No matter your taste in films, you’ve probably heard of Quentin Tarantino. Born in Tennessee, he wrote, acted, produced, directed, even created the soundtracks, and edited more than 23 films. He won two Oscars, two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, two BAFTA Awards, over 100 more awards, and was nominated 97 times. His movies are jam packed with violence, non-linear storylines, and, of course, epic soundtracks. This star is a prime example of how using epic copywriting can boost your views, show people who you really are, and create a dedicated fan base.
Just what is this five-finger punch to the heart? Can only the Bride do it, or is this something you can learn and create some killer content ready to make audiences laugh, cry, or maybe squirm? Let’s take a look at what you can learn about copywriting from a Tarantino film.
Retro Is Always In – Use Something Familiar in Your Copywriting
Cue the seventies disco and begin imagining yourself walking down the streets of California in an awesome seventies suit and tie. In the nineties, this sure was a surprise because many people thought that the seventies were just a thing of the past. In fact, many kids and teenagers thought the seventies were oh-so-boring until Tarantino made seventies fashion and music an absolutely amazing plot piece in his most well known film Pulp Fiction. Just why was this successful? Tarantino used something that was still known, and familiar to audiences. He wasn’t trying to reach out to young audiences, but to those who were in their twenties and older, and he succeeded.
This is important to your copywriting because you want your audience to feel comfortable with your content. You will find that it is much easier if you utilize familiar items in your marketing pitches because people will be more likely to click on a link to something that sounds familiar than something they’ve never heard of before. You don’t have to go all retro-glam with some disco playing on your site. Just simply focus on utilizing a few popular memes, work in familiar aspects of your product, or just anything that you know audiences can and will connect with.
Details, Details, Details
The one consistent truth of any Tarantino film is that each time you watch it, you will find something new. The stories are incredibly intricate with several tie-ins and references. It is easy to lose sight of all of the details when watching, but they’re still there and they make each viewing enjoyable and just as exciting as the first view. This is because Tarantino pays extremely close attention to details.
This is one of the reasons his films take a while to be released because he works on them in script form to get every detail, and works further throughout filming and post-development. He wants to make sure audiences have the best experience, and no one can say that he doesn’t succeed at this. Just watch Kill Bill: Volume One a few times in a row and see what new things you notice in each viewing.
Many times, you might feel like you can just write rather generic blogs and web content, but this might be something that hinders you from making sales. Sure, people aren’t always keen on Tolkien-like detail, but people do want a bit more information that many companies give. However, the details for your copywriting shouldn’t only be focused on the words, but every aspect of your social media campaigns, your web layout, and any other details that could impact your content. In fact, user experience is a major part of how someone views your content. You can have the best content out there, but if your clients’ experience isn’t a great one, they will leave quickly.
Audiences Like To Be Shocked And Entertained
While Tarantino focuses on several familiar aspects of films and trends, he also shocks his audiences. This can be through simple story re-telling like Inglourious Basterds or by cutting an ear off in the best way possible such as the scene in Reservoir Dogs. In fact, that particular scene is one that makes everyone cringe; yet the surprising fact is that you never actually see it happen. He blends suspense perfectly with his amazingly written scripts, causing everyone who views his films to feel something no matter what it is. He understands that people don’t just want to be shocked though, he knows that they want to be entertained, which is why his films have some of the best soundtracks out there.
Now, when you start writing your content, you don’t have to go to the extreme of cutting off an ear; that would be a little much for your company! However, you can still do various things to shock and entertain your readers and clients. When you shock your clients, make sure it is with things that they will find enjoyable, not something that will overwhelm them. A simple way to shock and entertain is to offer freebies with a service, but not just any freebie.
You can give away something that is much bigger than a pen with a name on it, maybe an e-book or an extra product to try. This is likely to shock your clients, and it will bring some pretty great success into your business. In fact, you might find that your clients are more than willing to buy more items from you after receiving great freebies. Entertaining your clients is also important, but I discuss this in the next point.
Don’t Be A Square – Share Some Corny Jokes
One of the things that really helps set Tarantino apart from other similar directors is the fact that he loves corny jokes. There’s the obvious one that Mia Wallace from Pulp Fiction says about the tomato needing to “ketchup.” He also does subtler jokes that are more one-liners, a look between actors, or making a cameo himself. Fans love this and it is something you will always hear about if someone describes the latest Tarantino flick they viewed.
This shows that using humor in various content situations is actually quite a great idea! People love humor, and we need more humor nowadays. You might be wary to use humor in your content, but it is very possible and a great idea if you use it correctly. It is a great way to break the ice, entertain, and bring clients in and it can also be a great way to convert visitors when they visit your site.
In The End, Own It, Be It, And You’ll Win It
Outside of all of these points, the thing that really sets Tarantino apart as an expert copywriter is that he owns his work strongly. His confidence helps to set various movies apart as being modern classics and, in the end, he wins at copywriting and film writing all at once. What will you take from Tarantino to apply in your copywriting campaigns?
Image source: Levon Biss Photography