“And the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them.” These days it’s almost cliché to say so… But, as a copywriter, I find the writing of Ernest Hemingway such a useful resource. If you’re not regularly reading his work, you […]
Tag Archives: COPY
“Live. Die. Repeat.” That’s the tagline of Tom Cruise’s new movie, Edge of Tomorrow. Have you seen it? Basically Tom Cruise gets the blood of an alien on him, which means that whenever he’s killed he returns to the day he got the alien blood on him. He meets Emily Blunt and then he has to […]
One of my mentors, the American entrepreneur and writer Mark Ford, once taught me a simple way to improve problematic headlines using ‘the Four Us’. I’ve written about the idea many times before, but today I thought I’d put it to the test LIVE. Or rather, as I write this article. Why not, eh? Indeed, I’m […]
16
May
May
Where did the 30-day trial period come from? Seriously – if you know, please comment below and tell me. If you’ve written copy for online products or services, no doubt you know the 30-day trial well. Or maybe, if you’ve written for a product or service that’s being sold on Clickbank or some other joint venture website, […]
I recently put together a free copywriting ebook that reveals five easy ways to write better copy. I think it’s a cracking little download and it’s all been very nicely laid out by my @rhinett. But best of all, it is completely and utterly free. HOORAH! It’s aptly titled Five Easy Ways to Write Better Copy, which […]
In Oliver Stone’s 1991 film, JFK, Joe Pesci plays Dave Ferrie, an American pilot alleged to have been involved in Kennedy’s unfortunate assassination. Dave Ferrie: Was his crime plotting to kill JFK or simply those ridiculous eyebrows?” The first thing you notice about Ferrie are his eyebrows. They’re ridiculous. A quick search on Google images and you […]
“Sell, or else,” pronounced legendary ad man, David Ogilvy many a decade ago. And, ever since, this unflinching commandment has been passed down from copywriter to copywriter. It’s the great leveller; the simple reminder that whatever the media, your aim remains the same: you sell, my boy, you sell if it’s the last thing you do. […]
“Write Better Copy is a life jacket for those who are dipping their toe into the wild marketing waters and sinking,” writes Blanca. She’s a fellow copywriter and journalist who picked up my Write Better Copy guide looking to understand more about how copywriting works. She continues: “When I started to study copywriting, I desperately needed the right tool […]
16
Feb
Feb
At last count, it was estimated around 300 billion emails are sent on a daily basis. “Sometimes we have to spend a little time with the numbers.” 300. Billion. A day. That’s a damn lot of emails. So, with so much other email copy competing with yours, it hardly seems worth spending much time on it, right? […]
16
Jan
Jan
I’d like to talk about salutations, my good friend. Or should I say Fellow Copywriter? Perhaps Intrepid Freelancer would be better? Of course, this is my point: There are far more options when it comes to addressing a reader than the classic ‘Dear Reader’. Sure, it’s a small thing. But still, it’s there on a letter for a reason […]