It appears as though the printed word is on its deathbed. The Yellow Pages is now more widely used as a doorstop, whilst many newspapers are wheezing their final breaths. Many expect direct mail to go the same way. So is learning how to write direct mail, brochures and sales letters a waste of time for aspiring copywriters? Are people so plugged into the digital […]
A Copywriting Principle that’s Becoming Vital for SEO
For a while now, I’ve been using this blog as a pulpit for preaching to anyone who’ll listen on the benefits of great content. Building traffic to your website is one thing. But you still have to consider what you’re going to do when visitors arrive. Are you merely going to offer them the same […]
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 […]
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 […]
Writing Persuasively 3 – Features Tell, Benefits Sell
“In our factory, we make lipstick. In our advertising, we sell hope.” – Charles Revson Whenever someone reads your website’s landing page or sales letter they’re not thinking about how clever the wordplay is but ‘what’s in it for me?’ They want to know how your product can solve their problem and benefit them personally, […]
Writing Persuasively 2 – Planning Why You Are Writing, Who To And What Action You Want Them To Take
“The more informative your advertising, the more persuasive it will be.†– David Ogilvy As any lawyer knows, it’s not the strength of your words but the strength of your arguments that wins. The same rule applies to persuasive writing. Dazzling the reader with your use of a thesaurus or adopting a pushy tone isn’t […]
Writing Persuasively 1 – Do You Want to Communicate or Confuse?
“Our business is infested with idiots who try to impress by using pretentious jargon.” – David Ogilvy Words are an undervalued asset in the business world. Whether clouded in technical jargon, marketing buzz words or hype filled corporate claptrap, writing fails to communicate when it’s trying too hard to sound clever or impressive. This misguided […]