Ah, the long form sales letter. Such a bone of contention among copywriters. Many will deride their length, saying nobody has the patience to read pages of copy these days, whilst direct marketing copywriters, who test avidly, will tell you otherwise. When discussing long form copy, many people will picture those get rich quick schemes […]
The Copywriter’s Crucible Puts Clichéd Copywriting on Trial
Sooo, the new website is up and running, after a few minor technical hitches. On the home page you’ll see I’ve followed through with the idea/threat of switching to promoting myself as an agency. Along with the elevated sense of self importance, I’m hoping it will push me up higher into the big leagues as […]
Should Your Website’s Copywriting be Informative or Persuasive?
“For six months I read all the car ads in search of information. All I found was fatuous slogans and flatulent generalities…If their engineering was as incompetent as their advertising, their cars would not run ten miles without a breakdown.†– David Ogilvy With magazines and TV struggling to cope with haemorrhaging ad revenue (and […]
Persuasive Writing eBook Released – The Art of Using Words to Convince, Compel and Sell
Three months and several rewrites later, my eBook on persuasive writing has finally been released. It comprises of all the posts from my recent persuasive writing series, and a couple more to fill in the gaps. Experienced copywriters won’t discover anything new. But I’m hoping the eBook will be useful for visitors looking for advice […]
15 Punchy Copywriting Tips
“They were easier to read than ignore” – Victor Schwab If you’re looking for punchy copywriting tips, you’ve landed in the right place. It’s often said that copywriting can’t be too long, just too boring. And let’s face it, marketing and advertising is only tolerated at the best of times. So if your copy […]
Struggling to find work? Here’s how to promote your copywriting services to clients
I think we’re all getting bored of hearing how times are tight and marketing budgets are getting slashed, so I thought I’d offer some tips to on how to pitch copywriting services to clients. Even in brighter times, it’s always been difficult securing funding for a web project’s written element. Businesses often care more about […]
Persuasive Writing 7 – Editing Your Writing
It’s believed that procrastination and writer’s block are caused by the writer’s desire to achieve perfection. The fear of composing an awkward sentence or weak turn of phrase can be so paralysing that many writers simply can’t face the simple act of typing words into their keyboard. But it’s also believed that writer’s block is […]
Persuasive Writing 6 – Using Metaphors to Spark Imagination
“Metaphors have a way of holding the most truth in the least space.” – Orson Scott Card Whether in Homer’s Iliad, Shakespeare’s plays or Rowling’s Harry Potter, fictional writing is packed with metaphors because they’re so effective at stimulating a reader’s imagination. Metaphors are powerful because by transferring the qualities of one object onto another […]
Persuasive Writing 5 – Writing Headlines that Reel in Readers
“On the average, five times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy. It follows that, unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90 percent of your money.†– David Ogilvy You might be a copywriting genius, and composed a sales letter that can sell carpets to Egyptians. But if […]
Persuasive Writing 4 – Structure
In earlier chapters you identified how to appeal to your target audience and compiled a list of your product’s benefits. Now you need to plan how to structure your writing so it leads your reader along a logical path of thought towards taking action. Just like how a seasoned debater or lawyer prepares to argue […]