Great copy is music to my ears!
Confession: I can’t sing a note. I am totally tone deaf.
One traumatic childhood experience involved being the only 6th grader not picked for Glee Club. Since I was the solo child (and not the soloist), Cantiague Elementary School’s very own version of Will Schuester reluctantly added me to the chorus of The Happy Wanderer at the last minute. However, I was instructed to only mouth the words. Valerdi Valdera.
Yes, my singing is that bad.
My lack of vocal ability has never silenced me in the car, shower or at a karaoke. I sing out loud and proud. As my husband will tell you, “Robin knows the words to every song from the 60s on.” Give me a few opening bars and I’ll be belting it out.
My love of lyrics no doubt paved the way for my career as an advertising copywriter.
How so?
A great piece of copy should be clear, concise, informative, relevant, authentic and above all, human. Every how-to copywriting cheat sheet will tell you that.
But while a sound idea is critical to successful writing, the secret to making your message memorable is all about how it sounds. Its musicality.
In rhyme, there’s reason.
As Truman Capote said: “To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it’s about, but the music the words make.”
The catchier the tune – or the words - the more it sticks in your audience’s subconscious. The cadence of a song helps us to remember it, as well as the melody and images the words provoke. It’s called an “earworm” a.k.a. stuck tune syndrome.
Same is true for copywriting. Copy written with a beat, rhythm, repetition or rhyme captures attention, increases memorability, enhances clarity, evokes emotion and as a consequence. aids in its recall.
Think “Plop. Plop. Fizz. Fizz. Oh, what a relief it is.” For Alka-Seltzer. “Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce / special orders don’t upset us.” For Burger King. Or “Nationwide is on your side.”
One study found rhyming messages are more likeable, accurate and insightful.
Internal rhymes are another device used in metered writing. Here, the rhyming takes place within the phrase – not just at the end of the line. “Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it's Maybelline.”
My personal style often uses alliteration – the repetition of a letter in a series of words – like this one for Origins Underwear for Lashes:
Like songs, copy also can lean into word associations, analogies and metaphors that don’t tell you a set of facts, but paint a picture, open the imagination, help your audience feel something emotionally.
On that note.
So next time you write an ad – or for that matter - a presentation, speech, blog or social media post, make a song out of it.
- Consider the structure and pace of your phrasing. Nike’s “Find your Greatness” is masterful: “Greatness. It’s just something we made up. Somehow, we’ve come to believe that greatness is a gift, reserved for the chosen few. For prodigies. For superstars. And the rest of us can only stand by watching. You can forget that. Greatness is not some rare DNA strand, it’s not some precious thing. Greatness is no more unique to us than breathing. We’re all capable of it. All of us.”
- Use the sound of words to give your sentences a sense of musicality. Zap. Snap. Bounce. Bang. Boom.
- Punctuate descriptions with short punchy staccato moments to create tension, emphasis and excitement. “Here’s to the crazy ones. The Misfits. The Rebels.” From Apple.
- Use smooth sentences to slow things down and tell a story. Ikea does this beautifully in their “Where Life Happens” campaign: “You’re thinking that she’s not really that into you. That she’s not looking for something serious. That her ex who hit the genetic jackpot is back… Just don’t string too many long sentences together, or you’ll be looking at a lullaby.
- Think verse (lyrics that take us deeper into the feelings or situation), bridge (a peak moment or turning point in a song), chorus (the hook that sums up the message) and refrain (repeated lines at the end of each verse that reinforce the message).
Forget high school grammar. You’re not writing a thesis.
Another perk. Studies show that song produces positive effects on the body and brain. It activates both the right and left brain and releases dopamine (the happy chemical) and reduces stress to hit the perfect high note with your audience.We live in a highly visual world. Some say words don’t matter. I disagree. Take a lyrical approach to writing. And watch how your words sing.
Robin is a serial brand innovator, strategist, storyteller and virtual Swiss Army knife of creative. She founded Insurgents to partner with courageous companies who want to break through barriers and bureaucratic BS to uncover new worlds of opportunity. Brands with chutzpah who are ready to do something bold and imaginative to shift the consumer mindset and move the marketplace.
Over her career, Robin has helped invent or reinvent over 50 brands. Consider her your creative catalyst, the one who will burn the forest to spark new growth. She leads all ideation, innovation and creative strategy. And is one hell of a copywriter.
