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, …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Is rigid thinking holding you back from copywriting greatness?
Being a copywriter is a lot like being a chameleon. Not the whole eye-swivelling, gross metre-long sticky tongue rocket thingy, but the ability to blend in with one’s surroundings. In our case, those surroundings are two-fold. The persona of the person on …
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 …
Story and its authority and impact (without a particular char.)
How hard is it to put out a blog post that has a point but still has no … in it? I took this on as a task to find out if it was worth it. My work follows. (This is not …
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 …
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 …
I feel your pain
Understanding how your customer feels is crucial to establishing rapport, trust and, ultimately, the sale. In general, and perhaps a sad reflection on the human condition – or maybe just marketing – we are not selling to contented people. No, that’s not …
What links Darwin, road deaths, cold bugs and long copy?
How do you feel about people who say they don’t believe in evolution? What about folk who claim wearing a seatbelt causes road deaths? Or the ones who want antibiotics for their colds? There’s no evidence for their beliefs. And mountains of it proving …
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 …
When copywriters start showing off
Anyone who has children – or has spent time with the little bl… I mean angels – will have uttered or heard that deathless phrase, “Stop showing off”. Usually as said offspring is disrupting a family lunch. Little angel then sticks tongue …
Could you cook up a headline as good as this one?
Why would you pay for an expensive, pre-packaged “home-cooked” meal? You’d feel guilty for not cooking for your family yourself. Especially in the school summer holidays. You might even feel that buying one would diminish your own standing as a homemaker. So …
Bonkers! Five weird marketing decisions routinely made by publishers
Marketing in general, and subscriptions marketing in particular, can be measured down to the last penny. So why, asks grumpy old copywriter Andy Maslen, do publishers keep making these five strangely emotion-led decisions? I am rapidly approaching the point when I shall …
Which profit-boosting DM secret is routinely ignored by many marketeers?
I’ve just got off the phone with a client. We were discussing testing subject lines for an email campaign I’m writing. The conversation turned to body copy and she said, “we’ve tested it and long copy works better for us. It’s a …
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