7 Tips for writing emotive copy

Have you ever read an advertisement or a piece of content that made you feel something profound? It may have brought tears to your eyes or even made you laugh; this is the magic of writing something personal and memorable. In this post, I’ll discuss how to make audiences emotionally connect with your work, how to craft a campaign that resonates, some success stories that will serve as an example, and altogether help you make something unforgettable!

Writing Emotively: How to connect with readers

Emotive writing has so many benefits to a writer. For starters, it helps establish a brand identity. When people think of your brand, they will associate it with that emotion. It also helps the brand develop a distinct personality, enabling them to stand out from the competition. Emotive writing tends to be more engaging and to secure attention spans better than factual writing. By creating something that allows for connection, word of mouth marketing and customer loyalty is enhanced.

Implementing Emotive Writing in Copywriting

Writing emotive copy is about more than mere information exchange. To create a piece of content and resonates with your readers you have to use the language of emotion! To start, picture the emotion you want to create with your work; anger, sadness, joy, or fear. Think about the words associated with these emotions and conjure an image in your head of what these feel like. As you scatter these emotive adjectives throughout your writing, think about any metaphors and personal stories you can tell that would help bring this emotion to the surface of your writing. When writing for a brand, these emotions must align with the brand’s values. (If you want to hear about some successful examples of this being done, keep reading)

Emotive Marketing: Crafting Campaigns That Resonate

Can a brand's identity became unforgettable with emotive writing?

In marketing, emotive writing should be included in every touchpoint, from social media posts to email campaigns and advertisements. Using emotive language in your slogans, tags, and content helps to maintain a brand persona and reach people’s hearts. By consistently prioritizing emotional resonance, you transform passive consumers into passionate advocates.

Emotive marketing success stories

Dove’s “Real Beauty” Campaign

Dove's "Real Beauty" campaign is a prime example of how emotive marketing can massively impact a brand's success. The campaign was born out of the insight that only 2% of women worldwide described themselves as beautiful. Dove’s adverts featured women of various ages, shapes, sizes, and ethnicities in their advertisements and avoided airbrushed models.

The campaign's ads and videos often told personal stories and focused on the confidence of ordinary women. Their "Dove Real Beauty Sketches" video, where women described themselves to a forensic sketch artist and then saw how others described them, went viral. This video influenced millions; and it resonated with so many due to it’s focus on how women can sometimes be their own worst critics.

The emotive nature of Dove's marketing translated into significant business success. The campaign led to a substantial increase in sales, with Dove's sales more than doubling from $2.5 billion to $4 billion over the decade following the campaign's launch.

Dove's brand image transformed after the adverts, and became known to be synonymous with self love and empowerment, creating a loyal customer base.

Dove's success demonstrates the power of tapping into genuine emotions and societal issues to create successful and memorable campaign.

Airbnb's "Belong Anywhere" Campaign

Airbnb’s “Belong Anywhere” Campaign focused on understanding that travel is more than just visiting new places; it's about experiencing a sense of belonging wherever you go. Their adverts focused on connection and the feeling of “finding oneself” whilst travelling.

The campaign used the stories of real travellers and hosts who told of the real connections and experiences they shared through Airbnb. The emotive writing in their advertisements and website emphasized the idea that staying in an Airbnb rather than a hotel allowed travellers to immerse themselves in local culture, forge connections with hosts, and feel like they belonged in a new city or country.

The campaign ended up striking a chord with audiences worldwide, with both travellers seeking authentic experiences and hosts eager to share their homes and hospitality affected. Airbnb's emotive storytelling humanized the brand and showcased it as a unique service. As a result, Airbnb saw significant growth in both bookings and brand loyalty, solidifying its position as a leader in the travel industry.

By utilizing emotive writing to convey the emotional benefits of using their platform, Airbnb successfully connected with their audience on a deeper level.

The 7 Must-know tips

1. Know your audience: Understanding your audience's demographics, psychology, and emotional triggers is crucial. Tailor your message to resonate with their values, aspirations, and pain points.

2. Tell compelling stories: Humans are wired to respond to stories. Evoke emotions; whether it's through relatable anecdotes, testimonials, or brand origin stories. Stories create a deeper connection with your audience, making your message more memorable and impactful.

3. Use vivid imagery and descriptive language: Engage the audience’s imagination by using emotive adjectives, and sensory words to evoke passion. Use immersive imagery that resonated with the audience, and the emotions you are trying to inspire.

4. Appeal to emotion: Focus on how your product or service makes your audience feel rather than just listing its features. Emphasize the emotional benefits and outcomes they can expect.

5. Empathy and authenticity: Show empathy and understanding towards your audience's challenges and desires. Be genuine and authentic in your communication, avoiding overly salesy or manipulative language. Authenticity builds trust and fosters a stronger emotional connection.

6. Don’t be afraid of being too bold: Advertising is certainly not an area in which you can be shy. The bigger, the bolder, the better. The more outrageous and passionate your brand voice is, the more eye-catching it will be to future customers.

7. End with a Strong Call-to-Action: After evoking emotions and building a connection, guide your audience towards the desired action with a clear and compelling call-to-action. Make it easy for them to take the next step, whether it's making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or sharing your content.

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