PADDY O'CONNOR

Words that work

Phone +44 (0) 207 359 9272
Email paddy@paddyoc.com

Good copy is all about the reader

You should be on the side of your reader

All too often a copywriter will feel that he has to write nice things about his client, who is after all paying him a tidy sum. No. No. No. A copywriter's job is to keep his reader happy.

The first task is to persuade your reader to read the story

Obvious I know. But often ignored or overlooked. If your subject bores you, what hope is there for your reader? Good copywriters don't bore their readers.

Stories of what you did and the tone of voice you use are the only things that really set you apart

Every firm wants to be seen in the eyes of its clients as a bit special and different from the rest. Your competitors will have good people, good quotes, and good clients. But don't overlook the obvious: no one has done the work you've done.

Write words that work

A few tips...

  1. Get to your point, fast. (In the first paragraph, not the last.)
  2. Talk about your clients. (People do not care about you or your business until you show them how you can help them.)
  3. Decide on your core message. (Don't try and deliver too many ideas.)
  4. Focus on benefits. (Not features.)
  5. Remember that emotion sells. (People buy for emotional reasons and justify their decision with logic.)
  6. Make sure that no sentence needs to be re-read. (Read your copy aloud, or even better get someone else to read it aloud.)
  7. What you write must be interesting to your readers. (Not you.)
  8. If all still fails, Paddy runs workshops on how to write words that work.