The Uber-generalist's Copywriting Blog

Brand New FREE Special Report: The Freelance Copywriter

2010-12-11T22:32:00.000-05:00

I just finished a new special report entitled The Freelance Copywriter: What Does He Do? Why Should You Care?

This 35-page e-book is geared toward the prospective client whose business could use the services of a copywriter, but any of my fellow writers, or those just curious about the freelance copywriting business will be very interested in the answers it provides to the following questions:

What exactly is copy?
What is it NOT?
What is the value of good copy?
Why might you consider hiring a copywriter?
How do you go about choosing one?
Why might a freelancer be your best bet?

Get your copy right now!

Who Gives a Crap About Another Company Brochure?

2010-12-11T22:24:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of axzm1 (flickr)

The immortal company brochure is one of the three standard items every company feels is required in order to actually be “in business”. The other two, of course, are business cards and a logo. So, since it’s essentially a necessary piece of paper, millions of company brochures have been written, but I’d guess about 10% of them are worth reading.

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How to Make Sure They Never Read Your Press Release

2010-12-11T22:19:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of Smemon (flickr)

The time-honored workhorse of public relations is far from dead, even as print newspapers continue their slow slide into oblivion.
On the contrary, the press release has made a very successful transition into the digital news and social media marketplace.

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The Simplest Method to Kick-butt E-mails

2010-12-11T22:17:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of PSD (flickr)

But if you’re formulating an e-mail that has a real purpose, whether it be educational, motivational, or just purely informational, let’s consider how you can make it better.

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Improve Your Copy by Knowing When to Let it Go

2010-12-11T22:14:00.002-05:00

Yes, eventually your work will be as good as you can reasonably expect to make it. Perfect? Of course not. Excellent? Yes.

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Improve Your Copy by Trashing Your First Draft

2010-12-11T22:12:00.002-05:00

When you finish your first draft, you are holding in your hands the written equivalent of a handful of pure coal. You’ve recognized it’s value: it contains all the elements you need to reach your audience with the information they need, in the manner they need to read it to accomplish the purpose you have set out to accomplish.

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Improve Your Copy by Reading it Aloud

2010-12-11T22:11:00.000-05:00

A previous post stressed the importance of writing like you speak. How else can you confirm you’ve hit that all-important bulls-eye without reading the work aloud and feeling how easily it rolls off your tongue?

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Improve Your Copy by Proofreading

2010-12-11T22:10:00.000-05:00

The point of proofreading at this stage is to eliminate silly errors such as spelling or punctuation. Fix any glaring grammar errors that you didn’t purposely put into the piece. Consider adjusting the formatting if it’s not pleasing to the eye, or if, after writing it all down, you decide your initial thoughts on format may have been off the mark.

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Improve Your Copy by Trusting Your First Draft

2010-12-11T22:09:00.000-05:00

Up to this point, you’ve put a lot of time and effort into preparing and writing this piece. Don’t immediately dismiss it as a “first draft” that needs to be crossed-out, crumpled and chucked.

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Improve Your Copy by Eliminating Jargon

2010-12-11T22:07:00.000-05:00

The more technical the subject of your project is, or the more your audience is limited to “insiders,” the greater the likelihood you’re going to fall into the use of jargon. But, limiting the amount of jargon you infuse into your copy is very important, especially if your audience includes any who may not be familiar with the words you’re using.

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Copywriting Camp

2010-12-11T21:59:00.000-05:00

It’s actually pretty embarrassing. I mean, I tell everyone I’m going camping for the weekend, and in fact what I’m really doing is living in a smaller house with slightly less in the way of amenities and I’m spending more time than usual with shoes on because the family is sitting around the campfire in the evening, and my laptop cord doesn’t reach far enough so I’m disconnected for upwards of a half-hour at a time.

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Improve Your Copy by Writing Like You Speak

2010-12-11T21:57:00.002-05:00

This is an age-old mantra of direct mail copywriters, but it translates equally well into nearly every other form of writing outside of some fiction. It seems like a really simple tip to put into practice, but it’s not always as easy as it seems.

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Improve Your Copy by Getting Excited

2010-12-11T21:56:00.000-05:00

You’re all prepared to sit down and start filling the page with cool stuff, so this might feel like an odd slipped gear. It may sound strange to list “get excited” as one of the steps to sprucing up your copy, but think about it.

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Improve Your Copy by Planning Ahead

2010-12-11T21:53:00.000-05:00

If you’re keeping up with the program, at this point you have given some significant thought to your reader, and have a pretty good idea what they already know and where they stand on the topic in question. Hopefully you also know where you want them to be standing when they’re done reading.

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Improve Your Copy by Thinking About Your Audience

2010-12-11T21:51:00.000-05:00

We’ve already discussed some important points regarding passion and enthusiasm. Now, let’s consider the mechanics of making your writing really shine. The first step to improving your writing is to take a moment or two before you start writing to think about the people who will be reading what you write, your audience.

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The Key to Copy That Rocks!

2010-12-11T21:47:00.000-05:00

While I was working on compiling and expanding the growing slush pile of information vying for a chance to get into the finished product, I stopped for a minute and asked myself (and I’d recommend anyone working on a large-scale writing project consider this same question before it’s finished…) If I had to distill it to JUST ONE WORD, what would be THE KEY to improving my writing?

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A New Series to Help You Spruce Up Your Copy!

2010-12-11T21:46:00.000-05:00

The fact is, the world is absolutely overflowing with mediocre writing. Take a look at the flood of memos and e-mails that cross your desk daily, or the rash of less-than-appealing junk mail that fills your mailbox, and you’ll know what I mean. Someone, somewhere, took the time and probably invested the money to deliver their boring copy to your home or your workplace. So, chances are pretty good they’re doing okay with it as it is. Right?

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Five Things You Should Know About Copywriting

2010-12-11T21:44:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of SMJJP (flickr)

Five vital truths about copywriting. Some are obvious, but some may surprise you!

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What is Copywriting Worth?

2010-12-11T21:39:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of morguefile.com

Whatever success means to you and your business, whether it be increased recognition, improved brand awareness, more leads, higher conversion rate, more paying customers, better customer retention and loyalty, whatever… high quality copy can make that success a reality.

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How to Choose a Copywriter

2010-12-11T21:36:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of morguefile.com

How do you decide which freelance copywriter is the best one for your project?

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Five Reasons to Hire a Freelance Copywriter

2010-12-11T21:32:00.000-05:00


Courtesy of morguefile.com

Five reasons you may have never considered why a freelance copywriter could be a dream come true for your business!

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