Copybot

Essential web writing + content marketing advice

Here’s How to Discover Your Next Big Idea

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Pug Cashmere

Something happened to me a few years ago when I was working on a series for Google authorship. I had my dense whiteboard outline finished, but I needed a hook.

Some uncommon theme to tie all the articles together. That theme appeared in the character of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson.

He would become the mascot of the series. Our ideal. Our standard. The shadow that swept across every paragraph.

And I stumbled upon this idea by following a rabbit trail that terminated on his entry in Wikipedia. I had no reason to read the article. But I was curious and bored.

Besides, I had a hunch.

[Read more…]

How to Write a Brilliant Long Sentence

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Our world is full of useful guidelines on how to write for the web. Sensible, everyday guidelines. But, over time, we morph those guidelines into laws. Unbreakable rules that spoil the fun. Sour the adventure.

How to Write a Brilliant Long Sentence

Take writing short sentences, for instance.

It’s a useful guideline. Full of benefits. Meant to be inviting. Easy on the eyes. Breezy for the brain. Certainly the short sentence is a boon in this mean, cold world. Where a busy reader is likely to give your humdinger of a headline a once-over, your first line a second glance, then disappear.

Forever.

But the short sentence can become boring. Breathtakingly boring. It can become repetitive. Monotonous. Monotone. Routine. And dry. Which frustrates the reader.

See, there comes a moment in every article or sales letter where all that tension building up behind those cute, compact, and simple sentences (you know, those one-subject, one-verb constructions, with an occasional direct object thrown in if the writer is feeling frisky) must be released.

In fact, there is a secret tradition between you and the reader which says short sentences promise a surprise is on the way. Some goodie. A toy in the cereal box. But tease the reader too long and she checks out.

That’s where the long sentence enters. That sometimes complex and strange construction winding its way through your paragraphs.

[Read more…]

My Absurd Claim about Writing (3 of 3)

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Piano hands

Do you prefer any particular music or silence while you write?

I find my productivity sometimes goes up when I’ve got the right music and the right cadence. Which phase I’m in determines what kind of music.

Sometimes I will just shut everything off and write in silence, but that’s unusual. I like music, and I think that in a lot of ways, I treat my writing as music.

My keyboard is not any different than the keyboard on a piano. I want to create an image in someone’s head that could be compared to the way music appears in people’s heads.

And when I think of the people who inspire me, it’s almost always musicians.

Now, I have my favorite writers, but musicians really inspire me because I think there’s something about music that I would like to be able to do, but create as a writer.

I don’t play any instruments, so I have to pretend like I play the keyboard.

Excerpt from my Writers File interview with Kelton Reid.

Absurd claims one and two.

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A Simple Way to Get People to Believe Your Big Claim

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Open Pickle Jar-001

Another way to get people to buy into your claim is to explain the mechanism behind it.

For example, let’s say a fitness trainer makes the claim that in just 14 minutes a day customers can add muscle to every inch of their body.

Notice what is NOT suggested: that these will be particularly big muscles. The implication is, at the very least, customers can achieve a toned body.

That’s still a big claim, but the trainer can bring it into the realm of believability by explaining how this can happen.

In this case, let’s say the fitness program involves a chair. The value proposition can be summed up like this: a 14-minute chair routine that builds muscle on every inch of your body.

Notice, too, the trainer used several of the previous tips to accomplish this.

One, the claim is very specific about the amount of time it takes and the equipment necessary. In other words, it’s heavy with details.

In addition, as part of the live presentation the trainer could demonstrate with a video. All of these factors help sweep aside skepticism.

Finally, he could add a creative guarantee, and his close rates are sure to go up.

This article originally appeared as part of this Salesforce article (which I am told by a source close to the company is their most socially popular post). 

P.S. Want a daily, but small, dose of essential web writing advice? Then check out my new podcast Rough Draft.

