What do copywriters say about copywriting? And are they right?

A copywriting pal of mine has drawn my attention to a collection of quotes about, well, copywriting. I'm always delighted when these things crop up, because I feel sure blog posts on design and art direction outnumber pieces on copy by about a hundred to one. Paranoid? Moi?

Anyway, here are some of those quotes - and in typical writer fashion, I have added my notes. Hey, sue me - that's just the way I roll.

“There really is no such thing as a boring subject. Just boring, unimaginative writers” 
Ben Hurt

It's a nice sentiment. But any article on leech breeding is going to come off a little dull. Unless you're a leech breeder, I suppose. Or a leech.

“Let us prove to the world that good taste, good art, and good writing can be good selling.”  
 William Bernbach

Quite so. Although that doesn't really explain that car loan ad with the Nigel Farage lookalike in lederhosen, does it?

“The first draft of anything is shit.”
Ernest Hemingway

And in many cases, the final one too.

“I’ve learned that any fool can write a bad ad, but that it takes a real genius to keep his hands off a good one.”
Leo Burnett

It also takes a veritable army to keep all the other hands, just itching to tinker around, off a good bit of copy.

“On the average, five times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy.”
David Ogilvy

If it's an ad for The Sun, you can see their lips moving too. (Interesting use of the definite article there, David).

“People aren’t interested in you."

“Don’t confuse visibility with credibility.” 
Harvey Mackay

I met the Invisible Man once. I couldn't see what all the fuss was about.

“People aren’t interested in you. They’re interested in themselves.” 
Dale Carnegie

Yes, so anyway I was at this really cool party - and I was just telling everyone about this amazing project I'm working on, when this guy comes in and... sorry Dale, what were you saying?

“In writing good advertising it is necessary to put a mood into words and to transfer that mood to the reader.” 
Helen Woodward

Just make sure that 'mood' isn't the one being shouldered by a hung-over art director at 8.30am while he's waiting for a coffee. Nobody needs that conveying to them.

“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.” 
Jack Kerouac

Jack, Jack - I know you wrote 'On The Road' and it's the great American novel and so on, but 'simple' is one word. I know, I looked it up. Definitely one word.

“We want consumers to say, ‘That’s a hell of a product’ instead of, ‘That’s a hell of an ad.'”
Leo Burnett

Hello again, Leo. You speak for yourself, mate. Personally I want people to say the latter. To be honest, that's exactly why I got into copywriting - for the praise and glory.  

“The most powerful element in advertising is the truth.”  
William Bernbach

Only one exception here: working on a campaign for 'delicious' Cup-A-Soup.  Then a smattering of mendacity is surely compulsory?

Magnus Shaw is a copywriter (hooray), blogger and consultant

With thanks to Vikki Ross. Read the whole list here.