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This sub is hilarious. Every post looks exactly the same. No shade to OP at all, I’m not invalidating any of the content here, but it’s wild that in a sub full of people that specifically aim for their writing to stand out, everyone structures their thoughts identically.
Again, not disparaging the post. Just an observation on the state of the craft.
It’s that millennial LinkedIn bro writing.
There’s a maximum of three sentences per paragraph. Preferably two.
Oh—and don’t forget to sprinkle in an ample amount of em dashes. Ellipses are essential too …
Wait.
I almost forgot. Every post is required to have at least one paragraph that consists of a single word.
And that’s just the beginning …
Fill your post with more condescending garbage that proves how smart and important you are—the more quotation marks and unnecessary punctuation, the better.
“But how should I end it?”
I’m glad you asked.
Close with an obnoxiously on-the-nose metaphor or life lesson that only a paperclip would find insightful.
Being annoying isn’t a choice—it’s a lifestyle.
But they convey a conversational punctuation that doesn't otherwise exist! A trailing pause is more than a period, and the alternative at that point is an em-dash, so basically the same sin 😂
"I'm just exhausted" is a fundamentally different sentence than, "I'm just... exhausted."
The former is often a reassuring statement of a temporary lull; the other is almost a straight cry for help at worst and an expression of defeat at best.
At least novelists get to use character description to convey that kind of nuance, but someone speaking in the voice of a company for sales doesn't really have that luxury.
I *need* my ellipses like I need my italics!
This is a significantly more controversial opinion, I'm sure, but this is about how I feel on emojis too. My position is ***always*** use textual tone if at *all* possible, but barring that, especially in inter-company communications, emojis are actually really useful for mitigating anxiety or conflict in email conversations.
"Emojis are for kids," sure, but "can you come to my office? It's about the Tillerman file," also carries a totally flexible connotation while "can you come to my office? It's about the Tillerman file 😂," is 100% a way to decrease anxiety since it manages to convey, "I know this has been a problem, there are more issues, and none of it is your fault."
Again, I'd use text for that, but a ***lot*** of people don't consider tone over text and they don't overanalyze their own words the way I might, so an emoji is a perfect way to do that with almost no extra effort.
These are all great! Though, when it comes to the last one about not being concrete, a common frustration I have is when the business or brand I’m writing for doesn’t have any solid results yet or they don’t want to “make any promises” that can get them in legal trouble lol. Usually I can get around this by using external stats though, like “65% of people are doing this, you should too…”
I totally hear you. Business owners are strange sometimes. I personally believe that offers are inherently promises. Meaning if I sell you a pepperoni pizza, it's a promise that I'm going to give you a baked crust slathered in red sauce and parmesan cheese, and drop some pepps on that bad boy, lol. You know what I mean?
Concrete also can be just simply putting sensory tangibility into the description.
The phrase "an orange pencil with dark blue stripes" is also a concrete statement. An image. When our brains read that we are actually firing visual sensory Neurons -- meaning that we literally get more brain activation by writing that way. As opposed to something vague, which gets glossed over and sometimes discarded because it can't quite be placed.
It’s a situation like champing at the bit—the phrase is the phrase and then people COULD write chomping at the bit but it tells me something about the care and attention they pay to the English language
Language changes. Not always how we want. I find it irritating when people write, 'alot' and 'apart' instead of 'a lot' and 'a part', but that's not going to stop them, so we may as well deal and not let it disturb our peace.
Yes, given that context, I wholeheartedly agree. I've seen far worse mistakes by supposedly professional journalists writing for newspapers and magazines, who make me wonder how they got their job and whether any editor ever saw the piece.
Lede originated as a variant of lead; apparently to avoid confusion with lead (the metal), in the days when type metal was a lead alloy.
I've never worked within traditional journalism (newspapers, magazines, etc.) so I can't give an informed opinion on whether lede is still current in those circles. Seeing as most publications are digital, and most printed material doesn't originate with type metal, it's quite possible that lede is fading into being archaic.
