All Posts Tagged With: "copywriting"

From copywriting tips to vintage ads, this week’s Stumbles offer a smorgasbord of information.

1. Having killer copy is just one aspect of running a great blog. Making it visually appealing can be just as challenging. The folks at Pro Blog Designer offer some tips on spicing up your blog post photos.
2. Even writers who have been at it for 30 years occasionally struggle when it comes to word usage. Affect or effect? The differences between an atheist and an agnostics? Capital or capitol? Stop by Confusing Words to get things straightened out.
3. How can copywriters use the right words to stir emotions? What are some of the hot-button words and phrases that motivate people? Dean Rieck at Copyblogger offers “12 Tips for Psychological Selling.”
4. I love Gmail and I’ve only scratched the surface of its potential. There is so much you can do with it to stay organized. Jim Barr explains the genius behind Gmail with Gmail Tips.
5. Heres’ a two-for-one bonus. I love old time ads. Most look silly and superficial now, but at the time they were state-of-the art. Well Medicated offers 50 Vintage Advertisements while Excitement Machine displays Ebony ads from 1972.

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In just the last hour, I’ve read a half dozen blog posts in which the authors opine that copywriters have “a fraction of a second,” “a single moment, “the blink of an eye,” “precious little time,” “no more than a few seconds,” and “only an instant” to catch someone’s attention. I’ve been told that HR people look at resumes for only five seconds, that visitors will leave my website if they are not immediately intrigued, and that people can be turned off by the typeface I use on my blog.

That really puts a lot of a pressure on those of us who make a living communicating. Imagine, having so little time to get people to pay attention. It’s a wonder anything ever gets done.

But is all that really true? Are people so busy they make important decisions that quickly? Will someone turn down an opportunity to get useful advice from an expert because they don’t like the color of his masthead? Will an editor turn down a good story because the headline wasn’t catchy enough?

I don’t think so. At least it’s not that way with me. If it’s something important, I take my time to consider it carefully.

Now, I’m not about to advocate rambling sales letters, off-the-wall color schemes or hard-to-read type.

But I think we can dwell too long on being clever or funny or different and forget that our main goal is to share useful information. Most people do take time to evaluate things of substance that are put in front of them. They are not manic mouse clickers or serial page-turners. Give them more credit than that.

Popularity: 59% [?]