By Nettie Hartsock
I had the great pleasure of interviewing Robert Bly, industry guru of all that is copywriting and a much-published author with more than 60 books on copywriting and working as an independent writer. Robert authored The Copywriter’s Handbook, the industry standard on copywriting (which resides on top of my desk, dog-eared by daily use) and has a very popular blog at www.bly.com/blog.
During our interview, Robert covered the gamut of copywriting, provided insight into white paper writing and even addressed writer’s block.
WhitePaperSource: Hi Bob. Can you talk about how you got started as a writer?
Bly: I’ve been writing full-time since around 1982, but I actually started writing in 1979 when I was hired as a marketing communications rep for Westinghouse. I majored in chemical engineering, but followed the original writing job with more interest and realized writing was what I wanted to do for a living.
WhitePaperSource: You have been called perhaps the most famous copywriter of them all. Why is copywriting such an important skill?
Bly: Copywriting is important because it is the message behind all that your company does. The more your company depends on direct marketing, the more valuable copywriting is. Copywriting is very important for folks who use white papers or direct mail to help sell their products. The copy moves the buyer along.
WhitePaperSource: So in relation to the tech world, why is copywriting important?
Bly: Within the tech arena, I would say it’s very important to more than 65% of companies. If you break it down, you could see a third sell directly from their copy in a catalog, web site or both; and if the copy fails, they fail. A second third out there use copy to generate sales leads. This is extremely important as well, because better copy means more sales. If you have great copy, then the sales will follow. The final third in the tech arena isn’t really copy-driven. For instance, it might be more about relationships and sales coming through those relationships, like in the government sector. I would say the less directly the product is sold, the less important the copywriting is. I would also quote David Ogilvy, who said, “You can’t bore somebody into buying something.” This serves as a guide for copywriters when generating copy.
WhitePaperSource: You mentioned white papers and sales. Can you talk about that a bit?
Bly: The best white papers have two things. The first is that they are conversational, natural language-driven. It’s really two people talking to each other in an informal tone. The second is to not focus on why your readers should use a certain product, but how it can benefit them if you do.
WhitePaperSource: Empowering the reader?
Bly: Yes, exactly. It has to appear you’re giving them useful information, and really you should be. I like to give tips that the readers can use even if they don’t use “my” product. The main thing is they should be able to get value out of reading your white paper even if they don’t ultimately buy your product. Too often, people think writing white papers means “sell this product.”
WhitePaperSource: What about the trend toward reducing jargon in white papers?
Bly: I think that’s good if it’s happening. Your tone varies to some degree depending on your audience, but really it should not be filled with tech talk. I’ll quote a sociologist, Susan Brown Miller, who said, “Jargon is language more complex than the idea it serves to communicate.” Jargon doesn’t have to be a long word. “Deplane” really means “get off the plane.” More importantly, when you use jargon outside of your group, it excludes others. White papers should not be about exclusion.
WhitePaperSource: Our audience is white paper writers. Do you have tips on writing in general?
Bly: One thing I could say is if you’re going to be a full-time independent writer — which a lot of folks aim to be — you have to understand it’s a slow journey. The first six months after I started way back when, I didn’t have very much business. But I kept building as I went along.
WhitePaperSource: For writers who think the market is already too crowded, what would you say?
Bly: I would say to take the leap. If you really feel strongly about it and you’re good at what you can produce, you will find the work. You can make a living at it. The big thing in writing is to differentiate yourself. Establish your niche or medium. There are a lot of people who can or do write white papers, but there are very few who specialize in just that. If you’re a specialist, you’ve got a niche. And even with that, you can choose what area you want to focus in because there is such a wide range of white paper topics.
WhitePaperSource: Finally, a lot of discussion in our forum centers on writer’s block. Do you have a way of combating that?
Bly: No, because I’ve never suffered from it. What I do is never have just one single writing assignment. I always have a few going at one time so I can move to something else for a while. My biggest tip to avoiding writer’s block is to have multiple projects and don’t schedule your deadlines so tightly that you can’t take a break from one if you need to. Click here to view some of Robert Bly’s books.
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