Direct response copywriters won’t always tell you what I’m about to tell you…
We know direct response copywriters have more in common with salespeople than with writers of literature… since it’s the job of direct response copywriters to sell products and services rather than to entertain or provide dramatic satisfaction for readers. They differ greatly from agency copywriters, too, whose job is to sound clever.
Nonetheless, there is a “creative” dimension to direct response copywriting that’s not often discussed.
Take a look at some of the great direct response copywriters such as John Carlton and Dan Kennedy, for instance. There’s a strong literary component to their writing, with compelling characters… a rollicking story… and style.
These copywriters, like novelists, create a whole world for their readers. And they immerse readers in that world, take them by the hand, and lead them where they want them to go.
Novelists lead their readers to dramatic tensions and satisfactions; copywriters lead their readers to solutions to their problems… a new land where their lives are better and their futures brighter–if only they buy the product!
This immersive, literary element in DR copywriting is crucial to “getting” this kind of writing. And just as almost any story is embellished for effect, so too are DR ads.
Let’s say I told you I received these copywriting strategies from a secret DR copywriting “wizard” who went into hiding to avoid public exposure. That would affect you a lot more than if I told you I learned this stuff from a retired DR copywriter, wouldn’t it?
Do you see the difference? I’m essentially saying the same thing, except I’ve transformed a boring fact into an extraordinary, almost mystical one.
So it’s the story behind what you’re selling that really creates the impact and makes for epic copywriting.
Great copywriters don’t have to lie, because they’re creative enough to “dress up” the facts to make them appear otherworldly and alluring.
Another thing to realize is that great copywriters create great characters… characters readers empathize with because they share the same problem or situation. These characters once experienced the same problem readers are going through but managed to escape or defeat that problem… typically because they used the product or service offered.
Here’s the deal: DR copywriting often has a strong literary, creative component. Many great DR copywriters have studied literature or even write it themselves.
Is it absolutely essential to writing good DR copy? No. But studying literature and storytelling will take your DR copy to the next level, I promise you.
