THE TRUE
SOURCE OF
GOOD WRITING.
by Sabrina Gaffney
hen staring at a
blank
computer
screen,
many
recoil. It’s intimi-
dating. If it’s a
matter of market-
ing yourself or
about you and your latest product or
service, but they do want to hear
about themselves and what you can
do for them.
That’s why I always advise my clients
to resist the urge to tout their products
and services outright. It’s a tough
your brand there’s often a lot at stake. thing to ask, since most of them are so
The words must be chosen carefully. passionate about what they offer.
This is especially true in the age of the
Internet, where people are easily The thing is, when you make it about
distracted by things like cat memes your audience, writing is a lot easier.
and Barbie GIFS. The chances of Since you know who you’re speaking
someone clicking elsewhere is good. to, and what they care about deeply,
your writing becomes clearer - and
In fact, you only have about seven much more effective.
seconds to get their attention, and
then you have to work like hell to Although technology is advancing at
keep it. It’s no easy feat.
a stupefying clip, being human is
more important than ever.
Even as a long-time copywriter, I still
have moments where the words just Humans have flaws. We speak
aren’t flowing because they’re conversationally - and quickly. Not a
tripped up by my own trepidation.
lot of time to stand around the prover-
bial water cooler these days. Things
However, with copywriting being my move fast, which is why we want to
craft, I always know how to get feel connected more than ever.
unblocked.
We want to feel appreciated and
Here’s my secret: I get to know my understood. We crave a sense of
audience better. I research them. If community, people to laugh with and
possible, I talk to them. I try to under- share our struggles and triumphs with.
stand their pain-points and what truly So, if you want someone’s undivided
drives them. That’s a hefty part of my attention, you have to write copy that
writing process.
fulfils those needs.
Taking the time to understand the
person you’re speaking to, and plac-
ing yourself in their shoes, isn’t really
a covert copywriting tactic. It’s one of
the fundamentals of human relations.
It’s basic stuff, but so easy to forget.
People don’t really want to hear
Whether humorous, somber, or fist
bump-inducing, copy is best when it
taps into the emotions of your read-
ers. Basically, if it makes them feel
something they can’t shake, you’ve
triumphed.
To do that, you have to truly under-
stand how they feel, to the extent that
you can feel it yourself. Disingenuous
copy is a surefire way to deflect
people.
Humanity is certainly the hallmark of
good writing, but there’s one true
source from which the text flows...
On the days where my computer
seems to be screaming at me to type
some damn words already, I revert to
the art piece next to my desk by Art N
Wordz. It’s a large rendering of a
human heart overlaid on a page
pulled out of the dictionary.
It reminds me that while the heart is
massive and can be overwhelming at
times, it never fails to give the words
it conceives brilliant form, making
them so much more potent than they
would be spewed out sans sentiment.
BIOGRAPHY
Sabrina Gaffney is seasoned market-
ing copywriter who prefers her web
content technicolor. From New York
Times best-selling authors to fashion
brands, she’s helped a wide variety
of companies and entrepreneurs take
the voice of their brand from so-so to
swagger-ific. When not writing,