I used to work at Freemans home shopping. I started as a catalogue copywriter writing product descriptions, and ended up as a senior manager with a team of copywriters and graphic designers reporting to me. I also worked in the marketing department to help lead a rebrand, and ran projects Read more…
The tone of voice that’s suitable for marketing has shifted. As with all copywriting, you have to be sensitive to the reader. You need to recognise where they are at. “Meet them at their bus-stop” is the phrase used by Shelle Rose Charvet, author of Words That Change Minds. Consider Read more…
How have you been feeling when marketing messages ping into your inbox? I’ve unsubscribed from more than a few. I’ve also unfollowed more people on social media than ever before. If I see a name in my inbox or on my social media timelines, and it doesn’t make me feel Read more…
As you probably know from your own experience, 90% of web interactions start with search*. Apart from e-commerce, people search the Internet for two reasons: information and entertainment. No-one goes to the Internet looking to be sold to. They are not looking for an advert (unless it’s an informative or Read more…
Want copy for your new website or other piece of marketing collateral? These are some of the questions you’ll be asked as part of the 360-degree consultation you get from us before we can give you a quote. You might also find these questions useful if you plan to do Read more…
As you may know, one of the things I do is train recruiters how to write better job ads. I was invited to run these regular masterclasses by notorious recruiter, Mitch Sullivan. He chose me because I’m a generalist copywriter so would bring delegates a useful perspective from outside the Read more…
Here are 10 ways to improve your LinkedIn profile and obtain better results. Add a header image if yours is showing the default dots and lines (it looks more distinctive and professional when you customise it) You can get copyright-free images on Pexels, Pixabay or Unsplash, free. They don’t even Read more…
I may be a pedant (it is my job, after all), but I love the way Stephen Fry expresses himself here:
It’s that time of year again. Almost every week, I find a leaflet on the doormat from a local estate agent who wants me to sell my house.
That’s not what makes me angry.
What makes me angry is that all the leaflets are so badly written.
Here are some examples.
It can be easy to let your ‘to do’ list get on top of you.
When times were quiet, I used to admire and even envy people who had a two-page list of things to do. They never reached the end of it. They just kept working on the most important items at the top and didn’t stress about the items at the bottom. Now, my ‘to do’ list is like that. I know what it feels like to be overloaded, and I don’t envy them any more!
Here are some techniques to keep on top of things instead of letting them get on top of you.