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 …
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 …
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 …
The Future of Copywriting by Gemma Stride
Looking Back Before Looking Forward The craft of copywriting begins with a love of words from an early age. Being a keen reader, I can remember having my nose stuck in a book for a lot of the time. I would always …
The Future of Copywriting – by Chris Smith
Here is the winning entry in our 2014 Blogging Competition – “The Future of Copywriting”. Among a strong field, Chris Smith triumphed. According to the judges: “A tightly structured and newsworthy article. This piece has a strong and original tone of voice …
Seven (more) reasons why copywriters should blog
Some time ago, I read a blog post by my friend and fellow copywriter, Tom Albrighton, titled, “7 reasons copywriters should blog“. It’s a great post, and in an attempt at provocation (which, I have to say, succeeded all too well) I …
Why I hate grammar nazis
Here’s a little tip for getting traction in the Twittersphere. Tweet about grammar. I did it this morning, asking why copywriters feel that “good grammar” matters so much. Roughly eight milliseconds later my Twitter feed lit up. I think I’m still catching …
18 free copywriting ebooks
Here is a list of 18 sites offering free or almost free copywriting ebooks and PDFs to help budding copywriters find their feet. I have linked directly to the download/signup pages so you don’t need to hunt around once you’re there. I …
Puzzled by infographics? Calculate their true value here
Ah, infographics, doncha just love ’em? All those pixels – all that effort. So little content. Here is my simple method for calculating the value of the next infographic that crosses your transom. Method Step 1 Calculate the area of infographic in …
10 Controversial Truths About Content That Will have You Spitting With Rage Or Smiling Contentedly Over Your Keyboard
Now I know how Daniel felt. Me – Mr If-you-can’t-count-the-money-it-isn’t-worth-doing – and 30 or so content specialists getting ready to debate how content marketing might evolve to survive as a marketing discipline. After my pugnacious performance at the panel session of #pcn2013 …
Content marketing is not dead. But it may be making itself irrelevant
The current debate in content marketing circles reminds me of the old story about clerics debating how many angels could dance on the head of a pin. While the clerics argue, the world moves on and nobody cares about their esoteric debate. …
Ten copywriting ‘rules’ you should break before you die
Rules, eh? Doncha just hate ’em? Do this. Don’t do that. Show me a rule and I’ll show you a baseball bat. Copywriting is plagued with rules. You know, you buy a book by someone who says they’re going to teach you …
Where old skool meets new skool – how to integrate content marketing into your sales machine
I woke up the Saturday after PCN2013 prey to a mixture of emotions, one of which I can only describe as a hubris hangover. Did I really say all those things about content marketing? Without qualifying my opinions? I must have come …
The 7 telltale signs you’re reading “zombie copy”
She stands, screaming. Her feet refuse to move. She is rooted to the spot with terror. Slowly, inevitably, the bloody, walking corpse approaches. Arms outstretched, snarling, it reaches for her. It is hungry. Actually, that’s a metaphor. It’s not going to eat …
Seven reasons why copywriters shouldn’t blog
Yesterday I read a great blog post from my friend Tom Albrighton. Its title is 7 reasons copywriters should blog. Tom is one of the more thoughtful copywriting bloggers out there and doesn’t clutter the Internet with statements of the bleeding obvious …
The Copywriter’s Prayer
Oh Word, Let me compose sentences providing both meaning and pleasure. Guide me towards clarity, simplicity and truthfulness, And away from the seductive path of waffle, and the words whereof the weasel availeth himself. Teach me to care about punctuation without sharing …
5 Content Marketing Ideas That Will Actually Make You Money
I do it. You do it. (Or you’re thinking about doing it.) Everybody’s doing it. Content marketing, I mean. But here’s the thing. 99.99% of what’s available isn’t worth the pixels it’s rendered from. In the copywriting field, there are about 7 …
Marching to the Tweet of a different drum
He is one of only a handful of full-time professional freelance Tweeters. #whoishe He spoke at Who Needs Copywriters? on Friday 19 April 2013. #wnc2013 He’s a drummer. Which is massively relevant to this guest post. He is David Levin @davidlevin123. Here’s his …
Why most of what you read on marketing isn’t worth the pixels it’s made from (and a 3-point test to filter it)
I bet you’ve read a ton of stuff on marketing. With content marketing very much the flavour of the month, it seems that everyone is pumping out articles, infographics, videos and podcasts telling you how …
Who ate my fish?
In the bad old days, you know, before content marketing transformulated the way everybody must do business, advertising was a bit like this fellow here. Superficially (super-fishily?) attractive with a lot of …
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