3 Reasons Why Fanfiction Makes You a Good Copywriter

I have a radical theory that I’ve been mulling over for some time that I’ve been hesitant to share until now.

At first I thought it may be coincidence or that there was no connection, but now I see the parallels are clear.

It all started when I began to write for Write Label.

Write Label is a content site that allows clients and brands to ask for specific written scripts to be used for radio and audio on the Web.

A brief is offered and a pool of available writers each take a stab at writing appropriate copy. Editors on the site would “feature” their favorite attempts, and the clients/brands would select what they liked, with the winner or winners collecting the payout.

One thing I’ve discovered in the months I’ve written for Write Label: I’m really good at it.

It’s no big effort for me to crank out a litany of these 15- and 30-second scripts. Oftentimes many will get featured, and of those featured submissions, a good amount are selected by clients. On some occasions, clients even select my copy over other options that were featured by Write Label’s editors.

I tried to pinpoint the origin of this latent talent; sure, I had taken a Copywriting class, but why was I so adept at creating copy, when just two years ago I had no idea what copywriting even was?

Then it hit me: I’m good at copywriting because I’ve been honing my skills for nearly two decades.

How? By writing fanfiction.

Following the Rules of Canon is Like Following a Brief

In fiction, canon is the material accepted as officially part of the story in the fictional universe of that story.

One of the beautiful aspects of fanfiction is that the writer can create any narrative they so desire. If they want to create an AU high school drama with the cast of Game of Thrones, they are free to do it.

That said, it takes a special kind of skill to not only understand the boundaries created by a series’ canon, but to adhere to it, crafting a story that’s not only entertaining, but could be plausible in the confines of actual story events.

In that way, writing a brief is not unlike writing canon-faithful fanfiction. When a client provides a brief, they are expecting a copywriter to adhere to the following:

• Objective
• Audience
• Tone
• Scope/Budget

Sure, a writer can to choose to ignore the details outlined in the brief, but they do so at the peril of procuring future work with their client.

This is why canonical fanfiction performs better than stories that place characters that would never occur in the context of their established universe.

Give the Audience What They Want

There is such a thing in the fanfiction community as fanon: a set of beliefs centred around a property that is so ingrained into a fandom that it is tacitly assumed to be canon. For example:

The naming of Derpy in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Arnold’s last name of Shortman in Hey Arnold!

Fanfiction can be fascinating in its ability to hone into that common thread of interest in a fandom and create of niche of stories that are universally popular.

Referring back to Hey Arnold!, the most popular genre by a longshot on fanfiction.net is in romance. Therefore, if a writer wanted to attract the largest audience possible, they would be wise to pen something where romance factored heavily into the plot.

In copywriting, it is important to understand who your target audience is.

If the creative brief for a project describes the audience between the ages of 44-55, married, middle-aged and homeowners, it may not make the most sense to fill your copy with slang and memes related to current events.

Know thy audience, and succeed.

Write for Emotion – Follow AIDA

In copywriting there is an important term known as AIDA:

All four must be satisfied in order to write good copy. Good fanfiction writers are adept at hitting all the points of AIDA:

They ATTRACT readers with a compelling cover image or synopsis to their story

They cultivate INTEREST by writing in a popular fandom (ie. Harry Potter, Supernatural, Frozen) and genre (romance)

They harness DESIRE in their story by not posting it all at once, but my metring out content chapter, by chapter, week by week, so as to keep readers invested

They encourage ACTION on the part of the reader to take the time to rate the story or to comment/review so as to increase the story’s visibility.

So in summary, in order to be a good Fanfiction Writer or Copywriter, you must:

• Following the Rules/Canon/Brief
• Recognizing Your Audience/Giving the Audience What They Want
• Writing to Evoke an Emotion

These are just a few ways that the copywriter and the fanfiction writer are similar in how they function. Do you agree? Can you think of other ways in which copywriting and fanfiction go hand in hand? Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments!