What Copywriting and Poetry Have in Common

I had a creative writing teacher who said that every poem begins with yearning—and in fact, that all language begins with yearning. If all your needs were met, you would never try to communicate with anyone else.

All language may begin with yearning, but a poem is a kind of language that needs to communicate a lot very quickly, compared to a novel or a screenplay. I know, from writing many poems, that they start out longer and then every unnecessary word is ruthlessly cut until you’re left with only the most powerful words.

Much of the magic in poetry lies in its restraint. Consider one of my favorite poems, “since feeling is first” by e e cummings.

since feeling is first

since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you;

wholly to be a fool
while Spring is in the world

my blood approves,
and kisses are a better fate
than wisdom
lady i swear by all flowers. Don’t cry
– the best gesture of my brain is less than
your eyelids’ flutter which says

we are for each other; then
laugh, leaning back in my arms
for life’s not a paragraph

And death i think is no parenthesis

Consider how different the first stanza would read if it said something like,

“Since we react with our feelings first and strongest,

don’t bother paying any attention

to the structure and rules in life

because those rules aren’t the ones that will kiss you. I am.”

My stanza over-explains the meaning and at the same time limits possible interpretations of the poem, thus narrowing its potential audience.

Much of the magic of poetry also lies in its relatability, across time and space and all the differences that divide us as humans. Cummings’ line “the syntax of things” leaves space for his audience to interpret the line in a way that applies to their own experience, as opposed to “the structure and rules in life,” which is much more narrow in its interpretation.

My stanza is also just prosaic and not that much fun. I mean, who would you want to go on a date with, the person who wrote you cummings’ stanza or the person who wrote you mine?

So what does all this have to do with copywriting?

Good copy is like a good poem.

Good copy begins with yearning. Specifically, the audience’s unmet need.

Good copy exercises restraint. It shows—quickly, not using even one extra word—that the product or service meets that need.

Good copy is relatable. It knows exactly who it’s for, and conveys the message that, without a doubt, this thing is for people like you.

Good copy is fun. It makes you want to go on a date. Maybe it makes you smile. It doesn’t answer every single one of your questions, but it piques your interest and leaves you wanting more.

Do you want good copy that will make your audience want to go on a date with your product or service? Contact me.