Copywriting and Your Five Senses by Karon Thackston © 2004 http://www.copywritingcourse.comIn its most basic form, copywriting is, among other things,
art of conveying a message in writing for purpose of persuading someone to do something. This is especially true when writing descriptive copy. Why? Because your customer’s five senses don’t work on paper… they only work in person. That’s why we, as copywriters, have to create a sensory experience for our customers through our words.
Have you ever stopped to consider copywriting as a sensory activity? You should. As I said, in order to see, hear, smell, taste, or feel a product, we have to be in presence of that product. All too often, when copywriters create descriptions, they leave a lot to be desired. There is no excitement, no interaction, no experience. Descriptions should be, well… descriptive. Effective descriptions should fill gap of what customers would see, hear, smell, taste, or feel if they were standing in presence of product. Effective descriptions should draw customers in and create an actual event… as if they were able to be right there with you.
Do you make cinnamon rolls? You wouldn’t want to describe them simply as “delicious” or say they “smell great.” Instead, you’d want to bring your customers into experience of enjoying your cinnamon rolls. Think of which of their five senses would be most in tune with your product and write to those. Try this:
---------------------------------- Definitely NOT grandma’s cinnamon rolls! Bake them fresh right in your own oven. As aroma of these gourmet rolls begins to waft through air, your nose will start to tingle and you’ll immediately know they are worth wait. The scents of freshly ground cinnamon and yeast begin to merge as dough rises and cinnamon, sugar, and butter begin to bubble. Open your oven door to reveal one of largest sweets you’ve ever seen. Drizzle homemade frosting over top to complete your warm, gooey treasure. Your taste buds will praise you with every bite! ----------------------------------
Can you smell cinnamon? Can you visualize dough rising in oven with cinnamon and sugar bubbling on top of each roll? Are you remembering times you’ve glazed cinnamon rolls in past and, with sticky fingers, taken that first bite out of a freshly baked, warm, gooey pastry? This copy brings it all back, doesn’t it?
Do you rent private, Jamaican beachfront condos? Taking a basic route and falling back on phrases “ocean view” and “sunsets are included” will leave your reader lacking a truly intriguing experience. Something like this will work better:
