An old hymn might seem the last thing to help you become a better copywriter. But you’d be surprised… Do you remember singing Morning Has Broken at school? It was the first tune I ever learned to play on the bass guitar. And to this day I can still remember how to play it. There in the […]
Tag Archives: Copywriter
No. This is not the introduction I was planning. I hate using I. It should be ‘you’ – that’s more engaging. I is self-indulgent. All good copywriters know that. But I need to use I, don’t I? Sometimes I wish I could open every piece Trott-style… In 1805 Gary Bingham was a captain in the […]
In 1963 things were really beginning to take off for Rowlf. After a false start recording several commercials for Purina Dog Food, he was put in the cupboard and almost forgotten. But when his owner was invited to do a skit on The Jimmy Dean Show, Rowlf was brought back in for a second shot at stardom. […]
He looked at me gone out. Really? You read everything aloud? Even the 10,000-word letters? I was being interviewed for a podcast and we’d got on to my editing process. Yep, I answered. Pretty much. Between you and me, dear reader, sometimes I’m in a rush and won’t get a chance. But I would say nine times […]
This will upset some copywriters. But it will cause other copywriters joy. You see this is a piece about how to write more engagingly. But it’s not entitled 15 Tips For Writing More Engagingly. I dislike those pieces. I dislike them immensely. I see them all over the Internet. On Twitter, on LinkedIn, littering my inbox. 10 Rules […]
I’m in the nurse’s office. What do you do, she asks? A writer, I say. She stops. Gives me the look. We’re looking around a house for sale. What do you do, the estate agent asks? A writer, I say. She stops. Gives me the look. A mortgage advisor comes round to value our house. What do you do, he asks? […]
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Nov
Nov
“All my experience says that for a great many products, long copy sells more than short…” Those are the words of David Ogilvy, in Ogilvy on Advertising. He was a pretty experienced guy when it came to copywriting… Did a few good things, apparently. Interestingly, Ogilvy went on to suggest one of the reasons behind this idea […]
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Nov
Nov
It’s the early 1900s. You’re in Paris. Specifically, you’re in Gertrude Stein’s home at 27 Rue de Fleurus. On the walls surrounding you are hung what will become some of the most important works of art ever to have existed. But that’s all to come. Right now, the talk around you concerns two specific artists. Both […]
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Sep
Sep
Something a little different this week… Rather than sharing some insight with you here in this article, we’re going to delve inside my brand new book – The Art of the Click – and quarry some insight from there. You see, my publisher has set up a cool little thing were you can access and read a […]
Hello! I recorded a quick video message while I took Pablo for his morning walk. You can watch the video here: Meanwhile, I also wanted to share a link to a piece I wrote about creative anxiety that has resonated with a lot of people. You can read it here: Don’t let anxiety get in […]