Learn to write like an ad agency
Learn to write adverts, when to not use your name, look for inspiration at the Webbys, and a powerful introduction example.
One of the most powerful communication styles is that used by advertising. Advertisers create factual stories designed to promote and sell products and services. They are proficient at it, in part because they harness many tools and techniques to engage and influence audiences.
So even if you’re not creating a piece of advertising, you can still draw on what works for the industry. Not only may it help you create content that better catches the eye, you should be promoting any content you create. And promotion is a form of advertising!
See our lesson ‘The Art, Science And Technology Of Publishing’.
Advertisers condense copy down to the basic story elements. Adverts contain very few words, that convey a direct, concise message. You can learn from both - whatever the factual content you are creating, it will generally benefit from being reduced closer to your fundamental message.
See our lesson ‘Learn How To Improve Your Content’.
Adverts focus on benefits, and how their products solve problems. Your factual story may not explicitly do that. But all true stories contain an inherently similar structure, involving the surmounting of complications and reaching a resolution.
See our lesson ‘The Secret Power of Stories’.
By taking a cue from advertisers, and shaping your narrative in a similar way, you will both appeal to your audience and harness one of the most powerful known communication techniques. Brands compete to get your attention and influence your decisions. Which clothes you wear, food you eat, hotels you book, products you buy, services you use. So it’s worth considering how they do it. And what you can learn from it, and apply to your own factual storytelling.
A brand is essentially a distillation of much more, usually a business and its associated operations. So how might you distil your story to its most basic form? If asked to pitch your story to another in just a few words, what would you say? And then how would you best present this idea to catch your audience’s eye and influence them?
See our lessons ‘Finding Stories In Your Work’ and ‘Good Design And Why It Matters’.
As well as using powerful, punchy copy, both adverts and brands exploit good design. You should too.
If you are crafting a report, presentation, newsletter or other longer format, try to make it look more like an advert than a library book. Don’t be afraid to create a bold first impression. Do your initial words and design attract attention like an advert might? If they don’t, you’re missing an opportunity to hook people.
When to not add your name
Counter-intuitive though it may first sound, quite often when you’re communicating factual content, you may intentionally wish to remove yourself as the author.
You craft a piece of factual content, but you don’t add your name to it. You don’t give yourself a credit or byline, for example.
This routinely happens within many genres. Professionals don’t name themselves as authors of press releases, web copy, marketing blurbs, or marketing or advertising messages. But even here, it’s still important to convey a strong sense of authorship, and let your audience know who is speaking to them.
That’s why you should be aware of, and in these instances use, a form of institutional authorship.
Institutional authorship is when a story is presented by an organisation or publication.
Newspaper editorials, newsletters and corporate social media posts are usually published under the name of the company, organisation or brand, without a byline.
When you do this, it’s important to speak in a consistent, institutional voice.
Again, this could be serious or professional-sounding. But many brands and companies try to develop some sense of institutional personality. As an organisation, they take a particular world view, guiding their stance on future developments.
The more organisations appear to speak as people, the warmer and more emotive and engaging they are, often engendering stronger partnerships, and member, customer and brand loyalty.
If you create content for an organisation you work for, check that you really know how it speaks to the world? Does your organisation have a tone of voice? If it does, you need to match and develop it.
Does your company have a style guide you should consult before authoring content on its behalf?
See our lesson ‘Style Guides Matter’.
Looking for inspiration?
It can be hard to be creative - especially when you’re seeking new, fresh ways to engage audiences and tell your story, whether that be sharing corporate news, communicating your work with colleagues or clients, or promoting your own business.
So much so, that we have a lesson devoted to how you or your organisation can become more creative in communicating your factual story.
See our lesson ‘Learn To Be Creative’.
One way, is simply to seek out inspiration in the work of others - and there’s no better place right now than at the Webby Awards, which have just announced the nominees for 2024.
The Webby Awards contains examples of some of the best, most original and successful digital content posted in the last year - much of which is in the factual space. We know the Webby Awards, having won three awards over our career. Now that humble-brag is over, it really is worth checking out the websites, podcasts, apps, educational content, social media, ads and PR, and more that are competing to win this year.
Have a look around the excellent work at The Webby Awards 2024, and vote for those nominees that impressed you.
A powerful introduction
Last year ,for example, the Webbys honoured Discoveries magazine, published by the University of California San Diego Health Sciences Department.
The website hosting this online magazine is an excellent example of how you should always front-load your message, and begin your story with a powerful summary or introduction.
For more on how to do so, see our previous newsletter article How To Start Your Factual Story.