Copywriting for BORING businesses

[spirit]

I find it fairly easy to write compelling copy for exciting things, like a new food or a video game.

But how do you go about writing copy for a really BORING business? I mean niches like steel fabrication or welding.

The only thing I could think of is making a swipe file from other similar businesses. But, I have no idea if their copy is effective or not.

 

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[Antifragile]

Copywriting is advertising.

The goal of advertising is not to entertain, it is to sell products.

Copy cannot create a desire for a product. It can only take the hopes, dreams, fears and desires of peoples and focus those already existing desires onto a product. Whether product is “boring” is in the eye of the person buying. Your job is to direct that desire.
Your job is to:
1. Get attention.
2. Communicate.
3. Persuade

These days we are drowning in information but starving for knowledge.

You are not in the business of being original, great copywriters reuse things that work. Your idea to start with swipe file from other businesses is good, as long as you know them to be effective!

Ask:
- Who is my customer?
- What are the important features of the product?
- Why will the customer want to buy the product?

IMO, you may find writing a copy for a ”boring“ business even easier because there are fewer great copywriters in that space.


Hope this helps.

 

[Cameraman]

Copywriting is advertising.

The goal of advertising is not to entertain, it is to sell products.

Copy cannot create a desire for a product. It can only take the hopes, dreams, fears and desires of peoples and focus those already existing desires onto a product. Whether product is “boring” is in the eye of the person buying. Your job is to direct that desire.
Your job is to:
1. Get attention.
2. Communicate.
3. Persuade

These days we are drowning in information but starving for knowledge.

You are not in the business of being original, great copywriters reuse things that work. Your idea to start with swipe file from other businesses is good, as long as you know them to be effective!

Ask:
- Who is my customer?
- What are the important features of the product?
- Why will the customer want to buy the product?

IMO, you may find writing a copy for a ”boring“ business even easier because there are fewer great copywriters in that space.


Hope this helps.

Great advice.

 

[Andy Black]

But how do you go about writing copy for a really BORING business? I mean niches like steel fabrication or welding.

Is it boring for the person who needs welding done or the person who makes a living as a welder?

 

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[Saad Khan]

Copywriting is advertising.

The goal of advertising is not to entertain, it is to sell products.

Copy cannot create a desire for a product. It can only take the hopes, dreams, fears and desires of peoples and focus those already existing desires onto a product. Whether product is “boring” is in the eye of the person buying. Your job is to direct that desire.
Your job is to:
1. Get attention.
2. Communicate.
3. Persuade

These days we are drowning in information but starving for knowledge.

You are not in the business of being original, great copywriters reuse things that work. Your idea to start with swipe file from other businesses is good, as long as you know them to be effective!

Ask:
- Who is my customer?
- What are the important features of the product?
- Why will the customer want to buy the product?

IMO, you may find writing a copy for a ”boring“ business even easier because there are fewer great copywriters in that space.


Hope this helps.

Hey, I read that in breakthrough advertising!

Great advice, these fundamentals are absolutely necessary to understand. I even took a screenshot!

Well worth a second read, and a third as well!

 

[mtn_baldy]

As a result of my geographical location, I primarily do copywriting for steel fabrication, oil and gas, and other various "boring" trade industries. I've found that these types of jobs tend to pay me on time and whatever I ask, and the tradeoff is that I have to slog through what to me often feels like uninspiring work.

My advice is this — fantasize a little bit. Sit back, close your eyes and imagine what a really cool commercial for say, a steel door manufacturer would look like. Imagine the molten hot steel being poured into the frame, hissing and steaming as the liquid takes shape. Think about the colors, the smells, etc. Then, try to vividly describe the aspects of the fantasy that appeal to you and your target customer. I find that trying to romanticize the job at least gets me motivated to work on it at the very least, and maybe even tap into a well of inspiration in your brain.

Make sure you combine my fictional writing techniques with some good old-fashioned SEO/Keyword research and viola.

 

[Kung Fu Steve]

Is it boring for the person who needs welding done or the person who makes a living as a welder?

Find people who get excited about these things and interview them! Ask them in-depth questions about why they like certain products over others, the problems, issues, challenges.

The old quote "if you can articulate their problem better than they can in their own head, you've got 'em"

"don't you hate it when..."

"isn't it the worst when..."

"have you ever experience this..."

Andy said it best here. It's about diving into their world. You might not care about welding, but that guy who has worked in the industry his entire life, prides himself on perfect welds, takes pictures of his work, brags to his friends -- that's the type of person who anybody could get excited with!

