PADDY O'CONNOR

Words that work

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

How to recognise good copy

Good copy is hard to write

The world is full of copywriters ready and eager to help. But good copy is hard to write. You need to know what makes good copy.

Good copy has very few adjectives

In an effort to persuade a reader of your difference you may be tempted to load your copy with adjectives to push your message: leading, pre-eminent, premier, global, extensive, complex ... Take out all the adjectives, read your copy, and then put back the few that you need. The fewer you use and the more unusual they are, the harder they will work.

Good copy uses active verbs

Professional services firms are addicted to abstract nouns. Nouns make things sound so much more complicated. Abstract nouns also sap the energy out of writing. Good writers make things as easy as possible for their reader. No sentence should ever need to be re-read. Meaning should be clear at first glance.

Write words that work

A few tips...

  1. Decide on the result you are trying to achieve. (Make sure it's achievable. And never lose sight of it)
  2. Don't tell your reader what to think or feel. (Write something that makes them think or feel it for themselves)
  3. Short paragraphs help skimming. (Nearly 80% of us don't read word-for-word)
  4. Filter out the hype to get at the facts
  5. Make sure you have the facts before you start. (When you don't have enough facts you fall back on adjectives)
  6. Avoid titles that connote nothing. ('Issues and perspectives')
  7. It's better to give your reader one thing he'll remember than 10 things he'll forget
  8. If all still fails, Paddy runs workshops on how to write words that work.