Becoming a novice copywriter ain’t exactly easy, but it ain’t exactly difficult either. You read a few copywriting books, jot down some formulas, and before you know it, you’re writing okay-ish copy.
But if you want to take the next step? Where your readers become addicted to your every last word… Where they gobble up everything you have to offer... And where they run to tell all their friends and family about you, then, well, that’s where this “flex time” copywriting trick comes in.
Here’s the story:
Few weeks back, I caught a YouTube Short (yes, I still refuse to download TikTok… will that change? Mayhap, mayhap not.) of a hip hop producer talking about his early mistake as a producer.
The mistake?
Well, in the world of music production, the software is an absolute cheat code.
If a singer can’t sing in tune, you can apply a bit of autotune and make every note they hit be in tune.
If a drummer can’t play in time, you can adjust his playing to be on time all the time.
If a bassist messes up a bassline (this is a real thing that happened to me last time I was in the studio), you can go back a few seconds before they messed up, “punch” in there, and make the final recording sound as smooth as butter left out overnight.
And, as this producer explains, if a rapper can’t rap in time with the beat, he could “punch” them in, so their flow is on the beat.
Only one problem:
This makes the rapper sound robotic. One of the key skills rappers have is their flow. And good flows aren’t always on the beat. Sometimes they’re off the beat, enabling the rapper to float over it.
And so, this producer would nudge rappers’ flows so they’re perfectly on beat… And this was a massive mistake for a couple reasons. First, the rappers thought they were offbeat and in a completely different pocket. They were in a different pocket, but they were perfectly on beat, not offbeat.
But the more important reason? And the one that directly applies to your copy?
This producer was “technically” right, but not creatively or artistically right.
While you may not consider copy to be creative or an “art,” it is.
And one of the thangs that most newbie copywriters lack—that all the pros and A-listers have, without a shadow of a doubt—is rhythm.
Beyond rhythm, it doesn’t hurt to “own” a few words you frequently use.
For me, I’m quick to use “mayhap,” “if’n,” “cully,” and some of my other Ecom Cowboy terminology because it makes me stand out. It adds a little dash of seasoning to my writing.
When it comes to rhythm?
Well, rhythm is a hard thing to master.
Because it involves a lot of different “skills” like:
* Writing both short and long sentences, and mixing them up. (This is why most short copy falls flat on its face, doesn’t invoke emotion, and is actually more of a chore to read than longer copy.)
* Using rhythm-boosting phrases, like well, then…
* Writing short and long paragraphs and mixing them up. (This is another reason why most short copy falls flat on its face, doesn’t invoke emotion, and is actually more of a chore to read than longer copy.)
* Using repetition enough, but not too much—think of a chorus in a song.
* Knowing when to break grammar rules or insert smart typos to keep your audience on the edge of their seat.
* Peppering in questions and “flowsitiions” in your copy to make it flow like the Nile.
And the list goes on.
Moral of the story?
While you can become an okay-ish copywriter by reading books and following formulas, you’ll never master copy this way. Or develop your voice.
That's the bad news.
The good news?
Well, if you’re a copywriter, there is no good news besides the fact that you’re now aware of this, and can start practicing it.
But if you’re a business owner? Well, then you don’t need to go through this grueling process to become a better writer. You can just outsource it to a pro, like yours truly, who can help you implement this stuff into your email marketing strategy.
The result?
Not only will you develop “your” voice, and make people addicted to your content, but you’ll also laugh your way to the bank as we do it.
And you know what?
The only thing you have to do today is hit reply. We’ll jump on a quick call to see if we’re a good fit. And if’n we are? Then, cully, we’re off to the races.
John
P.S. Notice how many “flowsitions” I used in the last leg of this email?
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