I work as a copywriter for four years now, therefore, for four years I can’t precisely explain to my grandma what my job actually is.
That doesn’t surprise me, my grandma works in agriculture and she never needed any marketing services.
What surprises me, and scares me at the same time, is the fact that there are people in our industry who do not understand completely what copywriters actually bring to the table.
It’s just words, everybody uses words and that is why everybody thinks that they can write copy. But, when someone who is not skilled and experienced in the craft try to do our job, they usually do more harm than good.
Because they are more likely to fall into the traps and to create work that has been seen many times and that has become a cliché.
Everybody will always think that they can also be copywriters, and we can’t change that. We can make it harder for them by striving for greatness.
First of all, is your copy unique, or does it sound like anyone can write it?
Signs of generic copy are:
When we try to say that our product is not actually a product, but experience instead. You can easily recognize this type of copy, usually it starts with the word: Feel…
When we try to say that our product is more then a category to which it belongs, but for no apparent reason and just want for our audience to trust us. It’s one of those: It is more than a chocolate type of copy…
When we use one of the words that has been used in the industry for many times, such as: fun, tradition, quality… The words that lost their initial meaning.
When the copy is in rhyme,
It usually isn’t worth a dime,
Because writing this way,
Is lighter than the bag of Lay’s.
Your ideas, your uniqueness is what makes you different, it is you USP, don’t lose it, or else, you will just generate copy that sounds dull, repetitive and doesn’t stand out.
Borko Mitrović – digital copywriter