Hi.

Today I want to talk about painter’s pants. Yes, seriously.

I recently purchased a pair by Stan Ray (despite the 90 degree weather we’re having in the PNW).

And I gotta say … I love ‘em.

They’re sturdy.

Functional.

And reasonably priced.

But after I bought them, I got curious about the history of painter’s pants as a “fashion” style.

Turns out, painter’s pants gained popularity as “functional” clothing for dirtbag climbers in the 70s and 80s, alongside old, used Army fatigues (another style sold by Stan Ray).

As a rock climber, this intrigued me.

Though I have no intention of using these pants on the wall, it’s interesting to see the progression of something originally used solely for its functionality become a “fashion” piece.

What I love most about this:

The combination of form + function.

And I think copywriting is similar.

Though I primarily aim for my copy to be functional, that doesn’t mean it can be clunky, choppy, or robotic.

The primary goal of copy is to focus mass desire onto a single product … building up layers of persuasion and desire until the reader can’t help but say “YES!”

But getting there in a beat up ‘92 Honda Accord isn’t the same as guiding the reader in a shiny new ‘22 Rivian R1S.

Not that both can’t work.

But the latter has a level of nuance, subtlety, and persuasion that carries your idea — and drives your prospect towards the “buy” button — much more smoothly.

A lot of the heavy lifting for both sides of the equation can be done if you simply know what the market is after.

Use the language they use and talk about their problems, and more than half the battle is won.

The rest is clean up, editing, and detail.

But … to get there, you need to do some research first.

Something I call “comment arbitrage” can help.

Learn more about it:

https://www.stealthiscopy.com/blog/why-spongebobs-fun-copywriting-formula-would-never-work

David Patrick