And that is, you’ve got to be creative.

One of the prevailing stereotypes is that to write effective copy – let alone write it faster – you need to be the creative type. Phooey!

Let’s get a professional opinion on this.

This is David Ogilvy. The King of Madison Avenue.

Ogilvy is often referred to as the father of modern advertising.

He started what became one of the largest advertising agencies in the world which still bears his name and was part of the inspiration behind the “Mad Men” television series.

When it comes to creativity, as you’d expect from a Scotsman, he didn’t mince words:

if it doesn’t sell, it isn’t creative

One of the most influential figures in advertising and marketing in the last 100 years knew from experience that writing effective copy wasn’t about creative prose.

It’s about results.

As an aside David Ogilvy, Original Mad Man of Madison Avenue considered himself a “lousy copywriter”.

Meanwhile some of the best copywriters aren’t creative at all – not in the traditional sense. They use tried and tested methods to get their persuasive message across.

Ogilvy later condensed his lessons learnt building one of the world’s largest advertising agencies in a book, “Ogilvy on Advertising”

The opening sentence from his book drives this message home. He said:

I do not regard advertising as entertainment or an art-form. When I write an advertisement, I don’t want you to tell me you find it creative. I want you to find it so interesting you buy the product.

Let’s get a second opinion on this.

This is Gary Bencivenga.

Gary is the copywriter’s copywriter.

Gary trained under the fathers of modern advertising and copywriting including John Caples and David Ogilvy. He’s is widely regarded as the best copywriter of his generation (some say of the last century).

This is what Gary had to say on creative copy:

Effective copywriting is salesmanship in print, not clever wordsmithing

Oh, and by the way, Gary has a B.A. in English Literature, a background we often associate with “creative writing”.

And then there’s Bob Bly.

Bob’s been referred to as “America’s Top Copywriter”, especial in the business-to-business space.

Over 4 decades Bob has written over 70 books on business, marketing and copywriting including the renowned “The Copywriter’s Handbook”.

Here’s Bob’s perspective on creativity and copy:

structure is key: if your copy does not follow the formula for persuasion, it won’t work … no matter how creative you get

Great copywriters add their own unique individuality to a well laid path rather than starting from a clean slate each time. We’ll talk more about these well laid paths another time.

Meanwhile, as a successful copywriter earning high 6-figures every year, Bob has a degree in Chemical Engineering. Far removed from what you’d consider a creative background.

Writing a great sales letter is about preparation & process, not creativity

Writing copy, like many professions, involves a known process.

With the right training and the right tools you can write effective copy faster too.

I’m going to reveal techniques the best copywriters use to dramatically improve their productivity in future posts.

But for now let me say that in all my research I only found one, lone copywriter claim their productivity was due to “discipline and motivation”.

I guess we can cross that one off our list.

Finally this is Ray Edwards.

Ray is a renowned copywriter and author of the best-selling “Writing Riches”.

He’s written or directed campaigns responsible for an estimated $100 million in sales having worked with Tony Robbins through to Jeff Walker of Product Launch Formula fame.

Ray contends that a great sales letter is not concocted from some creative outburst.

It’s a formula. And a typical sales letter has fifteen basic elements or building blocks.

Here’s what Ray had to say about writing a sales letter

It’s a formula. And if you follow the formula, you will get predictable results. You will sell stuff.

So what are the 3 cures to writing creativity?

Many copywriters cited tools, techniques, frameworks and other resources to write copy faster.

Instead of creativity, many copywriters cited tools, techniques, frameworks and other resources to write effective copy faster.

In summary these are:

• Research
• Templates
• Formulas

Over the coming weeks we’ll explore each of these areas with practical, hands-on techniques you can use to write effective emails, sales letters and sale pages faster.

The post 3 Ways to kill the creative copywriting myth (once and for all) appeared first on Copy-Fast.

Some might call you an expert.

But then, it seems we’re all experts today.

We’re bombarded with ‘expert’ opinions on the news.

In the media. Online. Everywhere!

Even people who might not consider to be an expert are experts.

Not convinced?

Here’s a snap of a truck I took outside a pub at the Borough Market recently.

To save you squinting, on the side of the truck in front of a photo with their staff it says “It’s not just a drinks delivery, it’s a truckload of expertise”.

Are they kidding? They’re just dropping off some booze at the local battlecruiser.

But still, they’re presenting themselves to the world as experts in the logistics of beverage distribution.

So back to that shingle you’ve hung out.

If everyone’s calling themselves an expert, how are you going to stand out from the crowd?

Calling yourself an expert will sound “me too” at best, or make you invisible at worst.

The solution?

Don’t call a spade-a-spade.

Call it a ‘manually operated soil displacement apparatus’.

You want to convey the same concept or impression but by saying in it a very different way.

