By: Walter Daniels

Walter Daniels — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:11:19 +0000

You;re right about the trauma, when a “need to write” moment hits. I used to “speed write” reports because I was always reading, and collecting material. Then, I could sit down and have an “aggghhh” moment, when it would spill out as fast as I could write. The biggest mistake, is to read on.y what you “need” to. Read everything you can, because that will allow you to tie together myriad ideas. If all you read is the material necessary for a project, you miss the chance to draw from multiple sources, and make the copy “real.” The basics, as I see it, for all writing, are the same.
You must capture and maintain the interest of the reader. Writing Advertising, or Marketing copy, just has to do it quicker than even a short story writer does. Instead of 5,000 words, you have, at best, 500 words, and possibly even as few as 100. That means you have to understand multiple types (genres) of people, in order to reach them. I see ad copy all the time that misses connecting with the desired type. This probably happens because they study only other advertising copy.
If you’re writing for the International Jet set, they are not the same as Midwestern Down Home types. They each will react predictably, if you know how to reach them. However, if you don’t, the copy not only fails, but can have the opposite effect. I’ve heard poorly written radio ad’s convince me to not eat at a restaurant. The ad was written to appeal to Sophisticated, East coast types. and not the Midwestern types, where the ad was broadcast. You must have both a broad knowledge of people, and what they like. That comes from constantly researching, in everything you do. Good research is as much about the product, as the intended market.

Comments on: Idea Angst and How to Beat It

By: Walter Daniels