Day With A Pro - Catalog Copywriter (1,290 words)
By Melissa Sepos
Some people soak in Palmolive dish detergent; copywriter Kevin Kotowski soaks in creativity.
Like most writers, Kotowski, partner at creative agency Olson, Kotowski and Co. in Los Angeles, needs to absorb the qualities, the "hook" of the product he will be writing about.
A copywriter for 18 years, Kotowski says the majority of his job is spent absorbing.
Catalog copywriters need to be able to assimilate vast amounts of information about a catalog's products and philosophy, its employees and its customers.
Kotowski says that all this data, or "front-end" work, is what enables a copywriter to produce quality copy.
Before Kotowski sets out to write product copy, he likes to meet a lot of people. He sits in on the merchandising meetings and talks with the merchandise buyers. He has conversations with the company's founder or owner. He finds out what the customers are like and meets some of them if possible. After all that is done, he likes to see and touch the product he is writing about.
Finding the Hook
"Look for one or two things about the product that really stand out," says Kotowski. "What's the angle, the hook? What's really cool? Why is it here in the first place?"
Getting the story behind the product is often a good way for a copywriter to promote a product.
When trying to determine the hook of a product, Kotowski spends a bit of time drilling the merchandiser. He asks: Why was it purchased? What did they like about it? How does it relate to other merchandise? Is it similar to other products, is it better? Less exciting? What did customers like about it? He then jots down descriptive words that come to mind.
Seeking the Answers
A good deal of Kotowski's time is spent learning about the customer. It is hard to write copy for an audience with whom you are not familiar.
Kotowski has been known to listen in on the phones when the customer service reps are taking orders. He then picks up the language the customer uses and draws a list of common questions that might be answered in better written copy.
But Kotowski prefers meeting the customer. He said he has often gone or sent employees to work in a catalog's retail location. He says that if the writer has the personality, then they should work the sales floor, but that the experience is still valid if they are doing other tasks.
On the whole, Kotowski says it is important as a copywriter not to wall up inside the office, which is a tendency many writers have.
Creating Character
The most riveting effect language has on a catalog is voice. Developing and using a catalog's personality and voice can separate it from the pack. While most readers are apt to notice an individual design or layout, voice is something harder to perceive, but it stays with them longer. From the now-defunct J. Peterman to Lands' End to newer catalogs, such as electronics retailer New Pig, a catalog's voice is a strong tie between the customer and the company.
"These days the copy can establish the personality of the catalog," says Kotowski. "The best example of that is the J. Peterman catalog."
It is common for a catalog to lose its original voice and to become bland. To reclaim a catalog's voice, Kotowski has often sifted through the company's catalogs from as many as 20 years ago. There, he finds the entrepeneurial spirit or the spark that began the catalog.
The trick with established voice is to stay with it, says Kotowski. While writers and marketers want to change things, altering the company's flavor isn't something that should happen. Kotowski likes to create a copywriting style guide, in which he places key words and phrases that should be used frequently.
While working for electronics cataloger DAK, Kotowski was the voice of founder Drew Kaplan. He used to sit with Kaplan every week just to refresh his memory of the man's voice, enthusiasm, energy and personality. He then was able to translate Kaplan's personality into a few key phrases that other copywriters could integrate into their copy.
"Take pet phrases or words and use those words over and over again," says Kotowski. "The writers get bored, but the readers don't."
Writing
After his intense preparation, Kotowski sits down to write. Tucked away in his office, Kotowski begins the process by working out phrases and words on an artist's notebook. He chooses unlined notebooks, rather than lined, because they appeal to him in a natural, organic way. After the phraseology is developed, he works backward. First, he makes the offer or call to action, then writes the supporting copy. Kotowski says many writers hate the transition from writer to salesman required to write sell copy, but that is where the deal is sealed.
He writes about six or seven different ads and then puts them aside.
"By seven or eight you are getting going," says Kotowski. "I write better late in the afternoon, and go through until one, two in the morning. Writers need quiet, and at that time the phones aren't a distraction."
He writes several versions of the ads, a little on the long side, and cuts them later. The time it takes to write a single copy block can vary greatly, says Kotowski.
"I've written some in 15 minutes just because something clicked. Others, especially if you're trying to write 'conceptual,' can take a lot longer. I have, on occasion, spent four hours on a single copy block of about 150 to 175 words," says Kotowski. "Maybe it's not the cost-effective thing to do, but when those 'toughies' are done, there's a great deal of satisfaction knowing that it's darn good copy. I'd say on average, I'll spend about an hour to an hour and a half per copy block, especially if it's conceptual copy, like some of Boutique Beverly Hills was, or something in the vein of the dearly-missed J. Peterman."
The hours add up when writing several hundred ads at a time, as Kotowski likes to work on a catalog project straight through, which can take weeks until it is finished.
"Ideally, I'll start on a catalog and keep working on it until it's done. The first couple of days are always hard as you search for your voice, the phrases that work and so on. Then about day three, things seem to start flowing. It'll go pretty strong then. The last two or three spreads are usually the hardest—mostly because, by then, I'm pretty well sick of the products I'm writing about. After writing the 17th purse or blouse or sweater or vase or modem, you're pretty tired of 'em. I've used a lot of the real good 'turns of phrase' and I'm struggling to say something in a new and interesting way."
Kotowski is a very imaginative person. When writing, he converses with the customer in his mind.
"Writing in a friendly manner, explaining the benefits, putting your arm around the customer and sitting them down on the porch and telling them why they would want this product," is what it is all about, says Kotowski.
Favorites
"My favorite type [of copy] is how-do-we-sell? I like when I can write conceptually, fictionalizing. Fictionalizing the experience of the product," he says.
Kotowski likes coming up with good angles, writing trivia and especially something called a grease-shooter.
"That's where every sentence leads to the next one until the guy hands you his wallet," says Kotowski.
"The first couple of days are always hard as you search for your voice, the phrases that work and so on. Then about day three, things seem to start flowing."
-Kevin Kotowski, Copywriter
