I’ve been writing posts for this site for over 15 years now… and I’ll continue to do so… occasionally.
But for a few months now I have been spending most of my time on a whole new project and website.
This is a real passion project for me. It’s something I’ve been leading up to for many years.
And it comes with a full-length course.
What’s this new project of mine?
Over the last few days I have had the opportunity to read through dozens of homework assignments from one of my courses.
This particular assignment was to write a blog post about foods that are good for brain health.
As always, it was a real education going through everyone’s work. The overall quality of writing was excellent. And it was amazing to see all the different approaches people took.
Different writers showed different strengths.
Some wrote amazing headlines. Some were particularly strong with the introduction, clearly setting up what was to come in the body of the post. Others were strongest when it came to the main part of the post, where they were talking about the health benefits of various foods and food groups.
But…
Read the full post…Every blog post you write needs to finish with a gift. Ribbons too.
I write and talk a lot about the power and benefits of conversational copywriting.
Today I want to share an example of how the power of conversation extends way beyond just the words we write as copywriters.
Let me introduce you to Dangerous Dave, Big Brian, Flat Phil and Miss Rigger.
As you may have already noticed from the photo above, these are the names of four different paint brushes.
These four brushes arrived in the mail because my wife is an accomplished watercolor artist, but still likes to take classes. And one of the instructors she likes to follow is Andrew Geeson, from Wales. Andrew, as well as being an artist and instructor, clearly has smart marketing skills coded into his DNA.
Read the full post…How Dangerous Dave and Big Brian drive conversations for this artist.
This post is based on a one-hour presentation I have given a couple of times this year.
I won’t try to include the full hour of information, or the 29 slides.
But… I hope to communicate the value and power of adjacent possibilities for freelancers.
To start with… what does that even mean?
Read the full post…Adjacent possibilities for freelancers who want more.
It’s tempting to think the quality of the copy we write is determined in large part by our ability to write a decent sentence.
We’re wordsmiths, right? That’s the foundation of what we do. We have to be able to put together a sentence that works and makes good sense. We need to understand the basics of grammar.
So my heart sank when I was reading a homework assignment that came across my desk last week. (I’m running a training program right now, and the students submit assignments.)
From the very first sentence it was clear that English was not this writer’s first language.
Read the full post…English may be his second language, but his copy rocks.
Back in the old days, when I was young and writing print ads and direct mail. Before the web. Before everything was connected.
Back then, I could write each piece as a standalone element.
If I wrote a piece of direct mail, what came before and after someone read that package was simple and clear.
The “before” part involved a letter carrier delivering the letter to a prospect’s home.
The “after” part involved 1) The recipient dropping the letter and its contents in the garbage, 2) The recipient completing an order form and mailing it back or 3) The recipient calling a 1-800 number.
That was pretty much it. Easy. Simple.