Copywriting Conundrum: The incredible power (and sales-sucking danger) of being yourself

(actual fortune-cookie fortune I received on Sunday night)

A recent flurry of activity followed by four days of fatigue/nigh paralysis got me thinking about a lot of things, and when I got this fortune (above) after a hearty plate of combination chow mein, my thoughts turned to what I had learned this week from Michel Fortin, Joe Vitale, and indirectly from Clayton Makepeace.

Michel and I have been doing a lot of teleseminars together lately.  One thing he keeps hammering home is that the copy you write needs to be in your own voice -- not a pale-imitation, carbon-copy version of someone else's.

Joe asked me to review the manuscript of a new book he's coming out with, and in his own way, he makes the same point, rather emphatically.

And a friend of mine who attended Clayton's seminar this weekend was telling me that Clayton showed how he uses a lot of religious imagery (metaphor) in his copy -- which comes in part at least from a very strong religious background (through, my friend reported, Clayton says he's not that religious now).

What all three great copywriters are harping on is that you've got to bring you - the real you, the unvarnished you, the unique and peculiar you, the unconventional you - to the party when you start to write copy.  And that's when the magic will happen.

But, there's a catch.  (There always is, now, isn't there?)

And that's that you have to know the difference between "advertisement" and "soapbox."

For there's a difference, and an important one, between being your unique, unconventional, quirky self, and using an advertising medium as a canvas to express your deepest creative and opinionated needs.

I've seen far too many people get drunk on their success with direct response copywriting, only to fall into the pit of ego-gratifying chest-beating, thinking that suddenly human nature has changed and people are really going to spend money because they have something to say.

How do you avoid falling into the pit yourself?

If I knew, I somehow think my life would be different than it is now.  Because people from far and wide, people with money and power, great deals of it, thousands of these people, would either be

• lining up to seek my counsel, or
• trying to chase me off the face of the Earth.

And while I don't have the complete and irrefutable answer, this I can tell you with certainty, as a start. 

Make sure whatever expression you are making, that is truly 'you,' stands up to the test by getting yes answers to these two questions (the first, originally heard from Dan Kennedy, the second, I gladly confess, from yours truly):

1. Does it advance the sale?

2. Is the copy more about the customer than it is about you?

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter

Comments

[Judy Kettenhofen]

David,

This reminds me of what Mike says when he says copy is about sharing your enthusiasm for your product.

The "you" you are sharing is infectious marvelling about the wonders of your product--inviting the reader, seducing the reader into that beautiful vision of your product that you have.

[David Garfinkel]

Right on the button, Judy.

David

[Kevin Francis]

David,

No question that adding "personality" increases the power of copy, subject to the 2 points you make. The interesting question, though, is what to do when you're not writing as yourself.

As you know, I write primarily for someone else, so I effectively "Ghostwrite". It's not appropriate for me to inject my personality directly into the copy.

Also raises the question for freelancers working with multiple clients. There's likely to be different "Spokespeople" for each product with a different personality and voice for each product.

Of course, if you're doing all the writing for a particular product then you can create the "personality". To me, a good example of that is John Carlton's golf letters and "Doc O'Leary".

Judy makes a great point but I think that's more about "passion" in the letter rather than the "personality" aspect.

So, any thoughts on "rules" for appropriate use of personality? I sense an addition to "Copywriting Templates" here!

[John]

It is always enthusiasm.

[Chris]

This makes ultimate sense. After all, if we look at Sir Gary Halbert, John Carlton for just two examples, clearly their (quirky) personalities shine through.

That they've had phenomenal success isn't happenstance, it what they bring to the copy of themselves while focusing on what the customer needs.

[David Garfinkel]

I tend to agree with Chris. You can be somewhat of a chameleon / method actor, but ultimately your passion is, at best, going to be a different flavor of the same potent brew for different clients, when you're ghosting.

And I think John's right on the money, too -- it's enthusiasm that counts.

David

[Linda Offenheiser]

I certainly agree that expressing personality is a must ~ whether you're creating your own copy or that of a client. But isn't it fun to play different roles with enthusiasm (which has to be one of the key ingredients)?

[David Garfinkel]

Yes, Linda. I think the intensity, passion and enthusiasm are the key factors here - and how you "spin" them is what creates the different roles.

It's the holding back of your native intensity, passion and enthusiasm... or manufacturing a type that is totally not native to you... that gets people in trouble.

David

[Phil Dunn]

To get excited about something that's not yours... there's the rub.

We all have to eat. Taking on projects that may be less than compelling.

The dream client would say "research our industry, be yourself, and show us what makes you excited about our product." Maybe this should be a process step for project kick-off meetings.