To be effective, copy must engage with the reader on a personal level.
It’s not an option. It’s essential.
Though many copywriters may nod their head in agreement to such a fact; it is startling to see so many promotions, adverts and editorial published – often by people who should know better – that is cold, impersonal and impossible to relate to.
I’m not sure what’s going on.
I mean, it’s a basic tenet of good copy, but so many forget it.
The only explanation I can think of is laziness. A successful copywriter will have a lot on his or her plate and I can only assume it’s the pressure of having to knock out a load of copy for various different people that results in writers spewing out this kind of automaton stuff.
Yes, it takes time to tweak your copy to ensure it engages on a personal level and you – or your client – might figure it’s ‘time-effective’ to mass produce a load of average copy to ‘just get it out there’.
But it’s a false economy.
You see, impersonal copy will simply not be as effective as targeted, personalised copy. That’s a fact and does not need testing.
So even though you or your client might think it’s more ‘cost effective’ to push stuff through quickly… it’s not.
You would make more money by taking a little longer to develop your copy, to personalise it in such a way that the reader cannot help but empathise with you.
Bottom line: take the time to tailor your copy to it’s reader and it will be more effective, it will better engage them and it will ultimately influence the profitably of your writing.
You know it,
Glenn