This is the introduction to an article I first published on Medium. Copywriters — including me — prize the value of conversational copy, clarity of message and engaging our readers. We raise our hands in horror at examples of corporate gibberish. We encourage people to cut jargon from their copy. We praise informality. But I think […].. Read More
When you use this phrase, it’s always ‘should have’ or ‘should’ve’: I should have gone for a run today so I don’t have to go tomorrow I should’ve woken up earlier so I could get more done He should have done that by now to get it over and done with He should’ve thought of […].. Read More
I read an article on Entrepreneur Europe recently that gave tips for businesses hiring freelance workers for the first time. The article gave plenty of sound advice, but I was intrigued by the last tip: Keep an eye on time-tracking reports. As freelancers are often paid per hour, project managers need to be able to […].. Read More
I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while, prompted by coming across more and more of what I perceive to be misuses of ‘comprises’ and ‘consists’. I feel very strongly about it – but, as you’ll see, I fear may be in an increasing minority. So here we go. I keep seeing sentences […].. Read More
If you’re ever stuck for a topic for a blog, think back to your most recent conversations with clients or prospects. They’ll tell you all you need to know. I work with many different businesses in many different sectors, but the questions I hear from clients and prospects are always very similar. Doubtless you find […].. Read More
This is the introduction to an article I first published on Medium. It’s my opinion that if you’re taking the time to write something, it’s because you want it to be read. Whether it’s an email, a letter, a piece of marketing literature, a report or anything else you can think of, you aren’t writing it […].. Read More
This is the introduction to an article I first published on Medium. There are lots of reasons not to use a copywriter to help you write better marketing materials. Some of the reasons are valid. Some of them aren’t. One of the reasons I hear most often for someone not wanting to work with a copywriter […].. Read More
This is the introduction to an article I first published on Medium. I’ve been a freelance copywriter for over 15 years. I’ve worked with hundreds of businesses in that time. But many of the reasons for them wanting to work with a copywriter are similar. Let me paraphrase some of the most popular reasons. “We’ve worked […].. Read More
There are lots of benefits to having a newsletter. (For a refresher on some of the reasons, you might like Will a newsletter help my marketing?) Of course, weighed against all the benefits is the fact that a newsletter will involve a regular chunk of work. So how do you factor it into your already […].. Read More
When you’re working on a new website, which bit should you work on first? The design or the content? I’m talking about it now because I’ve been invited to quote on a couple of website projects recently where the design’s already been in place. Spaces have been allocated for content and there are word counts […].. Read More