Tag Archives: The Art of the Click

Ideas are irritating

Sometimes ideas are right there in your face, shouting at you like an arrogant teenage kid who thinks they know best. Other times they’re nowhere to be seen, like your broke mate Steve who’s always in the toilet when it’s his round at the bar. I’ll tell you what… From now on, let’s boycott ideas. […]

Five concise copy thoughts to get you thinking

Here’s the plan… I’m going to hit you with five fast chunks of concise copy thought. Ready? Some Ideas Suck Some of your ideas will suck.⁣ ⁣ And that’s OK.⁣ ⁣ No one hits gold every time.⁣ ⁣ To get the good ideas out of your head you need to let the bad ones out […]

I hope you hate it: A marketing masterclass from Alexander McQueen

Did you hate it?” No, the interviewer replies. “Shame. You’re supposed to,” says McQueen. When it comes to getting someone’s attention, you’ve got to go for emotions. If you don’t at least try, you’re guaranteed to fail. If you’re not thinking about how your audience relates to your writing, you shouldn’t call yourself a copywriter. You’ve […]

Creative paralysis: Don’t let other people’s work stop you creating your own

I get so worried by what other people are doing. It’s the worst kind of anxiety. Right now, I’m reading The War at the End of the World by Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa. It’s great. It’s also massive. 750 pages. And no pictures. I’m halfway through and can’t believe how dense the damn thing is. The […]

The most useful word a copywriter can have in their toolbox

Before we get to into this, some great news… I’m writing today from a hotel room in east London, where I’m looking out over the Tower of London. I made the trip down from my usual northern seaside hideout to attend the shortlist reveal event for the Business Book Awards 2019. My book, The Art of the […]

The myth that no one reads long copy – part two

“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 […]

Picasso vs Matisse: Why you should embrace your competition

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 […]

Inspiration really can come from anywhere

You may know him as Kento. Or you may know him by his Spanish name: Pedro. For a short while, I knew him as Hector. Before a fellow writer and marketer, Thomas Goosey, enlightened me. In case you don’t recognise his name, he looks like this: He’s a children’s television character that’s become a meme. He’s usually […]

COMPETITION: Win Pablo’s annotated copy of my book, The Art of the Click

PLEASE NOTE: Competition entries must be received BEFORE midnight on Friday 16th November. Pablo is a dog. When he’s not doing typical dog things, he spends most of his time observing his owner – the author, speaker and copywriter, Glenn Fisher. He watches him write copy, prepare talks and discuss marketing with various business folks. In doing […]

The myth that no one reads long copy – part one

Do people read long copy? On an almost daily basis someone suggests to me people don’t. The argument goes: In this modern world of failing attention spans no one gives anything any longer than a few seconds. What do you think? I think this whole question is piffle. I’ll tell you why in a minute… But […]