8 seconds.
That’s all a writer has to keep your attention.
Have I lost you yet?
Well good, let’s continue.
I once read that good copy should sound like a conversation. This is a bit tricky when there’s no-one responding, and you have only your own conscience for an audience. Horberry & Lingwood, in the seminal ‘Read Me’, have attributed this to an interactive digital age. The public can now respond to copy, blogs and adverts in a tangible way, meaning that copywriters have had to change how they write.
Now that of course, depends on what type of copy you’re writing.
With advertising copy, the power to respond to adverts on social media has created a two-way dialogue with advertising copy. The public can now respond to copy, blogs and adverts in a tangible way, meaning that copywriters have had to change how they write. Gone are the days when advertising copy was a simple one-way narrative that reads like a short story. You won’t get that many useful tips from Don Draper for a 2017 world. And let’s not forget the ever-shrinking attention span of today’s audience: long copy for tube adverts? You can think again. (see Bach’s Rescue Remedy tube advert for how to get this right.)
In blogging for marketing or literary purposes, you’ve got more creative licence. Long copy is still a delicate balancing act. How do you impart a long, complex idea without boring your readers and losing your audience? If you’re still reading this then you’re doing better than average. Mainly, this comes down to knowing your audience and knowing your content. If your readers are interested, and your work is well written, they’ll read those 2,000 words on Chemiosmotic theory.
Be clear. Be concise. Be interesting.
And if all else fails, buy this.