Interview with Sara Rosinksy, Crackerjack Copywriter

CreativePro Staff Sara Rosinsky

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Sara Rosinsky’s initial career plan was to be a stand-up comedian. She loved the time she spent in comedy, but ultimately she decided to focus on her very enjoyable day job in a Boston advertising agency, writing copy. Her love for copywriting never abated, and today, she runs a one-woman copywriting shop called Shiny Red Copy. She’s written everything from digital ads to highway billboards and sold everything from popsicles to mutual funds. She loves collaborating with designers to come up with strong concepts and effective work.

Sara is also speaking at our upcoming online event, The Design + Marketing Summit, which takes place July 27-28, 2023. We thought it would be fun to get to know her better with some Q&A.

What’s the biggest mistake designers make when writing copy? (Even if just for a social post.)

To answer this question, I hopped on Instagram to look at some designers’ accounts. In no time I saw “drawl” instead of “draw” and “it’s” (with an apostrophe) instead of “its.” I saw unnecessarily capitalized words like “Graphic Designer,” “Poster,” and, oddly, “Whale.” And I saw a suggestion to follow a particular account to “get this kind of remarkable work,” except the word “this” got left out, so it ended up sounding pretty underwhelming: “get kind of remarkable work.” I suppose if I had to choose the single biggest mistake, I’d probably say: not proofreading carefully enough.

What’s one thing you wish everyone paid more attention to when wordsmithing?

The reader. Not only because you need to be respectful of their time and appreciative of their attention, but because they have a deep-seated predisposition to care about something besides your product or service—namely, themself. You have to craft your message in a way that shows the reader what you can do for them.

Best suggestion or tip anyone could implement to improve their writing?

Eliminate unnecessary words. Most writing is packed with redundancy, roundabout phrasing, and filler. I am brutal with my own writing and always try to eliminate anything that’s unneeded. When it comes to words, remember: If it doesn’t help, it hurts.

Favorite source for finding great examples of well-written copy?

On LinkedIn, Gregg Benedikt regularly shares fabulous ads that I always find inspiring. Laura Belgray writes emails that make me laugh, keep me reading, and leave me in awe. And I have lots of resources on my bookshelf: D&AD’s The Copy Book and Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This by Luke Sullivan and Dan Nelken’s A Self-Help Guide for Copywriters are probably the ones I look at the most. I know you only asked for one source, but I couldn’t commit.

What are you most excited to share in your upcoming session?

All of it. I love demonstrating do’s and don’ts and sharing tips that can help people have more confidence and success with their words.

What’s your favorite copywriting fail?

This is a family blog, so I won’t share the details of the time I unwittingly used a filthy phrase on an in-store sign. However, I will encourage anyone who uses the word “public” to always make sure the “l” is in there.

How do you nurture your love of all things word related?

It’s so easy these days! I use etymonline.com to look up word histories. I right-click on a zillion words every day to look closely at their meanings and usage. I read. I listen. And of course, I write. At shinyredcopy.com/resources, you can see a long list of helpful resources that keep my word-love burning bright.