Ad & Brochure Writing - It's Okay For English Teachers To Hate Yours
Ad & Brochure Writing - It's Okay For English Teachers To Hate Yours
In fact, if your ad, brochure or website's copy's grammar were to earn an A+ from your instructor, it probably wouldn't be as effective as it could be.
You see, grammar isn't a rigid set of rules. It's a framework, and different types of writing demand different types of grammar. For example, high schools and colleges teach a formal, cumbersome style of writing that's used only within academic settings.
Writing ads, brochures, and other materials isn't about impressing a professor. It's about selling. Telling. Convincing. Entertaining. Emphasizing. Even infuriating. Doing that effectively demands copy that's extraordinarily individual and personal. In fact, the more copy sounds like conversation, the more effective it tends to be.
That doesn't mean writers should ignore basic rules of syntax. The degree of grammatical correctness should reflect the situation and the audience. An ad for industrial purchasing managers doesn't need to be as formal as a white paper directed to English teachers.
Among the more common areas of confusion:
- Contractions. Contractions keep copy talky and friendly. Don't avoid them because your English teacher wouldn't let you use them. (How does "Do not avoid them because your English teacher would not let you use them" sound? Read both aloud. One sounds like you; the other like Queen Victoria.)
- Conjunctions. Beginning a sentence with a conjunction is perfectly acceptable. And sometimes, it adds impact. But not if you do it too often. Or place them inappropriately. Treat conjunctions like spices: a little bit adds flavor, too much is overwhelming.
- Fragments. It's acceptable to use fragments in copy for impact, but do so sparingly. Otherwise the reader. Will believe. You have developed. A neurological disorder. Of some sort.
- Second person. You learned not to use "you" in school writing. But copywriting should be a personal, informal conversation between you and your audience, so it's not only acceptable to use you, it's actually a good idea.
- Exclamation points. Using one exclamation point is a little like raising your voice. Using three is like yelling, waving your arms and jumping up and down. You'll draw attention, but for the wrong reasons.
- Quotation marks. Putting quotation marks around anything but a direct quote implies that you're trying to fool someone. If you say your widget is made out of "silver" or "real" silver, the reader will assume it's an imitation.
- Misused ellipses. Those three dots aren't a substitute for commas and dashes. The ellipsis (...) tells the reader that part or all of a sentence has been removed from a quote. Granted, many people use it incorrectly ... like this ... but that doesn't make it right.
- Prepositions. You were taught that you're not supposed end a sentence with a preposition. But styles change, and it's no longer considered a sin, especially if you do so only sparingly.
Don't let the grammar police determine whether copy is good or bad. Instead, measure writing by its effectiveness in achieving your objectives, not by whether it lives up to Mrs. McGillicuddy's dictates.
Scott Flood creates effective copy for companies and other organizations. To learn more, visit http://www.sfwriting.com 2007 Scott Flood All rights reserved.
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