“Know butter. Do butter.”
After reading the above on my body lotion container, my marketer/writer mind proceeded to geek out. Why? It contains two timeless writing tips.
The first: good things come in twos.
The second: humor is vital for your message to stick (or land).
Look at some of the best taglines or headlines, and you will see this.
Let’s touch on the first.
We love balance. And when you use two sentences equal in weight (length + syllables), you create balance and beauty—It’s a delight to read.
One additional way to use this technique is to say something we agree with first and then undercut it.
Some examples are:
- Writing is easy; you just open a vein and bleed
- Men are wonderful. Until they wake up.
- Declawing cats is not mean. It’s sadistic.
When writing a headline or a critical line, use two sentences to create balance and drive your point home.
Now, let’s cover the second point: Humor in writing.
Humor is challenging.
If you’re too direct, it comes across as a dad joke.
If no one gets the joke, it’s a dud.
So then, how do you infuse humor into your writing?
Two ways:
- In your voice
- In small ways (puns)
Most of us are somewhat funny. It’s just that when we write, we get tight like muscles when we wake up. So the easiest way to write more humorously is just to be you.
Because when you’re tight and not being yourself, it’s challenging to be funny and quirky in your writing.
Another way is to add humor in subtle ways. Again, using the example above, it’s a small change that creates a slight chuckle.
Know butter. Do butter. = Know better. Do better.
And one of the ingredients is butter (butter something), which is the cherry on top.
The lesson:
Do use the two-punch approach when you want to write a strong headline or close an email well.
Don’t write too much that the two sentences lose their snappy touch.
What do you think about this writing tip?
🧠 + ❤️ // JO