Page 44 - 100 Great Copywriting Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

The conference will close with a display of acrobatics,
performed by five members of China’s Olympic team. They
will climb a 100ft pole before diving head first into a hogshead
of real fire.
Notice that where we do use adjectives, they are telling the reader
more about the thing they’re describing, not merely puffing it. In
other words, use adjectives to add information, not emphasis.

In practice

• If you want to tighten up a piece of copy, you could do worse than

cut every adjective. Focus on choosing the precise noun, rather
than qualifying vague or abstract ones with adjectives.

• And be particularly wary of emotional adjectives, like fabulous,

important, exciting, fantastic. It’s for your reader to feel these
things, not for you to dictate them. Show them why something
deserves these badges and let them pin them on.

100 GREAT COPYWRITING IDEAS • 35