I wrote this in Thailand...
The Copywriter Column #182
Have you ever stumbled across something you wrote one time long ago and think to yourself: my God, did I write that? Because I do it all the time.
The other night, I found a file on my computer hoarding no less than 30 blogs I’d written on my last mission trip to Southeast Asia in 2011. (Yep – I did mission work in a former life). While most were written while I embraced a different theological paradigm and worldview than I now hold, I cannot deny the impact of those experiences.
(But alas, that’s another story for another day.)
I’m not sure what follows was ever published and I’m not even positive where it was written, although I can almost bet it was Thailand because that’s always where I took the number 38 bus.
Here’s a snippet:
I was on the number 38 bus. I noticed him when I got on because there was only room to stand next to where he was sitting. His clothes, while being nice in theory, were caked in dirt. His black Chuck Taylors were creased at the heels where I’m assuming for years he chose to slip his feet into the shoes instead of bending over to tie them. And his face was littered with wrinkles from smiles of a life well lived. But he was asleep, slumbering and oblivious to the world and the chaos around him.
Can you imagine that guy?
Do those words help you see him in your mind’s eye?
Because they triggered a whole host of memories for me!
Sure, this was written for a travel blog, and inherently, blog writing is very different than writing for eCommerce. You’re given a lot more real estate to work with, and with travel blogs too, people know what they’re getting into when they sit down to read them (it’s a time investment).
But here’s the thing…
Even if you’re writing a short, pithy email for a flash sale…
Even if you’re writing a short, succinct text for a promotion…
Even if you’re writing an ornate landing page designed to trigger a purchase…
You can still use words to paint a picture in your reader’s mind.
Help them imagine their ideal future.
Help them imagine new possibilities.
Put them in a headspace ripe for transformation.
Who knows, maybe they’ll be on the number 38 bus sitting next to a dude in black Chucks when they get your email.
How wild would that be?
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