Image source

When Not to Use Someone’s Name in a Headline

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Girl Behind Wet Window - Milada Vigerova

One popular headline writing technique on the market involves inserting famous people’s names into the headlines.

For example:

  • Richard Branson’s Guide to Surviving an Amish Bathhouse
  • The Most Controversial Feng Shui Designs by Barry Manilow
  • 1,283 Cheap and Vaguely Fun Lessons You Can Learn from Tiger Woods about Losing
  • Louis CK on How to Stack Money unto the Lord

The thought is you leverage the famous person’s name for attention. Usually works pretty well.

Naturally, this technique does not work when the person isn’t famous. Gasper Hicks might be a great guy, but his guide to how search engines work will be worthless.

But it also fails when your subject is only parochially famous. Meaning, her name might mean something to people in New Zealand, but not in South Africa or Cleveland.

Or her name is only meaningful to people who work in a certain industry like fashion, carpentry, or  telecommunications.

This happens a lot in podcast titles that involve interviews. The host will interview someone who’s doing good work, but not well-known outside a very small section of the universe.

But it occurs in articles, too.

Thus, if the focus of your article or podcast is a minor star, focus on the benefits, particularly the most powerful desire of the reader or listener.

Speaking of podcasts, have you listened to my new podcast Rough Draft?

Image source.

Is This the Proper Response to Fame?

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Cathedral Corridor

Our anticipation and response to fame should mirror the anticipation and response of the ancient acolyte to a visitation from the gods.

During the new moon the acolyte enters the temple, dons the vest, lights the incense, and prepares the sacrifice. In that prescribed order. There is nothing more he can do.

And then he waits.

With each piece of content the writer performs a similar ritual. She crafts the headline, neatly lays out one sentence at a time, shapes short paragraphs, selects the appropriate image, closes with style, and publishes it. That’s all she can do.

Then she must wait.

When the gods arrive the acolyte falls flat on his face, overwhelmed by a sense of fear, respect, and awe. He can not control whether they arrive or not. He is at their mercy.

When the audience arrives the writer falls flat on her face, overwhelmed by a sense of gratitude and obligation. She can not control whether they arrive or not. She is at their mercy. And grateful for any attention at all.

And that is the proper response to fame. Do you agree? Drop a comment.

P.S. Have you seen my new podcast Rough Draft?

What A Doomsday Cult Can Teach Us about Being Specific

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Great PlainImagine it’s late afternoon, Sunday. You are curled beneath an afghan, still bloated from the fried fish you inhaled for lunch. You are sleeping heavily. Until your doorbell erupts.

You shuffle to the front door and open it. An autumn thunderstorm blew through while you slept, bringing frigid air with it. You are surprised to see a young woman in a peasant top and floral pencil skirt standing at your doorstep. She’s drenched to the bone.

“My goodness, are you okay?” you say.

“Hi,” she says, “I’m fine.” She extends her hand. You take it. It is a firm grip. “I’m Madeline,” she says.

She looks over her shoulder. A tall man wearing a black button up oxford and white tie nods from the sidewalk. He’s leaning on an umbrella.

She then looks you square in the eye and says, “Are you ready for the end of the world?” [Read more…]

Gimpy Web Copy? Use This 4-Step Formula to Make It Killer

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Donut Messs

Do you want a simple, sticky formula that turns your listless copy into something that rivets attention, stokes desire, and gets action?

If you said “yes,” then the 4 Ps is what you are after. Let’s start with an example.

Here’s a short ad promoting a fantasy

Wanted: Ugly Men
Listen, ugly men, with one little pill, I can make you so attractive that women will throw themselves at you every time you walk through the mall.

Want proof?

Just ask Marty Feldman or Michael Berryman. They now beat women off of them with sticks.

Call 1-800-ugly-men now if you are interested.

See any pattern in the above copy? I’m using the Ps. So, what are the 4 Ps?

  • Promise
  • Paint
  • Proof
  • Push

Let’s break this little ad down so I can show you how this formula works. [Read more…]