When Less is Actually More
They say copywriting is something that can’t be taught in school. I mostly agree.
I went to UW-Milwaukee where they offered zero specific copywriting courses, so I fulfilled my advertising degree curricula and threw some writing courses in for insurance. I couldn’t wait to get out of school and into the workforce to do some real hands-on learning.
Senior year, I had a class about ad campaigns where projects consisted of mock campaigns for retail, nonprofit, and service industries. Thankfully, I had a wonderful professor who was a vet in the ad world, filled with oodles of helpful tips and information…including concise copywriting. I learned a lot that semester. It’s true, less is actually more in the copywriting world.
There are two morals to this story:
- Copywriting = concision to the max. Pro copywriter or not, I know, it’s not easy to spend hours on a blurb you think is soooo perfect only to see it chopped beyond recognition. Think like this, “Would I take the time to read and understand this if I were in the consumer’s shoes?” The usual answer is HECK. NO. People need content that is simple and direct. So, my friends, chop that blurb! Research the product more to become better versed. Cut the cord to run-on sentences and unnecessary descriptor words. The sooner you learn to do so, the better your writing skills will be. Promise.
- When you think you’re done learning, you’re not. There’s always a way to polish your skills, or grow new ones! Keep your mind open and your wording short.
