Here’s a look into my brain when I see copy I like while doing real life things.

Hello there!

I was cleaning my iPhone photo album and noticed a crockpot full of ad photos I’ve taken walking the streets and scrolling the screens of life.

So, I decided to show a few of them to you and share why I like them/what went through my head when I saw them — and how it can show us how to write good copy and avoid dumb copy.

Have you tasted the best coke ever?

I saw this ad in Las Vegas recently. Truthfully, this is a screenshot because I like this picture better than the one I took. Anywaze…

This is a good example of the power of the question mark.

Seeing that quirky ‘?’ symbol gets us to commit to the answer. And the answer is our answer.

Questions help us stop and think in an ad. It can bring up an emotion or experience (which is good).

It got me to think, even if it was for a few seconds —"Is Coke Zero Sugar the best I’ve had?” - Probably not because it’s a tie with McDonald’s Coke and Portillo’s Coke (<— Chicagoans know).

Then they drop the call to action #TakeATaste (another good idea).

I’ll close out with this quote about the new campaign from Oana Vlad, Senior Director of Global Strategy for The Coca-Cola Company":

“We’ve all experienced the scenario: we open the fridge, in anticipation of enjoying our favourite (fancy spelling) drink, only to realise that someone else has beaten us to it and has taken that irresistibly tasty Coca-Cola Zero Sugar for themselves.”

I love how this example helped lead to the simple idea of “Best Coke Ever?”

It started with a walk…

Got your attention?

Natural food brands LOVE sharing their story on the packaging. What I like what Snack Better did here was it started with a “It started” instead of “our story.”

Key elements of a good brand story are:

1. A relatable action (started with a walk to the neighborhood bakery)

2. Specific details (a bit of a Macaroon cookie)

3. A significant moment (inspired me to create this combination of…)

Honestly, not the most compelling story but I love the focus and emphasis on It started with a walk - when you do this, you know a story is coming.

The truth about Heinz?

Way to highlight your top positioning here. Competition is a good thing — Heinz proves it with this clever ad.

Aaron Starkman, part of the team who created this ad, hints at how this idea came from a scenario customers have gone through. Or that they hear from people in the industry that pouring other condiments in a Heinz bottle is 100% a thing.

Overall, a great job listening to your audience and creating an ad that brings awareness to your positioning.

Sidebar: This is a good example where the copy compliments the imagery perfectly.

Ahh, the LinkedIn DM pitch right after a connection.

Did anyone else get something like this?

A few things here:

1. At least they used my first name instead of “Hello Sir”

2. Who is we?

3. Appointment setters and closers doesn’t sound relatable to what I do - which is all over my profile

4. What a range of ‘guaranteed income’ - sounds like a healthy and flexible work schedule

5. I actually don’t hate the comment with ‘YES’ because it’s a low barrier of entry but the all caps is cringealicious.

With all this said, if you're going to LI DM someone after connecting, research who they are and what they do to find common ground. Even a ‘We’re offering a remote job that fits your background. Comment ‘YES’ if you want to learn more” would be better — even though it’s a classic ‘bait and switch’ job.

I like this copy as much as I don’t.

I have some mixed feelings about this, but ultimately here are my thoughts.

The ad copy is effective and here’s my reasoning:

1. It calls out the audience right away with Men should try this:

2. It’s easy to read using numbered bullets

3. Concise and actionable

4. Answers objections of how long will it take with Use it for 15 minutes a day

5. Ends with a benefit for the men who love attention and praise

Things I don’t like:

1. I actually hate the font choice if you’re trying to get someone to be the most interesting person in the room

2. The torn notebook paper is also pedestrian

3. It’s pushy

4. I don’t know what headway does exactly

5. Is it calling me boring and someone who doesn’t know how to talk about feelings?

The point is — you can use this example as a good formula for effective copy.

Sorry, but no ‘Where the cool things are’ today because this newsletter was basically an entire section of ‘Where the cool things are.’

BTW…If you’re new here and wondering what “Where the cool things are” is — it’s a section where I share cool things I saw on the internet and think you can find it entertaining and helpful.

If you found today’s newsletter helpful and fun, do me a favor and reply with “This was fun Friday newsletter"

Terry Schilling

P.S. Enjoy reading the Cool Copy Newsletter? Share it with a friend (or three) or post about it on social media. It means a lot and is serotonin to me. K, see ya.

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