Let’s Stop Being Negative About Being Negative
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This is a 4 minute read.
I was talking to a client the other day about negativity in copywriting. We discussed the notion that you should never use a negative word, like ‘don’t’ or ‘frustrating’ or ‘painful’.
And, reader, it was painful indeed.
It’s another of these nonsensical copywriting ‘rules’ – usually the product of:
- A copywriter who needed to find a topic for a blog post
- A client who trusted that blog post to be well-researched and informative
- An understandable desperation to make copywriting a one-size-fits-all science – something that’s easy to do and judge for quality
In reality, copywriting is a creative balancing act. The skill of using the most appropriate techniques for a given moment.
So, for the sake of balance, here’s when I think negativity is a positive for the task at hand.