8 copywriting techniques to make your brand stand out

I love collecting copywriting ads.

There’s always something new to learn. It could be a phrase or a principle. Either way, these ads stand out.

They are top of the funnel. They spark your interest. Draw you in with a line that makes you stop and read it. And they make some of the finest print ads on the planet.

Here are eight copywriting techniques that will make you a better copywriter.

1. Double entendre, double effective

‘Entendre’ means it has a ‘double meaning’.

The ad below is brilliant because it suggests two things. It’s fine and it’s a paying fine.

It makes you pause and think.

2. Twist a common phrase

A common phrase captures your attention.

You think you’re reading the typical rhyme or phrase on a billboard until there’s a twist at the end. This print ad is spectacular for doing just that.

It captures your attention and then drops a bomb at the end.

3. Talk with empathy

Don’t talk like a marketer. Talk like you’re a parent.

Mount Sinai ads are always brilliant. This one stood out because it takes on the perspective of a parent. It empathises as a parent.

Write ads from the perspective of your one reader.

🔎 Related: Branding is storytelling

4. Join the conversation

Don’t just talk about your product’s features. Talk about what other people are talking about.

You can hijack the conversation by simply being relatable.

Talk about what other people are talking about —and then cleverly segue into your product.

🔎 Related: When good taglines go bad

5. Similes make your product relatable

A simile or metaphor helps your product stand out.

It helps people visually see what makes your product different. You’re telling them how it’s ‘like’ something (you can even make it humourous).

6. Position yourself as the “only”

Another ad from Mount Sinai shows the power of positioning.

It calls out other hospitals and what they do. Then they show you how they are different. They also say it in a clever way.

There’s nothing wrong with saying something clever if it’s also clear.

7. When design complements copywriting

Sometimes, design supplements the copywriting.

They thrive on each other.

The ad below is an example of how design and copywriting perfectly complement each other.

8. Always consider the reader

Another advert calls out how long it takes to read something. It considers the reader’s time.

It’s also a great way to capture someone’s attention by calling out the time it takes to read the ad.

Call out the obvious.

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