What does it take to be creative?
It’s fair to describe copywriting as a craft rather than art. But you still need ideas. You still have to be creative. If you’re going to penetrate the miasma of other people’s marketing messages clogging up your reader’s brain, you need to …
Introduction of a facilitating methodology for the effective dissemination of communications through the utilisation of the internet
Er no, better make that Do you want to write good web copy? Attend an internet marketing conference these days and there is a very good chance you will hear a presentation on writing for the web. You prick up your ears. …
Let’s play 20 questions
I was in a meeting with a potential client the other day, discussing a new piece of marketing literature. The aim was to produce a sales tool for their distributors’ telemarketing staff. We started discussing possible content and the potential client said, …
Wish you were here?
Have you ever got a postcard in your morning’s post and NOT read it? Me neither. There’s something compelling about that small, stiff piece of card that says ‘read me’. So why not consider putting that factor to work for you in …
Testimonials – or, how to get your clients to do your selling for you
Some people are naturally suspicious. They pride themselves on not being swayed by ‘marketing speak’. For them, direct mail or web copy, however well written, is just ‘puff’. So how do you get through to them? After all, they may well be …
A doomed mission
Driving home from the country a few weeks ago, I overtook (at no more than the legal limit) a police car. Emblazoned along its dayglo-chequered flank was the following statement: “Reducing fear…stopping crime…preventing disorder.” And it made me think: why did they …
Forty characters in search of an author
Do you use emails as part of your promotional mix? If you do, I bet you spend a long time working on the message: lots of nice short sentences (balanced with longer ones, of course); plenty of benefits; calls to action top …
Exciting?
Try a little experiment with me. Close your eyes for a few seconds and think about an exciting thing you’ve seen, done or experienced. Back with me? Now, about that thing you were thinking of. Was it the product or service you …
Giving your copy the death(ly) sentence
What do a good copywriter and a liberal judge have in common? They both like short sentences. To judge by much of the copy that I see in an average week, there are plenty of people who view long sentences as the …
Things your English teacher told you (and shouldn’t have) – part I
I run regular training courses on copywriting. And every time I do, there comes a point where we discuss some of the sacred cows of written (and spoken) English. Reactions from participants range from knowing nods to looks blending the deepest horror …
There once was an ugly duckling…
What would you say was the most important piece of copywriting in a direct marketing campaign? The envelope teaser? Could be. After all, if people don’t even open the pack, you’ve failed at the first hurdle. How about the headline? Why not? …
Making the leap to print (or the web)
Whether you find copywriting easy or hard, there comes a point when you have finished your final draft. Everyone’s happy: the marketing manager, the marketing director, the managing director, the company mascot. But if you’re writing for print (and even for the …
Why don’t we write as we speak?
I was sitting in the cinema recently, waiting for the film to start. After the ads and the trailers, we were treated to this screen announcement: “The management regrets the necessity of informing patrons that the safety of personal valuables cannot be guaranteed and …
Using offers to raise response
In business-to-consumer mailings, everyone uses offers. I’m sure you’re familiar with the kind of thing I’m talking about: get a free calendar, save £10, win a holiday. But in business-to-business, some marketeers are a little wary. “Our customers are too sophisticated; they’ll …
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