Side Note, Sweat, and Concrete Nouns
Three copywriting examples & three writing examples from around the web.
Hi, I’m Ben Watkins 👋 Thanks for joining another edition of La Vie Ben Rose. Every week, I unravel copywriting examples from the most recognized brands. I also look at how to transform your writing with style, clarity, and persuasion so you can build an audience, transform your writing, and create endless opportunities.
P.S. Next week, the next batch of articles will be behind a paywall. Get a monthly subscription to learn about creator and startup growth and improve your copywriting and writing.
Happy Saturday!
Hope you all had a great week! I spent lots of time with my family. I’m also enjoying these summer thunderstorms.
If you’re curious about The Write Angle cohort launching on July 22nd, send me an email. I’ll give you all the details on how it’s designed to make you a better writer.
Onward and forward!
Copywriting Examples
I.
Little notes add context to your headlines. It’s like a little aside to give you the inside scoop without feeling too conversational.
II.
Your call to action is more than a button to slap “Learn More” on it.
It’s an opportunity to address objections. There are people who wouldn’t click the first button because they don’t want to pay anything.
The second call to action gives people the information they need to take action.
III.
I borrowed this example from my friend Joanna Wiebe of CopyHackers. She points out this wonderful example of leading with the PAS framework: Problem. Agitation. Solution) instead of the AIDA framework: Attention. Interest. Desire. Action.
Lead with the problem if your research shows the customer talking about it.
Writing Examples
IV
Humor is my favorite kind of writing. The key is finding comic devices - satire, parody, irony, or nonsense to disguise the serious point.
I love what William Zinsser wrote about humor. He noticed half of girls and women in the 1960s wearing hair curlers, so he invented a magazine called Haircurl and wrote a series of parody letters about hair curlers.
V
Making your verbs and nouns abstract creates confusion. It’s madness!
On the left side, the abstract (confusing) noun - decision. And then there’s the abstract verb - terminate.
But we write clear sentences when we use subjects to name characters and verbs to name their actions. Director (name the character) and terminate (name the action).
P.S. Credit to Joseph Williams: Style: Toward Clarity and Grace
VI
I love Lenny’s newsletter on Substack
His writing is clear and follows an easy pattern. Here’s an example.
If you enjoyed this newsletter, share it with a friend, a neighbor, or a random stranger.
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What a great and useful post. Thank you