Advertising executive David Ogilvy would have turned 100 today; to honor his birthday and enduring marketing wisdom, we've compiled five David Ogilvy quotes that will help you supercharge your food writing. Whether the "product" you're selling is your writing services or the merits of a time-honored personal recipe, these tips from one of the advertising industry's all-time greats are sure to help your words sizzle.
1. "The headline is the 'ticket on the meat.' Use it to flag down readers who are prospects for the kind of product you are advertising." Write Web copy with your readers' time-crunched lifestyles in mind. Craft punchy titles with dynamic language to ensure that your post will stand out in an RSS reader or Twitter feed and appeal to your readers' emotions.
2. "On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar." Obsess over your blog titles; they're the bait that draws in readers. Experiment with different title styles; track which ones capture viewers and cause them to share your article with others.
3. "I once used the word 'obsolete' in a headline, only to discover that 43 percent of housewives had no idea what it meant. In another headline, I used the word 'ineffable,' only to discover that I didn't know what it meant myself." Just as Ogilvy's copywriting team used the verbiage of each ad's target market, so too should you write in your readers' language. If your primary readers are chefs, a little kitchen jargon won't hurt; similarly, if most of your readers are novices in the kitchen, take the time to break down any elements of a recipe, ingredient or dish that may not be universally understood.
4. "Give people a taste of Old Crow, and tell them it's Old Crow. Then give them another taste of Old Crow, but tell them it's Jack Daniel's. Ask them which they prefer. They'll think the two drinks are quite different. They are tasting images." Chefs and advertising executives both know that we eat with our eyes before we eat with our mouths. Craft your blog posts so that they are as visually appealing as possible. Whet your readers' appetites with tantalizing photos and easily digestible video clips; these spice up standard blog posts and reinforce your post's message.
5. "Many people -- and I think I am one of them -- are more productive when they've had a little to drink. I find if I drink two or three brandies, I'm far better able to write." While you may not actually wish to drink while food blogging, consider the effects alcohol has on people's inhibitions. If you eliminate or relax those inhibitions, you can open your mind up to unfettered creative thought. You might enable this creativity by writing when you're in a great mood, or imposing a "no real-time editing" rule for your first draft of a blog post.
If you have a favorite David Ogilvy quote that wasn't mentioned, feel free to share it in the comments section below.
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