A Strategy for Greater Copywriting

Daniel Love
Oct 1
3 min read

Issue #4

Words that work don’t just fill space — they spark action. Great copywriting grabs attention, builds trust, and inspires clicks, calls, and conversions. Whether it’s a subject line that demands to be opened or a message that moves readers to act, engaging copy turns browsers into buyers. Ready to make every word count? Use this free tool to help keep readers, and potential customers, interested.

Use this free tool to help keep readers, and potential customers, interested.

Copywriting Checklist

Engagement

Engagement	Explainer	Examples
Writers are composers	Use a variation of sentence lengths to keep readers engaged. All short is robotic. All medium is boring. All long is complicated. Write as if you’re composing music.	+ Short sentences for impact and focus [1 to 5 words] + Medium sentences by default [6 to 15 words] + Long sentences for elaboration [15+ words]
Writers are designers	Nobody reads a wall of text. Make your words visually appealing too. Especially on mobile.	+ White space + Subheadings + Bullet points + Images
Writers are navigators	Let readers know about changes in mood and time at the beginning of sentences to thoughtfully guide them through abstract things.	+ Mood changes = But, sadly, however + Time changes = Meanwhile, later, ten years ago
Writers are entertainers	Netflix is one dull sentence away. You need to entertain readers to earn their attention. Entertainment doesn’t always mean action and thriller. There are subtler genres too.	+ Humour + Stories + Metaphor
Writers are time travellers	Writing gets complicated when the writer doesn’t make it clear when things happen. Choose a principal time from which to glance into the past, into the future, or both.	+ Past tense = I saw her by the rotting tree + Present tense = I see her by the rotting tree + Future tense = I’ll see her by the rotting tree
Writers are speakers	Writing is more engaging when it mirrors natural spoken language. It’s more honest and emotional.	+ Depressed socio-economic area = Slum + Are you experiencing pain? = Does it hurt? + Prematurely impacted the ground = Crashed
People focused	People are engaged by other people. Make them the centre of your sentences. Make sure you’ve got people and a verb. Without these you’ve only got an abstract concept noun.	Before: Incredulous laughter is the common reaction After: Most people laugh in disbelief Before: Unwavering trust is important for a long marriage After: You have to trust your partner for a long marriage
Emotional intensity	Use word maths to crank up the emotional intensity.	+ Too + Hot = Blistering + Very + Rude = Course + Really + Tired = Drained
Weak words	Remove weak qualifying words that mute the emotional intensity.	+ Quite + Sort of + A bit
Vivid verbs	English has lots of verbs, each with isolated and precise meaning. Upgrade dull words for precision, a greater emotional response, and to keep people interested. But be careful to only use familiar words.	+ Laugh = Snort, snicker, cackle + Think = Ponder, consider, recall + Bright = Luminous, radiant, brilliant
Specific words	Words have shades of meaning, and each one paints a slightly different picture. Specificity is important because single word changes can cause spikes in conversion.	+ Prudent or careful? + Free or £0? + Announce or invite?

Security Spotlight

Private Data Stolen From Gucci, Balenciaga and McQueen

Cybersecurity is no longer a tech issue, it’s a brand issue. Hackers have stolen data from customers of the luxury fashion group Kering, whose brands include Gucci, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen. The private information of potentially millions of customers, including the names, phone numbers and email addresses of customers of the fashion group has been compromised. It’s also said that the individual spending habits of clients was made visible to the ransom-seeking group, Shiny Hunters.

In July, another luxury brand, Louis Vuitton, said it had been targeted. These attacks follow serious breaches of British companies including M&S, the Co-op and Harrods. Production was also halted at Jaguar Land Rover car factories for weeks after a cyber-attack forced it to shut down its computer systems.

Keeping your customers’ data secure has never mattered more. For advice on solutions, suggestions on stronger firewalls, and general digital safety — get in touch.

Read full coverage from the Guardian and BoF here.