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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Results of our 2014 blogging competition
The results are in. But before I reveal the winner and runners-up in our blogging competition on The Future of Copywriting – here are a few thoughts on how the event turned out. The first thing that surprised me was the apparent …
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 …
Why I Gave Up “A Day’s Wages” To Attend PCN2014
The annual PCN conference is the only national meeting for copywriters in the UK. That alone should make it a must-attend event for anyone serious about their craft. Or who just fancies a chinwag IRL with fellow writers. Last year I remember …
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 scariest blog post you will read this year
What are your goals as a freelancer? Higher sales? More free time? More respect from clients? A reputation as the go-to-guy or go-to-girl in your town, industry or profession? And how are you going about achieving them? Well, here’s the bad news. …
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 …
Ten people I want to thank for teaching me what matters in writing
1 My Mum For showing me that the best way to get a company to recompense you for poor service isn’t blowing your stack at the till assistant, but by writing a calm, measured and detailed letter to the CEO, itemising just …
5 rules for getting your pricing pitch-perfect
Many if not most freelancers share this problem. They’re good or even great at what they do… … but they can’t figure out, or are to shy to ask for, what they’re really worth. Here are my five rules for setting your …
7 Sure-Fire Recession-Busting Tips for Staying Healthy, Wealthy and Wise
I don’t know what business conditions are like where you are, but round our way, it’s been tough going for most of 2013. I want to share seven techniques I have used over the years to win new clients, keep my fees …
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