This much I know…

A series of interviews with copywriters

You can recognise great copy because it …

… has just made me reach for my credit card.

I know I’ve done a good job when …
… my clients beg me for more. No, seriously, when the client is telling you the telephone is ringing … that your copy is generating leads … that they want more of the same.

The ideal client is …
… someone who knows what he or she wants, and is able to communicate clearly what they’re looking for; someone who gives me a clear brief and then lets me get on with things (rather than constantly emailing or phoning to check up on me or slip in extra work); someone who appreciates the value of my expertise and who understands that good copy does not come cheaply — but absolutely is worth every penny.

My favourite type of work is …
… creating compelling, snappy copy for savvy mail order and multi-channel retailers. But I generally love working on anything that is exciting and new.

People like my copy because …
… it’s engaging, usually upbeat and always relevant to the target audience.

Too many people think copywriting is …
… easy; that anyone can do it. It couldn’t be farther from the truth. Just witness the blood, sweat and tears (sometimes out of frustration over a concept or a word choice, sometimes out of sheer relief) at my next copywriting project.

To me, copywriting is all about …
… gaining the attention of potential customers by appealing to their wants, desires or needs. It involves the strategic use of words and concepts, and is driven by the psychological forces behind them.

The thing that drives me mad is …
…the abuse that the poor, often misplaced apostrophe is forced to suffer on a daily basis. I can even feel myself coming over all funny now, just thinking about the confusion produced by a wayward apostrophe hanging out in the wrong place. Yes, I am that sad.

If I wasn’t a copywriter, I’d be a …
… horse rider. Hey, what’s wrong with that?!

When I was growing up my parents always told me …
… “You can be anything you want to be … the sky is the limit!” In hindsight, I think that’s somewhat far-fetched. They also said I was a bit of a dreamer. OK, so that one may ring true. But surely that is just out to plain confuse me.

I relax by …
… pulling on my trainers, rounding up my Border Collie and heading for a lovely, long walk by the beach, through the local woods — anywhere close to nature. I often come up with some cracking headlines.

My guilty pleasure is …
… anything to do with chocolate. I don’t feel guilty about it, though. I don’t. Really. Oh, no, siree.

About Tracey

Tracey’s work is original, on point and uses psychological triggers — which makes her sound positively scary, but the opposite couldn’t be more true. While she is happy writing for any medium, the creative sparks really get firing when turning everyday product description into something truly special.

www.kingfishercopy.co.uk