5 ideas for stumped copywriters

Ever been stumped when trying to come up with the perfect word or phrase to finish off that pesky tagline? Have a product that needs a name and you’re fresh out of ideas with a deadline looming large? Are these the dumbest questions ever and is this possibly the most cliché way to start a blog?

That’s what I thought.

If you’re like me, when you first receive assignments like these, you go straight to the notepad and start scribbling out ideas until your brain is empty. I’ll even sketch some awesome stick figures with some giving me the thumbs up, just a little affirmation that I’m doing one helluva job. But, spider webs of words and excessive back patting don’t always send me down the path to creative euphoria.

Sometimes I need a little help from my friends.

The following are some of my favorite places to break out of a stumped situation, and maybe they’ll help you find the inspiration and direction you need as well:

1. Thesaurus.com
   Any thesaurus will work (even the one that is built into your Microsoft Word doc), I just use this one because my head is already packed full of genius and it’s easiest to remember. I know, it’s obvious, but sometimes it really is the best way to find another word to say what you want. Can’t find quite the right word in your search? Grab a few from the list of synonyms and search for their synonyms… and their synonyms’ synonyms and so on, and so on…
2. Press Releases
   They aren't always the most thrilling read, but a client’s press releases are a solid bet when looking for something to finish off a tagline. Here is where you find what is top-of-mind and important to the company. The words and phrases they use to describe their products, services, employees, awards, etc., give you a good idea where their heads are at and what they like. I’ve also found press releases from related industry associations, regulatory bodies and even competitors helpful as well.

3. Facebook and other social sites
   Checking out the links and user comments on the Facebook pages of your client, industry associations and competitors will give you several, sometimes hilarious, things to work with. Your friends are also a good source. Looking for information on dairy cattle? Doesn’t your buddy, Steve, from high school work at a dairy? Maybe he has interesting connections on his fb page. Maybe he only uses it to tend to his herd on Farm Town. You never know. Twitter is a great place to find links to related news stories and sites as well. You can even check out people’s followers to get ideas for accounts to check. Find out what CEOs and upper management folks are reading and thinking without stalking and night vision goggles.

4. Flickr
   Many times I’ll search Flickr for ideas. Sometimes the photos will spark an idea, other times a comment will inspire me. If not, at least I get to check out some cool photos while I’m there. I also like to scan Google Images and click on the photos that stand out and follow them back to the source.

5. BrainyQuote.com
   I love rifling through quotes here to find words that connect to my subject or to inspire myself to pen something quote-worthy. Also, some of the most random quotes come up and it’s good for a laugh. Example – when recently searching for tagline ideas tied to the word “speed”, it gave me this quote: “I would never do something like Speed 2 again.” – Jason Patric. Poor Jason, we all could have told you that was a bad idea. I mean, even Keanu saw it coming. Enough said.

Have any sites or ideas that help you get over the hump? Want to share them with a fellow writer? How about a favorite Jason Patric quote?

- Ben Carstens, Senior Copywriter