The world of copywriting has changed. And here's a good article about it.

For all of you 'classic' David Ogilvy-esque copywriters out there, you may be running into today's challenges of form vs. function. Here's a great article about how a balance of fluff and findability is shifting the power towards search and social.

Our favorite section of the article is this below. Click below to read the full article.

At first I was skeptical, borderline insulted. But when I saw how a slight tweak to my text would make my page views skyrocket, I became a convert. Now, instead of organizing my thoughts into pithy paragraphs for readers, I engineer my words so they’re algorithmically attractive. I rewrite my headlines to make them more enticing to Google. I tag them with dozens of relevant phrases to boost my authority on specific topics. I add search terms to my text to further optimize my SEO ranking. I admit that I don’t totally understand what that last sentence even means.

Here Are The Top 5 Things That Bother Me About This:

1.    It has changed the way I write. If a bulleted listicle is proven to perform better than a well-crafted essay, I’m going to write the listicle.

2.   My headlines are noticeably less interesting than they used to be. But, as an editor once told me, clever headlines are dead, unless you’re The New York Post.

3.   After I publish a story, I spend an hour feeding it to social networks and aggregators when I should be writing the next piece. That doesn’t even count the hours spent composing the perfect social media haikus that serve as the lead-ins to my links. It’s reducing my per-word rate to pennies.

4.    I stay up at night worrying about how many people will tweet my as-yet-unpublished story. Add to that the endless perusing of other people’s Twitter streams to see what they’re reading and writing about and where my work can fit into the conversation.

5.    I wonder if I’m still a writer, or if I’m a content creator.

Read full article here: The Top 5 Things That Bother Me About This Headline, by Alissa Walker from Good Magazine.

The power of creativity ... even on Craigslist.

With the world of desktop publishing pushed well beyond even the best technology of ten years ago, we're awash in anticeptic logos, tag lines and advertising-things-that-everyone-thinks-are-original-but-aren't (hello Here We Grow Again).

With such blandness appealing to the masses and making nobody excited, a while back we 're-stumbled' upon a post about some guys turning a BMX bike into an object of admiration and making a buck at it in the process. In doing so, we were reminded that we never posted our own experiment in creativity.

Below is a simple ad posted on Craigslist to sell two Kelty Kids backpacks, the kind babies ride in, not wear on their backs. At the time, there were no fewer than 5 other packs on the site, almost identical to the ones being sold. Further, these were about $15 more per pack than any of the others on the site (25% more). And we were selling TWO. Not one. Ah, the economics of twins.

We don't mean to gloat. Instead, we'll just attribute what happened to the power of creativity, and let the results speak for themselves. The other packs - and their boring feature/benefit statements - were still there when both of these sold. To two different buyers. We used no graphics. No bait and switch tactics, and the packs both sold at full price, which for anyone who uses Craigslist knows, is an accomplishment in itself.

So there. With a little imagination, even the most mundane things can have the power to sell. But you might have to think about it for a while. Or - as we say in the business - consult an expert, or someone who pretends to be.

 

Kelty Kids Packs: $75 each. 


Strollers don't work so well in the Himalayas. And those pesky Baby Bjorns will only lead to messes on the fronts of your shirts. 

The cool kids these days are packed around in Kelty. It makes them tall, gives them confidence, and teaches them to duck when mommy and daddy forget how low a ledge is. Comfortable enough to wear in bed, yet sturdy enough that baby will be content even when laughing deliriously from the fun in these packs. 

We know there are others for sale here, but these are special. They're red. And nobody loves red more than kids (other than bulls ... not recommended for use in Pamplona, Spain). Each pack comes with a detachable 'mini-pack' for stowing away necessities like diapers, wipes, snacks, and wine. Adjustable to fit any size mom or dad. 

Don't waste another moment. Call now, before your kids weigh 80 pounds and look awkward in these fabulous packs. 

Specs can be found here: http://www.rei.com/product/793998 

Email or call 678-XXX-XXXX.