# Anglophone vs Francophone Traditions

Two distinct lineages converge in modern article writing but the conventions remain different enough that literal translation of openings frequently fails. Use this reference whenever working in French or producing a bilingual hook set.

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## The two traditions

**Anglophone copywriting lineage.** Claude Hopkins (_Scientific Advertising_, 1923), John Caples (_Tested Advertising Methods_, 1932), David Ogilvy, Eugene Schwartz (_Breakthrough Advertising_, 1966), Gary Halbert (_The Boron Letters_, 1984), Joseph Sugarman (_The Adweek Copywriting Handbook_), Bob Bly, then modern Substack writers (Housel, McCormick, Rachitsky, Doyle, Stratechery). Center of gravity is direct response.

**Anglophone longform journalism lineage.** New Journalism (Talese, Wolfe, Didion, Thompson), The New Yorker, The Atlantic, modern longform. Center of gravity is craft and narrative transportation.

**Francophone tradition is split into two distinct schools that rarely cross-pollinate.**

1. **Journalistic school.** CFJ, ESJ Lille. Yves Agnès, _Manuel de journalisme_; Benoit Grevisse, _Écriture journalistique_. Core vocabulary: _attaque_, _chapô_, _accroche_, _chute_, _pyramide inversée_, _5W_. CLEMI and Bondy Blog (Elsa Vigoureux) teach that _"l'attaque doit être palpable, habitée, elle doit attirer et captiver le lecteur."_

2. **Modern copywriting school.** Olivier Roland (mid-2000s, adapted from Steve Pavlina and Tim Ferriss), Jean Rivière in the same wave. Second wave: Sélim Niederhoffer (_Le Guide du copywriting_, Eyrolles 2021, 2e éd. Nov. 2025); Stéphane Truphème (Captain Marketing); Christopher Piton; Maud Alaves. This school largely adapts US direct response to French markets. Niederhoffer's "Super Structure" (17 blocks) is a French equivalent to Schwartz and Sugarman.

## What works in English but not in French

| Anglo technique | Why it breaks in French |
| --- | --- |
| Heavy second-person ("YOU need this") | Reads aggressive and American. Use "vous" sparingly. "On" or "nous" often fits the editorial register better. |
| Hyperbolic promises ("This one trick...") | Triggers _réactance_ faster. French marketing-skepticism baseline is higher; Niederhoffer flags this explicitly in _Le Guide du copywriting_. |
| Single-sentence paragraphs as rhythm | French expects more syntactic completion. Reads as "écriture américaine" or amateurish. |
| Listicle headlines ("7 ways to...") | Works in blog FR, but downscale for print or magazine. _Revue XXI_ or _Society_ would never. |
| All-caps, dollar signs, "WAIT BEFORE YOU..." | Reads as scam in French immediately. |
| Stoic / Ryan Holiday quote leads | Different cultural weight. Philosopher framing carries more gravitas in French and feels heavier. |

## What works in French but not in English

| Franco technique | Why it breaks in English |
| --- | --- |
| Slow descriptive _plan large_ (Bondy Blog cité Blanqui opening) | Online English readers bounce. Brand permission required; only The New Yorker or The Atlantic can get away with it. |
| Literary inversions ("Au fond d'un trou vivait un hobbit") | Hard to render. English wants SVO. |
| Long sentences with multiple subordinates | Read as ChatGPT or pretension in English. |
| _Chapô_ (separate summary block before body) | English uses subdek or dropcap differently. |
| Free indirect style in the opening | English longform allows it but online English does not. |

## Slippery slide vs attaque journalistique

- **Sugarman's slippery slide** is _transactional_: every sentence exists to make the next read. Optimized for conversion. Each sentence has a job.
- **L'attaque journalistique** is _contractual_: the opening promises (story, angle), the _chute_ closes it. Optimized for completion. The opening sets terms.

**For a French writer ghostwriting in English.** Usual mistake: opening too slow, too descriptive. Sounds smart in French, evasive in English. Fix: lead with the finding, not the setup. Move scene-setting after the thesis.

**For an English writer ghostwriting in French.** Usual mistake: opening too transactional ("vous allez voir"). Sounds dynamic in English, commercial-vulgaire in French. Fix: replace "vous + promise" with concrete scene, specific fact, or contrarian claim.

## Register quick-reference for ghostwriting

| Context | Preferred register | Avoid |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Substack post for international tech audience | English direct-response with longform flourishes | French stylistic delays, dictionary openers |
| French B2B blog for SaaS prospects | Modern French copywriting (Truphème, Niederhoffer) | American-style hype, all-caps |
| French enquête or longform piece | _Attaque journalistique_, plan-large or concrete-detail | Direct-response promises, listicle openers |
| Anglo personal essay for newsletter | Personal confession, in medias res | Hyperbolic promise, dictionary opener |
| Technical article for OSS / dev audience (EN) | Contrarian or concrete-detail | Sentimental scene, Stoic quote |
| Technical article for OSS / dev audience (FR) | Contrarian or specific-stat | American-style "you" address, hype |
| Press release or corporate piece (FR) | Restrained statement of fact, dated anchor | Personal confession, contrarian provocation |