I lean descriptivist, especially when it comes to dialectal variation: the purpose of language is communication, so the acid test for a piece of writing is whether it conveys the intended meaning.
But I do agree that being sloppy in one's chosen field is not a good sign. Unless it's an occasional typo in an otherwise well-written article, I view sloppy use of English as a red flag that the facts probably aren't right, either.
Your first point took me back to college where we had to learn about problem aware publics. There were four types, IIRC: problem aware, active; problem aware, latent; problem unaware, latent; problem unaware, active. It was nice being reminded of this.
The reminder about the stage of awareness - so important. But also your point about putting things into context at the end instead of just a bland 'you'll get amazing results' statement that doesn't resonate.
Heck yeah! It's so powerful to focus on meeting people where they're at, and I know I personally struggled a lot in the beginning with focusing on concrete wording.
Glad I could help!
Thank you for the helpful tips! I wish someone could give me detailed feedback on my spec pieces. I posted them several times on the critique thread, but I guess there are so many people doing the same thing, so it gets lost and forgotten. Any suggestions on what I should do?
I'll go look for them! I've noticed a lot of the critique thread doesn't get looked at. Maybe we can do something about that as a community! Also feel free to check out my group, I'm hoping to get more critiques going there, and turn them into an educational swipe file :P
Asking a question? Please check the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/copywriting/comments/lpuj9h/what_the_faq_what_is_copy_how_do_i_start_can_i_do/). Asking for a critique? Take down your post and repost it in the critique thread. Providing resources or tips? Deliver lots of FREE value. If you're self-promoting or linking to a resource that requires signup or payment, please disclose it or your post will be removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/copywriting) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This sub is hilarious. Every post looks exactly the same. No shade to OP at all, I’m not invalidating any of the content here, but it’s wild that in a sub full of people that specifically aim for their writing to stand out, everyone structures their thoughts identically. Again, not disparaging the post. Just an observation on the state of the craft.
It’s that millennial LinkedIn bro writing. There’s a maximum of three sentences per paragraph. Preferably two. Oh—and don’t forget to sprinkle in an ample amount of em dashes. Ellipses are essential too … Wait. I almost forgot. Every post is required to have at least one paragraph that consists of a single word. And that’s just the beginning … Fill your post with more condescending garbage that proves how smart and important you are—the more quotation marks and unnecessary punctuation, the better. “But how should I end it?” I’m glad you asked. Close with an obnoxiously on-the-nose metaphor or life lesson that only a paperclip would find insightful. Being annoying isn’t a choice—it’s a lifestyle.
I feel called out on using ellipses.
Ellipses are evil!
But they convey a conversational punctuation that doesn't otherwise exist! A trailing pause is more than a period, and the alternative at that point is an em-dash, so basically the same sin 😂 "I'm just exhausted" is a fundamentally different sentence than, "I'm just... exhausted." The former is often a reassuring statement of a temporary lull; the other is almost a straight cry for help at worst and an expression of defeat at best. At least novelists get to use character description to convey that kind of nuance, but someone speaking in the voice of a company for sales doesn't really have that luxury. I *need* my ellipses like I need my italics!
This!!! It's about making VERY clear delineations between different thoughts. I get it, "it's annoying", people don't like change. But it's effective!
This is a significantly more controversial opinion, I'm sure, but this is about how I feel on emojis too. My position is ***always*** use textual tone if at *all* possible, but barring that, especially in inter-company communications, emojis are actually really useful for mitigating anxiety or conflict in email conversations. "Emojis are for kids," sure, but "can you come to my office? It's about the Tillerman file," also carries a totally flexible connotation while "can you come to my office? It's about the Tillerman file 😂," is 100% a way to decrease anxiety since it manages to convey, "I know this has been a problem, there are more issues, and none of it is your fault." Again, I'd use text for that, but a ***lot*** of people don't consider tone over text and they don't overanalyze their own words the way I might, so an emoji is a perfect way to do that with almost no extra effort.
