(Image courtesy Betsssssy) Last month a group of US investors announced their plans to blow $200 million on a chain of 50 luxury movie theatres. Whilst this might sound mad to anybody in the business world, people always want to be entertained, and when things are grim it’s indulging in the small pleasures in life […]
Why writing copy is like a round of golf
(Photo by mslikk) Tomorrow I’m driving down to Cornwall for a long weekend and a few rounds of golf, so I thought why not see what parallels can be drawn between crafting copy and knocking a few zingers down the fairway: Nobody should think they can step out and start competing to an acceptable standard […]
Are Your Customers Happy? Then Tell People Why!
I had scribbled down half a page of notes about the foolishness of forcing every website to be written in English until I realised what day it was yesterday and swiftly cancelled my order for a Chinese dictionary. Instead I’m going to focus on why it has never been more important to harness customer service […]
The Problem With Free
Nearly every freelance copywriter will at some stage be asked to write for free, or for such a derisory amount that it might as well be free. This isn’t a new problem, but since the internet shepherded writers together in one big pen many will have opened emails informing them they ‘work in a competitive […]
Should you use the fear of recession in your copywriting this year?
People are becoming afraid of spending money. The threat of a recession on both sides of the pond and the global credit crunch means it’s getting harder to coax credit cards out of people’s wallets. Shoppers are staying at home and businesses are revising their spending plans. Does this mean copywriters need to rethink which […]
Top Ten Tips for Marketing Your Website
If you’ve started the New Year with a shiny new website, and invested in some copywriting for the landing page, you might be thinking that you can just sit back and wait for the sales to come flooding in. Well, it’s not that easy I’m afraid. It takes a lot of effort to successfully market […]
Content Marketing. Who’s on board?
Whilst the economic outlook might be doom and gloom, the content marketing bandwagon is rolling at full speed. It’s filling up with enthusiastic new supporters at every stop, and gathering pace towards its destination in marketing boardrooms. The ideas I first encountered when researching business blogging have been picked up, dusted off and given a […]
Copywriting and Blogging Dead? Bar Humbug.
The run up to Christmas is a time to reflect on the past year. It’s a time to think about which areas of your business are working, and which need an overhaul in the New Year. Some people are taking this reflection seriously, with copywriting legend Bob Bly and blogging supremo Brian Clark both being […]
Can Using Science Teach You to Write Better Headlines?
Writers have agonized over headlines since the invention of the printing press. There are literally hundreds of blog posts and articles on finding the magic formula that will persuade people to read the rest of your writing. Wouldn’t life be easier if it was possible to systematically identify what elements make a great headline? Or […]
The Science of a Great Slogan
Whether it’s writing a billboard ad, news story or blog post, the most important part is nailing your headline message. It’s your witty slogan or hard hitting headline that will grab attention. Then once you’ve hooked people’s interest you can start reeling them towards your call for action. But perfecting the impact of your slogan […]