3 min read

5 Fiction Genres to Inspire Your Copywriting

5 Fiction Genres to Inspire Your Copywriting

If you’re in the business of selling a product or service to an audience, you already know stellar communication is key. From the “about” page on your company website to product descriptions and blog posts, the language around your brand is ultimately what tells your story. But how can you stand out in the age of information? 

Keep reading to learn about 5 fiction genres that can add a unique spark to your copywriting.  

Looking for expert communicators? Contact the team at Hire a Writer today. 

Copywriting Services: Define Your Voice

There are millions, billions — I daresay TRILLIONS — of companies vying for our attention every moment of every day. Most of us are accustomed to swatting away a barrage of sponsored posts or ferociously clicking “skip ad” in record time to get to that yoga video. 

Well-crafted, fresh content is essential to capturing our rapidly disappearing attention spans.  

Those brands that achieve instant recognition and recall tend to have their core branding elements down to a science. This includes everything from company logos and brand colors to taglines and the tone of any customer facing language — think packaging, promo emails, blog posts, web copy and social media captions.   

A brand with a strong, well-defined — and recognizable — identity might use a consistent approach in all of its marketing collateral. Crafting such a strong brand narrative and voice can take time, heroic effort, and depending on your window of tolerance, the process might even extract a few precious tears. 

Fiction Genres in Copywriting  

Formal business writing offers a safe, professional way to present your brand to the world — and there’s nothing wrong with taking this approach. 

Depending on your industry, dipping too far into a genre runs the risk of seeming gimmicky. It’s always important to stay true to your brand and lean into what feels authentic.

If you’re in the business of haunted house attractions, for example, it’s no stretch to say you can find loads of inspiration for your marketing copy within the horror genre. Of course, the nature of this industry simply lends itself to horror themes. 

That said, even brands that don’t seem to have a ready-made genre cut out for them can still find oodles of inspiration in styles like these:

Drama

Classic, flexible — and intriguing. Dramas are character-driven and often center around real-world problems and events. Brands can use drama to their advantage when crafting testimonials, case studies, advertorials or even product demos. 

Add dramatic elements by focussing on customer stories, detailing the problems they faced, what was at stake and how your product or service helped them overcome these obstacles. Drama works well for PSA campaigns, awareness campaigns and for businesses that help people overcome personal problems.  

Humor

Humor is notoriously difficult to write, but when it’s done well it can help your brand win over hearts and minds. Incorporating humor into your communication strategy can foster trust and engage your audience. Toilet paper brand Charmin famously uses humor in its marketing efforts, which increases the likelihood of social sharing.

It’s crucial to remember that humor is often subjective, and when brands miss the mark it can be disastrous. Always check in with a highly diverse team before approving humorous copy, and if something runs the risk of being offensive, just don’t.  

Horror

While true horror likely won’t be appropriate for most business types, a tongue-in-cheek spin on the genre has been used by many hygiene-focussed brands — like those selling cleaning products and toothpaste. Typically, issues like germs or plaque are personified to create a “monster-in-the house” narrative where a brand’s product is the secret weapon that helps their customer save the day.

In some instances, brands take dull, everyday situations and push them to extremes using horror tropes, a technique that infuses a splash of humor as well.    

Adventure

Companies that sell products or services intended to help customers live their lives to the fullest can infuse a sense of adventure into their copywriting. Language borrowing from this genre typically aims to position the brand as a worthy side-kick, with positive, forward-looking messaging that fosters a sense of self-discovery.

Fantasy

Fantastical elements can help create a sense of whimsy, mystery or pure entertainment around a product or service. Ice Breaker mints has a commercial where a customer busts through a wall riding a unicorn, and you bet that’s the only mint commercial that comes to mind when I’m pressed to think of one. 

Aside from using fantasy elements in an ad campaign, some companies — like make-up brand Pixi — incorporate the genre throughout their branding. 

Work With a Professional Copywriter 

Effective communication can make or break your business. Get it right by working with professional copywriters and storytelling experts. 

Whether you’re still finding your brand voice or you have your style locked down, the team at Hire a Writer will help you refine and execute your messaging, so you can focus on what you do best.

Contact us to get started today.

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