What in the world is sticky copywriting?

 

You’ve just spent hours crafting a brilliant article, report, or story. 

 

The writing is sharp, the ideas are compelling.

You can’t wait to share your words with the world.

 

But after all that hard work, will anyone actually read what you’ve written?

 

The hard truth is that your writing deserves attention.

But attention is a commodity that’s on a rapid decline in our very busy world.

 

But there’s hope. And that’s sticky copywriting.

 

Think of Winnie the Pooh and his pot of honey.

Or your fingertips after demolishing a pile of ketchup-drizzled fries.

 

Sticky.

 

So, how can you make your copy sticky?

 

Build a campfire, and round everyone up for story time

 

Facts and figures have their place, but numbers alone don’t tell a story.

 

You need words for that. The stickier, the better. 

 

Think of Nike’s “Just do it” and McDonald’s “I’m lovin it”.

And then think of M&M’s “Melts in your mouth, not in your hand”.

 

The everyday person sees a catchy copy line. Here’s what we see.

 

Nike sells running shoes and workout gear.

They want you to run and work out. In their gear.

 

But we all struggle with motivation.

So what can Nike say to get you off the couch and in their gear?

 

Just do it.

 

Fewer words (three to five is the sweet spot), and a few writing tricks (rhyme, alliteration, metaphors) can douse your copy in sweet and sticky honey.

 

A spoonful of simplicity helps the marketing go down

 

Jargon? There’s the door.

Redundancies? They don’t work here anymore.

Big, fancy words? They can defenestrate themselves.

 

Keep your writing simple and straightforward.

 

Because it’s important to remember that the world doesn’t revolve around your copy, or your client. But your work does revolve around your audience.

 

So don’t overload your readers’ brains.

Feed them something fun, sticky, and worth their attention and memory.

 

Sneak in and surprise them

 

Before we tuck into this, I’ll take my own advice and tell you a story.

 

Jenny is eating a sandwich for lunch.

She takes a big bite, then feels something wiggle inside.

 

That’s the power of surprise. It has the power to change your brain chemistry.

 

But with great power comes great responsibility. So honour your readers’ attention with zingy thought starters, entertaining stories, and head-turning headlines.

 

Give them something to look at

 

Just like smell is a dog’s strongest sense, sight is one of ours.

 

If you’re a designer, you’ll know just how seriously brands take their logo and visual identity.

81% of customers will recall a brand’s colours more than its name, and 55% of brand impressions are typically based on visual aspects.

 

And you don’t have to count on a compelling image to drive your message home.

Although, if you have the option to use an image, go for it. 

 

And if you don’t, you can grab your metaphorical paintbrush and paint your readers a picture with words.

Appeal to their senses with strong adjectives, and watch your content impressions and customer recall shoot through the roof. 

 

Now that you’ve read the basics of sticky copywriting, what’ll stick into your first draft?

 

If you’re a brand who doesn’t want to get their fingers sticky, our creative copywriters are on hand.

Email us at [email protected] and we’ll make your message stick.