On last Valentine’s Day, I wrote mock copy for Durex, Blinkit, Britannia, Flipkart, Prime Video, Spotify, and Tinder.

The copy went viral on LinkedIn and even after 365 days, it’s still witty.

So here is me, dropping the breakdown of how I wrote viral mock copy for top brands.

By the end of this issue, you will learn two things:

(a) Why most mock copy on social media suck?
(b) Process behind each copy I wrote

Most writers think they wrote a masterpiece. This is how they hallucinate.

Writers only get the half-story right with mock copy. You think Zomato writes clever copy so you work on wordplay. But what you miss is a crucial question: “Will Zomato post this on their social media if I were actually their writer?”

Answering this question at every step refines your copy a thousandfold.

It leads to questions like:

• If I had a brand manager, would he/she approve this?

• If I keep the post anonymous and tell my friends it is from [brand name], would they believe it?

• Would the brand’s PR be okay with this?

• How would the audience react (the brand’s audience, not yours!)?

• What are the brand’s values? What do they stand for?

That’s what I’ve considered for the mock copy you read today. Every brand I wrote for - I checked if the design, tone, marketing patterns, humour level, value systems, public perception, etc., are aligned with the brand’s image.

That’s about the gyan part of this newsletter - now let me walk the talk.

Before we begin, please checkout our sponsor who helps me keep this newsletter free:

Get Your Team Booked on 3.8 Million Podcasts Automatically

It's 2025. Want to finally be a regular podcast guest in your industry? PodPitch will make it happen. Even the beehiiv team uses it!

The best way to advertise isn't Meta or Google – it's appearing on podcasts your customers love.

PodPitch.com automates thousands of weekly emails for you, pitching your team as ideal guests.

Big brands like Feastables use PodPitch.com instead of expensive PR agencies.

Get your FREE personalized demo!

The copy and the thinking behind

1. Blinkit

I used this cheesy kisses line repeatedly in my teenage, and it is still the first witty thought for many creative professionals.

I had only a few hours to publish. Instead of a new angle, I made it more local by switching the language from English to Hindi.

I wanted to write her/she’s kisses in the first line. We can use the pronouns she/her as her/she interchangeably, but it felt like a bad idea since most people are not familiar with the her/she version.

2. Britannia

Little Hearts is nostalgic. I have a sweet tooth and this is my favourite childhood snack. Only Cadbury Bytes gave a tough competition.

I built this copy on “Sharing food in love.”

You might be the biggest foodie in the world and say, “Joey doesn’t share food!!” but you will always leave the last bite for one special person.

This meant the copy needs to have:

• A universal couple phrase that rhymes with little hearts (Sweetheart)

• Matches the vibe of the snack (not sure baby would have done the trick)

• Matches the taste of the snack on a sensory level (Sweet)

3. Durex

Pick 50 copywriters and ask about their dream brands. I am sure you’ll hear Durex.

As someone who loves Durex (for the copy, just to be clear :p), I didn’t want to embarrass myself by writing stupid copy.

I spent extra time browsing through their content catalogue and I noticed a pattern: Durex *almost* always plugs in a product.

This is how I went about things:

• A phrase that defines couples (Made for each other)

• A product to integrate (mutual climax condoms.) The product was heavily advertised after its release, so it’s fair to derive mutual climax is in Durex’s best interest.

• Simple changes in the font colour separate the phrase and product integration.

4. Flipkart

I wanted to write this copy for Blinkit as I didn’t want to go with Hershey’s.

Then I had to drop it when I learned Blinkit doesn’t deliver ties. They had only one product when I searched ‘Tie for men.’

That’s what I mean when I say writers look at half story. This might have been a dope copy for Blinkit, but the brand wouldn't have published it.

I checked on Flipkart. They had enough ties.

I was searching on these platforms because the word ‘order’ and the wordplay around it was already on my mind. I wanted to write a copy by just flipping the words.

I mixed what couples do that aligns with what Flipkart sells (directly or not) and came up with:

• A couple’s activity (BDSM)

• A product available on the platform (tie)

• A differentiator in design (Day/Night illustrations)

5. Prime Video

I follow Prime Video’s IG and have always admired how they contextually use dialogues on their platform.

I didn’t want to move away from the dialogue theme.

I scrolled movies to see if something hits my marketing brain.

Fifteen minutes later, “I am gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse” made sense. I watched Godfather some time ago. I knew it was one of the most popular dialogues ever.

Then comes the Valentine’s integration: - The Godfather every girl tonight.

6. Spotify

Spotify Wrapped has been a huge year-end hit in the last three years. Spotify Wrapped for Valentine’s is something the brand would implement considering the viral effect of its uses.

I tried to picture a calm, peaceful music date. I could imagine a girl wrapped in her guy’s arms. Sitting by the window with wired earphones plugged into their ears.

It felt perfect and gave me a chance to connect both sentences with ‘wrapped.’ It meets both emotion and branding.

7. Tinder

I tried a new angle with Tinder.

While all brands are integrating their products with the Valentine’s theme, I wanted Tinder to go against the tide and say, “We don’t want you to use us today.”

The idea was to promote goodwill.

“We don’t want you on Tinder finding someone. Instead, we wish you were spending time with your special person.”

It is an indirect way of saying the brand cares for you more than its traffic.

That’s about it.

Before you leave, please check out our sponsors who make this newsletter free for you:

Kwakwa:

Level Up Your Content Game With Online Challenges! 🔥⚡

Are you tired of traditional course platforms that don't get creator culture? We do.

Turn your knowledge into premium learning experiences that your community will love. Built for social media creators like you, our platform makes challenge creation effortless and helps you deliver engaging and interactive challenges your audience will love!

Launch your first challenge today

SignWith:

Stop overpaying for e-signatures. Get your documents e-signed instantly with SignWith.co - get 3 documents free every month, then just ~$0.50/doc

I will see you soon! Take care.

Love,
Vikra.