Customer Reviews

Writing Copy for Dummies

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3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a marketing consultant, I frequently write and review copy. Until I started referring to Jonathan Kranz' excellent book while scribbling away, I had always been writing in a vacuum (although I didn't know it). Sure, I have a decent working sense of what to do and generally got good results, but I had never based my work on practical and proven best-practices. Now I find that I write with more confidence. I turn to chapters in the book as I work and it feels like I have a friend looking over my shoulder, giving me snappy pointers and wise advice.

If you're a writing pro, you will make use of this book. If you're an entrepreneur who wants to write your own copy, the book is essential.

This book is for a non-writer who needs to write advertising or marketing for his company.

The material is comprehensive and includes many good tips. A couple things to note--

1. The focus is on style and construction of materials (e.g., how to put together a direct mail piece), not on grammar, style, and construction of words.

2. Most of the book covers B2C marketing, not B2B.

All the advice is tried-and-true. If you follow it, you can't go wrong.

I've been a copywriter for 14 years, most of the time as a freelancer. I've also been a senior copywriter for an advertising agency and worked in the creative department for a major newspaper.

This is the first book on copywriting I've bought in several years, and I'm now the newest fan of Jonathan Kranz's "Writing Copy for Dummies." Mr. Kranz has written an excellent book for the novice or pro, providing a complete, common-sense guide that covers the full range of marketing communications (including PR). Whether business-to-consumer or business-to-business, direct-response or branding, print or online, for-profit or non-profit, it's all there in an engaging writing style and easy-to-digest format.

After being in the freelance trenches for many years, I know how far-flung assignments can be. It's invaluable to have an all-encompassing reference to reach for when I need knowledge in non-specialty areas. In fact, just last Friday I reviewed parts of Chapter 17 in preparation for a fundraising project with a major university.

Some of the material might be a refresher for veteran marketers. As for me, I'm glad to benefit from a fellow pro's perspective on marketing and copywriting topics. As I told Jonathan via email, "I'm glad you took the time to write this book."

There are plenty of how-to books on how to write copy, but I can't think of one that's as helpful and informative as Jonathan Kranz's Writing Copy for Dummies. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to write great copy - and is also an excellent refresher for experienced copywriters who wish to re-invigorate their copy by taking a little time to review the essentials. The primary advantage of this book over other copy manuals is that it's not written expressly for individuals who wish to make writing copy their profession. Rather, it's also written for business people who don't necessarily want to be professional writers, but who need to write copy as part of their business responsibilities. As a result, it's an especially invaluable resource for small business owners who don't have the budget or inclination to hire a pro-and who, instead, take on copywriting responsibilities themselves.

Kranz covers the full range of copywriting venues, whether it's direct mail, e-mail, advertising, PR, web sites and/or collateral. And in every instance, he clearly and expertly elucidates the keys to writing great copy-with how-to tips, pointers on what to avoid, nuts and bolts technical advice, and writing exercises that enable the reader to turn thought into action. Throughout the book, Kranz displays a welcome wit that nicely complements the wealth of factual information that's included-for example, he writes, "Telling is for journalists, teachers and stool pigeons. Copywriting is about conducting business, not distributing information." Kranz also uses analogies to good effect-at one point, comparing the emotional logic of a good direct mail letter to that of a fairy tale. I'll leave the full explanation of the comparison to Kranz-but it's one of innumerable places in this book where you find yourself saying, "Yeah, that's an excellent point." The author also references writing for different types of businesses-and gives pithy examples for hypothetical businesses such as Sugar Daddy's Car Wash, Round Table Books, Empty Nest Realty Group, DataPlus Oscilloscopes, Danny's Donuts, and so on.

All told, I give this book the highest marks. Sometimes, readers need a "how to" primer on how to select the best "how to" books. My advice: If you want to learn how to be an effective copywriter, make this the one "how to" book you absolutely read.

