How Do You Know You've Got Great Copy?
"True love is the greatest thing in the world. Except a nice MLT - a mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomatoes are ripe!"
Miracle Max, The Princess Bride
Great copy is a thing of beauty. It evokes a feeling, conveys a value, makes you happy or sad or angry - and you remember it well beyond the few seconds after you read it.
...but it isn't easy to come by...or is it?
It would be fun to compare great copy to true love and say you know it when you find it - but it isn't quite as clear...as true love is :)
Great copy can come from anywhere and anyone. You sometimes don't even realize you've hit the nail on the head until someone else brings it to your attention, makes a comment, laughs, gives a second look, and digs a bit deeper - which helps you fine-tune even more.
You could be brainstorming, trying to say things differently, or improvising your way into something great - but however good the feedback feels, you just don't know what will actually hit until you go live.
You land on viable feedback and decide which piece of good copy (good, not great) you'll run and test with. And only based on real-world response - clicks, conversions, engagement, and so on - would you know if it's great, or good, or neither.
So you may have a strong hunch. But until it's live and working in the real world, you can't be certain it's great.