No shame here, but I listen to a lot of American country music.
There’s something in the melodies, the voices and the carefree attitude that makes me a sucker for it.
Yes you could say every song is the same, but dayumn, that’s what makes me go back time and time again to listen to them.
One of my fave songwriters is Luke Combs.
Just seems like a real human being, and the way he writes lyrics seems to be taken from a copywriters’ handbook.
What he’s great at especially, is throwing you into the action right away, sucking you into whatever he’s talking about. And if you’re in his target audience (or if you just love a good melody and stories), you’re hooked.
For example this verse and chorus (don’t laugh…):
There’s daddy on his John Deere, brand new in ’96 Beside me and Bandit playing fetch when I was a kid A save the date, best day of my best buddy’s life Anybody else could walk on by and not blink an eye
‘Cause they’re just pictures hanging side by side Forgotten memories from another time Just the places that I’ve been before Couple magnets, recipes and Polaroids Yeah but that’s my life on the ‘frigerator door
See, he’s not telling you “When I was a boy, back in 1996 I used to ride my John Deere tractor and play with my dog”. No, he paints the picture in your mind, and then makes up a story with it (using photos on his refrigerator door as a map).
If there’s somewhere a lot of copywriters mess up, is their intro/leade. They take too long to get into the vivid moments, the pains and the dreams the prospect is having in that moment.
Country singers show us the way. Use your audience language, get right into it, hook your readers and then connect everything with a narrative arc that makes sense and leads them to the ultimate conclusion (your product is what they need).
I like extreme examples of storytelling like these, especially coming from massively popular/commercial artists. If they’re there, there must be a reason no?
I’m not saying you should start writing about tractors and trucks, but take this as a good example of wearing your prospects’ shoes and taking them through a journey.
A good rule of thumb is that if you share a piece of copy destined for your audience with someone else who’s not in it, it should sound almost gibberish to them. Reason why country songs resonate with Americans (and few weirdos like myself), but not with the average European for example.
A more extreme example? Listen to Christian country/folk music. These guys fill up entire stadiums in the US, but in Europe nobody knows who they are. It’s crazy.
Anyway need help using these techniques in your copy? Get in touch.
