Yesterday I was working on a part of my job that’s not writing exactly, but quality assurance (QA). The copy team is the first line of defense in an approval queue that then goes to the legal and compliance departments.
Finance is highly regulated, so everything public-facing needs to be approved by someone in each of these three departments.
Well, I had given a kind of soft approval for one quote that the requestor sent over in advance. It was going to be part of a press release. And in a vacuum, the quote was fine.
But then, after I had already said that part was fine, the full press release came through the official queue.
And now with the full context of the piece, it didn’t quite work.
This is what I call the C-Writing Butterfly Effect.
One small change usually causes several more edits.
In this case, the press release now had two quotes from two separate people saying almost the same thing in one particular phrase. Both were apparently “proud and excited” and both used the words “great opportunity.”
Now, most press release quotes aren’t real quotes. They’re crafted by someone and approved by the person being quoted, but that person usually didn’t actually say those words.
In this case, most of the release had been written by a PR agency. The quote I had given soft approval to was written inhouse.
And while both used similar phrasing, the structure was different. One quote had “said” in past tense and the other “says” in present tense.
I cringed. I tapped my desk a few times, contemplating what to do. If I approved it, the release might accidentally get printed that way. If I rejected it, I would cause more work for the requestor.
I weighed the pros and cons back and forth several times.
Worry that it might get published… trust that the requestor will fix the weak part based on my note. Back and forth, back and forth.
I pondered and debated for a minute or so. Then I added a note with my edit and sent it through. And also followed up with the requestor — just to be sure.
Here’s the thing when it comes to the C-Writing Butterfly Effect (oh, and C-Writing is what I dub copywriting, content writing and corporate communication, because the same rules apply across the board).
When repetition is accidental, or the result of editing “a tree” without looking at “the forest,” it’s like fingernails on a chalkboard. It looks and feels like a mistake because it is.
But repetition can be a good thing when it’s deliberate.
In fact, it goes from feeling lazy to feeling powerful.
Think callbacks, refrains, rhythm, and design.
One of my favorite TV shows of all time (I still don’t think any other show has come close to that brilliant writing structure) is Seinfeld.
Every episode had four interwoven story lines that collided at the end, usually with a perfectly timed callback. Yes, it was repetition. And it was freaking hilarious in the execution.
When you bring back a phrase, a metaphor or a joke, you’re not just “repeating”. You’re reflecting. You’re connecting dots. You’re weaving gold threads that you just created out of thin air like alchemy.
Stand-up comedians do it. Screenwriters do it with the Chekhov’s gun principle. Musicians do it with a bridge and a chorus.
A callback signals “I know I said this before. And it’s connected.”
That makes the piece feel deliberately constructed — not accidentally thrown together.
Even more than that, the refrain creates a positive anchor and emotional attachment in our memories. So it’s a great way to build trust with an audience.
This is the Callback Craft Rule.
Anytime you repeat a word, ask yourself if it’s deliberate or accidental. Sometimes, even if you didn’t mean it, you can make it work with a few tweaks.
Then ask yourself whether or not the repetition creates power and meaning that move the piece forward.
If it does, keep it. If not, kill it.
When it works, it creates Compelling copy that’s Cadent and Consistent.
Because accidental repetition feels like you forgot what you already said. But intentional repetition feels like you said it because you meant it.
In my experience, Stylists grasp this the quickest because it’s in their wheelhouse already.
On the other hand, Visionaries often don’t catch the minutiae right away, and Rebels are sometimes moving too fast to notice.
Especially when they’re making up quotes for a corporate press release. 😊
But every Writing Personality Type can use this principle to their advantage, once they learn how to leverage it — and the quirks of their type.
The best way to hone those skills is finding out your Writing Personality Type and downloading your free toolkit.
When you’re ready for more, you can find it in the full Writing Personality UnVALEd Playbook.
Write on,
Heather Vale
Helping you UnVALE your superpowers and navigate the Writerverse
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