RodgersJohns www.charitycomms.org.uk/events

1. Copywriting
(you don’t need to be especially
good with words)

2. Before you start...
• Who are you writing for?
• What do you want to say?
• Sketch out a plan
• What do people need to know?
• What practical information do you need to
give?
• How much are you going to write?

3. Teenage Cancer Trust
Imagine you need to write a 2pp A5 flyer
promoting the Teenager Cancer Trust art
exhibition. Read the source material and make a
list of the key points that you might need to get
across in a very short leaflet. Decide what’s not
important. Write the opening sentence.

4. Be clear and concise, not clever
• Avoid jargon
• Use short sentences
• Use short paragraphs
• Use simple, clear language
• Use commands and instructions
• Use active not passive
• Tell people what to do next

5. ‘Predictors of beaconicity’
(and other jargon to avoid)
• Baseline • Evaluation
• Bottom-up • Evidence-based
• Capacity • Initiative
• Commissioning • Outreach
• Core costs • Signposting
• Empowerment • Value-added

6. Not this...
More people will understand and benefit
from our information if it is written in a
clear, accessible manner and you keep
sentences short with, perhaps, 15 words on
average, although it is a good idea to vary
the length to avoid monotony and keep
your writing interesting.

7. ...but this
More people will understand and benefit
from our information if it is written in a
clear, accessible manner. Keep your
sentences short. A good average length is
15 words, but you should vary the length to
avoid monotony and keep your writing
interesting.

8. Are you interested?
Using ‘you’ and ‘your’ to make the message
more personal and friendly.
It creates an engaging tone and makes people
feel the information is relevant to them.

9. RE-write these sentences using ‘you’
and ‘your’
30 minutes of exercise five times a week
is known to improve health.
Children are bound to love our new play
sessions on Saturday mornings.
This leaflet gives a taste of what’s to
come, and how to make it happen.

10. Swimming makes people feel better
Research shows that swimming can
improve mental wellbeing. People
frequently reported that they felt better
after even a few minutes of non-
energetic swimming.

11. Improve your mood with a swim
A trip to the pool can have an amazing
effect on your mood. On your way to
the pool you can be feeling low and
unsociable. But a few minutes of gentle
exercise can transform your mood
completely.

12. Questions
• Can you use questions to structure a leaflet?
• Do they work?
• Will they keep people reading?
• How many questions can you use?
• Can you have too many?
• Can you mix questions and non-questions?

13. Using commands
Using commands is a clear way of giving advice
or instructions.
Rewrite the advice on the handout in the form
of a series of commands.

14. Top waste saving tips
1.Plan meals ahead so that you only buy what
you need – rather than throwing food away.
2.Buy loose fruit and veg rather than packaged
products in bags and plastic trays.
3.Before throwing away furniture, computers or
other large items, think if someone else could
use it.
4.Hire, share and borrow where possible. It’s
better for the environment than buying new.
5.Choose real nappies rather than disposables.

15. £1 per word
• Write in a straightforward way without any
unnecessary jargon, overly complicated
wording or extraneous detail.
• A useful trick is to imagine you have to pay £1
for every word you use.
• It’s amazing how much plainer your English
gets if you bear this in mind.

16. The £87 paragraph
Lighting accounts for around 10–15% of
electricity bills in the average household in
Britain. So by turning off the lights when you
are not in the room you will reduce the amount
of energy you use and therefore cut your bills as
well as doing your bit for global warming. We
are also all being urged to use energy-saving
builds which carry the Energy Efficiency
Recommend logo. Using these is a good idea if
you want to save money.

17. The £50 paragraph
For most people, around 10–15% of their
electricity bill is the cost of lighting. Simply
turning off lights when you’re not in the room
will reduce the amount of energy you use and
save you money. Use energy-saving bulbs too –
look for the Energy Efficiency Recommended
Logo.

18. Active rather than passive
Use ‘active verbs’ rather than ‘passive verbs’.
This simply means putting the subject at the
beginning of the sentence - it lifts the text and
makes it sound more dynamic.

19. Active rather than passive
‘An extra four hours support a week is provided
by sensory support teachers’
or
‘Sensory support teachers provide an extra four
hours of support a week.’

20. Active rather than passive
Over £500 was received by visitors to the event
on Saturday.
The plan to improve the park was discussed by
councillors in June.
The workshop was attended by around six
people.

21. Active rather than passive
The park was overrun by dogs after the kennel
was burned down by vandals.
Children were helped across the road by a
crossing warden.
The beach chairs were always hogged by the
Jones family.

22. Is there a better word?
Use longer, ‘complicated’ words only if they are
the best ones for the job.
Otherwise choose simple options.
Is there a clearer alternative to a word you’ve
chosen?

23. Is there a better word?
Would you like an opportunity to earn extra
money?
If you need additional help with claiming
benefits simply ask a member of staff
You’ll need to bring appropriate footwear

24. Is there a better word?
To make a budget you’ll need to calculate how
much you spend on food each week
We’ll try to correct the fault immediately
To find out if you are eligible to join call 020
7314 5000

25. Don’t shout!!!!!
Use exclamation marks sparingly (or not at all)
Avoid ‘amazing’, ‘fantastic’, ‘unique’, ‘fabulous’
etc
Tell the truth – it’s more persuasive.

26. Any finally...
It is more important to be effective than
creative.
Copy good ideas. It’s what copywriters do.