UX Copywriting - The Best Tip for a Great Digital Experience

Recently I created a checklist of things to consider before pushing new pages for a client. We spent over a month discovering what could be improved with their site's copy and general user experience.

The result was a 106-slide deck... who the fuck is going to go through all of that as a regular reference? Nobody.

The checklist is a full page, but, I realized that it all whittles down to one question:

UX Copywriting Tip:

 Ask yourself a simple question... Are you helping the customer?

What they need help with varies, of course. But, at the very core of everything you do, it really comes down to making sure what you're doing is helping the customer. Whether it's completing a project, making a purchase, having fun, getting drunk, or even unsubscribing. Make it about helping them the best way you know how to.

It seems like an obvious thing to consider, but it's an important question that often gets skipped.

Native Advertising Ideas - Cadillac on Mashable

The Native Ad Concept

A series that consists of interesting people talk about interesting things while using a brand's product.

Props for: 

Not putting the brand name in the title of the series so it feels more real, and having a great shot of people having a good time in the header. People always want to get involved with people who (authentically) look like they're having fun.

Props for: 

Having people not talk about the product, but showing them using it and enjoying it. 

Props for: 

Making it a series! Seeing this promoted series a few times on Mashable makes it more of a regular Mashable thing, rather than a one-time soulless promoted post. You almost forget it sponsored.

Here's the link.

Digital Dumbo Holiday Bash Agency Showcase

Jonathan Santoro from Carrot Creative

Digital Dumbo hosted their "Holiday Bash + 2min Agency Showcase" last night. Carrot Creative, Free Association, Huge, HUSH, Prolific Interactive, Red Antler & Stinkdigital each had two minutes to present their work from the past year, and their predictions for the coming year.

All of the Dumbo-based creative agencies had interesting things and ideas to share. But, here are my awards:

Coolest 2014 Projects: Carrot Creative

Most Amicable Presentation: Prolific Interactive

Brains I'd Most Like to Pick: HUSH

Best Tag-Team: Free Association

Most Creative: Stink Digital

Best Overall Presentación: Red Antler

David Landa from Free Association

Takeaways
Start thinking about the space in between the internet of things and ways to hit two birds with one stone in a single update to a client's new site.

A Perfect Email for Getting People to your Brand's Blog + Content - SumAll

1. A nice image, a big heading, and big CTA, so you don't have to read the middle text part, but can just get on with it.

2. A descriptive, but short heading and CTA, so you don't have to read the middle text part, but can just get on with it.

3. Summary as the heading and a simplified version of it as the CTA, so what you're getting is rich, but what you're clicking on is simple.

4. The idea of what this email is about was broken down as I experienced the email. The subject of this email was "4 Ways to Deliver Awesome Customer Service", making it interesting enough to open and trust-worthy enough to open because it told me what I was opening and how much content I was investing in reading. Then the heading was a little more formal, so I could trust the content. Then, the CTA was simple, so it was easy to read and click on.

Perfect.

This is how to compose an email if you want to share content as brand from your blog.

Cold Email Marketing - What I've Learned

Before "shoppable" was an understood concept (shoppable video, photo, etc), I had to get thousands of people to sign up for a mobile app that published shoppable photos onto their existing social media accounts and blog platforms. Oh, and I had to do this before the app was published. 

Target Audience: fashion bloggers 
Method of Reach: cold email 
Thoughts: shit 
Ultimate Conversion Rate (cold email sent --> sign up for app): ~60% 

It wasn't all sweet and dandy. I went through about nine versions of the cold email before reaching this rate. Here are some tips for cold email marketing I learned from the process: 

Strategic Punctuation 

The Em Dash is a beautiful and versatile punctuation mark. Instead of using tacky BOLD AND BIG TEXT — use an em dash. 

Eyes go to it because it's a nice break from text. I like to use it to point out emotionally intriguing points that I want readers to pick out, even if it's not the main point of the email. It helps to let your email stand out as something they can connect with. 

Name Dropping 

Not just for when you're at da club, name dropping lets the reader attach something they already know and trust to your brand, helping to legitimize it and let it be a part of their lives. I like to keep name dropping at the beginning or end of paragraphs/sections/sentences. 

A Trail of (alluring) Details 

Give readers small bites of alluring details to digest rather than big hard-to-chew bites. Maybe it's the impressive company you're emailing from, or something that makes them feel special, followed by another thing that makes them feel special, and ending with a cta. 

But, whatever you do, keep each bite small and alluring — speaking to a financial, emotional, or social incentive. 

Talk with, not At 

Put your keyboard away, and don't type a damn thing until you've reached an understanding of how your audience communicates. 

Read blogs in their communities, search relevant hashtags on social media, spend a few hours reading related customer reviews... I could go on. After spending at least a week just doing this, you'll be about ready to speak with your audience, not at them. Would you rather email with a friend or solicitor? 

Get out of your head, and into theirs. 

Here are two versions from my cold email on-boarding campaign. See if you can spot the improvements from the older to newer version.

Version 4 - 7/13 
Hey Olivia Gossett, 
I'm Director of Publishers at COMPANY. I manage our top content creators, and I want to extend an invitation to you. 

In collaboration with brands like Alexander Wang, Theory, Saks (+200 others) we’ve built an app for fashion + beauty publishers that makes linking your photos with affiliate products on social media and your blog, more like tagging a friend on Instagram -- no more copy and paste. Check out a demo here. 

You can request an invite here while we’re still accepting new publishers (please register with this email address as it’s been pre-approved) and I'll ensure you’re on the list for a publisher account. 

I’m here day or night just for our Digital Publishers should you have any questions at all, so please don’t hesitate to ask! 

Very Best, 
Olivia 

Version 8 - 7/29 
Hey Olivia, 
I really like your style and aesthetic on Olivia's Blog. I'm Director of Publishers at COMPANY — I manage our top content creators, and I want to extend an invitation to you. 

In collaboration with brands like Alexander Wang, Theory, Saks (+200 others) we’ve built an app for fashion + beauty publishers that makes linking your photos to affiliate products on social media and your blog, more like tagging a friend on Instagram -- no more copy and paste. Check out a demo here. 

You can request an invite here while we’re still accepting new publishers (please register with this email address as it’s been pre-approved) and I'll ensure you’re on the list for a publisher account. 

I’m here day or night just for our Digital Publishers should you have any questions at all, so please don’t hesitate to ask! 

Very Best, 
Olivia

Downy Ad Review

Uuuuuuuuuugh. This Downy ad.

Yo, I get it. It's clever, sort of. But it's stuck in between over produced and real. If you're going to show Joe Schmoe on a subway, then show Joe Schmoe is a subway... for REAL. This produced "real" setting and people just pisses me off and actually puts me off. The ONLY way anyone is going to smell you on a subway is if they are smushed up against you during rush hour. THEN you'll want to smell good and impress the lady who has her nostrils already an inch away from your sweatshirt.

American Apparel Ads - Why They Rock

I saw this ad today in a newspaper, in a coffee shop.  It caught my eye, obviously, and made me appreciate American Apparel branding more than ever. This ad just SCREAMS "share me!", which nowadays is more rewarding than spending big bucks for a billboard.

In-Your-Face Ads

Pretty, photoshopped models are not a risk. A sleek car driving down a winding road is not a risk. Sure, if you're just looking to maintain brand recognition then don't worry about taking share-worthy risk —your job is done if someone sees your ad in their peripheral vision and sub-consciously digests it. But, if want to be in someone's shareable conscious, then get real and raw and take some risks.

Shameless Ads

WAIT. If you're going to take a risk, you better get ready to stand by them. American Apparel ads get banned. I LOVE that. Fuck it, let's push the envelope. They don't apologize, they just try again, with the same branding.

They take risks. They are in your face with sex sex sex, but it's all raw, funny, and REALish. You want to join the American Apparel party. Sure, they objectify women, but who doesn't? If you want to break it down, I'd say Dove objectifies women just as much... they are using bodies to sell their product, just a different type. At least American Apparel is transparent about it. But that's getting off topic.

Real

I came across a re-brand exercise for American Apparel on someone's Behance profile. They suggested using the "Wear Your Freedom.", showing some chic in weird positions and yellow tights. They're trying to be inspiring with hosh-posh inspirational wording that's supposed to speak to young people. Like some ad exec was like "yes, let's connect with the free youngens and speak to their freedom!" and then he coughs and eats more of his chicken salad sandwich.

The original branding is so much better because it feels organic and real. Like someone just took the photo and wrote the first relevant thing that came to mind. It's not TRYING to be anything.

Unfiltered

Maybe that's what it is. 

Hyatt House - Messaging to Believe

What I See
Communication goes way beyond copy, but you already knew that. Here, Hyatt is using photos that resemble the look of phone or instagram photos on their website. I love this. It's smart.

Why I Like It
I believe these photos. I don't believe some stock photo of a man smiling because of his free shitty continental breakfast. That stale toast sucks — we both know it.

When we believe what we see, we think it can happen to us. People's perception of what's possible is changing. They don't believe as much because they are being told more.

And because these photos resemble something I create and share on my phone, it makes me want to go to this place that is full of photo-sharing opportunities.

Show and tell consumers something they can believe, while still being aspirational... like these photos.

American Heart Association Advertisement Concept

Thinking

We don't take things to...heart...until they are real to us. We are told to be more healthy so much, all the time, that importance of the message has become muted to the masses and nearly passe. Additionally, being healthy is now more subconsciously associated with the aesthetics of someone looking fit and healthy, and the focus of taking care of your one and only body within has been lost.

