The Tone Of Voice In Copy

Did you know the sounds different letters make can make your copy more or less powerful?

It’s true. Or, at least, it is according to G.W. Freeman.

He wrote an article around 90 years ago where he gives examples. How the letter ‘S’ can make your copy sound ‘faster’. How the letter ‘P’ can give your copy 'power'.

And how the letter ‘H’ can give your copy ‘force’.

Maybe you have other thoughts about this. Let me know what you think.

Meanwhile, take it away G.W.

The Tone Of Voice In Copy

By G. W. Freeman

“EASY to write, hard to read,” was declared by Robert Louis Stevenson to be an axiom of the scrivener's art . . . and advertising writing cannot escape the laws that govern the creation of all effective copy.

Two people utter identical phrases, and one repels by his truculent gruffness, whereas the other with soft and pleasing tones, charms.

That is a matter of tone of voice.

The printed word offers few mechanical devices for indicating stress and   manner, and so the advertising writer must employ words as tools for modifying stress and tone, and by his literary style develop a pleasing tone of voice in his copy.

The pictorial side gets painful thought so as to make the advertisement appeal.

And then the one element that can really appeal to the mind and to the imagination is dismissed with "Make it brief," or "Just talk naturally."

"Natural" copy is the hardest to write. It takes most labor, that is, if it seems natural

For most copy that is written "just like you talk" reads like nothing under heaven.

Here is a piece of copy written "naturally" by an engineer for a manufacturer of rubber belts:

". . . the present day farmer will buy only the best, regardless of initial cost, for experience has taught him that low first costs invariably mean higher ultimate costs."

That's natural writing.

But does it sound as natural as this: "Did you ever buy a likely looking scrub cow only to find that she never gave enough milk to pay for her feed? If you have, you've learned that low first cost does not always pay best. There are scrubs among farm belts, and there are pure-breds, and you know which kind will give you satisfaction."

Professional rhetoricians bid us avoid "alliteration's artful aid."

And yet there is a valid reason why we, as copy writers, should employ it.

Alliteration formed the basis of the early poetry of our race, and that early influence is persistent.

Our forefathers, sitting through long cold evenings in their draughty halls, drank and sang in unison, eagerly beating time to the alliterative syllables of the song.

Consider this stanza from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (937 A.D.):

Her Aethelstan cynig,
eorla drighten beorna beahgifa,
and his brothor eac Eadmund Aethling,
ealdor laugne tir ge slogan aet Saecce,
suorda ecgum.

Vowels alliterated with any other vowels, as in the first and third lines. See how the b's beat through the second line, and the s's through the fourth.

Alliteration is valuable in headlines

"Montreal or Miami, it's all the same to a Marmon," is more effective than "Palm Beach or Quebec, it's all the same to a Marmon."

The value of the alliteration is in its swing and tinkle.

But alliteration is attractive and useful only in headlines. In body text it gives an effect of insincerity.

Consider this bit of copy which appeared in a booklet issued years ago by an advertising agency: "We produce copy that causes prospects to pause, ponder and purchase."

That not only sounds strained, it bears the earmarks of the "smart alec."

RHYME is always to be avoided in headlines, just as every copywriter shuns accidental rhymes in the body of his text

And yet, while rhymed headlines and rhymed text are anathema, rhymed slogans are worth their weight in platinum because they jingle around in the brain like an unforgettable tune:

"The Wilson Label Protects Your Table."

"Read and Write by Emeralite."

These belong right along with

"Thirty days hath September"

and

"Punch, brothers, punch with care, punch in the presence of the passengaire."

And for the same good reason—we can't forget the rhyme.

We all know that words suggest related ideas—connotation. The more pleasing the connotation, the more pleasing the effect of the word.

The classic horrible example once quoted by an otherwise intelligent advertising man was "Make the old home into a new house." And I personally don't believe that any advertising man, not even the boss's younger brother, ever wrote that!

But aside from their connotation, are there any pleasing words—or unpleasing ones?

In and of themselves, pleasant or unpleasant?

THUS there is a displeasing sequence: The liquids, "1" and "r," are closely related in sound, and like people that are closely related, they do not get along well together.

Consider this sentence from a recent "Sunmaid Raisin" page advertisement in the Post:

"If you like delicious, wholesome, full fruited raisin bread."

—

I defy anyone to read that the first time and not say, "delicious, wholesome, full fluited raisin bread," or at least "Full fruited laisin bled."

It's like that classic tongue twister, "The rat ran over the roof with a lump of raw liver in its mouth."

Discordant sounds have their use; however, for the skillful copy writer will employ them when he touches lightly on those conditions which he wishes to appear unpleasant.

Thus a Weed Chain advertisement, which described the "smug" content of the foolish driver who left his chains back in the garage.

But on the positive side of the subject, are there pleasing words?

Who does not roll such words as these under his tongue?

• Power


• Purple


• Promise


• Progress


• Proven


• Providence

And as for "profit"—the greatest of these is Profit.

Closely allied to "v" is "f," and r-p-f is almost as pleasing at r-p-v.

Consider these trade names:

• Paramount Pictures


• Packard


• Peerless


• Pierce Arrow

and

• Ivory Soap

See how they are charged with "r's" and "p's."

Contrast these two pieces of copy —one full of "r's" with one "f" and one "p" and the other a succession of "k" sounds:

"She will be beautiful of course in the rosy future pictured by a mother's dream."

"Wash your hair becomingly, always have it beautifully clean and well kept and it will add more than anything else to your attractiveness."

Now examine this from a recent Jordon offering:

"Nimble, snug and hammock swung close to the skimming road, this fascinating car glides lightly on its way."

Count the "s's".

