Copywriting Articles & News
Copywriting 101: Exclamation Point, Friend or Foe?
My name is Ann and I'm a grammar geek. There, it's out and I'm relieved. Does this mean my writing is perfect and consistently conforms to grammar rules? Heck, no. It does mean that I spend hours perseverating about serial commas, dangling participles, and feeling guilty if I end a sentence with a preposition. I worry endlessly about what I call the PowerPointification of America (i.e., the trend toward writing short chunks of information in bullet points - which, ...
Accelerate Your Freelance Copywriting Master Business Plan!
Ever wish for your own copywriting business? Ever wish you could become one of those internet marketing gurus and live out your dream of being who you really want to be? Well, what's stopping you? Is it time? Money? Fear of the unknown? These are the roadblocks that prevent so many of us from achieving our full potential for greatness. If you're good at something, and I'm sure that you are... maybe you should really think about taking that storehouse of ...
What a Ghostwriter Can Do for You
Do you ever have brilliant ideas for articles, books or a website, but never get around to doing anything about them? Don’t feel like the Lone Ranger. Trust and credibility are vital in creating consumer confidence. Being able to tell the world who you are, what you do and how you do it is the best kind of confidence-building free publicity…producing results rivaling those of standard advertising. But even if you could crank out passable copy yourself, most businesspeople should be spending ...
3 Copywriting Tips How To Edit For Mass Appeal!
Web copy that's intended to sell or generate leads needs to quickly reach out and grab attention and build rapport with a target audience. You can connect with your audience more effectively if you understand something about how people process information, and how they think.
How You Can Proofread Your Own Work
Putting out a high quality product is a given these days. With all the competition out there, you have to look great in every aspect. So proofreading all copy is extremely important and here are some tips to help you to proofread your own work after you've finished editing it:
Creative Copywriting?
There is a difference between creative writing and copywriting. It took me a while to come to terms with this but it's true, there is a difference. When I first started my home based business on the Internet I read a lot of advice about publishing articles and doing copywriting to advertise your website. There was always a distinction drawn between copywriting and creative writing. I did not understand this: surely copywriting is creative? Eventually the logic dawned on me: all ...
Promote Your Business and Get Paid for Doing It!
How can you gain credibility and exposure for you and your business, reach a motivated audience, develop a far-flung network, hone your presentation skills -- and get paid to do it?
Writing Great Website Sales Copy
Many small businesses fail because their owners don't pay enough attention to marketing and sales. Part of the effectiveness of a marketing effort is directly related to the sales copy you produce. This is especially true on websites. Sales copy is the words you use to convince prospective customers to buy from you.
How To Get Started With A Career In Copywriting
Careers in copywriting are booming. Could it be that the new and ever growing market on the Internet has helped to fuel this demand? You can bet your sweet keyword that it has! With so many businesses looking to the internet for their freelance copywriters the demand for employees keeps growing. Likewise, careers in copy writing are being filled more and more with freelance or independent workers. Even those who work right from their home are jumping onto the bandwagon. But, ...
Copywriting: Secrets of a Freelancer
Lately, I've been getting emails from other copywriters who ask me questions like "What's your secret?" and "How did you do it?" and "Can I be your apprentice?"
SEO Copywriting: 7 Tips
So you finally built a website for your home-based business. How exciting is that!? Now you just have to let people know you're out there. The best method is to use an SEO copywriting strategy, which optimizes your web content using popular keywords.
Copywriter Rates, Getting The Facts Beforehand
Have you ever had the experience of hiring a freelance copy writer only to find that the project takes longer than expected, or that the fees they offered are ‘flexible’ in the wrong way for you to benefit. There is no doubt that copywriter rates differ greatly from one to another. There is very little in the way of a standard rate especially when you are dealing with clients through the Internet. To ensure you don’t get taken for a ride, you need to get your copywriter rates set and keep ...
