How to write like Julia Child.

Suddenly, America is taking a fresh look at one of its great communicators, Julia Child. And love is in the air. Her magnum opus, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, has rocketed to dizzying new heights atop other New York Times bestsellers. Health-crazed, 21st century Americans are now secretly slipping into rich crème sauces and pounds of butter. Julia is again changing the way a generation thinks about food. She is getting away with it because she was such a wonderful communicator. Julia Child knew how to write, and my dear daughter-in-law thinks she knows why.

Julia’s first job was as an advertising copywriter.
This explains everything.

Last week, my daughter-in-law sent a tweet to let me know that Julia Child had started her career the same way I started mine, as an advertising copywriter. After finishing college in 1935, Julia’s first job was writing ad copy for W. & J. Sloane, a high-end Manhattan furniture store.

She must have been good at it, because when she finally announced her plans to resign, her boss tried to stop her with the promise that “In two years, I can make you the biggest woman in advertising in New York City!“  Her response was classic Julia Child. At 6’2”, this former college basketball player confided in her diary that she was already the biggest woman in advertising. Today, when I read her Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I see all the signs of a master copywriter at work.

Whether or not Julia taught you to cook, if you follow
her principles, she will teach you to write.

If you look carefully into Julia’s how-to masterpiece, you’ll see a copywriter’s best practices at work. These are practices you can easily apply to your own, everyday business communications. Here are three of the most important:

1. Aim for the call to action.

The most successful advertising copywriters are incredibly single-minded. Unlike other writers, their ultimate goal is not to entertain or even to inform – though they must do both and do them well. Their one goal is to provoke action. They must persuade their readers to buy a product, support a cause, or believe in a brand. It’s all about the call to action: find out more…call today…order now.

Julia Child understood this implicitly. Her book, TV shows, and in a sense, her whole life could be summed up as one very focused, very direct call to action: learn to cook well and love it. Roast the duck. Sauté the mushrooms. Stir the sauce. Just do it.

In your own business communications, whether you’re sending a quick email or a lengthy proposal, you must keep the end in mind…and the end is always a call to action. Too many businesspeople forget this. Think about what you’re asking your readers to do. Don’t just assume they will do it. Ask them to do it. Give them the next step. Be specific. If you don’t ask, they won’t act.

2. Assume absolutely nothing.

Julia Child never assumed that her readers understood a thing about cooking, French or otherwise. She explained everything. Patiently. Carefully. There were diagrams, descriptions, and definitions. This was not a case of talking down to her readers. Quite the opposite. Like any good copywriter, Julia respected her readers enough to take the time to give them careful, thoughtful explanations.

What about your readers? Do they really understand all your industry jargon and technical terms? Have you given them the rationale behind your recommendations? Are you anticipating and answering their questions? What if they weren’t in the meeting where everything was discussed and the decision made? Don’t just tell your readers to blanche the almonds. Tell them why, when, and how to do it.

3. Break it down, step by step.

Julia made the complicated simple. She demystified French cooking for post-war America by translating haute cuisine into a step-by-step action plan that any reader could follow. Sure, the book stretched to some 700 pages. But it was so well organized and wonderfully accessible that it never felt daunting.

Whatever you’re writing, think of it as an instruction manual. Copywriters do. Especially with long brochures, white papers, and websites, good copywriters are always looking for ways to break complicated messages into simple steps. So think in bullet points. Label your steps: 1, 2, 3. Turn longwinded copy into short, sharp paragraphs. Use subheads. Create simple comparison charts. And keep your writing relaxed and conversational.

Since you’ve got to start somewhere, start here and now.

With each of your documents from here on: (1) always aim for a call to action, (2) never assume your readers know what you’re talking about, and (3) break down your information, step-by-step. Do this today. Do it with the very next document you have to write – and you will be well on your way to learning the art that Julia Child mastered long before she mastered the art of French cooking.