Write Like Shakespeare. Sell Like a Shark.

Cuban author Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

When asked how long it typically takes him to write a novel, Gabriel García Márquez famously replied that he spent seven months on the first sentence—and then finished the rest in about half the time.

Why? Because that first sentence isn’t just words on a page. It’s seduction. Spectacle. A promise that what comes next is worth your time.

Take two of Márquez’s most iconic opening lines:

• “Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.” (One Hundred Years of Solitude)

• “It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love.” (Love in the Time of Cholera)

Now, imagine those same ideas rewritten like this:

• “Colonel Aureliano Buendía thought about ice while standing in front of a firing squad.”

• “The smell of almonds reminded him of heartbreak.”

The difference? All meaning, no magic. No reason to keep reading.

Here’s the question: What’s the difference between Márquez’s writing and bad copy?

It’s just this—Márquez had fun. He experimented. He played with language, teased it, stretched it, gave it a little wink. His words weren’t just functional; they were alive.

And that’s exactly where so many businesses go wrong with their copy: 

Stop Playing It Safe

Nobody is expecting your Meta Ads to read like classic Cuban literature. But the truth is that most businesses treat their copy like a checklist:

• Say what we do.

• Mention the features.

• Throw in a CTA.

Done.

The result? Dull, lifeless sentences that no one remembers. Copywriting by committee. Safe, sanitized, and ultimately forgettable.

But great copy—copy that grabs attention, drives sales, and gets people talking—is born from experimentation. It doesn’t just check a box. Why fill a space when you can leave a mark? 

If you’re not having fun with your copy, your audience isn’t either.

Write like Shakespeare, sell like a shark.

Back to Márquez. His sentences work because they’re unexpected. They invite you in with curiosity, charm, and a sense of play. Your copy should do the same. Treat your words like an adventure, not an obligation.

Take risks. Inject personality. Write as though the words themselves could seal the deal before anyone even sees the product.

Because how you say something is how your audience takes it. If your copy feels stiff, uninspired, and terrified to take a risk, your customers will see your brand the same way.

But if your words are bold, playful, and irresistible? They’ll trust you. They’ll lean in. They’ll buy.

Your copy isn’t just the packaging—it’s the performance. It’s the first gaze across the bar, the moment you catch someone’s attention and decide, right then and there, whether they’ll fall in love with you or walk away.