Raising a toddler is great copywriting experience

Cheesy copywriting?

I have now been studying my copywriting course for about a month. I love it, but still worry that without experience it will be hard to get paid work.

I said this to a friend the other night, and her response was,

“You can do anything, you’re a mummy to a toddler!”

This got me thinking – there are a LOT of ways that raising a toddler can get you ready for life as a copywriter.

Becoming an expert mind reader

There's a great book called “'Reasons My Kid is Crying'. It's full of pictures of toddlers upset about all kinds of odd things.

Hubbie and I use this book like a spotters’ guide – ticking off each scenario as Toddler performs it. My favourite one is the last picture in the book, captioned quite simply, “I don’t know why my child is crying.” 

All too familiar. 

We try to guess, flinging all manner of likely (and some unlikely) reasons out there  - but until we ask the right question, the tears keep on streaming.

As a copywriter the onus is on you to ask searching questions, particularly if your client is inexperienced at producing a brief. You have to get all the relevant facts and work out the client’s likes and dislikes – only then can you hope to give them exactly what they want.

I also find that distraction works a treat - for toddlers, probably not clients.

Finding a different way to get the message across

Toddler is concentrating on a jigsaw and gets an attack of selective deafness when you tell him dinner is ready. What to do? Ask a different way, do a silly dance, sing a silly song? Believe me, I’ve tried them all.

The point is, if you can’t get your message across one way, you need to recognise this, adjust it and try again.

By the way, it usually works if I sit down and pretend to eat Toddler’s dinner myself!

Incentivising the call to action

You’re in the supermarket, half way down your list – between milk and pasta, and Toddler decides he wants out of the trolley. Worse, he wants to PUSH the trolley.

Time for some quick thinking – the call to action? 

“Get back in the trolley and be quiet"

The bribe, sorry, I mean incentive.

2 Peppa Pigs and a biscuit on the sofa (shock horror!) when we get home.

To get it right you have to get inside the mind of your customer – what would mean the most to them? What would encourage them to do what you’re asking?

Oh how easy it would be if the answer were always cartoons and cookies…..

Reading makes you a better writer

I worry that all I read these days is children’s books. Toddler is a bookworm so I can find myself forced to read over 20 books a day. This doesn’t leave any inclination for reading much else.

But now I’ve decided that doesn’t matter.

Children’s books tick all the copywriting boxes. They are specifically written to be easy to understand, using straightforward language, often rhyming.

Useful for getting your ear around the sounds of sentences on the page, learning about the flow and rhythm of words, and writing in clear English.

Tackling, “I want it NOW!”

A commonly heard phrase in every toddler's house.

Clients too, can be heard to make unrealistic requests at short notice.  They may be more likely to use ‘please’ &  ‘thank you’, but does that make you more inclined to respond positively?

In both situations the best response is one of patience, understanding and a firm reminder of what’s actually possible.

Never make promises you can’t keep.

Feigning enthusiasm

We’ve all been there, endless requests to play hide ‘n’ seek when all you really want to do is curl up on the sofa and look at Twitter.

You get that guilty feeling - you don’t spend enough quality time together, the least you could do is play Toddler’s favourite game with him. So you smile, inwardly groan, and say, 

“Yippee. I love hide ‘n’ seek.”

Then you make sure you find a difficult hiding place so you have time to at least check Facebook on your phone….

So, what’s the lesson?

When you meet a new client you need to remember that while sheet metal is as dull as a rusty nail to you, it might your client’s favourite thing in the whole world. And that means, for the time being at least, you need to make it yours too. 

If you’re not enthusiastic about the product or service that you’re selling it will come across in your copy (and probably to your client). 

Find a way to make it interesting.

If in doubt…

Toddlers and clients both love biscuits….As I understand it, so do copywriters!

So, the next time your toddler starts screaming because you've grated his cheese instead of slicing it, just think of the creative experience you will gain as you use the gratings to spell out his name on the plate.

And be GRATE-ful it's not your client who is upset this time.

Check back to follow my progress on my copywriting journey...