5 things a BANANA taught me about copywriting
Word Tonic - May 06, 2026
Bananas are like fishhooks.
You’ve gotta capture people’s attention INSTANTLY.
Whether it’s the sweet, creaminess of bananas, or fresh cod from chip shops around the world, people won’t forget those tastes and sensations.
Plus, bananas and fishhooks both oval-shaped. Not pear-shaped. If you want to write something bad, think of pears. Not bananas.
And yes, I skipped the introduction paragraph you normally see when reading blogposts online. If they’re not SEO optimised, they’re written by AI. So, in other words, they’re mushy bananas. And nobody likes eating those.
It’s like that skit from Shrek where our favourite meme ogre says ogres are like onions. You forgot the part where Shrek scares off peasants from his swamp, you may remember Farquaad playing with Gingy’s legs, but comparing ogres to onions? That’s fishhook material right there.
Secondly, the best bananas are those that stand out.
Standing out is how you succeed in the world of writing.
Once you hook readers in, you got to keep them there.
Keep it simple. Plain English is best English, or whatever language you’re writing in. Plain French, Japanese or Swahili is so much better than non-plain writing in those languages.
Bananas are like literary devices. You can use them in near limitless ways.
Allusions. Colloquialisms. Hyperbole. The list goes on.
These limitless lists of literary devices make your writing stand out, ensuring your words are engrained within your readers’ minds’ forever.
Just like the many distinctive tastes of banana bread, boiled bananas, banana smoothies, pancakes made with bananas instead of eggs. This list also goes on.
The many ways you can eat bananas means you’ll find a flavour you’ll never forget.
Thirdly, you got to make bananas presentable.
Wipe their outer surfaces clean. Rinse them up under the tap. Put ‘em in a bowl, easy for people to see and engage with. Just like writing, you got to make bananas look the part.
Bolden headlines, italicise words for effect, use short and sweet paragraphs, make bullet point lists, alongside writing text you can easily ready. Compliment with colourful images if you have room! You don’t need to be a boutique designer; you just need the love and passion to bring out the best in everything you do.
That includes presenting bananas.
Bananas don’t just act like fishhooks; they are the fishhooks.
Put ‘em in a nice bowl in the centre of the front room. Rinse them under the water to rid them of dirt. Cut up some paper flowers and place them around the bowl in a lovely pattern. Even the straightest of bananas can become appealing with the right strategy.
Fourthly, once your bananas are ready to present to the world, you’ve gotta see how much people like them.
You want people to feel impressed and amazed at your well-presented bananas. Whether they’re in a fruit bowl surrounded by paper flowers, or freshly prepared banana bread or shakes, people will have thoughts.
You’ve got to capture those thoughts, their facial expressions, and most critically, their feedback.
Sometimes you just ask them, “do you like my bananas?” and note down what they say.
Bananas taught me these core principles, which are ripe for expansion within copywriting.
Given that millions of people will potentially read copywriting compared to the tens of people that will see your neatly presented bananas, we can’t ask everyone their thoughts.
Hence, we also use analytics and feedback forms, and other forms of hard data, when our copywriting is used for marketing.
Therefore, copywriting is about as much about analysing data and strategy as it is writing, to help you achieve your goals.
Speaking of goals, the final thing bananas taught me about copywriting is the CTA - the call to action.
You want the reader, viewer, listener to however people will view your writing to do something. You don’t want people to follow the CBA principle, an anagram I Can’t Be Arsed to elaborate on.
Watch the movie. Buy the product. Sign and share the petition. Go to an event. Good copywriting drives results.
The same applies to bananas. You need to do something with bananas to make the most of them. Peel ‘em and eat ‘em. Cut em into chunks and mix them with yoghurt. Mash ‘em and blend them into a smoothie. Whatever that is, it’s up to you.
Just don’t leave them all alone and unloved. And subsequently, go all mushy and mouldy, forcing you to throw them away.
Bananas deserve better. So does your writing. Now go ripen both.
© 2026 Milla Hawley. All rights reserved.