Conservatism Ruined My Copywriting

Bloody Theresa May, coming in here with her run on sentences and her ad-hoc approach to line breaks. I tell you what, this’d never have happened if Milliband had been able to eat a sandwich correctly…

Don’t worry. This isn’t that kind of post. It’s not about those Tories. And I definitely won’t be telling you who to vote for.

Conservatism’s ruined my copywriting, not the Conservatives. I’m talking about that small c conservatism that goes hand in hand with impostor syndrome and all of that nonsense. That little voice in your head that nags at you to play it safe with a draft.

It’s been about as good for my career as being mates with Michael Gove was for Boris Johnson’s.

And it’s easy to see why.

Conservatism Kills Your Mojo

Conservatism kills your creative ardour just as surely as the words “John Major had a torrid affair with Edwina Currie” will kill your romantic mood.

Conservative copy means playing it safe. Taking no risks. Going with the tried and tested. Yawn.Click To Tweet

Unfortunately, that often means dull. The only thing less exciting than reading a dull piece of copy is writing one. Which is mainly due to the fact that your audience is going to tune out that dull piece of copy about ten words in, while you’re stuck there, plugging away, typing out endless worthy words that nobody’s going to read.

So loosen the tie, kick off the shiny shoes and let your hair down with your writing. Be daring. Find a fun new way of saying something that your audience has – in all likelihood – heard a thousand times before.

 

And don’t worry if you go a touch too far in your first draft, because…

 

It’s Easier to Dial It Back than Turn It Up

Unlike changing a manifesto the day after you write it, nobody’s going to claim going to a second draft of a piece is a sign that you’re weak and wobbly when it comes to marketing.

Great copy requires feedback and input from a client. That’s why all of my contracts include second and third drafts in the pricing. Sometimes a client will think the tone’s been pushed a little too far, and that’s fine.

It’s easy to dial back on the quirkiness, or the humour, or whatever creative flourish you’ve added. It can be done simply and naturally, without affecting the flow of the piece too much.

Try it the other way though.

Take 300 words of staid, stolid and grey copy and try and breathe life into it. You end up with a Frankenstein’s monster, where you can see the clown nose bolted to the front of the beige business apparel.

Nobody’s going to be convinced by that.

There’s No Shame in Getting it Wrong. Once.

As I said above, I’ve made this mistake in the past. I’ve been too conservative with a tone of voice. I’ve had a client ask for something light and frothy, only for me to look at what everyone else in their industry is doing and add a bit more heft, a bit more starch and a bit less glitter.

The client hated it.

The focus group didn’t like it.

It performed absolutely fucking abysmally in a split test against the quirkier piece the client had me put together at short notice.

We all make mistakes. We all hear the clarion call of conservative copy at one time or another. And we all fall for it. That’s fine.

But make sure you learn from it, and always make sure you’ve got a viable alternative waiting in the wings for when it all comes crashing down around your ears. Because sticking to the safe option’s not going to pay off for you in the long run.

Take a risk. Live a little.

Don’t let conservatism ruin your copy.