Heath Wilcock Explains Writing Advertising Copy Using Improv

At Affiliate World Europe 2019 in Barcelona, Heath Wilcock broke down his unique spin on writing advertising copy and shared how he applies the art of improv in order to come up with the freshest copy . Watch Heath’s full AWE19 presentation here.

This post “Heath Wilcock Explains Writing Advertising Copy Using Improv” was first seen on the AWC Facebook page. 

AWeurope Interview with Heath Wilcock, Founder & CEO of Fold Soup Copy

Advertising Copy: Unleashing Creativity Through Improv

Phil:

🎙️ Affiliate World 2019. We’re in Barcelona, and I’m with Heath, master of writing advertising copy and actually, improv?

Heath:

Yes, yeah and that’s how I fell into writing advertising copy. So I do improv comedy, been doing it for around ten years, also teaching it in Arizona.

Phil:

🎙️ Wow.

Heath:

And so that’s how I’ve kind of developed my strange method for coming up with advertising copy, is through improv.

Phil:

🎙️ That sounds good. I want to feel what you do. Teach me some improv first and then we’ll move to advertising copy.

Heath:

Okay, perfect. Let’s do an improv game.

So what we’ll do is this is a fun interview game. Let’s say everything you have to say has to start with “Yes, and…”.

Phil:

🎙️ Yes, and?

Heath:

Yes. Well okay so, now I’ll do an interview with you. So you’re going to be a professional… What do you want to be a professional at? Anything at all.

Phil:

🎙️ Profession… A stripper.

Heath:

A stripper.

Phil:

🎙️ Yeah.

Heath:

Okay, so I’m going to interview you and then, all you have to say is “Yes, and…” and then you talk about the stripping and then I say “yes, and…” and we just kind of add to it. So you say “yes”, you agree with what I’m saying and then you add to it.

Phil:

🎙️ Yeah, I got it, I got it.

Heath:

So I’ll practice. So I hear you’re the best stripper around.

Phil:

🎙️ Yes, and I can do more than that. How about that?

Heath:

I think that’s great. I heard you could do a lot more than that. I heard that you’re also a great person in the kitchen, a great chef.

Phil:

🎙️ Yes, and I can also strip in the kitchen.

Heath:

Yes, I heard that you have been able to bring lots of crowds. All the chefs also love what you do. And you’ve opened up many restaurants with your unique strip – your unique method of strip cooking.

Phil:

🎙️ Yes, and there’s more. I can strip, cook, and serve cocktails at the same time. And that’s what I can also teach you if you would like to work with us.

Heath:

Nice marketing move, to give me a call-to-action. That’s basically it. So it’s like it’s saying yes to the situation of what is presented to the idea and you move forward with it, without hesitation. A lot of it is no hesitation.

Because when it comes to creating advertising copy, there is a lot of hesitation. There tends to be a lot of start and stop, start and stop, get up, go to the kitchen, you know, cause it comes down to even everyone that argues, that it shouldn’t be creative. There’s still some creativity. You’re still digging deep to find some really cool, interesting facts, angles, and so it takes some mental effort. So when using improv, you just, you don’t say no, you just keep moving forward.

Advertising Copy: Dissect The Product And Their Purpose

Phil:

🎙️ That’s true. So how do you get into the right mood action?

So when I’m not stripping in the kitchen, how would I get into the right mood then? How would I prep myself, if I want to be as creative as you and churn out copy.

Heath:

What I do is I take a product and then I look at the avatar, the people that use the product and I put them in a situation where they have to use the product. So I think of scenes that they would do.

What would they do? Why would they need this product? And I would kind of like start playing it out in my head. And that’s how usually improv works on a stage, is like where would it go. If there was this product at hand, it’s not about the product ever. It’s about what they’re going through, and this product is part of it, what this product solves.

But I always try to picture what are they going through, what’s the relationship, what’s going to happen, and I think that’s where you start to really dig deep to some interesting emotions and also great, it just starts to bring up other angles you’re going to explore.

The “About” And The “About-About” in Advertising Copy

Phil:

🎙️ Okay, well, that’s cool. So I’m just wondering, how you do that? So let’s say I have a client, right. It’s some direct-to-consumer brand, right, and they approach me for Facebook marketing, which might happen or not.

For some reason or not, I’m in charge of creating advertising copy, so I understand what the product is about, I understand the personas, or trying to understand the persona. I get in the mood, and then what happens? You have like a brainstorming with yourself, you note it all down, you cross it out, you come up with 5 or 500 headlines that you test, what’s your process?

Heath:

So, what would be the product in this situation?

Phil:

🎙️ Oh, let’s say the product is a camera.

Heath:

A camera, great. So what I would do is, how I map it out is I start to just write everything about the camera. I just start writing it out, everything about the camera. What does it look like, what is it, what are the features, I just write down all the features, so I just understand it and then it’s almost like you bring it to life in a sense.

