Writing with Anjali: On Metaphors in Content and Copy

Are you a writer trying to hone your craft? Yet you are struggling with ideas like similes, linguistics, character development etc?

Well, then, bestie, you’ve come to the right place. And today we are looking at content writing and metaphors.

Last week, I shared a piece with my thoughts on using metaphors in fiction and poetry. Careful use of such literary techniques can elevate your work, just as irresponsible insertion of metaphors can make your prose seem verbose and grandiose.

But that’s creative writing.

We were meant to be talking content and copy, Anjali! Do metaphors have a place there?

Let’s take a look at the two types of content I do write- blogs and copy- and see, shall we?

Using Metaphor in Blogs

Writing a blog is art of sharing information in an entertaining way. Many people call this the art of storytelling. You can craft a story for your blog or you can present information in a fun, systematic way. But it has to entertain and educate.

And in such a piece of writing, metaphors definitely have a place.

You can use metaphor to make a dry fact interesting or to drive home a point. For instance, if I want to say human activity is driving climate change, I can say something like human activity is to climate change what oil is to food, a catalyst.

See how this makes the piece vivid?

But what does it add in terms of value? After all, any good blogger knows big words and fancy techniques aren’t the best for a blog. It has to provide value and be something most people can read.

In such cases, metaphors can still prove useful when used correctly.

Rachel Lawton had shared a copy on LinkedIn, where metaphors were used to make the work more valuable. Instead of saying x amount of acres, the copy had instead presented the reader with the visual the size of Disneyland. That made the piece more impactful because the reader could visualize the space. It was suddenly relevant and therefore real.

There are other ways to use metaphors in your copy as well. Let us take a look at some of them.

Using Metaphor in Copy

Metaphors are essentially a way to equating two ideas or objects that otherwise have no relation.

But how can that help your copy?

Isn’t the point of copy to push your product?

Yes, but good copy evokes emotions. It sells a feeling or an idea. Whether that is healthy or sustainable, is a topic for another blog, but that is what a copy does. All copies are in a way metaphors as they make the product or service you are pushing seem equivalent to a feeling or idea that your target consumer wants in their life.

Apple, for example, has associated themselves with status.

Or let’s look at the Zero waste movement. Creators all over social media have pushed their zero-waste swaps and products to give their target audience the feeling that they are doing something to help the environment. Their products, and using them, have become synonymous with environmentalism and responsibility. While zero-waste swaps are linked to environmentalism, the idea of equating them with responsibility and accountability, with the feeling of taking action, all of this was wonderful copywriting done by companies and creators. And so, the zero-waste movement dominated the social media conversation about climate change for a long long time.

Do you think you will be using metaphors in your content now?

Leave me your best copy in the comments!

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