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When I tell people I\u2019m a copywriter, their first question is whether I\u2019m anything like Peggy Olson and if the world of Mad Men is alive and well. I tell them that while I do love a well-made Manhattan and I can see the Chrysler Building from my desk at night, my duties are much more akin to Elaine\u2019s in Seinfeld. I\u2019m given unusual, intriguing products and I describe them.<\/p>\n
They usually follow this by pointing to a glass on the table or a decorative vase and saying: describe that! It\u2019s become a very useful party trick. My most unusual on-the-fly copy was a salvage sale typewriter that had been refashioned to sport a doofy monster face in place of his keys. They thought they\u2019d stumped me but I fired back with some metaphor about industrial intrigue and the bygone days of print.<\/p>\n
Writing about products, especially products with a story can be challenging. You need to show what sets it apart from other pieces like it, how it will improve the buyer\u2019s wardrobe\/d\u00e9cor\/daily routine, and sprinkle it with just enough alliteration and pithy dialogue that the reader doesn\u2019t abandon you halfway through.<\/p>\n
Whether you\u2019re trying to write about your products for your website or potential vendors, selling the piece without sounding like you\u2019re selling it can be the biggest challenge. Every writer has their process and through many years of trial, error, and woeful puns, I\u2019ve come up with these rules of thumb to create a focused piece of copy that sells your story:<\/p>\n
1. Decide who you\u2019re selling it to.<\/strong> You wouldn\u2019t speak to a new parent looking for a pair of baby booties the way you would a person looking for a necklace to give their best friend or a novice cook who needs a new set of chef\u2019s knives before their big anniversary dinner. Once you\u2019ve decided that, you can adjust your tone\u2014be it funny, earnest, or inspirational.<\/p>\n 2. Figure out your lead-in.<\/strong> What\u2019s going to capture the attention of your reader? Remind a new parent of the memories their child will make taking their first steps in these handmade booties, highlight the expert hand craftsmanship of the jewelry, and list off some dishes the culinary hopeful will make one day\u2014my go-to dish is always a spicy fra diavolo, only because it\u2019s my favorite thing ever and just referencing it brings me joy.<\/p>\n 3. Now that you have their attention, sell it.<\/strong> Just stay away from any infomercial talk. This means blanket promises (\u201cthis chef\u2019s knife set will make cooking a breeze!\u201d or \u201cThese comfy baby booties will have your little one running to the Olympics in no time!\u201d), and wild comparisons (\u201cthis necklace shines the like sun, if the sun were brighter and more beautiful than the Mona Lisa!\u201d)<\/p>\n 4. Let the product speak for itself.<\/strong> People love handmade products so tell its story. Describe the materials used, the process, any inspiration that moved you to create this piece. When people buy a handmade gift, it\u2019s because they want something different and out of the ordinary. That way when they\u2019re giving it to a loved one, they can add, \u201cand it was handmade from recycled materials in Nevada!\u201d or \u201cthe artist was inspired by a meteor shower!\u201d Give them a sneak peak into your studio or artistic process\u2014it\u2019ll feel like they\u2019re right there at the craft fair or artist showcase, able to touch your product and find its interesting nuances that make it special.<\/p>\n 5. Now focus on the reader.<\/strong> How can they incorporate this into their lives? Will it add a fresh pop of color to their living room? Shimmer to their ensemble? Sell the benefit and then get out of there before you make a pun about how that owl statue really gives a hoot about your d\u00e9cor.<\/p>\n So there you have it. It\u2019s not scientific but I went to writing school specifically to avoid science and math. Mission accomplished. Happy writing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Writing about products, especially products with a story can be challenging, but our Copywriter Kate has some advice written from experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":119,"featured_media":29977,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2209],"tags":[122,1010,37,1499],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29330"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/119"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29330"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29330\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49432,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29330\/revisions\/49432"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uncommongoods.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}