On Tuesday 20 March I’ve been invited to speak at Creating Futures, an event organised by the University of Gloucestershire. It’s an event focused on the schools of Liberal and Performing Arts that aims to inspire second year students with ways in which they can put their writing skills to good use and consider the opportunity to become self-employed […].. Read More
I opened the March edition of my BBC Good Food magazine and was immediately wowed by this ad for Green & Black’s ice cream. It’s perfect – it’s perfectly pitched at its target audience, it’s perfectly pitched to encapsulate Green & Black’s luxuriousness and indulgence and it’s got a perfectly pitched touch of humour. Hats off to […].. Read More
There are two types of writing in the world: writing that’s a pleasure to read and writing that’s a chore. Writing that zips along and writing that makes you want to go zzzzzzz…. No matter what it is you’re writing, you want it to be a pleasure to read. Because the more enjoyable it is […].. Read More
There’s a very quick test you can carry out to find out whether your marketing copy is likely to appeal to your readers. Count the number of times you say ‘you’ (or its variations) and how many times you say ‘we’ or ‘I’ (or their variations). You should be saying ‘you’ far more often than […].. Read More
(Have you any idea how hard it is to think of a copywriting term that begins with X? Well, let me tell you, it’s impossible. Which is why in my A-Z it stands for Xanadu. But bear with me – I’ll make it relevant, I promise.) The OED describes Xanadu as ‘an imaginary wonderful place’. […].. Read More
The only question your copy needs to answer is the only question your reader really cares about: what’s in it for me? In other words, why should your reader buy it, why should they do what you’re asking them to do, why should they care? You answer this question by focusing on the benefit not the […].. Read More
So, I promised to blog about how I’m going to go about becoming compliant with GDPR. Here’s what I’ve been up to in the past few weeks. I attended a really useful seminar run by Circle 2 Success, which helped to crystallise my thinking. I’ve run through the 12 steps to take now outlined by […].. Read More
Many people’s view of copywriting as a service is bafflement. Why pay someone to write some sentences when you’re perfectly capable of writing some sentences yourself? It’s a view I have some sympathy with. After all, the overwhelming majority of people (99% of the UK population according to a quick check on Google) can indeed […].. Read More
USP can stand for a couple of things: Unique Selling Point or Unique Selling Proposition. However, whichever option you choose, what we mean by USP is always the same thing. It’s the thing that you do differently or better than your competitors. It’s the thing that makes you stand out. In other words, it’s the […].. Read More
A quick thought on testimonials: use them. Some longer thoughts on testimonials… Testimonials are important because they back up what your copy has told them about how good you are. (Equally, if you’re naturally reticent, they’re a great way to share how good you are without having to say so yourself.) They provide valuable reassurance to potential […].. Read More