When my partner got home from work earlier, he asked me what I’d done today. I told him I’d been researching tone of voice. “Oh,” he said, “That’s interesting. What have you learned? And will you be trying it out on me?” It was a timely reminder that tone of voice means something very different […].. Read More
I started my business, Pippin Copywriting Ltd, on 1 June 2012 so it’s about this time of year I look back at how far I’ve come. This year, I’ve been thinking about all the tools and widgets I use to run my business as efficiently and effectively as I can. So here’s the lowdown on […].. Read More
As the marketing department, it’s very easy to feel under siege and under-valued – there’s often a sense of ‘nobody loves us, everybody hates us’. I know, I’ve been there. These days, as a copywriter running my own business, I’m free of that pain. On the other hand, I see my clients struggle with it […].. Read More
Corporate jargon. Phrases such as ‘going forward’, ‘bandwidth’, ‘best of breed’, ‘reach out’, ‘deep dive’. Long sentences you have to read several times to make sense of them. They infect our conversations, our correspondence and our communications. But it’s dangerous. Here’s why. Corporate jargon leads to a lack of trust When bosses use corporate jargon, […].. Read More
Many of us fall into the trap of using corporate jargon at work. (If you’d like to know why, check out Why we use business buzzwords – and what to do about it). Unfortunately, there’s lots of evidence to show it’s bad for business. For example, 88% of B2B decision makers feel that marketing clichés […].. Read More
Want to be a better blogger? Here are my top tips for writing better blogs. Put a content strategy together Blogging is a great way to share knowledge, showcase your expertise and raise your profile. But you’ll only see these benefits if you’re giving people content they find useful and valuable. If you haven’t done […].. Read More
The short answer is: probably more than you think. To understand why, let’s think about websites for a moment. When you visit a website, what is it that persuades you to buy from it or engage with the company it belongs to? Is it the design? Is it the clever widgets that pop up when […].. Read More
As someone who has sent a newsletter on the last working day of every month (apart from in December, because it’s Christmas) since June 2012, I’m a firm believer in the value of newsletters. If you’re considering one for your business, here are a few reasons why they’re a good idea. There are a few […].. Read More
As I’ve discussed in other blog posts, an ebook (and its sister document, the white paper), is an excellent marketing tool. But a good ebook can be a significant undertaking in both skill and resources. If you’re wondering whether it’s something you should write yourself or whether you should commission a copywriter, let’s take a […].. Read More
This is a page from the results of the ProCopywriters Survey 2018. It shows a selection of copywriters’ answers to the question ‘What is copywriting?’. These are great summaries of what a copywriter does. But as with all summaries, they don’t tell the whole story. Here are some of the other things we routinely do […].. Read More