Who Are You Writing For? (Really?)
I was giving a guest masterclass at SCA recently. It’s one of the top advertising schools in the world. Vikki Ross is a tutor there so I guess that speaks volumes. During the session, which was all about the power of storytelling, …
Be nice to your clients – they pay for everything
Have this free downloadable poster on us. Be nice …
Why creating your online portfolio is a waste of time, and worse, a damaging blow to your potential revenue growth
I had an email from a student of mine recently. She wanted to know which web platform I recommended for hosting her online portfolio. My answer was, none of them. Not because they’re no good. Because online portfolios are a dreadful way …
The people really harming the image of the copywriting industry (it’s not clients)
Spend longer than an hour on Twitter and you’ll come across a copywriter (OK, a lot of copywriters) moaning. We moan about other copywriters’ work, which is usually shit. We moan about politics, although we do this on social media rather than …
Why the PCN was wrong to introduce the secret copywriter blog
I have been writing since 28 July 1968, which puts me at about six-and-a-half. You can see my earliest scribblings below. (My amanuensis was my uncle John – my handwriting wasn’t as good as his, as you can see.) Ever since then, …
How to get well-paid work as a freelance copywriter
Congratulations! You kicked the corporate career to the curb (or maybe you never had one and went straight for the good life). You did some training. You hung out your shingle as a freelance copywriter. You, um, waited in by the phone …
The shocking truth about copywriters, content marketers and exclamation marks!
Good heavens! Copywriters turn out to be big fat liars! My newsletter yesterday was on the (thorny) subject of exclamation marks. I tested, as I always do, two subject lines: [A] OMG!!! This month’s newsletter!!! versus [B] This month’s newsletter I had …
Oh, no! Were we wrong about exclamation marks?
Psst! I know your little secret. Come closer. Ready? You use exclamation marks. There! I said it. And in case you’re feeling embarrassed, let me state for the record: I use them too. We all do. In our social media posts. In …
Young, gifted and male. Say what?!
My friend Vikki Ross recently tweeted this copywriting job: First of all, as Vikki herself said in the conversation on Twitter that followed, she wasn’t recruiting or even endorsing the client’s requirements. But it’s an interesting topic, isn’t it. Why specify a …
A confession: I was wrong about copywriters who ‘love words’
I admit it. I’m a sham. Until a week ago, if anyone asked me what I did, I always said I was a copywriter. The end. A tradesman, not an artist. And definitely not a ‘writer’. I was wrong. And I was …
Here comes the judge. An interview with #copywritersunite creator and copy maven Vikki Ross
Now and again I meet someone who, it seems to me, really gets copywriting. Not only that, but they have a refreshing perspective on the business itself, rather than merely a rehash of 50-year-old ideas about headlines. Vikki Ross is one of …
Why being a ‘curator’ is a lame choice for reputation-building
In a moment I’d like to tear into the Curatorial Myth that collecting links to other people’s work like a trainspotter with an iPhone is somehow valuable work. But first, I’d like you to take this short, ten-question quiz. And make a …
Towards a transformative hermeneutics of linguistic periphrasticism, or, why do people love jargon?
In authoring this thought-leadership white paper my strategic roadmap was to build a key deliverable for continuous professional development and learnings. Er, what now? I said, I wrote this article to help you be a better writer. Only now, the Harvard Business …
Are You So Old-School You’re Cool?
Think you’re a copywriting cool cat? Take our lighthearted, but deadly-serious 10-question quiz to find out your Copywriter Cool-Rating 1 Which of the following do you own: a) A fountain pen b) A Filofax c) A fax machine d) A typewriter e) …
How to be a wildly successful copywriter
I was inspired to write this post by a piece on the Valuable Content blog about the need to write content your audience craves. Craves? Really? Tough ask! So what is it, I thought, that copywriters crave? Is it how to be …
The “Pornographic” Font So Disgusting Apple Agencies Were Fired For Using It
In 1985, when future megabrand status was an unimaginable dream for the young Steve Jobs, another young man in another part of the world was embarking on his own creative journey. His name was Helmut Böhne. An Austrian graphic designer who had …
Ten Types of Copywriter – Which One Are You
Saying you’re a copywriter is all very well. But it’s a bit like saying you’re a craftsman. What kind? is what we want to know. So, to help you define yourself more precisely and spark more interesting cocktail party conversations (especially with …
Download your Member or Graduate logo here
We’ve designed these logos to help boost your credibility as a professional copywriter. Just click on the desired logo to open in a new window then right-click to save it. If you have completed our Breakthrough Copywriting course, you are entitled to …
Twas The Deadline Before Christmas
Twas the night before Christmas, when at her pine desk The writer still strove for lines Ogilvy-esque. O’er keyboard her hands hovered, limp in the air, While she waited for insight that just wasn’t there. Her colleagues had long since …
The Future of Copywriting by Eric Moeller
There are a number of broad global business trends that have had an impact on copywriting and will continue to do so in the future. These trends include globalisation, customer centric marketing and technological innovations. Copywriters who want to thrive in the …
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