Don’t Be the Kanye West of Copy!

Okay, I have to admit, I’ve been watching this Kanye West story.  Shocked, disgusted and hooked.

Until today.

But let me back up and explain how Kanye West has anything remotely to do with your copy.

So the other night at the VMA awards, Taylor Swift won an award.  As she was beginning her acceptance speech, Kanye grabbed the mike from her and started jabbering on about how Beyonce (a competitor for the award) had one of the best videos ever.

Absolutely rude and ridiculous, in my opinion.  But…Kanye’s behavior was just like the attention-grabbing headlines a lot of copywriters and internet marketers love to write.

Sure, you’ll grab attention but you better have some substance to back up that hype or people will turn against you.

Which is what happened in the case of Kanye West.  He’s been all over the television apologizing for his senseless act and proclaiming his desire to apologize directly to Taylor Swift.

Now bear with me for a minute because I happen to be a softy.  I know Kanye’s Mom died recently and maybe he lost his mind for a minute that night.  I took him to heart…I believed him

Just like your readers trust what you write.  They believe in your testimonials and stories (if the copy is good, that is).  They get drawn in by the emotion of your copy.

But if your content is just hype…beware.

So back to Kanye.  I saw Taylor Swift on The View this morning.  This was after Kanye’s tearful apologies yesterday and vow to talk to Swift personally and apologize directly.

Someone asked Swift if she had heard from West.  An email, a phone call…

“Nope,”  Swift said.

Wow.  All hype and no substance.

My heartstrings are back into shape and I turned my back on Kanye West (I’m sure he’s in tears!).

Just like your prospects and customers will do if there’s not substance behind the hype of your copy.

Don’t get all Kanye West the next time you have to promote a product.  Remember that substance sells.  And a good copywriter can add a little hype to the mix to get attention and increase your bottom-line.

But make sure you’ve got a solid product or service to back up your claims and you’ll be golden!

Filed under: Uncategorized

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!