Turning waffle into magic

CIPR – 17 April

Robert Bullard – Perfect Text, Oxford (UK)www.perfecttext.org

How to

a) produce good copy from sometimes poorly written material

b) convey the same message over different mediums/platforms

c) turn complex/difficult to read materials into copy that’s easy to read/understand

How to

(a) produce good copy from sometimes poorly written material

Copywritingis like …

cooking

1 2

34

5

5-step model of cooking

1. Decide what kind of meal 2. Consider people’s tastes

3. Use reliable recipes4. Add some magic and

skill

5. Before serving, taste and tinker

5-step model of cooking

1. Decide what kind of meal 2. Consider people’s tastes

3. Use reliable recipes4. Add some magic and

skill

5. Before serving, taste and tinker

From cooking …

1. Decide what kind of meal →

2. Consider people’s tastes →

3. Use reliable recipes →

4. Add some magic and skill →

5. BEFORE serving … let it cook, →

taste, and tinker as necessary

From cooking … to copywriting, in 5 steps

1. Decide what kind of meal → Set out your objectives

2. Consider people’s tastes → Write for your audience/platform

3. Use reliable recipes → Follow proven structure/models

4. Add some magic and skill → Think creatively/use creatives

5. BEFORE serving … let it cook, → LEAVE … then edit and proofread taste, and tinker as necessary

① Set out your objectives

Turn 500 words of waffle into 50 words of magic

Practical exercise (5 minutes)

Identify the article’s main points – target 50 words/10 lines

Note anything that needs clarification/correction

What overall rating do you give the article?

The main points?Benefits (Traineeships)

96% say they benefit

72% report improved productivity (average £214/week*)

Reasons Other factors

Attract new talent Support from NAS/helpline

Up-skill staff/improve skill base Jobs website

Tackle skill shortages 100,000 employers offering

Advantageous to LT corp devt.

Persuaders – £1,500 grant for small business taking 16-24 year olds

How to write clear copy

Use short sentences and paragraphs

Use everyday words that people understand, avoid jargon etc.

Watch out for long/passive sentences, abstract nouns, waffle

Be specific and accurate with your wording

Use strong words and phrases

Follow a clear structure, and use signposts

② Write for your audience –their needs/drivers

Here, there are several audiences to consider

• Any business

• Any qualifying jobseeker/employee

• 3 levels of apprenticeship – Intermediate, Advanced and Higher

• Small businesses – £1,500 grant for employing 16- to 24-year-olds

(Traineeships – training, Maths and English for 16- to 24-year-olds)

② Write for your audience –type of writing

Practical exercise

List 3–5 requirements for when copywriting for one of these platforms, in terms of writing style/format/length.

• Printed output• Facebook• Twitter• LinkedIn• Other digital outputs, e.g. websites

③ Follow proven structure/models

AIDCA

A – grab their Attention

I – hook their Interest

D – stimulate their Desire

C – Convince them

A – provide clear call to Action

Inverted pyramid

(as news stories)

Diamond shape

(as feature articles/blogs)

④ Think creatively/Use creatives

④ Think creatively/Use creatives

Win people’s attention – address their needs, use questions or familiar/eye-catching phrases, or news hooks

Stress your key points – use short sentences, repeat key words/phrases

Make your writing sound good – make sentences flow, put items in 3s, use alliteration, vary sentence length

Persuade people –

Avoid turn-offs –

Put a smile on readers’ faces –

④ Think creatively/Use creatives

Win people’s attention –

Stress your key points –

Make your writing sound good –

Persuade people – bring out benefits (not features) and include customer feedback/product certification. Use emotions (It could be you!, remove people’s worries and fears), psychological pressures (price comparisons, time-limited offers) and inclusive language (‘you’ etc.)

Avoid turn-offs – waffle, convoluted phrases, clichés, jargon, slang, etc.

Put a smile on readers’ faces – play on words, use stories.

⑤ LEAVE … then edit and proofread

For good editing:

• Leave it a while, and at least overnight

• When editing, read without a pen, to focus on ‘big picture’ Qs

… and proofreading:

• Improve your knowledge of what’s right/wrong

• Heighten your awareness/ability to spot errors

• Look where typos/errors most likely to occur

The main points?

