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LinkedInCopywriting Revisions Gone Wild! Why it happens and how to handle it
It’s happened to all of us.
You take on what seems to be a normal copywriting project. You plan to do your research, write the copy, polish it, then submit it for review.
You figure the most you’ll get is a few minor changes. And at first, that seems to be the way things play out.
Then the project takes a nasty turn.
Your copy deck comes back bleeding red ink. You make the revisions, submit it again, and it comes back still bloody.
And it happens again, and again, and again. Sometimes you get a lot of changes. Sometimes it’s just one or two. But you start to feel like you’ll never stop revising.
What’s going on? And what can you do about it?
How to write engaging newsletter articles in 7 easy steps
When I recently asked for guest post submissions, I had no idea what I’d get. Well, what I got was nothing short of amazing.
It appears that I have some incredibly smart readers with plenty of know-how to share.
So I’m delighted to introduce my very first guest blog post, written by Sally Bagshaw, a writer and editor extraordinaire from the land down under (Brisbane, Australia).
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Corporate newsletters are an important tool to communicate with employees, clients, prospects, or suppliers. But like blogging, newsletters can become a victim of not enough time, not enough material to work from, or not enough inspiration.
What starts out as a regular, engaging and proactive tool slowly degrades into a half-baked email sent out once every blue moon. Subscribers slip away, employees disengage, and an important communication opportunity vanishes.
So what do you do? How do you come up with and write newsletter articles that are interesting?
Would you like to write for Pro Copy Tips?
When I started Pro Copy Tips, I wanted it to be a place where anyone who writes copy could learn how to do it better — whether they’re full-time or part-time, employee or freelancer, entrepreneur or business executive.
It’s also a place where you can learn about starting and running a freelance business from someone who actually makes a living at it.
But as much as I like sharing all these tips with you, I’m just one guy. There are others who do what I do, and they all have a unique set of skills and know-how.
So if you’re an experienced copywriter, I want to share your wisdom here on Pro Copy Tips. Whaddya say?
The hidden motivators that make people buy stuff
If you’re writing an ad to sell a new floor mop, the very first question you should ask yourself is “Why would someone want to buy a new floor mop?”
It seems like an easy question with an obvious answer: to get the floor clean. Right? Well, maybe. But it’s usually not that simple.
Sure, maybe I have a dirty floor. But why do I care if my floor is clean? Why is my old mop not good enough? Could it be that my neighbor’s floor looks nicer than mine and what I really want is to fit in? Keep up with my neighbor? Avoid embarrassment?
There are two levels in every buying decision. The first level is logical: I need a new mop because my old one isn’t doing the job as well. The second level is emotional: I’m embarrassed by the stubborn spots on my floor (or whatever my individual reason might be).
Are you the job type or the freelance type?
If you want to make a career of copywriting, should you look for a full-time job or strike out on your own as a freelancer?
Good question.
With the economy the way it is, there’s a lot of curiosity about freelancing. So much so that I created a copywriter information center on my business site with quite a bit of information about this.
Over my career, I’ve done both the job thing and the freelance thing and have come to the conclusion that freelancing is what I like best.
I earn good money, set my own hours, and don’t have to deal with the stress of traffic, corporate politics, and an office full of idiots and suck-ups.
Oh, and no ties. I hate ties. I work in jeans and Hawaiian shirts (which I love but my wife thinks are ugly). Yes, I know I’m wearing a tie in my publicity photo, but I did it just that once. And with therapy, I’ve recovered fairly well.
But that’s just me. What’s best for you?
How “productive slacking” can make you more creative
Are you a slacker? There are times when you should be.
If you make your living as a copywriter, or if you do any other type of creative work, you probably have moments when you feel burned out and creative ideas elude you.
You may compensate by working even harder, stubbornly pushing your brain to create more and more ideas, but finding that every idea is crap. Your creativity seems to evaporate.
The problem may be that you’re working too hard to be creative and need a lesson in the art of productive slacking. To explain, let me tell you a little story.
Read more
How to write a 30-second TV commercial script
Every copywriter longs for the opportunity to write a TV commercial. But the type of commercial you’ll end up writing isn’t what you think it will be.
Unless you work at an ad agency or video production house, you’re not going to come anywhere close to writing a script for the next NIKE commercial.
You might get the opportunity to write a direct response or DRTV commercial. But you’re more likely to write spots for shoe stores, neighborhood banks, used car dealers, furniture outlets, fruit markets, and other local businesses.
Not too impressive, I know, but there’s a ton of small businesses who need these kind of TV spots. And someone has to write the scripts. Right?
7 clever copywriting tricks to captivate your readers
I studied magic when I was young. Mostly closeup magic, such as card tricks and slights of hand.
One thing I learned quickly. The magic only works if you can captivate your audience. You must grab and hold their attention from start to finish.
So it is with copywriting.
There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of tricks of the trade to grab and hold your audience. But here are seven for which I have a special fondness.
How to sell by not selling: the secret of the cedar plank
Fine restaurants in the Pacific Northwest had been serving cedar plank salmon for years. But Harry Aldrich and David Maddocks wanted to sell a home version.
Their idea was simple. They would manufacture a 6″ x 12″ piece of cedar wood. You put your salmon on the wood plank and put the wood plank into your home barbecue. Voilà! Cedar plank salmon.
Aldrich made an appointment with the seafood buyer for the Fred Meyer stores in Portland, Oregon. On the morning of his appointment, he bought a filet of salmon from the local Fred Meyer, went home, and cooked it on one of his cedar planks. Then he wrapped it in foil and rushed off to his meeting.
When he arrived, he didn’t bother with the usual sales patter. He simply placed the salmon on the buyer’s desk and handed him a fork. “I’m here to help you sell more salmon,” Aldrich said.
The buyer took a bite. “WOW! Where did you get this fish? It’s wonderful!” When Aldrich told him he bought the fish that very morning in a Fred Meyer store, the buyer couldn’t believe it.
Aldrich sat back and smiled as the buyer called other staff members to taste the fish. The reaction was unanimous. It tasted divine. Aldrich provided some facts and benefits, but the buyer was sold with the first taste.
Within a week, Harry Aldrich and David Maddocks had lucrative orders from more than 100 Fred Meyer stores. And they sold truckloads of those little cedar planks.
So what’s the lesson here?
