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Copywriting Secret of the Masters:

Brainstorming for One

by: John Forde

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Brainstorming for One

"Brain-writing" is not my term. But we're going to make it our own by

revising it a little to make it more productive…

You brainstorm to get ideas when you have none.

Ideally, you do so in a group. So you can feed off each other. So you can legitimize sitting around drinking coffee. So you can get others to do all the

hard thinking for you.

In all those respects, group brainstorming is a good thing.

But what do you do when you're writing in isolation?

Brain-writing is a way to kick ideas around … jumpstart your engines … and get into that "zone" of creativity that you normally hope to get in a group

session.

In fiction circles, there's something similar called "free-writing."

USUALLY, it simply means setting a timer, putting pen to page, and letting the ideas pour.

Whatever it is, you write it down. You don't stop until your pen runs out of

ink or your elbow balloons like a grapefruit.

But there are two problems with free-writing when you apply it to writing promo copy:

First, pens come with a lot of ink these days. Even the dime-store ballpoints could keep you scribbling well past deadline.

Second, sometimes it's the very prospect of a blank page … the sight of a blinking cursor… and the notion of all that cerebral "freedom" …

that's got you stymied in the first place.

There is a more efficient way to get started.

If you were about to make bricks, would you begin without clay? If you were

getting ready to make glass, would you begin without sand? If you wanted to make punch, would you leave out the hooch?

Of course not.

So why is it writers of any kind so often try to start conjuring up ideas out of

thin air?

For all the reasons to get "blocked," this is the easiest of them to resolve.

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Before you begin your solo brainstorming session (or a group one, for that

matter), get yourself a hefty stack of "stuff" about the product.

Aim for height. An inch is too little. A foot is too high. Somewhere in the middle ought to do it.

Next to this, put a fresh stack of index cards … a legal pad … and/or a

computer.

This is where the "brain-writing" comes in. Start reading. Start taking notes.

The process remains "free" in the sense that you shouldn't try to organize the ideas at this point. Record them as they come. You'll sort later.

However, contrary to popular creativity myths, discipline has a role. For instance:

You'll need to keep yourself from focusing too long on any one aspect of your

research.

You'll need to force yourself to write in full-fledged ad copy, rather than just recording notes.

And you'll need to make sure, always, that the central promise of your ad is the magnet pulling you through the muck of ideas you'll produce.

You should have at least six kinds of things in your "brain-writing" stack

before you begin:

1. Competitors' ads.

If you write direct mail, you know there's no excuse for not being seeded on competing lists. Keep a box of other people's

promos by your desk.

2. Samples of the competitors' products.

You can probably get comped, as a professional courtesy. But, at least once in awhile, go through the subscription

process anonymously. You might learn something from the way they do business.

3. Printouts of relevant web sites.

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Yes, printouts. If you'd rather, you can make handwritten

notes while scrolling a screen. But avoid the temptation to bookmark links, save pages, or copy and paste text into word

documents. No matter what you think … the only way to really absorb the ideas is to re-interpret them for your own

notes.

4. Relevant magazines and newspapers.

Big media has the budget to gather persuasive stats and

anecdotes. Again, copy the information in your own hand. Don't just clip and count on coming back to it later.

HOWEVER, make sure you note your sources with every factoid – both for legal reasons and because you'll get extra

credibility when you cite a respected source.

5. History and non-fiction bestsellers.

Sometimes, nothing can be more valuable than going down to your local bookstore to see what your prospects are

reading. It's an excellent way to put your thumb on the popular zeitgeist. Restrict yourself, however, to buying two

books … tops. If you're under any kind of deadline, you won't have time for more than that.

6. Your product manager's "best of."

Any good product manager will give you the following items

when you start a copywriting project: product-related e-mails, raw testimonials, 3rd-party reviews and endorsements,

product-related news clippings, free "giveaways" that come with the offer, notes from past brainstorming meetings, past

control packages, tapes or transcripts of conversations with customers, customer service letters, interviews with core

people connected with the product, and phone numbers of people you can call to talk to about the product.

This is, of course, just a partial list. You could add more. But even with only

the above, you should be drowning in new ideas before day's end.

(At which point, you'll have a different problem – more ideas than you can

spend in one piece! Every copywriter should be so lucky, right? Save the leftovers for the test mailing.)

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The beauty of this simple approach is that you don't need a soul around to help you make it pay off. In fact, isolation makes it easier.

Tip: At some point, you'll make it to the bottom of the stack or you'll feel in your gut that you've got all the key points somehow covered. AT that

moment, stop and get up. Put on your coat. Go shoot some hoops, take a walk, knit an afghan (the sweater, not the citizen).

While you take a break, your subconscious mind is mulling over everything

you've come across. Absorbing. Sorting. Editing.

The next morning, put the pile of stuff in a box and get it out of your sight. Everything happens now inside your pile of notes. Re-read all the material.

Twice.

Take the points that stand out and re-write them on a fresh page. Some

things will stand out. Others will strike you as complete garbage. Distill and

polish. Narrow. If you need to accelerate the process, mail or e-mail the notes to a trusted (and patient) friend to read.

If you try this technique and you're STILL stuck for ideas by the time you

reach the bottom of the stack, you might consider buying yourself a push broom. Or running for public office.

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John Forde:A Master at Writing

More Controls More Often

"If you write copy … how many chances to sell your talents to the businesses you know and trust have you overlooked? Company websites … local sales

brochures … online ads and sales letters … print ads in local papers … even P.R. pieces or ezine editorial.

It might be the small gigs that get you started. It might be the big opportunities that let you smack the cover off the ball at your first at bat.

Either way, I’ve met plenty of people who had no grasp about what role copywriters play.

Masterson’s [Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting] offers the

most thorough and well-organized approach to the subject I’ve seen anywhere. There’s not a technique or secret in there that I haven’t found

helpful over the years. I owe a great deal of my own success to Mike

Masterson. And I tell him so regularly. As for the program, I’d recommend it to anybody – not just direct-mail copywriters, but anyone who’s trying to get

a grip on what makes marketing work."

— John Forde

JOHN FORDE has been writing winning controls for going on two decades now. He’s made untold millions for clients in the financial, health, and travel

industries. John also works as a copy coach, hosting intense seminars for

two or three hundred marketers and copywriters at a time.

John Forde also writes the successful and very useful eletter, The Copywriter’s Roundtable.