How to be a copywriter

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How to prevent plagiarism from those digital scoundrals

The web is the Wild West as far as copyright is concerned. The digital world may be all about sharing, but if you’ve ever involuntarily “shared” your last can of beer with your sneaky, bearded colleague, you’ll know that there is a very…

Copywriting and Art: Where does one start and the other begin?

Copywriting Skills

As a young man who still lives with his parents, I often retreat to the comfort and solitude of my bedroom to escape either Holby City, or the gentle bigotry one might expect from a couple of sexagenarians. Last night this very predicament…

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Bad Lyrics: When lyrics hit the wrong note

Content & Strategy Copywriting Skills

So there we were, cheerfully copywriting away with the radio on (quietly of course), when our ears were viciously assaulted by the first lines of the Girls Aloud single, Beautiful Cause You Love Me: Standing over the basin/I’ve been washing…

Why I’ll Never Call Myself a Killer-Badass Copywriter

Content & Strategy Copywriting Skills

Frankly, I’m awkward. Adorably so. But awkward none the less. Recently someone described me as “smart.” Which I was pretty chuffed about. Who doesn’t secretly believe they’re more intelligent than other people (ahem)? And then went…

Words or pictures. Which are more important?

Content & Strategy

Copywriting for websites, brochures and blogs is all about words, isn’t it? Yes, finding the right words that spur potential customers to hire you is crucial. But pictures can be just as important. Research shows people are more likely…

What’s it like to be an Advertising Copywriter? The Inside Story on Iced Tea and Rejection

Advertising Content & Strategy Copywriting Skills

Housed along many inner streets of major cities across the world, there’s a magical place where scatter-brains get paid to think and dink around all day. To pump nerf balls and adjust swivel-chairs from the ground up and then back again. A…

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How to Write Copy: Step 1, Be a Woman

Content & Strategy Copywriting Skills

A while back, I was invited to contribute something called "How to Write Copy" to the website of a large, well-known women's networking organization with numerous "star" participants and a robust online presence. However, my contact at this…

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Writing catchy headlines and staying credible

Copywriting Skills

I’m a firm believer in evidence-based medicine and credible health writing. I try and sell a message accurately and focus on evidence and facts – even in sales-related health copywriting projects. Sometimes, I need to think of a catchy,…

Copywriting Typos and Why We Don’t See Them

Copywriting Skills

Even the most vigilant copywriting means making typos. And sometimes, those typos get published. Some are hilarious, some are just downright embarrassing. But all are due to the fact that we see what we expect to see. Seeing copywriting that…