I want people to walk away and into life with a sense of, "I'm not going to eat that greasy burger because I care about my heart", rather than, "I'm not going to eat that greasy burger because I don't want to look fat."

Execution

I wanted to target people who were already paying attention to something and being moved, so I chose Pandora. I wanted to create an ad experience that got their attention, not that was loud and annoying like most audio ads — this is a personal and serious matter. Then, I wanted to give them something they could relate to and change their perspective about that familiar thing, but putting it in a new light.

The Experience

The accompanying audio for this ad is two heart beats, one after the other. The first is a healthy normal sounding heart. The second is a fast-paced heart of an obese person.

For the mobile devices: When you click on "Listen Now" you are taken to an app or mobile web experience that lets you listen to your heart by putting your phone to your heart or pulse, have it be recorded, saved, and then played back to you. You also have the option to share the heartbeat with others.

For the laptop: When you click on "Listen Now" you can listen to the shared heartbeats and learn how to add your own on mobile.

This Happened

Wildcard. Jordan Cooper. Doug Petkanics. And team. Got those resources to get more YAYYYYYYYYYYY things done.

Oh yeaaaaaahhhhhhhh.

GO SEE!

Mepra - Gold Flatware Advertising Concept

Thinking

Let's make people think they need an upgrade. The key here is to not tell them it's better, but let them realize it is. When selling luxury you don't bring up facts and direct talk, but you show luxury and sell the idea of them being able to show the luxury as a representation of themselves to others... with these products.

Execution

Take a well known idea that represents high class and show them something even better. Show how they can be above even what is considered the top. Gold is always better than silver. We don't tell them, but make them realize.

The Coolest - Comparing Failed + Funded Kickstarter Campaigns

Every now and again a Kickstarter campaign breaks news by reaching its goal and then some, or then a lot. We can learn from these successful Kickstarter campaigns by guess analyzing what made them so kiskstartable. BUT, it's hard to really tell what brings about a certain outcome if you aren't able to test theories or compare it.

Luckily (for us), there's a new successful Kickstarter campaign that failed at its first attempt — The Coolest, a cooler that has a lot of cool features. It was selling the same idea, by the same person, and yet somehow it didn't reach its goal until the second attempt. Let's take a real look at why the Kickstarter campaign failed first, and then how it was a successful campaign the second time around.

Timing

Everyone around the web, including the inventor of The Cooolest, attributes the success of the second campaign to the time of year it was launched. The first campaign was launched during the winter, and the second was launched during the summer. This makes  a lot of sense, but it's not the only reason this cool cooler has about $7,000,000 already in funding!

The Kickstarter Video Introduction

Get people excited about something they can relate to or want to be a part of.

Video one is this guy talking to the camera with an ugly cooler.

Video two gets you excited about what having a cooler makes possible... FUN!

The Problem Your Campaign is Solving

Put in relatable context + visual put-down of current problem

Video one gets too literal with calling out the current state of coolers... all they do is keep your drinks and mayo cold. Also, we can't connect to dressed up groceries, well most of us can't anyway.

Video two we are taken into a real-life scenario, showing us how WE currently interact with coolers and SEEING how bad they make our lives. There is also a visual put-down of the current cooler, as we see it falling down a hill... ha! loser regular cooler. But the first video actually looked kind of fun with the dressed up mayo.

The Product Introduction

Make it a hero product. Make it something people feel "oooh, ahh" about.

In video one, the first shot of the product makes it look kind of silly with the loud blender going and this guy in a lawn chair.

The second video starts with a cool, sleek panning close-up of the product and then pans out from the front area, full of neat tech.

Introducing Features

Show a scenario where you'd be excited to have the feature, not just where it would be convenient.

Video one introduces the blender feature by just focusing on the blender. Then there are some people in the background who appear to be dressed for not-hot, or not blender-worthy weather.

Video two shows someone using the blender on a sunny and seemingly hot beachy day. We are excited for what relief they are about to enjoy from this cool feature.

Video one shows this jogger making a smoothie after running. That would be nice, but who wants to haul this bulky cooler and make a smoother right on the track?

Video two shows someone making a drink they can share with friends and in a place that makes sense... the beach. We also see the ingredients going in, they are party/fun-related and simple to attain. I could do that and bring fun to the party! Is what we are thinking... not TOLD.

Video one introduces the speaker by... showing the speaker.

Video two introduces the speaker by showing how much fun the speaker can bring and what it can add to an experience.

Video one introduces the bottle opener feature by showing the bottle opener.

Video two introduces the bottle opener by showing a scenario you know well, and can relate to, and when you would need a bottle opener.

Talking About the Features

Show the product in use while talking about its features.

