lines also enhances readability. Avoid extensive use of ALL CAPS and type reversing out of a solid or screen.

Indenting paragraphs and use of standard capitalization improve reading, as do smaller blocks of copy, shorter lines of type, and more paragraphs.

Source: Writing That Works, 1/9/08

*This article appears courtesy of Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter, located at www.bly.com

*by John Forde, whose free weekly e-Letter, “The Copywriter’s Roundtable” is definitely worth subscribing to.

It’s embarrassing the number of I’ve times had to explain: “copywriting” and “copyrights” have next to nothing to do with each other.

Not embarrassing for me, mind you, but for the guy who asks me how to protect the draft of his novel about high school from plagiarists.

However, I’m not giving the whole story here, because the two terms — ‘copyright’ and ‘copywrite’ — actually DO have a little something in common.

Let me explain by way of a note sent to me some time ago by copywriter Brad Grindrod…

“When I’m writing a promotion, I’ve got a ton of material I’ve gathered to support the claims in my letter. But I’m just not sure if or how I can legally use it.”

First, some kudos for Brad.

Gathering a ton of research, in my opinion, is the right place to start. And not just for writing promo copy.

Magazine articles, novels, screenplays…

All benefit from deep research.

Divinity, said Nabakov, is in the details. But here’s the quandary:

What if someone else came up with those details first?

THE TRUTH ABOUT BORROWED WISDOM

Let’s start with terminology:

What, exactly, IS copyright infringement?

Matt Turner, an old college buddy and senior lawyer for a major publishing company, lays it on the line:

“In the context of the written word, copyright infringement is literally stealing (i.e. ‘copying’) someone else’s words without permission,” says Matt, “However, ideas themselves aren’t copyrightable.”

This, obviously, is a controversial point.

In the shortest terms, it’s DIRECT and EXACT representing of someone else’s work as your own that puts you most at risk.

Clear So Far?

After you’ve got the simple concept clear in your mind… enter the nuances, stage right.

For instance, JOURNALISTIC and COMMERCIAL speech do NOT have the same freedoms.

Matt explains:

“In commercial speech, the law is not as favorable to the writer… advertising copy is commercial speech, since it’s aim is to sell.”

So what’s that mean?

It does NOT mean that you’re barred from citing great stats or famous quotes.

In fact, quite the opposite.

A good citation or borrowed anecdote — provided you don’t violate “fair use” laws (another can of works, addressed in today’s “Missing Link”) — can actually INCREASE your credibility and legitimacy rather than threat it.

The big difference between journalism and promo-writing, says Matt, is the use of images and photos. INCLUDING, by the way, those photos for which you can buy the rights:

“You can’t use someone’s photo to sell something without his permission. On the other hand, you CAN use the same photo in a new story or editorial. Because it’s news, not the key element of a sales pitch.”

Okay, that seems pretty clear, yes? So what about data and stats?

“Pure data has little or no copyright protection, either. You can’t and shouldn’t just steal a chart outright. However, if the information you’re using is something publicly observable that someone took the time to gather… and you find your own way to represent it… you should be fine.”

What about the “essence” or outline of an idea?

Says Matt, “Ideas are NEVER legally safe. It’s only the actual expression of the idea that’s protected.”

Phew… it sounds like an intellectual free-for-all! But don’t lick your chops just yet, you unscrupulous mongrel:

“Stealing someone’s work can cost you plenty,” warns Matt. “Especially if it can be shown you cut into their business by taking their words.”

Lengthwise, I’m overdue to wrap this article up. Yet I feel we’ve barely scratched the surface.

Maybe I can summarize:

Yes Brad, there IS a copyright clause.

You’ll stumble across it any time you sit down to research or write.

But worry not.

Even in promo copy, you can STILL use data to punch up your points… you CAN use quotes that fortify credibility… you can EVEN make vigorous adaptations of one or two borrowed ideas along the way.

HOWEVER, keep this in mind too…

Stealing material outright is different. How can you tell the difference between good research and going too far? Simple. If you feel like you’re cheating, you probably are.

Let the tingle in your spine be your guide.

Some writers, mostly journalists, are solidly against the use of the word “you” when writing copy. It’s as if they think writing in second-person narrative is second-class.

Really, it depends on the medium. If you’re writing for a newspaper or magazine article, second-person is less likely to be appropriate.

But, on a blog, in an email, or on a website, it’s essential — that is, if you’re looking to connect with your audience (and who isn’t?).

That’s because web-based conversations should be thought of as one-to-one conversations. Personalization is everything.

Take the advice of copywriting legend Claude Hopkins. In 1923, he told marketers, “Don’t think of people in the mass. This gives you a blurred view.”

Instead, as Claude put it, you should focus on individuals.

Not only will this make your writing more conversational, it’ll also ensure your message is personal. When it comes to selling on the web, that’s one of the golden keys.

Make it easy for e-mail subscribers to share content through social networks. Including “share with your network” (SWYN) links in your e-mails. When recipients click on the SWYN link, it automatically populates their Facebook status or a Twitter post with a URL link to the content of the e-mail and, if you wish, a brief blurb.

Source: Chief Marketer, 1/11, p. 30.

*This article appears courtesy of Bob Bly’s Direct Response Letter, located at www.bly.com