Great copy is music to my ears!
Confession: I can’t sing a note. I am totally tone deaf.
One traumatic childhood experience involved being the only 6th grader not picked for Glee Club. Since I was the solo child (and not the soloist), Cantiague Elementary School’s very own version of Will Schuester reluctantly added me to the chorus of The Happy Wanderer at the last minute. However, I was instructed to only mouth the words. Valerdi Valdera.
Yes, my singing is that bad.
My lack of vocal ability has never silenced me in the car, shower or at a karaoke. I sing out loud and proud. As my husband will tell you, “Robin knows the words to every song from the 60s on.” Give me a few opening bars and I’ll be belting it out.
My love of lyrics no doubt paved the way for my career as an advertising copywriter.
How so?
A great piece of copy should be clear, concise, informative, relevant, authentic and above all, human. Every how-to copywriting cheat sheet will tell you that.
But while a sound idea is critical to successful writing, the secret to making your message memorable is all about how it sounds. Its musicality.
In rhyme, there’s reason.
As Truman Capote said: “To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it’s about, but the music the words make.”
The catchier the tune – or the words - the more it sticks in your audience’s subconscious. The cadence of a song helps us to remember it, as well as the melody and images the words provoke. It’s called an “earworm” a.k.a. stuck tune syndrome.
Same is true for copywriting. Copy written with a beat, rhythm, repetition or rhyme captures attention, increases memorability, enhances clarity, evokes emotion and as a consequence. aids in its recall.
Think “Plop. Plop. Fizz. Fizz. Oh, what a relief it is.” For Alka-Seltzer. “Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce / special orders don’t upset us.” For Burger King. Or “Nationwide is on your side.”
One study found rhyming messages are more likeable, accurate and insightful.
Internal rhymes are another device used in metered writing. Here, the rhyming takes place within the phrase – not just at the end of the line. “Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it's Maybelline.”
My personal style often uses alliteration – the repetition of a letter in a series of words – like this one for Origins Underwear for Lashes:
Like songs, copy also can lean into word associations, analogies and metaphors that don’t tell you a set of facts, but paint a picture, open the imagination, help your audience feel something emotionally.
On that note.
So next time you write an ad – or for that matter - a presentation, speech, blog or social media post, make a song out of it.
- Consider the structure and pace of your phrasing. Nike’s “Find your Greatness” is masterful: “Greatness. It’s just something we made up. Somehow, we’ve come to believe that greatness is a gift, reserved for the chosen few. For prodigies. For superstars. And the rest of us can only stand by watching. You can forget that. Greatness is not some rare DNA strand, it’s not some precious thing. Greatness is no more unique to us than breathing. We’re all capable of it. All of us.”
- Use the sound of words to give your sentences a sense of musicality. Zap. Snap. Bounce. Bang. Boom.
- Punctuate descriptions with short punchy staccato moments to create tension, emphasis and excitement. “Here’s to the crazy ones. The Misfits. The Rebels.” From Apple.
- Use smooth sentences to slow things down and tell a story. Ikea does this beautifully in their “Where Life Happens” campaign: “You’re thinking that she’s not really that into you. That she’s not looking for something serious. That her ex who hit the genetic jackpot is back… Just don’t string too many long sentences together, or you’ll be looking at a lullaby.
- Think verse (lyrics that take us deeper into the feelings or situation), bridge (a peak moment or turning point in a song), chorus (the hook that sums up the message) and refrain (repeated lines at the end of each verse that reinforce the message).
Forget high school grammar. You’re not writing a thesis.
Another perk. Studies show that song produces positive effects on the body and brain. It activates both the right and left brain and releases dopamine (the happy chemical) and reduces stress to hit the perfect high note with your audience.We live in a highly visual world. Some say words don’t matter. I disagree. Take a lyrical approach to writing. And watch how your words sing.
Robin is a serial brand innovator, strategist, storyteller and virtual Swiss Army knife of creative. She founded Insurgents to partner with courageous companies who want to break through barriers and bureaucratic BS to uncover new worlds of opportunity. Brands with chutzpah who are ready to do something bold and imaginative to shift the consumer mindset and move the marketplace.
Over her career, Robin has helped invent or reinvent over 50 brands. Consider her your creative catalyst, the one who will burn the forest to spark new growth. She leads all ideation, innovation and creative strategy. And is one hell of a copywriter.