 

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[Stargazer]

Most Copywriting is down to the offer being relevant.

'Nobody got fired buying IBM' across the picture of a boring computer.

Is that compelling in your view? It 100% was to IT Managers around the world.

'Diamonds are a girls best friend' De Beers (who also told women that the man in their life should be spending 3 months of their paycheck on the ring too in another advert)

Those Copywriters knew exactly who their market was and what to say to them and only took a few words to do so.

Dan

 

[WJK]

Most Copywriting is down to the offer being relevant.

'Nobody got fired buying IBM' across the picture of a boring computer.

Is that compelling in your view? It 100% was to IT Managers around the world.

'Diamonds are a girls best friend' De Beers (who also told women that the man in their life should be spending 3 months of their paycheck on the ring too in another advert)

Those Copywriters knew exactly who their market was and what to say to them and only took a few words to do so.

Dan

My husband is one of those guys who has a big shop full of tools and materials. The yard is full of heavy equipment and big boy toys. He gets just excited over his welding/metal fabricating stuff as I get over a new laptop. Our little patch of woods is his whole world.

I'm not sure how you would reach him with ads. He doesn't go on the net or social sites -- he doesn't care unless it concerns our family. He watches very little TV -- news, educational, and weather only. He sometimes listens to the radio, but that's usually background noise that gets drowned out by his power tools. He only talks on the phone when he must -- and those conversations are generally very short. He's not an easy man to influence from the outside.

I tend to be his window on the world. I run down whatever he needs and buy it for him. Also, I am his buffer on the world. This morning I went to town and ran down parts for him concerning his current project. I took a picture of its current stage in construction on my phone before I left. I got the parts and a drawing of how they go together from the parts man. This afternoon, my husband will probably be able to complete that new system.

 

[Walter Hay]

But how do you go about writing copy for a really BORING business? I mean niches like steel fabrication or welding.

This reminds me of a"song" from way back: "Difficult For You, Easy For Me"

Copywriting is an occupation best suited to people who can put themselves in others' shoes. I have a friend who is a welder, and he treats every job like a work of art. I know his workmanship is excellent and his attention to detail is fastidious.

So could you imagine writing copy about the way Michaelangelo lay on his back for four years while delicately painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?

If you can, then translate that to writing copy for what you consider mundane work.

Walter

 

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[WJK]

This reminds me of a"song" from way back: "Difficult For You, Easy For Me"

Copywriting is an occupation best suited to people who can put themselves in others' shoes. I have a friend who is a welder, and he treats every job like a work of art. I know his workmanship is excellent and his attention to detail is fastidious.

So could you imagine writing copy about the way Michaelangelo lay on his back for four years while delicately painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?

If you can, then translate that to writing copy for what you consider mundane work.

Walter

No work is "mundane" to the person who loves it!

 

[mtn_baldy]

This reminds me of a"song" from way back: "Difficult For You, Easy For Me"

Copywriting is an occupation best suited to people who can put themselves in others' shoes. I have a friend who is a welder, and he treats every job like a work of art. I know his workmanship is excellent and his attention to detail is fastidious.

So could you imagine writing copy about the way Michaelangelo lay on his back for four years while delicately painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?

If you can, then translate that to writing copy for what you consider mundane work.

Walter

This. I know a dude who loves to turn wrenches on cars, literally gets excited over Mopar vs GM debates, etc.

I barely know what those words mean, but for him it's a trigger word that gets him listening. Hell, sometimes I'll make fun of his Jeep just to get his attention.

A good starting point to reach people like this would be to find out what their trigger words are and base your copy around that.

 

[Guest-5ty5s4]

Everything is "boring" until you start growing and gaining traction.

Then the most "boring" thing in the world can become pretty damn exciting!

 

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[Canadoz]

I find it fairly easy to write compelling copy for exciting things, like a new food or a video game.

But how do you go about writing copy for a really BORING business? I mean niches like steel fabrication or welding.

The only thing I could think of is making a swipe file from other similar businesses. But, I have no idea if their copy is effective or not.

Fung Fu Steve has hit the nail on the head.

You have to dive deep here and interview actual workers in the industry.
Could you do this over zoom? Another way of doing this is by attending a conference where you get totally immersed in their industry for 2-3 days.

Trying to pick up their pain points on an internet forums will be very difficult. You're going to have to be proactive here.