I’m writing this post for YOU.
We’ve probably never met. But I try to picture you in my mind as I sit at my computer, pecking away at the keyboard.
I might even imagine you here in my home, sitting across from me at the kitchen table.
I’m writing to you as if you’re the only person in the world on my mind right now.
This means I’ll always talk about you in the singular.
One-on-one. You and me.
I think you notice and appreciate it… the fact that I’m writing this just for you.
When I sing the praises of short-form copy, I often get pushback.
Particularly from some of my fellow copywriters.
I’m told that short copy isn’t up to the job.
For the tough jobs… the heavy lifting… only long copy works.
I’m not so sure.
I think short copy can also get the job done.
In fact, I think some of the most powerful copy is really, really, short.
We’re all guilty of rushing when writing web content.
Well, I am. And I’m pretty sure I’m not alone!
A 500-word blog post? Maybe I can get that done before my meeting at 11:00. Or I’ll squeeze it in before finishing up at the end of the day.
It’s weird, because we rarely think the same about writing a more “important” page, like a sales page.
But… your content pages ARE important.
Over the last few days I have had the opportunity to read through dozens of homework assignments from one of my courses.
This particular assignment was to write a blog post about foods that are good for brain health.
As always, it was a real education going through everyone’s work. The overall quality of writing was excellent. And it was amazing to see all the different approaches people took.
Different writers showed different strengths.
Some wrote amazing headlines. Some were particularly strong with the introduction, clearly setting up what was to come in the body of the post. Others were strongest when it came to the main part of the post, where they were talking about the health benefits of various foods and food groups.
But…
I write and talk a lot about the power and benefits of conversational copywriting.
Today I want to share an example of how the power of conversation extends way beyond just the words we write as copywriters.
Let me introduce you to Dangerous Dave, Big Brian, Flat Phil and Miss Rigger.
As you may have already noticed from the photo above, these are the names of four different paint brushes.
These four brushes arrived in the mail because my wife is an accomplished watercolor artist, but still likes to take classes. And one of the instructors she likes to follow is Andrew Geeson, from Wales. Andrew, as well as being an artist and instructor, clearly has smart marketing skills coded into his DNA.
This post is based on a one-hour presentation I have given a couple of times this year.
I won’t try to include the full hour of information, or the 29 slides.
But… I hope to communicate the value and power of adjacent possibilities for freelancers.
To start with… what does that even mean?