How to come up with a big creative idea
You don’t need better copy. You need a thought nobody’s had about this yet. Big ideas tend to come from collisions, not concentration.
You’ll recognise it
- You have three sensible routes and none excite you
- Your best idea is a pun
- You keep coming back to what the last campaign did
Why it happens
Brains go to the nearest, safest answer. These steps force distance: a random word, an unrelated idea, then pushing a claim as far as it goes. Most of what comes out will be odd. One of it might be the idea.
Three tactics, in order
Each one comes from the ProCopywriters tactics library. Do them in order: each step gives the next one something to work with.
Lateral thinking
Tactic · about 5 min · Read the tactic ↗Take a random word. Write five ways it could connect to what you’re selling.
Random wordLighthouse
ConnectionThe dentist that guides you back, however long you’ve been away.
Combine harvester
Tactic · about 5 min · Read the tactic ↗Combine your product with something unrelated. Write what each combination suggests.
CombinationAccountancy + a weather forecast
IdeaA monthly cash forecast: sunny spells, chance of VAT.
Absolutes are unbeatable
Tactic · about 5 min · Read the tactic ↗What is this the only, the first or the most of? Push one claim to the absolute.
ModestA friendly local dentist
AbsoluteThe only dentist in Bristol who has never lectured a patient.
Try it on your own copy
Three steps, one tactic each. Write as much as you like. Everything stays in this browser until you choose to save it.
One line is plenty. It keeps you pointed at the job.
Step 1. Lateral thinking
Tactic ↗Take a random word. Write five ways it could connect to what you’re selling.
See an example
Lighthouse
The dentist that guides you back, however long you’ve been away.
Step 2. Combine harvester
Tactic ↗Combine your product with something unrelated. Write what each combination suggests.
See an example
Accountancy + a weather forecast
A monthly cash forecast: sunny spells, chance of VAT.
Step 3. Absolutes are unbeatable
Tactic ↗What is this the only, the first or the most of? Push one claim to the absolute.
See an example
A friendly local dentist
The only dentist in Bristol who has never lectured a patient.
Pick your best
Read everything back once. Choose the line that does the job best, then tidy it.
Something else wrong?
Every fix works the same way: the problem, why it happens, three tactics and space to try them.
Good to know
How do I know it’s a big idea?
It can run for years in lots of formats, and you can explain it in one sentence.
What if nothing comes?
Step away for an hour. The Pause move in Ideas exists because ideas often turn up later.
Do I need an account?
No. Your work stays in this browser. Sign in with ProCopywriters to keep it as a board in Ideas, or to work through a whole brief.
Where do the tactics come from?
A library of 87 named techniques collected by ProCopywriters, the UK’s professional body for copywriters. You can browse them all for free.
Fixes get you unstuck. Ideas is where the work happens.
Keep every attempt on a board, work through a whole brief step by step, and pull in any of the tactics when you need them. Included with ProCopywriters Pro.