Is This Dangerous Myth Really True?

People are often in one camp or the other…

“Long copy sells!”

“Nobody reads long copy!”

Yes, if you work in radio, this is not the problem you face.

Your problem is, “Will these 297 words fit in 60 seconds?” That’s another conversation.

Nonetheless, even if you are writing for radio, bear with me for a moment.


This question about copy length and what people will read is part of a greater, dangerous mythology.

That greater, dangerous mythology is the “Nobody does” and “Everybody does” challenge.

Making unsupported assumptions about what Everybody and Nobody do is a hazard to advertising health.

A client just sent an email about a new website we’re building. The client (understandably) said that short copy was imperative. Specifically, there should be “No blather.”


That made me smile.

Indeed, no blather.

Blather is not just long copy.

Blather is known by other names, like “Drivel,” “Twaddle,” “Prattle,” and “Blabber.”

One of my favorite things about the word “Copy” when applied to advertising is that it suggests a purpose. One creative manager I used to work with referred to copy as “text.”

It made me crazy.

Text is not copy. Text lacks a specific purpose. Text can be “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.” Text is just a number of words that fit in the hole.


“Copy” is words on a mission.

The allegation that “People don’t read long copy” is nothing new. Far from being a product of the digital age, it has been around as long as advertising itself.

I was just looking at a print ad that was met with the denunciation that “People won’t read that, it’s too long!”

The copy is over 6,000 words. No pictures.

The only thing breaking up all that copy is a headline and some scattered subheads.

If nobody reads long copy, here’s what happened...


In one month, 5,000 nobodys responded to the ad--with no offer and no call to action.

Moreover, it started conversations with people who demanded to know why they hadn’t seen this information before.

The year that the naysayers said, “People won’t read that, it’s too long!” was 1948.

Yes, a 1948 print ad for Merrill Lynch.

The headline reads, “What everybody ought to know about the stock and bond business.”

Six-thousand words. No offer. No call to action. 5,000 responses in the first month.

That's almost one response per word in the advertisement.


“But that was then! This is now! People have shorter attention spans!”

Yes, and the argument now is the same as it’s always been. It has zero to do with attention span.

Everybody has as much attention span as they've always had--maybe more. What they don't have is something else.

To borrow from late, great ad man Howard Gossage, renowned Socrates Of San Francisco…

“Nobody reads advertising. People read what interests them, and sometimes it's an ad.”

This is true for everything. They pay attention only to what interests them.

Sometimes it's a print ad.

And sometimes it’s a TV commercial.

And sometimes it’s radio advertising.

And sometimes it’s a website.


Go ahead. Prove me wrong. Or, just ask Google.

Ask Google about “long copy on websites.” There are plenty of stories that go like this: “By writing 20 times more copy, we increased results by 30%.”

Who wouldn’t like 30% more results?

Now, if you’re Coca-Cola, you don’t need long copy. You just need to remind the Coke drinker that you’re there and make them feel good about you.

If you’re an unknown financial planner, you might not need 6,000 words.

But if nobody knows your brand and how to feel about it, you’re going to need more words than “Open a Coke, open happiness.”


As you know, people crave relationships.

And to create a relationship requires copy that’s long enough.

Longer copy can answer common questions.

Longer copy can overcome common objections.

Your prospect has a problem that requires a solution. Short copy is going to have a hard time offering a solution to a complex problem.


But what about enough copy to make the prospect ask, “Can you tell me more?”

That’s fantastic.

So, here now, the answer to the age old question about copy length that plagiarizes from an old, old joke that just isn’t very funny but has a degree of Zen koan about it.

The joke asks, “How long should a man’s legs be?”

Answer: “Long enough to reach the ground.”

And that’s how long your copy should be.


Your copy should be long enough to reach the ground.
 
Don’t assume your copy should be long any more than you assume it should be short.

The copy should be long enough to say what’s required to establish a relationship.

If you don’t have a relationship and it’s a complex conversation about wealth, maybe you need 6,000 words.

If it’s a simple conversation to remind a friend that you sell the best tasting bottle of sugared-up happiness on the market? Five words might be sufficient.

But if you’re doing the latter, you’re going to be making up for the shortage of words with crazy frequency and an astronomical media buy.


And don’t forget the relationship with Google.

If you’re writing website copy, Google likes long copy with a high degree of relevance.

Don’t sell your prospect short by assuming they won’t read copy that’s long.

They can do all kinds of things that surprise you.

Just make sure your copy is long enough to reach the ground.


And if that seems like a smartass remark, well it is.

And here are a few synonyms for ground: “initiate,” “prepare,” “coach,” “instruct,” “train,” “justify,” “substantiate,” “build,” “support,” “position…”

Here’s to reaching the ground. 
Cheers,

Blaine Parker
Your Lean, Mean Creative Director in Park City
 
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