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There’s an old joke that Britain and America are two nations separated by a common language.
And if you’ve ever written for English speaking clients outside your home country, you know exactly what that means.
Sally Bagshaw takes on this copywriting challenge with a quick look at some of the differences between American English and British / Australian English. (This post gave my spellcheck a heart attack.)
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I was chatting to Dean via email the other day, and happened to mention that I would send another guest post through in a fortnight.
Little did I realise that comment would send off a chain of belly laughs from across the Pacific.
“Fortnight?”
“Erm yes, you know in two weeks?”
“Oh we don’t really use that word around here.”
OK then.
I know Australians spell some words differently than our American counterparts. After all you can choose from a number of English options for your spell-check.
But did you know that there are a whole heap of differences between British/Australian English and American English that we all should be aware of?
The tweak trap: how to avoid nightmare rewrites
Recently a guy called me about my writing services. Says he has a small job he would like me to consider. All he needs are a few “tweaks.”
The phone conversation went like this:
Guy: Hi, Dean. Great to finally talk to you. I’ve been following your articles and have subscribed to your newsletter for years.
Dean: Thanks. I appreciate that.
Guy: So I wanted to talk to you about a project you might be able to help me with. A while back I hired a local writer to write a quick little sales letter for me and I’m not happy with it.
Dean: Okay. Why don’t you tell me about that.
Guy: Well, I just don’t like the letter. It seems to fall flat. So I was hoping you could tweak it for me. Do you do that sort of thing?
Dean: Tweak it? Can you define “tweak” for me?
Guy: The letter is headed in the right direction, but it’s just that the words aren’t quite right. So I was hoping you could, you know, just clean it up a little. I’m thinking it’s a minor revision.
Dean: Can you show me the letter?
Guy: Sure. I’ll email it to you. Again, I think it just needs a little tweaking.
If you’ve been writing professionally for a few years, in a job or as a freelancer, you can see the red flags in this conversation, can’t you? Because you’ve heard this conversation before.
Copywriting GPS: Finding your way to the first sentence
You’ve accepted a new copywriting project.
You’ve cashed your big fat retainer check, filed the contract, set the deadline, assured your client that you’ll write a winner, and you’re sitting at your desk staring at a pile of background materials thinking, “Now what?”
You have no idea what you’re going to write.
What you want is to know where you’re headed. You need to write that first sentence. But you can’t. Not yet.
You feel like you’ve started a journey and don’t know what path to take or where on Earth you’ll end up.
I experienced this lost feeling recently when I accepted a project to write copy to sell an investment product. It wasn’t a product I was familiar with and there were 10 separate pieces to the assignment.
Could I do it? Of course. I’m an old hand at this. And in my particular business, I’m working with new industries and products all the time. But even though I have faith that my experience will carry me through, I still don’t like those moments when I’m unclear about my direction.
So I did what I always do. I turned on my own personal Copywriting GPS, which is really nothing more than 3 simple steps that never fail to guide me through the chaos and lead me to that first amazing sentence.
How to write product descriptions that appeal to the senses
I’m really starting to like Sally Bagshaw.
She has a knack for writing about writing in a way that’s fun and helpful.
Here’s Sally’s latest contribution to Pro Copy Tips for those of you who want to polish your product descriptions.
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Writing product descriptions can be fun. It can also be mind numbingly boring, especially when you have a heap to do.
Products that are generic, or can be used by anyone, tend to be the most difficult to describe.
How do you tailor a message that speaks equally to a teenager, a stay-at-home mother and a granny?
How to write for public sector clients (without going crazy)
Many people think the government does all their own work. Surprise! They actually hire subcontractors to do most things.
And yes, they need help with copywriting.
This isn’t an area I know much about, but Arvid Westfelt does. So here are his sanity-saving tips for working with public sector clients.
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Writing for the public sector can be lucrative. Public procurement accounts for a whopping 10 percent (or more) of a country’s economy — and some of that money is used to pay copywriters like you and me.
But public sector clients can be hard to work with. In fact, their seemingly odd and irrational behavior can drive you crazy. Here are a few tips for working with them while staying sane.
Be patient. Your writing assignment is often the last stop in a project that has taken your client months, or even years, to complete. They will show little understanding if you demand immediate feedback on your first draft. So be patient and don’t let their super-slow work rate frustrate you.
10 secrets for writing “open me” envelope teaser copy
Write envelope teaser copy? You mean copywriters have to actually write copy for envelopes?
Yes. I know many writers think the envelope is just a container for the earth-shattering letter they’ve written, but the envelope is arguably the most important element in any direct mail package.
Why? Because that’s the first thing people see when they open their mailbox. It’s the copy and appearance of the envelope that determines whether the envelope gets opened or trashed.
In case you missed it, here’s a refresher on the brutal reality of direct mail.
A big chunk of my work is writing direct mail, so I’ve had many years to think about the lowly envelope and the teaser copy that gets printed on it. Here are a few tips.
Yogi Berra’s quirky tips on copywriting
Back in 2007, I wrote a quick little article for Copyblogger about Yogi Berra. It was so successful, Brian Clark asked me to send more articles. I’ve been writing guest posts ever since.
But I figured my readers here would like to see this piece … that and I just don’t have time to write something new today.
Anyway, here it is. If you enjoy it, tweet it.
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Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra is a fifteen-time All Star and three-time MVP. He played in 14 World Series games. But what is he famous for? Mixed up quotes.
Someone once asked him what he would do if he found a million dollars. Yogi said, “I’d find the fellow who lost it, and, if he was poor, I’d return it.”
When discussing a Steve McQueen movie, Yogi observed, “He must have made that before he died.”
Commenting on a pair of gloves, he said, “The only reason I need these gloves is ’cause of my hands.”
On the surface, Yogi seems confused. But perhaps he is trying to convey a deeper meaning for those who care to consider his words carefully. In fact, I think Yogi can teach us about the art of copywriting.
Magalog? What the heck is a magalog?
Ask a roomful of copywriters to describe a brochure, sales letter, or web page, and most will give you a pretty good definition.
But ask about a magalog, and you’ll get a lot of blank stares.
In my Direct Marketing Glossary, I provide a simple definition:
Magalog — Direct mail sales format that looks like a magazine or catalog.
That’s accurate, but maybe not as helpful as it could be if you’re a copywriter and your boss or client asks you to write one.
So let’s take a look at an actual magalog sample and see if we can get a better idea about what it is. When you click that link, you’ll open a PDF in a separate window. Note: The order form and a few photos are missing because I couldn’t get a final sample. But you’ll get the idea.
Copywriting 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?
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.
