Yesterday’s email (about swipe files) prompted a question.
And that is why I don’t “swipe”?
Since I like to talk about swipe files, and own a swipe file and USE my swipe file (often), I thought that was a great question, and I think an explanation is due.
So here are just a few of the reasons:
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1. It can sometimes be borderline copyright infringement
2. Kinda makes me mad when people do it to me
3. No need to swipe anyway, if you know your market
4. Usually makes for weaker ads than if you think and work (yes, I realize that’s the opposite of what most goo-roos say)
5. It’s laziness and lazy copywriters have skinny kids
Now, don’t get me wrong here.
Swipe files are fine and I still use mine for ideas, inspirations and ways to structure my sales arguments.
So I’m definitely not “anti” swipe file.
But there’s a right way and a wrong way to use them.
The wrong way is (for example) taking whole stories or entire paragraphs from one ad… and then using them verbatim (or almost verbatim) and creating what someone (I think it was Peter Stone?) once described as a “Frankenstein monster” ad.
I realize that’s a secret goo-roo way of doing it.
But even if you get away with it, it’s still a big fat mistake.
Why?
Because copywriting is not really about the words and the “writing” — it’s about the IDEAS and how you arrange those ideas to persuade someone to buy.
So that’s why I don’t do the swipe thang.
Ben Settle
P.S. If you want to know the right way to swipe (the legal, ethical and, yes, most profitable way), check out Appendix 1 in “The Copywriting Grab Bag”:
