Sometimes we sit in front of a blank page, our task is detailed and clear, and we may even know exactly what we’re looking for…
..yet great copy is simply nowhere to be found.
Without any particular reason or science, improvisation can be a part of your successful rescue plan…even though it is unplanned.
You can begin to fill in that blank page with nonsense or have a conversation with an invisible audience member, and can literally come up with directions you haven’t considered before.
The outcome may be an angle or viewpoint you never saw feasible, or you may come up with a tone of voice that is odd yet refreshing or possibly even arrive at a narrative that came up anew as you’re having a conversation with someone who is not present.
Whatever the result, it sparks up a new creative flow that cannot be ignored, and a possibility of great copy.
Many times I struggled with copy and composed a new email to myself, reacting as if I was communicating with the potential audience, attempting to attract their attention, explain the value or what they’re missing in laymen’s terms, or even trying to overcome their rejections and avoidance.
And in many of those times, I ended up arriving at great copy not because I strained and thought hard of it, but because it came up with my improvised conversation; be it an email subject line, a tagline, or even a new name for a startup.
I wouldn’t say it is all a complete success, but the improvised process took me away from the blank page, got my thoughts flowing, and had me say it differently, arriving at new directions and showing me a new light to move toward.