View
26.162
Download
0
Category
Preview:
Citation preview
1
20 21 Copywriting Disasters (And how to avoid them)
Ian Lurie
CEO & Founder
3
Our secret lair
4
portent.co/20copy
yes, like this, no ‘m’
Tweet your questions with #portentu
5 5
We’ve all been there.
6 6
by golly, ian, this copy is
perfect!!!
The copy’s perfect
Our Philsophy: Smart, Efficient, Quick Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Did I men)on how efficient we are? Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
7 7
The client loves it
we love it!!
Our Philsophy: Smart, Efficient, Quick Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Did I men)on how efficient we are? Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
8 8
and then…
9 9
boom.
ian, you suck.
Our Philsophy: Smart, Efficient, Quick Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Did I men)on how efficient we are? Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
10 10
20 disasters haunt us all.
11 11
I’ve been in every one.
12 12
But you can avoid them, sometimes.
They’ve inevitable. They hit all of us.
13 13
Learn from my pain.
14 14
Three disaster classifications
embarrassing: no permanent consequences
bad: you may get fired
gods preserve us (gpu): I don’t know you
15 15
Here we go.
16 16
Disaster 1: The Great Philsophy Massacre
17 17
Uh-huh
What’s wrong with this picture?
Our Philsophy: Smart, Efficient, Quick Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Did I men)on how efficient we are? Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
18 18
Cost: $5,000
Classification: Bad
Our Philsophy: Smart, Efficient, Quick Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Did I men)on how efficient we are? Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
19 19
Use a #$@&%*! spell checker
Avoidable
Our Philsophy: Smart, Efficient, Quick Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Did I men)on how efficient we are? Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
20 20
Read it backwards
Avoidable
Our Philsophy: Smart, Efficient, Quick Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Did I men)on how efficient we are? Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
21 21
Have someone else read it?
Avoidable
Our Philsophy: Smart, Efficient, Quick Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Did I men)on how efficient we are? Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
22 22
Disaster 2: The incomplete headline
23 23
Egads.
Teacher, Student in Fertility Experiment
24 24
Egads.
Teacher, Student in Fertility Experiment
Teacher, Student Research Bee Fertility
25 25
Really, really embarrassing
Classification: Embarrassing
Teacher, Student in Fertility Experiment
26 26
But, like I always say…
27 27
When life gives you lemons…
28 28
Supreme Court Tries Sodomy
Laugh at someone else.
29 29
The Blank Sheet of Paper Test
Avoidable
Supreme Court Tries Sodomy
30 30
The Blank Sheet of Paper Test
Avoidable
Supreme Court Tries Sodomy Case
31 31
The blank sheet of paper test
Supreme Court Tries Sodomy
If I write this headline on a blank sheet of paper and show it to a stranger, will they know what I’m talking about? Correctly?
32 32
Disaster 3: Search term avoidance
33 33
Wedding garment
Bridesmaid dress?
34 34
Destination formalwear
Bridesmaid dress?
35 35
Destination dress
Bridesmaid dress?
36 36
Failure to use audience’s lexicon
Classification: Bad
37 37
Have a brain
Avoidable
38 38
Use WordStream
Avoidable
39 39
Use SEMRush
Avoidable
40 40
Use Surveys
Avoidable
41 41
USE ANYTHING BUT GUESSING!!!
Avoidable
42 42
Disaster 4: Baffle ‘em with
43 43
I am ashamed
I wrote this
We create extant systems by adapting legacy infrastructure to current interprative mechanisms, thereby building longer time-to-obsolescence.
44 44
Drives away customers like the plague. Sounds like I sneezed repeatedly on the page.
Classification: Bad
We create extant systems by adapting legacy infrastructure to current interprative mechanisms, thereby building longer time-to-obsolescence.
45 45
Knowledge of a word does not require its use.
Avoidable
46 46
Also: The Blank Sheet of Paper Test
Avoidable
47 47
The Blank Sheet of Paper Test
Supreme Court Tries Sodomy
If I write this headline on a blank sheet of paper and show it to a stranger, will they know what I’m talking about? Correctly?
We create extant systems by adapting legacy blah blah blah blah blah mumble blah
48 48
The Blank Sheet of Paper Test
Supreme Court Tries Sodomy
Not even if I gave them a dictionary.
We create extant systems by adapting legacy blah blah blah blah blah mumble blah
49 49
The Blank Sheet of Paper Test
Supreme Court Tries Sodomy
Better. Not great. But better.
