Warning...
I'm going to get political.
But only a "wee" bit....
I've written about the importance of acquiring an extensive "swipe file," packed with high value copy you can use to model and inspire.
As noted by Dan Kennedy many-a-time, one of your BEST sources for copy is to get on the mailing list of one of the two major US political parties.
Dan recommends both - all it takes is a minor contribution to this campaign or that and VIOLA! - You are on the list.
I'm on the list for a couple local officials as well as a candidate or two.
And I'm writing today to lay out my ... how shall we say ... utter contempt for the barren lack of creativity in an email pitch I just received.
It only offered one thing:
Red Meat.
Now don't get me wrong. I'm as big a fan of Red Meat as the next guy.
But honestly, what they sent me was pathetic.
There was zero creativity, zero originality, and amazingly enough with all the dripping anger - zero passion.
The usual suspects were dragged out, demonized, and held up as dire threats to existence.
C'mon.
There was nary a whit of humor or humanity.
Now I'm a big fan of testing. Smart people run these campaigns. Numbers do get crunched. Perhaps I'm the one who needs to adjust his gestalt.
But it read to me like standard slop I'd seen a million times before for a million other candidates.
They trot out the template, change a few words here and there, and then press SEND - hoping to watch the dollars dial in.
So I wrote back.
Suggested that perhaps - next time - instead of just rehashing the same commoditized candidate talking points I'd seen a zillion times over, that instead they try relaying what makes them UNIQUE and DIFFERENT?
You see, I've heard all this stuff before.
Why should I care now that YOU are the one saying it?
It's not a bad point to ponder with copy I'm writing for my clients today - and for copy you're writing as well.
Say interesting things in interesting ways about interesting stuff that matters to interesting people.
So if you're sending me a ham hock, at least send me some mustard.
Write Faster. Write Better. Right Now.
-Jack Turk
"World's Fastest Copywriter"