One of the golden rules for any kind of writing is asking yourself whether what you want to say is what anyone really wants to hear. A good copywriter has to ask this question continuously of his or her own writing – and of what clients all too often seem determined to bore their audiences... Read more
We often receive ‘tone of voice’ or editorial guidelines to follow when writing for large organisations. Generally they don’t tell us anything new or different about writing. But at least they afford us a defence for writing clearly and concisely, and for removing the worst cases of jargon. Read more
How daydreaming can help the creative process… It often pays to get your head away from the page, particularly when it comes to conceptual work, or ideas jobs like brand naming, straplines and taglines. You might not have the privilege of a rolling landscape or an eclectic metropolitan pastiche outside your window, but simply sitting... Read more
Without fail, week after week, we will receive client copy to work with that goes on at length about quality, innovation, value, customer focus and all the other abstract clichés of modern corporate speak. It may go on for paragraphs at a time, sometimes even pages, so after a while you just scream out “Yes,... Read more
Plain English Copywriting What good is exclusive jargon or management mumbo-jumbo in emergency situations? Not a lot, when it affects the clarity and efficiency of communication between individuals and groups trying to protect property and people. But it does provide an irrefutable case for removing silly and frustrating ambiguity from language. And not just in... Read more
De-dum de-dum de-dum de-dum, de-deum de-dum de-dum de-dum. De-dum de-dum de-dum de-dum, de-deum de-dum de-dum de-dum… Having several consecutive sentences the same length can really suck the life and pace out of your writing. It’s like talking in monotone. That’s why rhythm is so important when you write. Read more
Any copywriter with any sense, and someone they can ask, will get a second opinion on their work before they expose it to the client. Even the most detail-obsessed scribes need a quality control safety net. But a second pair of eyes will see much more than typos – especially if it belongs to another... Read more
As a veteran writer of more annual reports than I care to think about, I’m often asked how best to write one. I find it helps to keep in mind at all times the four basic questions below. Here I’m talking about companies traded on a stock market, though much of what I say relates... Read more
Teaching people to become better business writers seems to be something of a growth industry. Most copywriting companies – including ours – offer writing courses, and many training specialists do the same. Add in all the books, articles and blogs on the subject, and you’d be forgiven for assuming that everyone’s thirsty for copywriting knowledge. Read more
