Chichester Copywriter recently saw a blog article on Letters of Note about a very savvy copywriter. Katy wanted to share the brilliance of this letter written by talented copywriter Robert Pirosh in the 1930s. It reveals the true value of a creative copywriter.
Letters of Note is a regularly updated blog-based archive on fascinating letters, postcards, telegrams, faxes, and memos and Chichester Copywriter came across this little gem via Innocent Drinks on Twitter.
This is the letter that Robert Pirosh sent to Hollywood studio executives in 1934 in the hope of grabbing their attention and landing a job as a script writer.
Dear Sir:
I like words. I like fat buttery words, such as ooze, turpitude, glutinous, toady. I like solemn, angular, creaky words, such as straitlaced, cantankerous, pecunious, valedictory. I like spurious, black-is-white words, such as mortician, liquidate, tonsorial, demi-monde. I like suave “V” words, such as Svengali, svelte, bravura, verve. I like crunchy, brittle, crackly words, such as splinter, grapple, jostle, crusty. I like sullen, crabbed, scowling words, such as skulk, glower, scabby, churl. I like Oh-Heavens, my-gracious, land’s-sake words, such as tricksy, tucker, genteel, horrid. I like elegant, flowery words, such as estivate, peregrinate, elysium, halcyon. I like wormy, squirmy, mealy words, such as crawl, blubber, squeal, drip. I like sniggly, chuckling words, such as cowlick, gurgle, bubble and burp.
I like the word screenwriter better than copywriter, so I decided to quit my job in a New York advertising agency and try my luck in Hollywood, but before taking the plunge I went to Europe for a year of study, contemplation and horsing around.
I have just returned and I still like words.
May I have a few with you?
Robert Pirosh
(Source: Dear Wit.)
This bold and creative copywriting approach worked. Robert became a junior writer with MGM and in 1949 won an Academy Award for his Battleground script.
Isn’t it pure copywriting genius? The message here is that if you want to attract the attention of the big boys and stand out from the crowd then your copywriting needs to be inspired. Your sales letters need to do more than just sell and your website copy needs to do more than just inform.
Remember good marketing starts with good words and Chichester Copywriter is here to help. Contact Katy today for an informal chat about where you want your copywriting to take you.