How To Make A Career Out Of Copyediting And Proofreading
Do you possess the qualities of a good proof reader? Are you good with details, spotting errors in spelling, grammar, and the flow of a piece and putting together quality work? If so, you may be able to make a career out of copyediting or proofreading. For those looking to get in to this field of copywriting, they may be stuck looking in if they do not know where or how to get established. So, is there a tried and tested method for getting your foot in the door? No matter how much any ...
Getting Over Copy Shock
A few weeks ago I wrote some copy for a business owner "Marvin." My copy was hard-hitting but honest and down-to-earth. He's really good in his field, so coming up with benefits was easy. What wasn't easy was convincing him to run with the copy on his duller-than-dust website.
2 Ways to Really Connect With Your Customer in Your Copywriting
One of the least talked-about areas in copywriting education is voice. This is probably because it’s tough to set general rules for something that’s so personal to each of us. After all, the same things go into building your copywriting voice that go into making you who you are!
A Copywriter's Rant: Either You Get it, Or You Don't
Today I am having a rant inside of my own head. Woo hoo, the copywriter is losing it again! Maybe.
Why Is FREE The Most Powerful Marketing Word You Can Use?
As the famous cowboy Will Rogers once said, "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there".
Subtle Emotion The Key To Copy That Works
Say the word "emotion" to a man, and he'll immediately jump out of his seat and run from the room! Utter the word "emotion" to a woman, and she begins to conjure up thoughts of romantic, long talks centered around feelings. However, speak the word "emotion" to a copywriter and s/he should see dollar signs. Why? Because a good command of subtle emotion is the key to copy that works.
Why Is FREE The Most Powerful Marketing Word You Can Use?
As the famous cowboy Will Rogers once said, "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there".
Copywriting Makeover: Search Engine Friendly Can Also Mean Visitor Friendly
When it comes to search engine optimization, copywriting plays a big role. You want to have excellent copy that appeals to both your visitors and the engines in order to create pages that will rank highly. However, sometimes there can be potential problems with fitting copy into certain types of sites. Due to space constraints, page layout requirements or other issues, some site owners hesitate to include SEO copy thinking it will detract from the visitor's experience. It won't ...
To Start Making Cash from Your Online Writing, You Must Draw Blood First
Writers write just like painters, paint on canvas. This is one of the reasons why it is important that you launch your writing career by getting some freelance writing work that you can get paid for doing.
How Not to Write a Press Release
Several years ago, when I was working for an agency, I was fired from an account. What that means is the client didn’t want me writing for him anymore.
3 Tips For Writing Better Headlines
The single most important element of your website's copy is the headline. Take away practically everything else and you can still manage a sale (if the headline's good enough and you have a strong enough call to action). But take away the headline and your chances for any success are about zero.
So You've Decided to Hire a Freelance Copywriter A Guide to the Collaboration Process
Whether you're an executive or a small business owner, chances are you will have to hire a writer somewhere along the line to create your marketing material. Here is some insight into the process, what is expected of you, and how to get the most out of your investment.
Freelancers Can Jump Start Your Publicity Initiative
If you find that your progress is blocked by a lack of time or experience, consider hiring a freelancer to jumpstart your project.
Freelance Writing As A Career
Most people would love to make a living from freelance writing. If you tell people that you are a freelance writer, chances are that they will respond by telling you about their own desire to be a freelance writer. People often imagine that working as a freelance writer is some glamorous affair involving interviewing celebrities and writing up reviews on luxury items. The reality is that making money from freelance writing is far removed from the idealistic picture that many people ...
It's Time To Start That Swipe File
Just as great fiction is an art, so is great copywriting. Beneath the art, however, there's a foundation of basic knowledge and skills. The craft that goes into your writing.
How To Become Qualified As A Proofreader
The field of proofreading is not as easy to get into as you might think. In fact, there are many proof reading qualifications that you must possess in order to qualify. While these qualifications change from company to company, the over all concepts are the same throughout. Unless you can prove your worth and be able to do the job, you will not have the proof reading qualifications that are necessary. To get these, you must dedicate yourself to the cause.