Ideas

Good copy gets ideas across. It’s as simple as that… you write to communicate ideas, and people read to consume them. I think novelists get that, I think poets get that, but I think a lot of copywriters miss it. I think they get so caught up in creating ’stuff that sells’ - so caught up in ‘relating to the customer,’ and creating ‘urgency to buy’, that they miss the point. They work so hard to convince you that you NEED something, they forget to tell you what it is. That’s dumb.

It’s dumb, especially in the startup world. Startup copy is ALL about the ideas. That’s because most startups (at least in new tech) are developing a new one. You’re not peddling blenders here… you’re selling a new way for people to relate and interact around RSS feeds (for example). Really, that’s what makes new tech so cool, and if you do it right, that’s what gives your copy (and your brand) life. But it also means you have to explain the ideas, and it means you have to explain them well.

Of course, this isn’t easy (and that’s why I have a job). It’s not easy to explain ideas well, and if you do, it’s not easy to explain ideas well in context… with the proper flow and the appropriate snark. That’s why I think the guys over at Ignighter and I did a good job with their landing page copy. I think we communicated the idea - that they’re a new company offering a new idea (of group dating), and I think we got across what it was without being too wordy, and while still being casual (and a bit snarky). Check it out to see what I mean.

The ideas come first… that’s the important part. That’s the straight-forward part too… anyone can do it. After that, it’s a matter of making it sound right, and work right. Do that, and you’ll have good idea-based copy.

Do that, and you’ll be in business.