How to lose sales and put your reader to sleep

Words and phrases bad writers love – common among large firms, politicians, journalists, top executives – and second rate copywriters

This is by no means a complete list – and I am sometimes guilty myself. Don’t hesitate to send me more examples.

Wordsmith – bad copywriter

Awesome – any thing or person quite good

Thought-leader – someone smarter than most and good at bullshit

Solution – added pointlessly to words like “menu” or “recipe”

Experience – similar to solution, e.g. “meal experience”

State of the art – something fairly new

Cutting edge – as above

Innovative – as above

Cutting it – succeeding

Legendary – been around for a while without being found out

Insightful – perceptive

Mind-set – way of thinking

Guru – someone fairly knowledgeable

There are plenty more – key to, top-of-mind, buy-in, interactions. A good place to find the more irritating ones is in advertising agencies’ copy about themselves.

It is very hard not to use them, but we should all try, because when people see or hear them they tend to dismiss them.

25 years ago David Ogilvy told me where to find one example of good writing. It was Warren Buffett’s Annual Report for Berkshire Hathaway.

Another is Writing that Works by Ken Roman and Joel Raphaelson.

If you want to know about writing that works and sells, join me in at the Watershed, Bristol on April 18^th.

If you book now I have a valuable bonus for you, worth more than the cost of the seminar.

If you want to bring more than one person, email me, Drayton@draytonbird.com and I will give you smashing deal. I just saved someone from Bulgaria over £600.