Copywriting basics can be summed up in 6 s's: specificity, structure, sound, statement, story, and style.

1. Creativity and Copywriting
Lecture 5

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4. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
You cannot use the physical nature of the words.2
List A: Pile. Pie. Pillar. Pin. List B: Sponge. Spit. Spirit. Tattoo.3
“Pairing”
On some basis pair a word from list A with a word from list B. Define the basis.1
You have 5 minutes to write down your thoughts.4
Creative Thinking

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6. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5 | page 6
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8. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Quick Review
Flickr user Raul Lieberwirth

9. Lecture 5: Copywriting Basics
Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5

10. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Flickr user Tom Mrazek
The truth is this: writing well is
part habit, part knowledge of
some fundamental rules, and
part giving a damn.
Ann Handley, MarketingProfs
“

11. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Copywriting today
6 S’s of great copywriting
Agenda

12. Copywriting Today
Is copywriting
dead?

13. @workedforfood
Copywriting Today
Today, copywriters need to write with more
economy to create greater impact in less time.

14. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Copywriting today
6 S’s of great copywriting
Agenda

15. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Voice
Details
Style
Thesis
Organization
Story
1
2
3
4
5
6
Sound
Specificity
Style
Statement
Structure
Story
1
2
3
4
5
6
6 S’s

16. Sound
Style
Statement
Structure
Story
Specificity
6 S’s

17. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
A brand’s voice is its personality
communicated in language.
voice = tone of voice = tone = personality = sound
Sound

18. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5 Flickr user Tom Mrazek
The [uncovering] of who is
talking precedes the words
themselves and determines
them.
Ryan Caroll
“

19. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Brand book
Employees
Loyal customers
Past advertisements
Uncovering Sound
Existing brand assets

20. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Expressing Sound
Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Profiles
If your brand were a person, who would it be?
How would they talk?

21. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Expressing Sound
Slogans
Condensed selling arguments – memorable,
identifiable, sustainable & understandable

22. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Expressing Sound
Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Adjectives
A curated and meaningful* collection of 3-5
words that sum up a brand’s personality
*extension of the brand values

23. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Expressing Sound
Manifestos
A pithy paragraph, or list of principles, that
declare a brand’s motivations – a rally cry

24. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Often, brands will express their sound in
a number of ways to paint a clear picture.
Expressing Sound

25. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Consistency is key.
Expressing Sound

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29. 6 S’s
Sound
Style
Statement
Structure
Story
Specificity

30. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Details add weight and
believability to your writing.
Flickr user mountainamoeba
Specificity

31. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Details
Specificity
Draw from your research and
consider sensory cues,
connotation, and comparisons

32. 6 S’s
Style
Specificity
Sound
Statement
Structure
Story

33. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Style is the technique of writing.
Flickr user Butch Dalisay
Style

34. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
“Trying to add style is like wearing a toupé...”
Flickr user Keli Schimelpfenig
Style

35. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
George Orwell’s 6 Rules for Writing
(i) Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are
used to seeing in print.
(ii) Never use a long word where a short one will do.
(iii) If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
(iv) Never use the passive where you can use the active.
(v) Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you
can think of an everyday English equivalent.
(vi) Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
Style

36. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Try cutting a lot of your word-
count, especially those words
that add little extra meaning.
Don’t over-use the passive voice.
And whether passive or active,
be clear who did what to whom.
= Edit ruthlessly = Write straightforward with
strong verbs
Style

37. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
To edit effectively, let it cool.
Style

38. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
What’s the biggest difference
between writing and copywriting?
Copywriting Sells
Flickr user Aranami
Style

39. 6 S’s
Style
Specificity
Sound
Structure
Story
Statement

40. A statement, or thesis, is a central organizing idea, usually
an interpretation of the strategy proposition.
Statement

41. 6 S’s
Structure
Story
Statement
Style
Specificity
Sound

42. Flow
• Beginning – strong start,
continuation from the
headline
• Middle – selling facts
revolving around thesis
• End – call to action,
concluding fact or a line that
relates back to the headline
Structure

43. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Structure
Coherence
The relationship of the parts to
the parts

44. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Structure
Unity
The relationship of the parts to
the whole

45. 6 S’s
Structure
Statement
Style
Specificity
Sound
Story

46. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
A story is an account of events that
happen over time to someone(s) to
interest, amuse or instruct.
Flickr user Marc Wathieu
Story

47. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Flickr user Honou
What are the 7 key elements of a story?
The “core argument” of the story.1
The “who” of your story.2
The central image or thing in which is condensed much of a story's meaning.2
First, second, third, limited, omniscient4
The ”where” of your story.5
The “personality” of the story.6
The “engine” of your story.7
Story

48. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Story
Participation
Create a role for the
audience

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Story
Length
Stop when you are
finished

50. Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5
Story
Plot Lines
Know them!

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52. Ciao Ciao
Lynn CS4029 Lecture 5