Can’t find your passion? Borrow someone else’s.

Problogger’s Darren Rowse posted in his blog today about passion. It’s often hard to come by even when writing about your own life and experiences. So what do you do when you’re paid to write for someone else? Whether it’s writing copy for their website, sales materials, emails, or even tweaking their speech its all about how cool the client thinks their product or service is and then projecting that onto the reader. I like to think I’m borrowing my client’s passion. If I can talk with them on the phone or in person, I can get a real sense of excitement. Ask the right questions to prompt some emotion. “How does your patented scientific inner sole make you feel when you wear your sneakers?” It’s no secret that we respond to the emotions from the people we’re with. If your client is excited about their work that will rub off on you.

But what if the subject of your next writing job is just boring? Spending time on research can help to build a sense of anticipation. Track down some links to other articles about the service. You may find some excellent feedback that provides some inspiration for your sales copy. I posed the same question to Angie Haggstrom recently over Twitter. Well, it depends on the job, of course. One of Angie’s suggestions included writing with humour and then editing the funny parts out later. It’s a clever idea, and while you may end up doing a complete rewrite, a strategy like that is often enough to get the ball rolling and the creative juices flowing.

If you can transpose the passion of your client to the reader without losing anything in the process then you’re on the right track. I know I’m doing my work properly if I’ve convinced myself I need to buy the item I’m writing for.

Now…where did I put my credit card?

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