I bought this book for a good friend of mine, a skilled creative writer, but with little experience in writing professional copy. Like most creative types, he was looking for a job to support his writing and other artistic habits. With the help of Kranz's book, he was able to land a well-paying job that makes use of his talents, suitably focused by the advice in Writing Copy for Dummies. If proof of the pudding is in the paycheck, I can vouch for the effectiveness of this author's approach and suggestions for aspiring professional writers.

Kranz's Writing Copy for Dummies is an excellent resource for current and aspiring copywriters and those who have to do copywriting on the job. From front to cover, it's full of valuable information and examples of most every kind of copywriting assignment imaginable. When I picked it up, I couldn't believe how thorough it was. It was as if it was written for me. The author not only touches on writing for business, but also for the political, nonprofit, and educational sectors. Kranz's personal, humorous and engaging style make the book all the more enjoyable. Overall, this is the most comprehensive book on copywriting I've come across, and I've read quite a few. Kranz has written a bible on copywriting.

This book is a great addition to my library of reference books. I give it four stars only because I was hoping for a lengthier treatment of tips for freelancers. As a reference, it is amazingly useful because it offers clarity--the concrete steps for getting the job done (none of this good juju/bad juju fluff that circulates as marcom advice). Kranz also brings a welcome dose of humor and helpful cautions drawn from long years of experience. For the marketing professional working within a business, it will provide steady and sensible direction, and for those of us who are free agents, it brings a refresher of our clients' needs as well as a solid set of guidelines for marketing our own services.

I am giving this book three stars to attempt to strike a balance with all those five-star reviews. Thirty pages into it I was tempted to throw this in the trash. I guess I'm just not a "for dummies" type and the lame humor the publishers apparently require got pretty tiresome. Also all the plugs for the plethora of other dum-dum books. That being said, I did forge on, past Jonathan's recommendation that I use my indespensible thesaurus as a doorstop, and found some useful tips, though his organization is poor. Is this worth $13.59? Sure. Will it teach you to write? Certainly not, but no book can do that. His overview of some key marketing concepts will be useful to people new to marketing communications or needing a refresher.

This is not a book that you'll want to put under your pillow hoping to absorb the wisdom between its pages through osmosis--you will actually read and love every page of it. This is not a book for your bookshelf--it won't make it that far. This is a book that you'll keep open on your desk, probably eventually with coffee stains and dog-earred pages. Yes, it's that good. It's takes the mystery out of copywriting and helps anyone (especially time-crunched entrepreneurs) craft effective, smart copy.

Jonathan covers it all, from copy purpose and structure to the frequently not discussed reasons why copy (and the people writing it) often miss the target. I picked up this book thinking that it would simply help me improve my writing--it changed the way I viewed my marketing.

A fully comprehensive marketing book that should be the foundation of any marketing effort. No matter your level of marketing confidence, you'll find excellent information, plenty of a-ha moments, and a chuckle (more like a few) as Jonathan covers just about any topic related to copywriting. A must-have for any marketer or entrepreneur!

Kranz opens with a brief and witty definition of copywriting: "[it] attempts to persuade you to do or believe something-usually in regard to the surrender of your cash," then he launches into an explanation of the different things copy can do-everything from direct mail to branding to sales support; an explanation of "the basics" that is exactly that; and a truly step-by-step guide to writing sales letters and brochures.

Sidebars chip in along the way, occasionally offering a true gem, like the real difference between website headlines and their printed counterparts. And Kranz tells you why you should never waste your time and effort on a MISSION STATEMENT.

Based on the number of notes in the margins of my copy, I've found the chapters on websites, collateral, problem solving and "looking for ideas" the most helpful. Kranz also gives a detailed breakdown of what goes into a direct mail package, that should be enough to get any beginning mailer off to a promising start.

There are many books written about copywriting, that are aimed at business owners or the unfortunate folks who get stuck writing copy for their company because they once correctly used "presume" in an email. The nice thing about this one-and "nice" is a good word, because Jonathan Kranz is nothing if not a nice guy-is that it's a book about copywriting that doesn't assume non-copywriters know all the copywriting jargon and secrets. It takes its "For Dummies" title seriously, and that's a good thing.