Drayton Bird, a copywriting legend, has gifted us with invaluable wisdom over the years. His "10 Copywriting Commandments" (VeryGoodCopy) are a masterclass in persuasive writing. He has been praised by other copywriting icons, including none other than David Ogilvy: “Drayton Bird knows more about direct marketing than anyone in the world.” (Drayton Bird)
How can we, as copywriters working with plain language software, leverage these commandments to create even more effective and accessible content?
1 | Describe your typical user
Imagining your ideal prospect involves building a user persona. It is important to Bird that copywriters understand their audience. This is especially important to us as advocates of plain language and excellent readability. It means going beyond marketing demographics. What is your audience’s reading level? If you’re writing for the general public with the average reading level, this is between Flesch Kincaid levels 8 and 10.
However, you may be writing for a niche audience with a high level of education - it’s all about context. As well as reading levels, aim to understand what their anxieties and frustrations are - this will help you understand why they need your service. The clearer your picture of the user, the more effectively you can write both compelling and readable content that speaks to them.
2 | Do a complete selling job
According to Bird, this refers to understanding the product. You must have a thorough product knowledge. When it comes to readability and giving your user the best chance of fully understanding your copy, this means clearly expressing the benefits.
Instead of simply listing features, explain what they mean for the user in simple terms. Correct wordiness in your sentences and write your copy from a features-and-benefits angle. Using Readable can help you identify jargon, cliches, or complex explanations that obscure these benefits.
3 | Write to the ideal prospect
Sometimes in copywriting, the audience your product appeals to is not exactly the same as the audience you aspire to appeal to. Perhaps you want to broaden your product appeal, which requires a shift in messaging. Or maybe you want to communicate the appeal of your product to an audience who has different values.
We know the importance of this point from experience. Readability is invaluable to such a wide range of industries, from the distance learning sector to financial services ditching bank-speak, that we must have a range of content to reflect this. Whereas financial services’ priority is fostering a trusting relationship with their customer base, a user in education is more focused on tailoring reading levels to their year group. Core features will appeal to everyone, whereas more specialised features may have different users.
4 | Aim for relevant surprise and intrigue
Drayton Bird advocates for grabbing attention. This is more difficult than ever in a media landscape with more attention fatigue than ever before. That’s why plain language can help you cut through the noise.
The most successful marketing campaigns use plain language cleverly and persuasively. Instead of burying the lede, start with the most compelling point, expressed clearly and simply. Readable can help you craft concise and impactful opening sentences that grab your reader’s attention.
5 | Appeal to deep emotions
It is well known that many customers buy with their emotions and rationalise their decisions later. People are, after all, emotional beings, and Bird reminds us of this. Plain language does not mean stripping away emotion. It means expressing things clearly and authentically.
If you focus on the core emotions relevant to your product or service, articulate them simply and relatably, and avoid too much flowery language, this will resonate with your customer.
6 | Tell of disaster turned to triumph
Bird’s storytelling advice is powerful, and nothing sells better than telling of how your product has been transformative. This is most dramatically effective when you tell a story of a solution to a big problem. Crucially, this must be rooted in reality with real-world examples.
Keep the narrative straightforward and easy to follow. Clearly outline the impact of the dilemma and the positive impact of your product in the short and long term.
7 | Be engaging and concise
Drayton Bird’s warning about being boring is especially relevant for plain language. When substituting flowery words for simple words that do the same job and shortening sentences, a common trap is to become robotic. This doesn’t have to be the case. You should get to the point quickly - brevity is key - but you should vary the lengths of your sentences.
Readable can help you identify unnecessary words or phrases that dilute your message, but the tool also detects long or very long sentences. The aim is not to make every single one of your sentences short - changing a word using our synonym tool is also impactful, making it easy and systematic for you to choose what to edit.
8 | Make your copy clear and easy to follow
Drayton Bird’s advice here suggests prioritising scannability, which is more important than ever with online reading habits. People read in an “E” shape, scanning for subheadings and picking out essential information, rather than reading a piece of copy from the beginning word by word.
Because of this, you should use short sentences, short paragraphs, and clear headings. Prioritise scannability so that readers can quickly grasp the key information and your USPs.
9 | Have a great call to action
CTAs are part of Bird’s advice about doing a complete selling job. This means you don’t leave your user hanging, not knowing what to do with what you have just told them. This isn’t about thinking your potential customers aren’t intelligent - they can connect the dots. The onus is still on you to do a great selling job in a competitive market. Why your product and nobody else’s?
In plain language, your call to action should be crystal clear and easy to understand. It should be in actionable language, like an imperative statement.
10 | Steal from the best
Bird knows the value of stealing like an artist. You can take his advice by adapting and simplifying. Learning from others is timeless advice. When writing with excellent readability, this means studying how others have successfully communicated complex information simply. Adapt and simplify proven techniques to fit your specific audience and message.
Readable can help you analyse existing content for inspiration. You can then identify areas for improvement.
By combining Drayton Bird's wisdom with the principles of plain language and leveraging the power of Readable, you can create compelling, accessible, and persuasive copy that resonates with your target audience and achieves your marketing goals.