Our products extend the life of existing enterprise software by connecting it to modern, more usable interfaces.
50 50
Disaster 5: The poop sandwich
51 51
Yummy on the outside IAN LURIE // JAN 7 2013
How to Create an Online Experience
for Humans
Marketers Dying By A Thousand Data
Points
What Project Managers Actually Do Announcing RainGage
One-Trick Ponies Get Shot: Doing
Digital Strategy Right
Research: Site Speed Is Hurting Your
Everyone’s Revenue
Advertising should
Marketing is what we do. Advertising is what we often make as a result. It sounds very
fulfilling. Alas, the process usually looks something like this:
1. The marketing team builds out brilliant messaging and brand story.
2. They brainstorm some nifty ideas.
3. Then, they pull together a completely incomprehensible collection of marketing
platitudes creative brief around the ideas, which they pitch over the wall to
management.
4. Every yahoo who thinks they know anything about marketingAll stakeholders
review the brief. All draw their own conclusions. None of those conclusions agree.
5. Armed with these insights, the creative team staggers into a separate room to
spawn beautiful but confusing creative that complies with corporate branding
guidelines.
6. Stakeholders review the creative and say “This is great!”
7. The marketing team reviews the creative and says “This won’t convert!” Then they
pout.
8. In response, the creative team adds a ‘click here’ button.
9. It goes live.
10. Everyone gets drunk. I have a Diet Coke.
11. Congrats! It’s advertising!
The result is an utter turd that converts about as well as opening your office window and
yelling “BUY MY STUFF.” But by then the process has sucked out your will to live. You
crawl across the finish line, then go hunting for chocolate.
Yes, I’m prone to exaggeration. It isn’t always this bad. Once in awhile everything falls into place. But I’m stuck in a middle seat ona 7-hour flight. So I’m grumpy. Er. More grumpy.
Why? Please, tell me why?Why does this happen over and over?
I could name all the usual suspects: Poor communications, lack of organizational clarity,
no sense of vision, no accountability, blah blah blah. But I think it comes down to
discipline: We all know what we need to do. Getting everyone to do it every time, day
after day is something else entirely.
Consistency is a butt-kicker. Anyone who’s tried to get their teen-ager to carry his
damned dishes to the dishwasher and actually put them in after each of his 9 daily
meals knows whereof I speak. We repeat the same mistakes, over and over. And over.
When it comes to creating great marketing, we’re teenagers.
Somehow, we have to keep the real goal of marketing and advertising front-of-mind,
even when deadlines, political squabbles and turf wars drive us all nuts. My solution: A
USB-capable work monitor and kidney-puncher. But I’ve been told that’s not practical.
The better way: #AdvertisingShouldFortunately, the folks at Copacino & Fujikado came up with a much better idea. They’ve
started advertisingshould.com.
It’s a Twitter-based scrapbook of ads wisdom. You can contribute to and learn from the
yummy advertising goodness within by doing 3 simple things:
1. Bookmark it, and check back every day for a nice reminder what we should be
doing.
2. Keep an eye on the #advertisingshould hashtag on Twitter.
3. And contribute: Tweet how you think advertising should work, and use the hashtag
#advertisingshould. Keep it going and it’ll keep us all on our toes. And, see your
name in the dim light of my d-list celebrity status! I’m going to do a list of my
favorites in a few weeks.
This may seem like a little thing. But it’s the little things that make projects successful,
and marketing great: A little reminder now and then goes a long way. And it’s better
than USB-administered corporal punishment. So go contribute your ideas to
#advertisingshould.
Ian LurieCEO
Ian Lurie is CEO and founder of Portent Inc. He is co-author of the 2nd
edition of the Web Marketing All-In-One for Dummies and wrote the
sections on SEO, blogging, social media and web analytics. He's
recorded training for Lynda.com, writes regularly for the Portent Blog and
has been published on AllThingsD, Forbes.com and TechCrunch. And,
Ian speaks at conferences around the world, including SearchLove,
MozCon, SIC and ad:Tech. Read More
Related Articles
2 Comments
JUSTIN MARKETING ONLINE // JAN 8 2013, 00:08:06
Hey Ian,
Love the tips (and of course the creative graphics) You make a great distinction between marketing/
advertising and one i have for sales vs. marketing is marketing gets the horse to the lake. Sales make the
horse drink the water. Look forward to more of your posts happy 2013
BEN // JAN 15 2013, 14:53:27
This is the neatest idea! I can’t wait to follow this trend on Twitter. Thanks so much for sharing.