It sounds really strange but it’s what we do in improv. So you start to bring it to life, meaning, what does it represent, what does it do, why do people use it, and that gets to the core. So it’s not about taking a picture, it’s about what that picture represents. Why does someone take a picture?

Phil:

🎙️ Okay.

Heath:

So then you just, kind of go deeper. There’s a great saying from a really funny improvisor and comedian, “There’s the about and there’s the about-about”. So the about is about the main plot, main plot is the surface, but what is does it really mean underneath, and that’s the really interesting aspect.

Phil:

🎙️ I know that as the benefit of the benefit, right. It’s maybe not exactly the same but it goes toward the same direction, so you just keep asking why, right.

Heath:

Right, and so, I would just write it all down. Read about it. I would do some research. Look into it. And then I would just start writing. Just kind of like, write a short story. It has nothing necessarily to do with the camera, but the camera’s involved.

Phil:

🎙️ Okay.

Heath:

And so then, I would just, kind of write, kind of get things out of my head to see where it goes, and then I would start to, once I have that, then I would kind of branch off to different angles and do research.

Phil:

🎙️ Alright, cool.

Health’s Unique Methodology To Writing Advertising Copy

Heath:

It’s a weird methodology and I would never teach it. Cause also, again, this isn’t me. Listen, there’s amazing copywriters out there and I know plenty of them and they’re crushing. They’re great at what they do, and a lot of them have amazing methods to how they start. They start with a research and they are just so good at mapping that research. The next step, the next step, and they’re crushing it. They’re doing really really well.

Mine’s a bit messy. Mine’s a bit out there because again, I come from a different background and I just wanted to apply what I have learned in my background with the fun, and what I’ve done in improv, apply that to copy. And so far, it’s worked out really, really well.

Phil:

🎙️ So from your experience then, and you have plenty, what are like the main learnings that you can take from that? If you had three things to share, that people have to really be on top of to write excellent copy, what would those three tips be?

Heath:

I would say, one is just do the job. Comes down to just do the job. If you’re overthinking it, then you’re thinking about yourself. You’re anxious cause you have something to prove. Don’t prove anything, just do the job.

So when I say do the job, prove that you’re not good. And when I say prove that you’re not good is put everything on the page. Get all of the things out of there. Have fun. I would say if you’re having fun writing, then the person who’s going to read it is going to have fun.

Phil:

🎙️ Okay, cool.

Heath:

If you’re bored while writing it, the person who’s going to read it is going to be bored. So think of it in that aspect.

Number two would be, look for the positivity and look for the things that — okay, find an idea that you found interesting and follow it. Follow that idea.

Phil:

🎙️ Alright, okay.

Heath:

So follow an idea and just go with that one idea. A lot of times people like to do too many ideas in advertising copy and it becomes overwhelming. Just follow one and see where it goes.

Testing Angles And Advertising Copy

Phil:

🎙️ Alright, that’s interesting cause when we do testing. Let’s say creative testing or advertising copy testing, we try to come up with as many angles as possible, right. An angle I’m referring to what you call an idea, I guess, right. But then we probably limit the amount of ideas that we have within that idea to a smaller number. I guess what you were saying is focus on one first and go deeper on that one?

Heath:

Yeah, and I think that’s a good point too because when it comes to the testing, I mean I still will always come out with many, many things out there. Okay, let me back up a little bit when it comes to the one idea. When I think of one idea, it’s like if I’m putting together a sales page. Don’t put everything in that sales page to get them to believe it, right.

So it’s like if this one product, don’t have it cure everything about it, you know, stick to the one thing that makes it very unique, and the one thing that you know stands out, that makes it stand out. So you heighten that product to a level that is unique.

It’s clean, it’s simple, and people aren’t confused by it. I’ve had duds in the past where I put way too much in there, way too much, and it was confusing. No one’s going to believe it or they don’t care. Too many belief loop holes to jump through to get them to – or not loopholes, like hoops to jump through, to get them to take action. It’s unnecessary.

Short Advertising Copy Versus Long Advertising Copy

Phil:

🎙️ That’s true. Short advertising copy or long advertising copy?

Heath:

I love long advertising copy. And well, back up, long advertising copy that is engaging.

Phil:

🎙️ Yes.

Heath:

And it’s fun. When I say engaging, I think long advertising copy that’s fun to read. And when I say fun to read, it has fun language, it’s a little silly maybe. It depends on the audience and its sophistication. But I think it has something that catches the eye, it’s fun to read. It’s still fun to read. There shouldn’t be a difference between advertising copy and writing. I think good writing is good writing, and what makes you pick up a book and read it? If it’s fun. If it’s fun and engaging.

Phil:

🎙️ That’s one of the reasons, yeah-

Heath:

Or I guess if you want to be educated. It’s still engaging though. There’s still a way to be engaged. I mean how many times have you put down a book because you’re bored?

Phil:

🎙️ To writing good advertising copy and your weird process, I love it.