From a sweet obit in the New York Times, celebrating the life of ad man Robert Levenson, his secret:
“I always started by writing Dear Charlie, like writing to a friend. And then I would say what I had to say, and at the end I would cross out Dear Charlie, and I was all right.”
I don’t care what industry you’re writing for, or what product you’re selling – effective copy is conversational. Read the most important pages on your website aloud – could they follow “Dear Charlie” or “Dear Sally”?
If not, channel Robert Levenson and rewrite them for a dear friend.