Comments are closed.
Net Neutrality: It's more than
streaming video
Lead by Example: 10 Ways to Be a
Successful Team Leader
Yep. I'm back.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE RSS FEED
BLOG TOPICS
CONNECT
PPC . SEO . Social Media
CONVERSE
Copywriting . Creative
CONVERT
Analytics . Internet Marketing
RECENT POSTS
THIS WEEK POPULAR ALL TIME
STAY UP TO DATE.
Sign up to receive our EmailSeries!
By clicking submit you are agreeing to our
terms and conditions and privacy policy.
SIGN ME UP ›
Internet Marketing
Portent, Inc.
Follow us:
Phone: 206.575.3740
Email: info@portent.com
506 2nd Ave. Suite 1700
Seattle, WA 98104-2354
Directions
Careers Staff Philosophy News Webinar Blog
© 1995-2014, Portent, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy
TweetTweet 121 36ShareShare 2730LikeLike
Services Work Advantage Insights Tools Blog Contact
52 52
Yummy on the outside
Puke-inducing on the inside
53 53
That one’s not going in the portfolio
Classification: Embarrassing
54 54
Sorry, I got nothing.
Inevitable
55 55
(except don’t rush to publish)
Inevitable
56 56
Disaster 6: Writer’s block
57 57
You’re screwed.
Classification: GPU
58 58
Free writing
Enigma.io
Mitigate
59 59
Step. Away. From the desk.
Mitigate
60 60
Read something inspiring.
Mitigate
61 61
Disaster 7: The stolen idea (intentional)
62 62
I was desperate!!!!
Hey, look
63 63
Just own it
Classification: Embarrassing
Stolen blatantly from Walter Chen and everyone else who’s used it
64 64
It’s OK
Inevitable
Stolen blatantly from Walter Chen and everyone else who’s used it
65 65
If you own it
Inevitable
Stolen blatantly from Walter Chen and everyone else who’s used it
66 66
Disaster 8: Plagiarism
67 67
…was in 4th grade.
Last time I did this…
68 68
Classification: GPU
69 69
Classification: GPU
70 70
Go to jail. Go directly to jail. Because you suck.
Classification: GPU
71 71
Using a scraper doesn’t make it OK.
Classification: GPU
72 72
It is a bad thing. It is not the sincerest form of flattery.
Avoidable
73 73
Get permission! It’s not that hard!
Avoidable
74 74
Add value. Analyze. Summarize. Expand.
Avoidable
75 75
Disaster 9: Plagiarism (second-hand)
76 76
…but really, what are the odds
Never done this one (as far as I know)
77 77
78 78
You could really get into trouble
Classification: GPU I’m being generous here.
Because you’re so young
79 79
A desperate copywriter. That’s what happened.
What happened?
80 80
You could really get into trouble.
Classification: GPU
81 81
For example, someone could call you out in a webinar that’s recorded and placed on Slideshare for all time.
Classification: GPU
82 82
Use the Googles!
Avoidable
83 83
Disaster 10: Telepathy
84 84
…was last week.
Last time I did this…
85 85
…was last week.
Last time I did this…
85 85
I… am a loser.
Classification: Embarrassing
87 87
Disaster 11: The bad comma
88 88
This was me.
Yep.
Best-in-class restroom flight attendant and food service.
89 89
This was me.
Yep.
Best-in-class restroom, flight attendant and food service.
90 90
Oy.
Classification: Bad
Best-in-class restroom flight attendant and food service.
91 91
Maybe read it before you send it
Avoidable
Best-in-class restroom, flight attendant and food service.
92 92
Disaster 12: Autocorrect
93 93
Now you can do it on Twitter, too!
It’s not just for SMS any more
94 94
And potentially stock market-trashing
Classification: Bad
95 95
Read before you send
Avoidable
96 96
Disaster 13: The unsafe structure
97 97
Enjoy a challenge
No, readers do not
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor i
98 98
Just stupid. I shouldn’t get paid.
Classification: Bad
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor i
99 99
No paragraph longer than 6 lines
Avoidable
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in
100 100
No more than 3 paragraphs w/o a break
Avoidable
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Subheading here Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
101 101
How about (useful) images?
