Page 194 - 100 Great Copywriting Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

“There are lots of double glazing systems out there, but Acme
Glass is the only one that saves you money, costs you less, and looks
attractive in period buildings.” Or, “Our customers know it’s not just
about service, it’s not just about product quality, it’s about a lifelong
commitment to making their working life more productive.”
The second example uses another technique I call reversal. Here
you start off with two phrases that are linguistically parallel. Both
use “not just” to lead up to the third, payoff phrase, which uses a
different style to make the final, most sophisticated point.
When you’re compiling lists of things, reasons to buy perhaps,
or new features of product X, stick to odd numbers unless you’re
offering a top ten. For some reason this seems to buck the rule of
odds. I said I wouldn’t go into the theory, but one of the reasons odd
numbers work is that they are asymmetrical, unlike even numbers.
This asymmetry is visually interesting—it seems incomplete, like
an unfinished story, and the unresolved tension draws us in. Maybe
we, the reader, supply the missing item to make an even number.

In practice

• As an experiment, try arranging the next bulleted or numbered

list you write first with an even number of items, then an odd.
Compare them visually and read them out. Judge for yourself
which looks and sounds more interesting and engaging.

• Try using an odd number in a headline, like this: The 7

copywriting secrets “they” don’t want you to know.

100 GREAT COPYWRITING IDEAS • 185