Copywriting
German – English Terms
From A to Z. English technical term small above the German one.
All technical terms from the course from A to Z. Above each term is the English specialist term as used in agencies and international teams.
A
AIDA
AIDA
Hierarchy of effects model: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.
ACTIVE VOICE
Active
Active sentence structure: "We will collect your bike" instead of "The bike will be collected".
B
PROOF POINT
Receipt
Concrete proof for a claim, e.g. a figure, a guarantee or a genuine customer testimonial.
C
CALL TO ACTION
Call to Action
Call to action, usually as a button or link. Abbreviated as CTA.
SLOGAN
Slogan
A short, enduring brand statement that summarises an ethos or promise.
F
BODY COPY
Body text
The body copy beneath the headline and subline, providing arguments and evidence.
F-sample
Typical gaze pattern when scanning on screen: the first few lines and the left margin are read, while the rest is skimmed.
FILLER WORD
filler word
Word that adds no meaning to the statement, e.g. 'actually' or 'fundamentally'.
H
HEADLINE
Headline
Headline of an advert, page or article. Determines whether the reader continues reading.
K
KEY MESSAGE
Key message
The one key takeaway you want readers to remember.
L
LEAD
Lead
Introductory paragraph following the title, summarising the key points.
READABILITY
Readability
How easy a text is to read and understand, influenced by sentence length, choice of words and structure.
M
MICROCOPY
Microtext
Short copy within user interfaces, such as buttons, error messages, and form hints.
N
NOMINAL STYLE
nominal style
A writing style using lots of nouns instead of verbs. Makes texts heavy-going: "the carrying out of the repair".
R
EDITING
Edit
Revising a text with some distance: cut, check, sharpen.
S
SLOGAN
Slogan
A memorable advertising slogan, often for a campaign. Also commonly used as a synonym for a claim.
SUBHEADING
Subheading
Subheading to the headline that specifies or adds detail.
T
COPY BRIEF
Text brief
Brief guidelines before writing: target audience, objective, message, evidence, channel, and length.
TONE OF VOICE
Tonality
The way a brand speaks, e.g. formal or casual, factual or emotional.
U
INVERTED PYRAMID
Inverted pyramid
Structure borrowed from journalism: the most important points first, details afterwards.
W
PUN
Pun
Play on double meanings. Only works if it is understood on the first read.
Z
SUBHEADING
Subheading
A title within a longer piece of text that divides sections and makes it easier to skim.