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Copywriting: An Art or a Science?

by CopperCopy
15 replies
Hey all,

I've been having a debate with one of my friends who is relatively new to copywriting and he keeps telling me that Copywriting is an art form, and there is no science involved. However, I disagree with him citing that if you're going to make truly great copy it's more scientific because you are following tried and tested formulas.

I personally think highly conductive copywriting is a mixture of artistic creativity within a scientific framework.

So the debate is on:

Art?
Science?
Both?
Neither?

What would you guys say?
#art #copywriting #science
  • Profile picture of the author procopywriter
    Originally Posted by CopperCopy View Post

    Hey all,

    I've been having a debate with one of my friends who is relatively new to copywriting and he keeps telling me that Copywriting is an art form, and there is no science involved. However, I disagree with him citing that if you're going to make truly great copy it's more scientific because you are following tried and tested formulas.

    I personally think highly conductive copywriting is a mixture of artistic creativity within a scientific framework.

    So the debate is on:

    Art?
    Science?
    Both?
    Neither?

    What would you guys say?
    It is absolutely and completely BOTH. Just as in Christian Theology, Christ is fully man... and yet fully God.

    If it were strictly a science, anyone could write great copy just by following an A,B,C formula.

    If it were strictly art, only a few talented individuals could do it, and they couldn't really teach anyone else how.

    My background is in music. I went to graduate school to study music composition. And I've found that writing copy is very much like composing music.

    There is structure, form, limitations... and yet it requires an artistic sensibility to really create something interesting, engaging, and flowing.

    The best art is bounded by structure. Beethoven's 5th Symphony, for example, is written within a defined structure. It has unity. One ever-present motif. And yet it's absolutely beautiful and brilliant.

    The science part can be learned as a formula or structure. The art can only be developed by studying great works of art (music, copy, etc.). The studying feeds your subconscious with great examples, and that develops your inner intuition for what is good.

    Aaron
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    • Profile picture of the author Robin E. Anderson
      This is worth keeping. You have done a wonderful job with the argument of art vs. science. I agree with everything you said. There are always rules which you must know before you can "break" them, and by break I mean embellish them creatively.
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  • Profile picture of the author icering87
    ^^^ Hey! me too, I am music composition Major as well, from Beklee!

    on-topic:

    Everything is an art and science, art is development, the science is what's being developed. Just like Josh's music example. The way music work is an absolute science, hard math. But the creation of songs is the art. Writing is a science too, copywriting is an art of the science of written language.

    So everything is a combination of both. Art is what creates the world around us. The Science is already provided in most cases. I might not know the science of gravity or geometry, but I can throw a bounce ball at the left wall and make it hit you even though your on the right side.
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  • Profile picture of the author kckaz
    That's why our brains have two sides -- almost everything requires both sides. Even science. The "Art" allows them to think outside the box.
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    • Profile picture of the author procopywriter
      That's funny! Looks like there's a whole clan of us copy-composers!

      Originally Posted by kckaz View Post

      That's why our brains have two sides -- almost everything requires both sides. Even science. The "Art" allows them to think outside the box.
      Absolutely. Creation requires analytical thinking and innovative/creative thinking. There is no such thing as one without the other.
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      • Profile picture of the author MikeHumphreys
        Early in my college life, I decided to take a number of music courses and get at least a minor in music theory (my major was pre-physical therapy). I did well in most of the intro music classes until I got to Piano 101 or whatever it was called.

        At the end of the semester, I asked the teacher if I should sign up for Piano 202 (which he also taught). He told me that my "musical talents were buried deep elsewhere".

        Years later, it turns out the guy was right. I'm a helluva lot better copywriter and marketer than I ever would have been at the piano (or any other musical instrument). To this day, I can still read sheet music... some things you never forget after getting it pummeled into your head in college.

        I agree with Aaron, copywriting is science and art -- in that order. It has a definite structure and form with the artistic touches giving the copy it's flow and emotional connection.

        If you can combine the science and the art parts when you write copy, then you will probably be a pretty good copywriter on almost everything you write.

        My 2 cents,

        Mike
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  • Profile picture of the author Tyrus Antas
    We had this conversion before but related to marketing in general. Take a look:
    http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...hlight=science

    Tyrus
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  • Profile picture of the author Harry Behrens
    It is both of course. I liken the relationship between Science and Art to a car's gasoline and battery.

    The "science" of copywriting is your gasoline; it's the stable, slow-burning energy and foundation for getting you where you need to go. It's a good base that you can count on and use a for long time and gets you through the long periods of forward motion.

    Now, the "art" of copywriting is your battery. A car runs on gasoline, but it can't even get started without a battery can it! The art is the spark, the explosive creative energy that lights up the gasoline (ie the science) in the first place and makes it go! Art is what turns science from an inert dead thing into a burning, living energy that propels you to your destination.

    Ok, maybe the analogy is not the best, but you get the idea, I hope
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  • Profile picture of the author seomasterstroke
    I agree its a bit of both.

    I however, would personally like to believe its only the 'science' that matters, but I know its a bit of both.
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  • Profile picture of the author copywarrior
    Hello all, I'm new to warrior forum and a copy writing is one of my favorite fun things to do...And if you ask me, today, I would say copy writing is mainly an art form and less of a science. One need not always adhere to the all-too-common AIDA, KFC or some of the other rules. This is where most sales writers go wrong these days...

    The copy writer is a sales artist who must be able to exploit the psychological effects of the written word to gain the desired result. He's the guy with the brush and the talent to use it and the common man's English dictionary is his palette. The picture he paints is what his desired audience wants, only he does it with the simplest of words. Therefore copy writing to me, is an art, more so today, than ever before...
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    • Profile picture of the author Intrepreneur
      I agree it's both.. no design skills and all that Science will go to waste.
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      • Profile picture of the author MontelloMarketing
        Originally Posted by Intrepreneur View Post

        I agree it's both.. no design skills and all that Science will go to waste.

        You're still missing it. It has nothing to do with design skills. The creativity is in the writing. How you finesse that science. That's the creativity. A designer can be had for a couple bucks, but the science and art of copy are well worth the (assumed) higher fees.
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  • Profile picture of the author vistad
    Someone asked this question in 1950. It's good to see that the question is still alive, though unfortunate that humanity has not been able to settle it.
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  • Profile picture of the author copywarrior
    yes the art is in the creativity of the use of words...designing is only a byproduct of that creativity
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