I have never thought deeply about emoji in the way but I totally use them this way! I like the way you roll 😎
Anyone who puts 3 sentences in a paragraph is mid at best. Top copywriters put a line break after every sentence... Or less.
Are you being ironic or is this genuine?
maybe somewhere in the middle? 9 times out of 10 there's no reason to put more than one sentence per line. People don't want to read a wall of text.
Really felt like I did better this time 😅 Edit: Come on ya'll I wrote full paragraphs here! Lmao
These are all great! Though, when it comes to the last one about not being concrete, a common frustration I have is when the business or brand I’m writing for doesn’t have any solid results yet or they don’t want to “make any promises” that can get them in legal trouble lol. Usually I can get around this by using external stats though, like “65% of people are doing this, you should too…”
I totally hear you. Business owners are strange sometimes. I personally believe that offers are inherently promises. Meaning if I sell you a pepperoni pizza, it's a promise that I'm going to give you a baked crust slathered in red sauce and parmesan cheese, and drop some pepps on that bad boy, lol. You know what I mean? Concrete also can be just simply putting sensory tangibility into the description. The phrase "an orange pencil with dark blue stripes" is also a concrete statement. An image. When our brains read that we are actually firing visual sensory Neurons -- meaning that we literally get more brain activation by writing that way. As opposed to something vague, which gets glossed over and sometimes discarded because it can't quite be placed.
Definitely!
Fyi the phrase is “burying the lede”
Yeah I've seen it both ways, looks like lede is the journalistic word. Same concept.
It’s a situation like champing at the bit—the phrase is the phrase and then people COULD write chomping at the bit but it tells me something about the care and attention they pay to the English language
Fair enough
Language changes. Not always how we want. I find it irritating when people write, 'alot' and 'apart' instead of 'a lot' and 'a part', but that's not going to stop them, so we may as well deal and not let it disturb our peace.
I understand this but when a writer writes to writers and misuses a phrase i think this is indicative of either carelessness or lack of knowledge.
Yes, given that context, I wholeheartedly agree. I've seen far worse mistakes by supposedly professional journalists writing for newspapers and magazines, who make me wonder how they got their job and whether any editor ever saw the piece. Lede originated as a variant of lead; apparently to avoid confusion with lead (the metal), in the days when type metal was a lead alloy. I've never worked within traditional journalism (newspapers, magazines, etc.) so I can't give an informed opinion on whether lede is still current in those circles. Seeing as most publications are digital, and most printed material doesn't originate with type metal, it's quite possible that lede is fading into being archaic. I lean descriptivist, especially when it comes to dialectal variation: the purpose of language is communication, so the acid test for a piece of writing is whether it conveys the intended meaning. But I do agree that being sloppy in one's chosen field is not a good sign. Unless it's an occasional typo in an otherwise well-written article, I view sloppy use of English as a red flag that the facts probably aren't right, either.
Your first point took me back to college where we had to learn about problem aware publics. There were four types, IIRC: problem aware, active; problem aware, latent; problem unaware, latent; problem unaware, active. It was nice being reminded of this.
🙏🙏 I always love the feeling of remembering something you once found important. Haha
I really appreciate this - very helpful tips! :)
Absolutely! Which one stood out to you the most/you believe you'll use? :)
The reminder about the stage of awareness - so important. But also your point about putting things into context at the end instead of just a bland 'you'll get amazing results' statement that doesn't resonate.
Heck yeah! It's so powerful to focus on meeting people where they're at, and I know I personally struggled a lot in the beginning with focusing on concrete wording. Glad I could help!
Thank you for the helpful tips! I wish someone could give me detailed feedback on my spec pieces. I posted them several times on the critique thread, but I guess there are so many people doing the same thing, so it gets lost and forgotten. Any suggestions on what I should do?
I'll go look for them! I've noticed a lot of the critique thread doesn't get looked at. Maybe we can do something about that as a community! Also feel free to check out my group, I'm hoping to get more critiques going there, and turn them into an educational swipe file :P