That's the secret of its speed and action. For "s" is the symbol of the present active verb.

It denotes action.

To speed copy use short words. Short sentences. Short paragraphs. Words filled with s's.

But speed isn't always what we are after.

Sometimes a client prefers that we obtain results—and that often calls for emphasis. To give weight to any point use, a few more words.

"Every drill is inspected 50 times" may be just as true as "Every drill is inspected time and again, thoroughly, painstakingly, and must meet no less than 50 separate tests", but it carries less weight than the longer sentence.

Don't be obsessed by the short-word, "mania". If you want weight, and even if you need a long word for beauty, don't balk at a polysyllable.

Short words aren't necessarily "good old Anglo-Saxon". Latin has given us "mob" and "vest" and "togs".

If you want force, I suggest that you try out a few words with initial "H".

'H' is a forceful letter.

Just open your mouth and let out a "whoop" or a "holler" and you'll see why.

The Greeks called the H-sound a "rough breathing".

Just listen a moment to this list:

• Ha


• Halt


• Hold on


• Hump


• Hey you


• Hark


• Hand it


• Here


• Hack


• Hit


• Hate


• Hell

That gives us a clue to the strength that has been injected into this headline – The Blue Heart guarantees excess rope strength – “The Blue Heart” sounds stronger than the word “strength”.

Best,
Rezbi
www.directmarketingcourse.com
www.hotbuttoncopywriting.com
www.commonsensedirectmarketing.com

Who Have You Read Lately?

A couple of days ago I sat through a course on writing by Drayton Bird, along with 40 or so other people.

The good thing was, although it was a live seminar, I didn't have to leave the comfort of my home: It was a webinar.

This was one of three webinars Drayton is holding on learning how to write to persuade.

And one thing he emphasized, along with many others, is the importance of reading. Not reading books on writing, or marketing, or any type of business book.

The books he told us to read are novels. And not just any novels, but novels written by people who know, or knew (some may or may not be alive now), how to write.

You see, these people write in such a way that you can't resist reading on. Their style of writing compels you to read from beginning to end.

One author I find unable to put down is Agatha Christie. I never used to read her books until Matt Furey recommended them in one of his emails.

Now I'm hooked.

The thing with Agatha Christie, and the ones on Drayton's list,  is that if you read them you can see why they're so good.

And, if you follow the way they write, it can only make your own writing much better.

And that includes copywriting.

If you want to know more about the writing course, go here http://www.draytonbird.com/proper. That's not an affiliate link.

Meanwhile, it just so happens I found a very interesting piece on the importance of reading. It was written almost a hundred years ago by one of the founders of the BBD&O advertising agency, Bruce Barton.

It's a short but compelling piece. I enjoyed reading it. I think you will, too.

Take it away, Bruce.

Your Body May Live In The Cellar; But It's Your Own Fault If Your Mind Lives There

THE other night my friend Ferrero and I spent a few years with Julius Caesar in ancient Rome.

We went with him on his campaigns in Gaul. Those were wonderful battles -- wonderful fighters.

From a hill-top we could watch the whole battle -- thousands of men driving at each other with their swords, hurling their javelins at short range. No smoke, no trenches; just primitive, hand-to-hand conflict.

We came back to Rome. The city was in a turmoil. Our great chariots thundered through the streets in triumph; our captives, our spoils, our banners made a magnificent procession. The crowds cheered wildly.

Another evening my friend Green and I had a great time together in ancient
Britain.

We went down to Runnymede with a group of English nobles. They were powerful men, each a petty king in his own section; but every one of them took his life in his hand on that expedition.

And there we gathered around King John, and forced him, against his will, to put his name to the Magna Carta, the Great Charter which is the foundation of
English liberties -- and our own.

I had a fine time with Napoleon a few nights before.

I met him when he landed in France, after the escape from Elba.

Up through the southern provinces he came, gathering a few troops there, winning over by the force of his eloquence the regiments sent to capture him.

We arrived in Paris. Hurriedly, but with supreme confidence that the Little
Corporal could never fail; we got together a makeshift army and set out to strike the winning blow at Waterloo.

That battle -- I shall never forget it.

Another day I went over to old Concord, and spent the whole afternoon with Emerson.

We talked about Representative Men. Well, well, you say, what foolishness is this? What do you mean by saying you lived with Caesar and Napoleon and Emerson -- all centuries apart, all long since dead?

If you do not know what I mean, then I pity you.

Have you never come home tired from your office, and with a book transported your foolish little mind clear out of the present day?

Have you never learned the joy of surrendering yourself to the companionship of the great men of the past?

Have you never sat in the little London Club and heard Sam Johnson thunder his philosophy of life?

Have you never sailed up and down the American coast with Captain John Smith, dodging the Indians and opening up a new continent?

Are you one of the wretched, poverty stricken souls who have never learned to escape from yourself through the blessed magic of good books?

Have you contented yourself all your life with the companionship of good pinochle-players, when you might have been a familiar friend of Socrates and
Milton and Napoleon and Cromwell and Washington and Columbus and Shakespeare and Lincoln and Rousseau?

If so, cut out this paragraph from a great man and paste it in your hat:

I would rather be a  beggary and dwell in a garret, than a king who did not love books.

There are some marvellous experiences coming to you.

You can in the evenings to come jar yourself out of the petty rut where circumstance has placed you, and become a familiar of the immortals.

You may learn to face the world with a new confidence, a new poise, a new self respect, because you have made yourself a citizen of the ages.

Do some real reading.

Do it for the joy it will give you: Do it for the good it will do you.

"Show me a family of readers,” said Napoleon, “and I will show you the people who rule the world."

Best,
Rezbi
www.directmarketingcourse.com
www.commonsensedirectmarketing.com