CDG Interactive Blog

This morning I was listening to a review of the new thriller State of Play starring Ben Affleck and Russell Crowe. It was a one thumbs-up/one thumbs-downish review, with a split verdict on the co-stars.

According to the reviewer, “Crowe is a transformer. His actor’s DNA changes with each role,” whereas Affleck’s “wheels turn too slowly to keep up.” In other words Crowe inhabits the character. Affleck exudes his Affleck-ness. Guess who’s more interesting to watch?*

Good copywriters have a lot in common with good actors. When you’re writing for a variety of different clients, you have to inhabit different voices completely and convincingly. And you need to make each one uniquely compelling. You need to draw your audience in and string them along until you’ve gotten your point across. That’s a challenging feat for a novel, let alone a website about insurance or medical supplies.

It ain’t easy to keep things fresh. It’s tempting to laze into the same comfortable tricks and techniques (just like Tom Cruise coasts on his alarmingly perfect smile in film after film.) But if you’re striving for Crowe–like virtuosity, you need to define, explore, and yes—become the unique voice of your client.

Here are a few ways to start:

• Envision the company or product as a person. How would it dress? What car would it drive?
• Interview people at the organization. How do they talk about their products and services? How casual or formal does the workplace seem to be?
• Take a look at competitors. What makes your client’s voice unique from theirs?

Think of it as researching your role. After all, the more effort you put into the preparation, the better the end result is going to be.

Cut. Print.

*Full disclosure, I’m a rabid Russell Crowe fan. I even cry at the end of Gladiator.