Avoidable
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Subheading here Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
102 102
10-15 words/line
Avoidable
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Subheading here Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitaCon ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
103 103
Learn a little typography
Avoidable
104 104
Pearsonified’s Golden Ratio Typography Calculator
105 105
Disaster 14: Giving offense
106 106
This wasn’t me
Actually
107 107
whoa.
Still,
108 108
Just think about whether you want the result you’ll get.
Avoidable?
109 109
And be aware of your cultural context.
Avoidable?
110 110
Also, don’t be an asshole.
Avoidable?
Also, don’t be an asshole.
111 111
Disaster 15: Going passive
112 112
If I get paid by the word
Nice
With our tires, customers will ride with fewer flat tires.
113 113
It’s like I’m talking to you but facing the other way
Classification: Bad
With our tires, customers will ride with fewer flat tires.
114 114
Use active voice. Talk to the reader.
Easily avoided
Our bicycle tires help you ride with fewer flats.
With our tires, customers will ride with fewer flat tires.
115 115
Use active voice. Talk to the reader.
Easily avoided
Avoid the plague words
“indeed”
“regardless”
116 116
Disaster 16: Writing angry, or drunk, or whatever
117 117
I don’t think I’ll be hearing from them any time soon
Yikes
118 118
May cause other disasters
Classification: Bad, maybe GPU
119 119
Walk away for a minute
Avoidable
120 120
Disaster 17: Getting your facts wrong
121 121
Sigh.
Let’s just play that back, shall we?
122 122
Ignorance at 500 decibels is still ignorance
Classification: Bad, maybe GPU
123 123
Immediately own up. Fix it. Apologize.
Mitigate
124 124
Mitigate
125 125
Don’t just delete it, unless asked or legally required.
Mitigate
126 126
Disaster 18: Treating your customer like an algorithm
127 127
I won’t believe you.
Don’t tell me you haven’t done this
This great wedding dress uses white chiffon for a dress that’s stylish at any wedding. You won’t find a better wedding dress anywhere else!
128 128
Painful, actually
Classification: Bad
This great wedding dress uses white chiffon for a dress that’s stylish at any wedding. You won’t find a better wedding dress anywhere else!
129 129
It doesn’t work anyway. Give it up.
Avoidable
seriously, I've seen it
before
130 130
Disaster 19: Being mealy-mouthed
131 131
Who am I, Michael Dukakis? Donald Rummesfeld?
Oh, just say it!!!!
I think that, and this is just my opinion, tablets are just a fad.
132 132
What the hell, man.
Classification: Embarrassing
I think that, and this is just my opinion, tablets are just a fad.
133 133
Just listen to Ogilvy
Avoidable
“Swing for the fences”
134 134
If you don’t smile when you read it, do it again
Avoidable
Tablets are the Apple Newton of 2003.
135 135
If you don’t grimace when you read it, do it again
Avoidable
Tablets are the stupidest idea ever.
136 136
This isn’t trolling. It’s not writing angry. It’s making a statement.
Avoidable
137 137
Disaster 20: Creating a checklist
138 138
before it spreads too far.
We have to stop it
1. Write 400 words 2. Use the key phrase 10 times 3. Make the headline 70 characters 4. Use one image 5. Use one list 6. Write happy! 7. Smile! Be creative!
139 139
Kind of stupid, really.
Classification: Bad
1. Write 400 words 2. Use the key phrase 10 times 3. Make the headline 70 characters 4. Use one image 5. Use one list 6. Write happy! 7. Smile! Be creative!
140 140
You need something.
Mitigate
1. When you’re done, read it backwards 2. Make sure at least 1 colleague reads it 3. Wait 1 hour. Reread 4. Publish
141 141
Make repeatable stuff into a checklist.
Mitigate
1. When you’re done, read it backwards 2. Make sure at least 1 colleague reads it 3. Wait 1 hour. Reread 4. Publish
142 142
Disaster 21: Going for perfect
143 143
is waiting for the ‘perfect’ topic
Everything I’ve never written
144 144
is waiting for the ‘perfect’ story
Everything I’ve never written
145 145
is waiting for the ‘perfect’ idea
Everything I’ve never written
146 146
Get out there and write
147
Created by Ian Lurie, CEO & Founder of Portent, Inc.
Find him @portentint or www.slideshare.net/wrttnwrd
Find his company at www.portent.com
Q&A time!!!
portent.co/20copy
Recommended