Friends,
I’ve got a bone to pick with a copywriting trend I’m seeing lately. It’s popping up in press releases, news articles, think pieces and op-eds with alarming frequency and I’m already tired of it.
This trend is really a writing style and it goes like this…
- First paragraph has some background and lays out a premise.
- Second paragraph says how we used to do a thing.
- Third and subsequent paragraphs introduce the new thing and explain how great it is.
It’s lazy (and I’ve done it myself) and not new in itself. What’s new is that articles are explicitly telling you what they’re doing. Here’s an example…
Everyone likes to tell stories – it’s something we’ve done since we were kids. These days storytelling is an inherent part of our daily lives on social media, whether it’s sharing family photos or promoting a product, company, or cause.
For a long time, the tools that let us creatively express ourselves and tell our stories were there for the select few who knew how to use them. But times have changed. A high-definition camera is just a swipe away. You can carry an orchestra in your pocket and a digital publishing studio in your bag. We already know how to share with the world—but how do we actually stand out by telling our stories with impact?
Today we’re announcing Adobe Spark – a new way to create powerful visual stories…
Sure, Executive Vice Presidents write this way, but you shouldn’t. You’re better than that.
Your best pal in the whole world,
– bob