This week, YOU, , are joining 1000+ people who’ll get this 119th edition in their inbox today.

It’s called the 1-2-3 copywriting newsletter, where every week you’ll get:

1 Copywriting Tip

2 Examples

3 Tactics on how to use it for your business.

Best part? You’ll get all the good stuff by investing less than 5 minutes weekly.

Have you ever seen such a win-win situation? Me neither.

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1 Copywriting Tip

Tip: Use your references

I'm a pop culture fanatic. I've watched a lot of movies and TV shows. Played a lot of games, especially now that I have a PS5 (dream come true: bought it with my own adult money)

But the point is that I have a lot of information about random stuff in my brain that I used to think was useless.

Until, I got a wild idea and that's how I arrived at today's copywriting tip.

The use of references means to derive insights from the seemingly useless information in your brain.

Let me show you how I did it...

I was thinking of a new LinkedIn post. And I knew that I wanted to do something with spec ads. 

I had this thought that there are so many movie names that would make up for great headlines/situations for brands...

Because they can fit the context so well.

So that's exactly what I did.

Without writing a single line of copy, I took some popular brands...

And re-did their hooks/headlines by replacing them with movie titles.

I'll show you the results below but I'd like to leave this section with a thought: Not all creativity comes from being original. 

Sometimes it's as simple as blending two dissimilar things together.

The next time you're trying to think of a BIG idea, think about what's obvious but no one is thinking about it the way you do.

That's where you'll find it. And remember, you gotta give it a try and develop it even if it seems to stupid because that's how you'll learn.

Now onto the two examples...

P.S. Here's the full post on LinkedIn. Show some love 🫶🏻

2 Examples

1. Bumble (Spec Ad)

Jab We Met (English: When We Met) is a popular Hindi rom-com about two strangers who meet by chance and fall in love while being on a journey.

The title suggests the start of something special as soon as they met hence the context perfectly matches what Bumble stands for.

Plus, the movie title logo was actually in Yellow so it sits well with Bumble's existing visual branding.

2. WWF (Spec Ad)

Ek Tha Tiger (English: There was once a tiger) was a popular Hindi film about a secret agent called Tiger.

The moment I thought of this title...

I thought of the WWF endangered species ads. 

They hit hard and the line Ek Tha Tiger perfectly encapsulates that there used to be a tiger...

Highlighting their departure from this world as a result of being wiped out by humans.

3 Tactics for You

1. Frame it like a Game

Structure offers as "unlockable achievements" to gamify customer actions.

Example: ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: Early Bird Special (Save 20% when you order before midnight)

Rather than making it feel like just another sale, make it feel like an opportunity. A perfect way to draw from your references (in this case video games)

2. Meme Format Applications

Use recognizable meme structures that your audience will instantly understand.

Example: Nobody: | Absolutely nobody: | Our competitor's prices: [astronomical figure]

Relatability doesn't come from reinventing the wheel. It comes from tapping into what people already know, like and are familiar with.

3. Famous Quote Modifications

You can take well-known quotes and adapt it to what your brand wants to say. I remember this brilliant example that stands out.

Well, that’s all I have for you today 🤝

What do you think about using your references and today’s newsletter?

Hit reply & let me know your thoughts, !

P.S. Don’t forget to tell me your favourite thing about this newsletter. I’m collecting responses to build the next thing in this space.

Cheers! :)

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