Video one just shows the inventor talking about it in a poorly-lit room.


Video two has the inventor talking via voice over, as we get to see what he's talking about, and that makes us want to join in on the fun.

 Asking for Backers

Be relaxed and confident with your product.

 Video one shows the inventor reading a script and asking for backers in a yearning way.

Video two shows the inventor telling people that they can be a part of all this fun by backing the campaign, and is relaxed, on a boat... with his product.

The Final Screen

Make one, and make it actionable

The second video didn't just end on a black out screen, but with this cool info screen that prompted people not to pledge, but to SHARE the video.

The Bottom Lines:
Show hero product shots
Don't make your product look anything but OMG-amazing at any time

Release the Kickstarter campaign at the right time ( a time when people would want to use it)
Don't release it at a time when people can't imagine using it

Make people feel they will be the hero for using your product
Don't prove to people this thing really is cool

Show more scenarios that make people feel good and excited
Show less of the inventor just talking

Use more exciting and relatable words
Use less technological and spec words

Show more shots of electronic gadgetry:
People love electronic gadgetry and find it cool, so if you have that in your product, or a part of what it's all about, show more of it.

The Ending Script:
Get us excited about next steps first so we are motivated to back you
Don't talk about the problems you face first

Think about every word you use to describe your product
In the first video, the inventor called it a large product ... who wants to lug around a large cooler?
In the second video he says he has packed cool features into the product, implying it's smaller.

UPDATE (7/24/14):
The Coolest's Twitter account also had this to point out:

@OliviaGossett Lots of good points here. Plus we had an amazing group of backers from the 1st trial. They got onboard & shared on Day One!

Amazon Fire + Showrooming

Amazon released their first smart phone yesterday, Fire.

They have included a bunch of unique, forward-thinking features with Fire, but one that I'm interested in at this very moment is the ability to recognized real world products and find them on Amazon in seconds.

What does this mean for brick-and-mortar retail stores? How can they win this battle against showrooming?

How Retail Stores Can Beat Showrooming

They can't. 

What Retail Stores Should Do About Showrooming

A man walks into a store, sees something he likes and buys it. This is the retail store process put simply, with showrooming or not. The only difference is how he buys it.

He looks online to see if it's selling for a lower price, and if it is he buys it there.

He has a date or a meeting and doesn't want to schlep something around, so he finds it online and gets it delivered to his door.

He doesn't want to carry it, so he finds it online and gets it delivered to his door.

He looks online and sees it's selling for the same price, but will take two days to get there and he wants it now, he's on his way home or has a car with him, he buys it at the store.

In some rearrangement of the above scenarios lies the secret to dealing with showrooming. As long as you have a retail store, showrooming will happen, there's no stopping it. So you can join it. 

Do some showrooming yourself of your own store and get rid of the stuff that you can get online and for cheaper. What you can offer that can't be found online? Sell your shit online, on amazon so when people shop there, they're still buying from you. Offer some of the same services that shopping online offers, like delivering to people's homes and comparison shopping.

For bigger brands that can't just get rid of their retail store offerings if it's sold online, don't get rid of things, but add unique items to brick and mortar. For bigger stores that sell wildly accessible items, like books, Levi's or detergent — get smart with location recognition and be preemptive. Give your walk-in customers a prompt to compare prices and shop on their phones in YOUR app or mobile web.

That's all I have to offer now.

Ricky's NYC Advertising Concept

Thinking

Ricky's NYC is different from other beauty stores because it has more fun beauty products among other things. But it's missing out on beauty product buyers because it can be seen as too alternative. But, alternative products is what makes it different... see the terrible loop here?

Execution

Let's show a beauty shot, but done Ricky's style, but done sophisticated style. Loop closed.

Beyond the image and onto the copy; we want to inspire people to "play" with the products at Ricky's not be told they "need" them. If you "need" something you go to the doctor's office or shop Neutrogena. If you want to "play" you spend money you probably shouldn't to have a fucking good time.

Nordstrom Rack Advertising Concept

Thinking

Nordstrom Rack just sounds old and uninspiring. 

First there's the name Nordstrom, which makes me think of granny panties and cardigans. Then, there's the lovely addition of Rack, which is harsh, not fun and uninspiring.

Dun duh-duh! In swoops me to spruce up their brand with a fresh, young, feeling so they can get those dollar(s)-spending look-at-me young fashionistas of the world to WANT to go to Nordstom Rack.

Execution

Show the people who goes to Nordstrom Rack — cool, fun, hip, stylish, daring beautiful woman. And what these Nordstrom Rack shoppers are for doing so — Beautiful, Brilliant.... 

End with a tagline that ties it all together, PLUS still speaks to the hardworking older demographic who revels in the idea of doing a little something for herself this weekend or after work. She's been behind a desk all day... she deserves it!