Most of the points in this chapter have focused on the practicalities of writing online copy, such as getting information across and encouraging user actions and engagement.
But copy should also be creative, beautiful and thought provoking.
Your copy should also express an idea that grips readers. Conceptual copywriting is about making an idea memorable merely by using words to express it – the idea is central, and the words are the vehicles that convey it. Clever wording, smart ideas and thoughtful copy should make the reader pause, think, and want to engage more deeply with your idea.
While images are often used to express powerful ideas, words can be just as effective. Consider this famous example, which demonstrates how a small change in the copy can radically affect one’s perception of an idea:
• A woman without her man is nothing.
• A woman: without her, man is nothing.
Writing conceptually means understanding who your audience is, knowing what meaning you want to convey, and then expressing this cleverly through words. The idea is to write so engagingly that people just can’t stop reading!
