How to Turn Dull Matter into Interesting Copy

chillibreeze writer — Neha Puntambekar

Who wouldn’t like to pen a commercial for Levi’s or Porsche? A sexy model. A great picture. And one smart line. A dream job. However once you’re on the job, reality strikes, and it strikes hard. Instead of a life of glamour and glitz, you find yourself selling fertilizers and banking schemes, hair oils and complex IT services.

Dull, dull, dull.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. No matter what the product, you can still produce some crackling copy. All it takes is a little bit of effort and some word spin.

Remember every product has a story to tell, even a nail cutter, and as a writer, it is up to you to find this story, and present it in an interesting, consumer-friendly format. Easier said than done? Not if you keep these tips in mind while writing:

1. Don’t write about your product. Talk about it. Save the complex, stiff and formal words for a boardroom meeting. This is your product. Tell your customers why you believe in it and why they should too, like you would tell a friend. Take the product closer to the consumers, thereby making them more open to buying it.

2. Use the headline as bait to draw in the reader. Find a link that connects your product to the consumer, the USP, and exploit it. Once the reader is hooked, he/she will automatically look into the copy for answers. As far as possible limit jargon here, but where necessary, lighten/simplify the topic without taking away from the issue.

3. Keep it short. If it can be said in two sentences, don’t say it in five. And what can be said in five, can be said in three as well. The longer the copy, the lesser the chances of the consumer reading it. Be a ruthless editor. Keep it crisp. Make an impact.

4. If your product has a long list of benefits that have to be mentioned, opt for bullet points instead of burying the information in a rambling paragraph. This way, each point stands out, and the consumer gets the needed information by simply glancing through the matter.

5. The most criminal act by a copywriter is adjective abuse. Do not litter the message with unnecessary adjectives. It just weighs down your copy and your product. Instead tell it like it is - keep it simple and keep it real.

It’s as easy as that. Now, pick your brief, and get cracking.

Chillibreeze's disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article.

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—About our writer:

Neha is a freelance writer based in Zagreb. Currently exploring Europe, she is addicted to books, blogs and coffee.

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