Roasting Copywriting “Wisdom” on r/Entrepreneur

So I was looking for some “copywriting” advice today on the sinkhole that is r/Entrepreneur to see if I could find any gems to share.

It did not take long.

Guess I forgot how bad it was in there.

Because r/Entrepreneur seems to be filled with internet marketing zombies who are damn near clones of the type of “marketer” I was 9ish years ago when I first got started.

Most of the advice that gets the attention is one-dimensional and is typically provided out-of-context.

Yet it’s followed and regurgitated like copywriting gospel.

So let’s get our roast on, shall we?

1. “Just write copy like you’re chatting with a friend”

No.

It’s not about “writing how you chat with a friend.” It’s more about writing clearly … but even that doesn’t cover it.

If I wrote how I talk to my friends, my clients would fire me because every headline would start with “YO DUUUDE! WHAT’S UPPPP???”

2. “The HOOK is most important”

Okay, the hook is important.

But no, it’s not EVERYTHING.

More like “The headline, hook, offer, traffic, sales argument, and market awareness and sophistication” is everything.

3. “Give your CTAs the attention they need, they’re important too!”

I don’t even know what this means.

Is there some CTA support group out there where disheveled, unloved CTAs come together to provide comfort to one another?

4. “Always, always keep it as short as possible.”

I once saw a guy who dubbed himself a “short-form copywriter,” which I thought was ridiculous. Copy length depends on the market.

How much do they know about their problem? How much advertising have they already been exposed to for their solutions?

Knowing that can determine length, and it can make your copy need to be long or short or medium or medium-long or medium-short or … okay you get the idea and this is getting long.

5. “Edit copy sober but write copy drunk”

Aaaand lose your job and your clients in the process and become an alcoholic.

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Look, none of this is really “bad” advice (except #3 and #5 … wtf), it’s just that most of it is taken way out of context.

And then, newbie copywriters take it at face value, repeat it EVERYWHERE, and wonder why it doesn’t work.

So here’s my two-bit.

Question every “rule” and piece of “wisdom” you receive about copywriting. Even mine!

(Though I’m totally right all the time … duh)

Just like anything else you hear, you need to run it through your own BS filter to see if it’s valid and worth listening to. You need to test it and see what works.

Admittedly, my BS filter is very high.

But as a copywriter, it can help you weed through the sea of shitty advice and actually start getting results, instead of just parroting every tip and trick you see.

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David Patrick