Even better,you want to have the right tools at your disposal to make the whole task easier and faster.

Here’s an example I saw outside Marylebone tube station recently.

On the side of the cab, with a pointed finger  it says “This guy knows London like the back of his hand”.

Now to be fair, London Cabbies posses The Knowledge, and are renowned for their intimacy with London’s back streets and alleyways.

But the point is the advert doesn’t say this cabbie has an expert knowledge of London streets or that he’s an expert driver.

Experts are cliché.

Besides, he’s far more experienced than that! He knows London streets so well, he knows them “like the back of his hand”.

9 Expert Formulas to Stand Out from the Crowd

Here’s 9 formulas you can use to stand out in the crowd and convey your expertise in a world full of experts.

Swipe whichever one suits your situation the best.

Just copy. Tweak. Voila!

_______ have combined their talents

Two heads are better than one. This formula shows how your talents are strengthened further by a collaboration.

This is a great formula to swipe if you work in a partnership. This could be between your business and another; renowned members of your own team or, even better, between experts previously considered to be adversaries.

Here’s an example:

Bassist Mike Smith and trumpet virtuoso Tom Wesson have combined their talents to form a harmonic duo that will mesmerise you.

_______ is our business

This formula implies that you are a specialist and with that comes a depth of knowledge, experience or a product range not available with a generalist competitor.

Some companies like Toys’R’Us even used their business name to emphasise that expertise.

Toys’R’Us were previously a generalist department store who changed their name and their entire focus after realising their only truly profitable department was toys.

Here’s an example:

Your health is our concern; after all nutrition is our business.

_______ – meister

‘Meister’ originates from the German for ‘master’ although it’s exact translation depends on the context.

Meister is also used casually in English as a compound noun. For example, a “puzzle-meister” would be someone highly skilled at solving puzzles.

Use meister when a more hip or trendy portrayal of expertise is required.

Referring to a dentist as a tooth-meister has less credibility than a DJ who’s a spin-meister.

Here’s an example:

DJ Eric Stone is the spin-meister of ‘80s rock

(admittedly I’m giving my age away with this example)

award-winning

Your expertise has been recognised by third-parties by virtue of the awards that you, your company or product have won.

Essentially you’re letting everyone else say what an expert you are. They’re effectively testimonials given by third parties.

Milk this one for all it’s worth and remember to include images of the awards – even wine bottle labels do this.

Here’s an example:

Our award-winning journalists will ensure you’re up-to-date with all the breaking news.

endowed with _______

‘Endowed’ suggests your expertise is something innate and cannot easily be replicated.

This is supremely suitable for demonstrating your expertise in creative or artistic endeavours.

You’ve either got it or you haven’t; and you’ve got it, baby.

You could also use “flair for _______” as an alternative.

Here’s some examples:

SlimPlus is endowed with 12 naturally growing, rare herbs which …

and

A virtuoso of classical guitarist with a flair for improvisation, Juan will mesmerise you with his masterly skill.

meticulously engineered

Your technical expertise is expressed through the precision and attention to detail in your engineering.

Suited to products where engineering quality is a major selling point.

Here’s an example:

Wesson power-tools are meticulously engineered for power, agility and endurance.

professional, experienced staff

Here you are leveraging two concepts to emphasise your expertise.
First your staff are professionals suggesting your product or service is delivered to a high standard achieved by a formally recognised education or training.
Secondly that professionalism is backed-up by experience not just theory.

Here’s an example:

Our professional, experienced staff will guide you through every step of the process and answer any questions you have.

pioneers in _______

You’re not just an expert in your field but one of the pioneers who started it. You may not have been the first, but being a pioneer allows you to be at the forefront.

Similar to the ‘we pioneered the _______’ formula, this frames you as an innovator.

To be credible, this needs to be consistent with your market positioning. Kodak ‘pioneered’ digital photographing in the mid-1970s but are not considered a leading player in that area now.

Here’s an example:

As pioneers in sound technology our range of exceptional Wesson headphones will impress the most discerning audiophile.

we’re totally obsessed with _______

As Winston Churchill once quipped, “A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject”.

This formula is particularly suitable for markets where your customers are fanatical or aficionados such as with golf or cigars (although there’s many others. ComicCon anyone?).

This formula connects with your market showing that you’re one of them.

Even better if you can show that your staff is made up of people with the same obsession (take a look at an Apple Store).

Here’s an example:

Like you, we’re totally obsessed with pure sound quality, which is why we test all our headphones ourselves against everything from Vivaldi to Van Halen.

Wrapping Up

Feel free to swipe these and use them as your own.

Just copy. Tweak. Voila.

But these are just the tip of the iceberg . . .

The post 9 Ways to Stand Out in the Crowd in a World Full of Experts appeared first on Copy-Fast.