How "Copywriting" Was Named

By Darrel Hawes

Some may be rather confused by the word "copywriting". After all, what does copying have to do with writing?

Here's perhaps the simplest way to answer the question. All writers borrow; no one starts just from scratch. Copywriters are merely more upfront about it.

It makes more sense if you consider the purpose of advertising itself, which is to trigger certain emotional responses and move people to make a certain action. If the desired action is made then the writings purpose has been accomplished.

Copywriters understand the complexity of human beings. What motivates us to make an action is often unclear.

So, copywriters will often start with an advertising piece that they know is effective, and will then borrow elements from it. Every aspect of a sales letter is modeled after other, earlier, successful pieces, starting with the headline.

A classic headline from the last headline went like this: "They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano, But When I Began To Play...". This headline has been the basis of hundreds of hundreds of later headlines. Why is it effective? Because there are emotionally charged ideas present. The skilled writer knows how to use this.

There are certain elements often present in successful headlines.

Numbers can be an effective means of drawing the reader in. Consider headlines like, "The Five Steps You Must Take..." or the "Seven Tricks...". The mind sometimes loves specific numbers.

Another often used technique is the words "secrets". People in general like the concept of gaining a hidden knowledge that will give them an advantage. On the other hand, people also don't like the idea of others obtaining this "secret" knowledge and keeping an advantage over themselves.

The last widely used element I'll mention today is the utilization of a story in a headline. It's possible to tell a "story" with just a few words. One of the most famous is the "One Legged Golfer" headline. It's an absolutely true story, and I shall point out that the greatest stories are often the true ones.

With these elements together, we could come up with a headline like this:

"Blind Welfare Mother of Three Discovers the 5 Hidden Secrets To Opening a Checking Account, Even If You're On ChexSystems 'Black List' ".

I hope this article has helped you see that when copywriters "copy", they are merely borrowing ideas, not the actual words of other writers.

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