My husband has eight siblings and when we all get together, the big-family hijinks begin. We have so much fun, laughing, joking and recounting vivid memories of a specific game and its highlights over the years.  Perhaps you call this game by another name, but we call it Fictionary.

Here’s how it’s played:

Each person takes a turn as the Wordmaster.

The Wordmaster looks up an obscure word in the dictionary and records its definition and then announces the word with its spelling.

Next, the other players write down fictitious definitions of the word, with the objective of persuading everyone else that their definition is correct.

All the definitions are mixed together in random order.

Then the Wordmaster reads all the definitions aloud and everyone votes for which version is the true definition.

The Wordmaster gets points for each person who does not guess the correct definition.  The other players get points for each person who vote for their false definition.

Last week, many of the family travelled to our house for the weekend and of course, we had to play Fictionary.  As the game progressed, I was fascinated and amazed at its the tactical similarity to copywriting.  (No, copywriting is not all “fiction,” so don’t go there!)  Here are some tips to be good at both this game and copywriting.

1. Know your audience (other players).
2. Build on what your audience already knows (or think they know).
3. Don’t let your bias permeate every encounter.
4. Keep it simple.
5. Be specific.

Know your audience

I have been part of my husband’s family for 25 years.  In general, I know how they think, their interests and how they express themselves.   This is the goal of the copywriter: to get into the minds of their audience and communicate with them in their “language.”   In copywriting, this is accomplished through identifying keywords and paying attention to how people express themselves.

In the game, I made a classic error.  Although when evaluating a definition as true or false, I employed insight from knowledge about my fellow players, when I was constructing my definitions, I tried to sound like a dictionary instead of speaking my fellow players’ ideal language.  I lost a lot of points.  No one voted for my definitions, because they were not in their language.

Build on what your audience already knows (or think they know)

One tactic that seems to work over and over again is to build on information your audience already knows.  For example, someone chose the word gormandize, which sound like gourmet.  Astute players capitalized on the sound similarity by constructing their definitions around food.   In copywriting, when the audience is presented with information that is a logical extension of what they already know, they are more likely to see the message as credible.

Don’t let your bias permeate every encounter

In our gang, we have every interest from music to historic restoration.  When a proffered definition refers back to historic restoration, for example, I suspect the definition as having come from the imagination of brother-in-law, Steve.  In copywriting, creating from your bias, defeats the purpose of speaking your audience’s language.  The same thing applies with persuasive writing.  Each client, auto responder, sales page, or brochure is a blank slate and merits craftsmanship specific to its message and audience.

Keep it simple

When definitions are too involved in the Fictionary game, my fake-o-meter goes tilt-tilt-tilt.  Likewise, in copywriting, it’s best to keep it simple.  One big message per communication.

Be specific

I observed that the more specific my cohorts’ Fictionary definitions were, the more likely I was to recognize them as truth.  As with copywriting, details add the touches that lend credibility and believability.

One last similarity between Fictionary and copywriting: both are entertaining!  Getting into the zone of speaking your customers’ language, keeping it simple, yet specific and then presenting an opportunity is a creative challenge that can be FUN!

What games do you think are similar to the writing or copywriting process?

Lizabet Nix provides copywriting services for businesses that need to take control of the reach, power, and effectiveness of their online presence. Lizabet draws on her 25 years of successful project management and business start-up experiences, applying her creativity and writing skills to your business vision with simple step-by-step actions.  She is passionate about helping your business create messages and communication processes that help your ideal clients find your business faster and keep them coming back.   Lizabet saturates herself in education for online business-building and also holds an MBA and a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering Technology.

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