BENEFITS96% employers say they benefit72% report improved productivity – average £214/week*

TRAINEESHIPS

OTHER FACTORSSupport from NAS/helplineJobs website100,000 employers offering

PERSAUDER£1,500 grant for small bus.

taking 16-24 year olds

REASONSAttract new talentUp-skill staff/improve skill baseTackle skill shortagesAdvantageous to LT corp. devt

A possible answer (50 words)

A ‘no-brainer’?Join 100,000 employers benefitting from an apprenticeship … 72% report productivity and other wins, such as plugging skill gaps.

3 more reasons…

Flexible – 3 levels of apprentice to match your needs

Back-up – from national helpline/website

£1,500 grants – for small employers taking 16-24 year olds

08000 150 600 – www.apprenticeships.org

How to

(b) convey the same message over different mediums/platforms

How to

(b) convey the same message over different mediums/platforms

• Define 2-3 main messages for specific audience

• Expand as a brand, with styleguides (and words allowed and not)

• Apply across all platforms

• Either, ‘big fat controller’…. OR brief staff, and let them tell the story

The main points?[Benefits] Traineeships

96% say they benefit

72% of employers report improved productivity average £214/week

[Reasons] [Other factors]

Attract new talent Support from NAS/helpline

Up-skill staff /improve skill base Jobs website

Tackle skill shortages 100,000 employers offering

Advantageous to LT corp devt.

[Persuaders] – £1,500 grant for small business taking 16-24 year olds

Exercise

Write a short promotional text of apprenticeships targeted at small employers, for a social media platform

LinkedIn – business orientated, longer pieces

Employers who have not taken on an apprentice in the last year may be eligible to receive a £1,500 grant. Find out more and see if you are eligible http://bit.ly/14WW5Lc

Hear from Shelley, Training Manager at Angels the Costumiers, on how apprenticeship grants made a difference for them http://bit.ly/1LgGE0m

Are you thinking of running a #traineeship? Get advice in this handy factsheet http://bit.ly/1vZBOu4 (PDF)

You want young, enthusiastic talent that you can mould and develop for your business? The answer: hire an apprentice. A growing number of companies are doing so, with 96 per cent of businesses reporting benefits from their apprentices. Employers..

Do you want enthusiastic, diverse talent that you can mould and develop for your business? The answer: hire an apprentice. http://bit.ly/14WW5Lc

Twitter – news story/link orientated

96% of businesses report benefits from their apprentices. Join those businesses and hire yours http://bit.ly/14WW5Lc

The latest figures show a strong growth in the number of people taking higher apprenticeships http://bit.ly/1CpSt1H

Want to help those who find learning difficult? Find out how you can help with an apprenticeship http://bit.ly/1MtXq

Want staff loyal to your business? Hire apprentices! http://bit.ly/1G4mZzH

What are apprenticeships really like? Hear from the apprentices themselves http://bit.ly/17MGG1C

“By the end you have home-built, home-made, highly-skilled individuals who know your business." http://bit.ly/1qGJ6Y1

Facebook – orientated to apprentices, strong on headlines

Great businesses are made by apprenticesListen to employers and apprentices from organisations like IBM, Barclays, Padgett Plumbers and the Armed Forces talk about what apprenticeships mean for the.

Commemorating 100 years of apprenticeshipsNew historical research released today reveals how employers’ relationships with apprenticeships have changed over the last 100 years

Qualifications up to #masters level, #GetInGoFar with an apprenticeship.http://ow.ly/BOapD

“I LOVE IT!” Read hair salon apprentice Paige’s story... http://ow.ly/KyJoX#GetInGoFar

Hear from these apprentices (and some of their bosses) about why they chose apprenticeships.

How to

(c) turn complex/difficult to read materials into copy that’s easy to read/understand

a) Remember, ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ (or diagram)b) Explain difficult concepts by using metaphors and analogiesc) Avoid mistakes by showing your copy to someone who can

factually check itd) Assist reader by breaking down the copy, and using clear and

meaningful headingse) Forewarn the reader by using ‘signposts’ (e.g. ‘The reasons for

this are complex…’)

5-step model of copywriting

1. Set out objectives 2. Write for your audience

3. Follow proven models4. Add some creativity

5. Check before serving

Share your learning points from today …

How to

a) produce good copy from poorly written material

b) convey the same message over different mediums/platforms

c) make complex/difficult to read materials easy to read/understand