I was asked to do a five-minute talk recently. “Great”, I thought. “I can practice my stand-up comedy skills.” (I’ve only done one stand-up performance before). Then I discovered it was a Petcha Kutcha style talk. Turns out that it’s a Japanese phrase meaning ‘chit chat’ and is pronounced pCha Read more…
Like a painter choosing the right paint, a copywriter has to choose the right words.
But there’s more to it than that.
I put it in a lot of effort upfront to get a good brief, so that I can do a great job. It’s a bit like decorating a property – the secret of a fabulous finished product is all in the preparation.
It’s tricky to give even a ballpark figure until we have an initial discussion.
A quick conversation would therefore be really useful for both of us – for me to understand exactly what you’re looking for, and for you to get an idea about how I work and the value I can bring.
These are some of the issues we’d explore: (more…)
Don’t agonise over your business name. Here’s why. When I left corporate life, I launched my freelance copywriting business under the brand Comms Plus. “It’s communication,” I thought, “with added positivity and results”. I even registered it as a trade mark. But, when I went out networking, with ‘Jackie Barrie Read more…
https://youtu.be/ET0wnrUX0Zs Stating the obvious. Just one of the things you learn *not* to do on the Copywriting for Recruiters course I run with Mitch Sullivan. Examples: ‘We have a vacancy…’ ‘We are recruiting for…’ ‘We’re hiring…’ Well, yes. It’s a job ad. Equally, you don’t need to tell accountants they Read more…
Good copywriters justify every word they use.
Every. Single. One.
As you may know, I started my copywriting career in the catalogue industry, where every inch of space cost money, and each word had to battle for its place on the page.
(Yes, I said ‘inch’. Because that’s how old I am.)
Here are some thoughts about just one word.
Strong.
A job ad for a manager might well include a request for ‘strong leadership skills’.
At a time when gender equality is back at the top of the agenda (and rightly so), the problem is that the word ‘strong’ can be perceived as a male word, and so filter out female applicants. (more…)