February 16th, 2010 by Glenn
We all hate long-form copy
We all hate reading that American-sales-letter-style long-form copy. (Even you American copywriters. C’mon, admit it!)
I mean, what’s to like? It’s ugly and cheap, and it insults our intelligence. Do long-form copywriters really think I’m stupid enough to buy a product just because they tell me — over, and over, and OVER — how it’s gonna turn me into a yacht-owning, bikini-clad-model-dating, mansion-dwelling, permanently-erect, super-hung hunk?
(Well… now that you put it that way… ;-))
But it works, so you should be using it
Trouble is, long-form copy works. Yellow highlighting notwithstanding, it actually does work.
So why don’t the rest of us copywriters — those of us who work on corporate websites, microsites, blogs and eDMs — use it?
Well, hold on to your hats, ‘coz here’s another surprise: The successful ones already do.
You’ve read this far ‘coz I’m using it
So now you’re really confused, right? Good. You see, I want you to be confused, because that encourages you to read on. I’ve made you curious.
Just as importantly, I’ve linked that curiosity to your own success, so now there’s an element of self-interest involved.
And for good measure, I’ve used headings strategically. They tell the same story as the copy, just in case you think you don’t have time to read the lot.
I’ve also told a very short story about the sorts of long-form copy I despise. And stories are engaging.
What’s more, my story is an affirmation. You’ve been confronted by the same sort of long copy, and you felt the same way about it. You agree with me. You may even be smiling and nodding your head (even now). Your attitudes and actions — agreeing, smiling, nodding — are proof that you’re in the right place and 'among friends'. They’re psychological cues affirming your presence here, cues which in turn modify your behavior (i.e. encourage you to read on).
So what IS long-form copywriting?
So now you’ve made it all the way down to here, despite the fact that I still haven’t made my point. And having invested this much time reading what I have to say, there's a fairly good chance, psychologically speaking, that you’ll align your attitudes with mine, when I ask you to. Why? Because then they'll match your behavior and you won't feel any cognitive dissonance (that uncomfortable feeling you experience when your behaviors and attitudes don't match). In other words, when I do eventually hit you with my main argument, you’ll be psychologically primed to agree with me.
That’s long-form copy. I’ve invested the time, thought and web real estate to write as much as I need to, to get you smiling, nodding and reading.
And what isn’t it?
Long-form copy isn’t about writing more. You’ll note above that I said “write as much as I need to”, not “write as much as I can”.
Nor is long-form copy about yellow highlighting; that’s just a relic of a particular long-form copy medium and audience: the US sales letter. (After decades of exposure to it, many American consumers still trust that medium, so marketers continue to use yellow highlighting online.)
And finally, long-form copy isn’t about pleasing everyone. You need only please your audience. (Note that I said “to get you smiling”. I’m writing specifically to you, and other people like you. I’m narrowly targeting my audience, and writing in a way that will appeal to you. And the fact that I’m very deliberately targeting you — and very clearly excluding everyone else — draws you even closer. You feel special because I value you, and I’m prepared to say, ‘To hell with everyone else!’.)
But it’s easy to use long-form copy in a blog; it’s hard to use in corporate web copy, right?
It's true that, in some respects, blog posts and long-form sales letters are pretty similar. They're both long, rambling and personal. eDMs, on the other hand, are perceived as low value, so readers aren't willing to invest as much time in them. Corporate web copy, too, is expected to be short. So you don’t have the real estate to bang on for 400 words before getting to the point. Your copy is competing against countless similar pieces (competitor’s websites, similar emails and spam emails), so readers rush more when reading it, and they’re more skeptical.
Wrong! Long-form applies to corporate web copy too
Nonetheless the principles of long-form copy do apply equally to corporate web copy and eDMs. Obviously you can't write a lot on every page, because visitors simply wouldn't read it. But you can still write a lot, if you need to…
You just need to think holistically. Don't try to equate a single web page with a long-form sales letter. Your entire website is your equivalent. Your Home page may afford you only 100-200 words, but it's only the introduction to your long copy piece. Your Products page may not be able to exceed about 300 words, but it's only the teaser for your products. These pages don't need to say everything, they just need to say enough to keep your visitor reading, and to get her to click through to your lower level pages. Where your long copy piece continues…
Similarly, your typical eDM may be only 250 words, or so, but it needn't be the only one you send. Make it part of a series of related eDMs that are tailored to your recipient's situation and responses. And your microsite may be just 50 words per page. But those 50 words are NOT your entire piece. You have dozens of 50-word pages at your disposal, not to mention a host of fancy interactive elements and scripted audio opportunities.
Long-form copy is perfectly at home on your website. And in your eDMs. And on your microsites. You just need to stop thinking of your pages as simply islands of information, and start thinking of them as stepping stones. Each must serve a strategic purpose within an overarching framework. Then you'll see that your materials aren't really that different from an American sales letter. They just look a little different.
Don’t forget the lessons of long copy
Long-form copy has been around for years. Making money the whole time. Its most successful proponents have amassed fortunes by closely studying human motivation, incorporating their findings into their sales letters, then chipping away with trial-and-error, until they found the ideal formula.
You’re not that different from those copywriters of yesteryear. Ultimately, you want the reader to do something — to buy a product or service, to read a review, to click your affiliate link, to remember your brand. And, believe it or not, your reader isn’t that different, either. Sure, they’re a little more hurried, and they’re no longer reading a mailed letter, but human psychology doesn’t change anywhere near as quickly as the human environment.
So don’t underestimate or disregard the lessons learned by long-form copywriters over the last century:
- Target a specific audience
- Research what messages that audience will respond to
- Write as much as you need to to convert the reader (and not a word more)
- Remember that every element in your web presence must serve a purpose
- Recognize that that purpose will generally be to keep your reader reading
- Really, REALLY value headlines
- Don’t talk about what you can do; talk about what you can do for your reader
- Differentiate yourself
- Validate claims
- Build trust by giving the reader something for nothing (even if it’s just knowledge)
- Take the reader on an adventure
- Include more detail for big-ticket items
- Don’t try to be all things to all readers
- Don’t forget your call to action
- Test messages before releasing them ‘into the wild’
- Test the success of each released piece
- Adapt your long-form copy piece (e.g. your website) incrementally
- Do what works, not what you think should work
Ignore these lessons at your own risk.
But, of course, have a nice day… :-)
Very, very cool. I can't believe I actually read all that *and* learnt something! :)
You saved the most important nugget for last: "Do what works, not what you think should work".
Nearly ALL of this was new to me. I wonder what the psychology is behind MY audience, why a really great (I think) post flopped, how I'm to test a post before publishing, and how the heck you wrote a post about writing posts to writers of posts and made me read to the end. Not sure if I should feel gullible, smart, or just dizzy.
G'day Charles. Yep, that's an important one! Hi Cathy. I think the beauty of blogging is in its volume. Every post is a test, so there's no need to test before posting. You just refine as you progress from post to post. Glad you liked the post. I felt a little dizzy, at times, during the writing of it too! It can be hard to keep the complex posts flowing logically.
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