Stupid question, right? But… 1. The success of the World Wide Web has been led by US companies. 2. The rest of the world has got used to reading website text in ‘American’ English. You can even prove it for...
Some years ago, novelist Kurt Vonnegut outlined eight rules for writing a good short story. Of those eight rules, five apply directly to great copywriting: 1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he...
If you’ve ever used Facebook, you’re bound to have encountered at least one Top 10 listicle. Incredibly popular with sites like Reddit and Buzzfeed, these top 10 list blog posts promise all kinds of awesome entertainment and excitement. But the...
As well as being asked “what is a copywriter?“, I am occasionally asked “what is a technical writer?”. Wikipedia provides the following succinct definition: “A technical writer is a professional writer who engages in technical writing and produces technical documentation...
Occasionally I run into the question ‘what is a copywriter?’, when I tell people what I do for a living. Most have some idea that writing is involved, but sometimes people assume I am in fact fighting piracy. What...
January, apparently, is “International Creativity Month”. “A month to remind individuals and organizations around the globe to capitalize on the power of creativity,” claims the originator Randall Munson [his spelling, not mine]. It’s easy to understand Munson’s rationale. A new year offers...
Some time ago I wrote a short series of articles about different copywriting techniques you could use to distinguish your business from the competition. One of those techniques I named “Assassination”, because the aim was to discredit your competitor through...
I love this advert. I have seen it a few times on the London Underground and I am still amazed by its simple genius. In just eight words, the copywriter has managed to touch on current affairs, celebrity gossip and the...
Copywriters are a fiercely protective bunch. If you spend much time interacting with copywriters, or lurk in their social networks, you will quickly see that they define a clear difference between content writing and copywriting. And they are keen to...
News emerged yesterday of a glitch in Xerox photocopiers that sees some characters and numbers altered automatically by the machine. Tests reveal that the copiers in question can change a ‘6’ to an ‘8’ or ‘21.11’ to ‘14.13’ (among others),...
