Give Your Copywriting The Edge Advantage: Miss Congeniality Vs. Tony Soprano

A lot of service-based business owners are so afraid of “edgy copywriting” that they go too far the other way — they’re so afraid of sounding like Tony Soprano, they develop pretty, eager-to-please websites that bore the pants off their audience (and they’d never use a word like “pants” anyway).

And many go to the opposite extreme: they’re so afraid of being Miss Congeniality, they sound like Tony Soprano on his worst day. (I know Tony is gone, but he’s an icon of modern culture and the best example I know when it comes to…well, Tony Soprano copy).

When I write copy for myself and my clients, often my first draft sounds more like Miss Congeniality than Tony Soprano. For example:

(1) A wide open opening. “If you are ready to change your life and stop making the old mistakes…” Well, who isn’t (at least some days of the week)? And what service professional doesn’t promise to help people change?

(2) A headline that’s calm and peaceful. “How to move forward with your own brilliance and creativity.” First revision: “Who else wants to explode a blah career into a blockbuster lifestyle…using creative talent you didn’t know you had?”

(3) Tired worn-out phrases. “Live the live you’ve always wanted.” “Be the person you were…