7 Wonderful Ways a Copywriter Can Help You

This month I’ve been working with the very helpful AB Marketing services and have written a guest-post for their website.

After you’ve read the post, then take a look at the services they offer – very comprehensive and great quality for small business owners.

And in case you missed it on my other links, you can find my guest blog “7 Wonderful Ways a Copywriter can Help you” just here.

Enjoy!

My secret tip for incredible writing

Do you want to know a secret writing tip? It has the potential to change the way you write forever.

Imagine – emails you knew would hit the sweet spot with your reader. Blogs you were proud to say were yours. Web-page updates that made your mouth water because they read so well. OK, I’m not going to turn you into Roald Dahl or David Ogilvy. But I can help make your writing more effective. For this you need only a few spoonfuls of… …wait for it… …I’ll whisper it for you….

… patience.

“Is that it?” You frown, “my mother told me that 28 years ago and she’s still telling me now.” Well, perhaps she has a point. You see, patience is the secret tip that has the power to turn you into an effective writer. Let’s break it down a bit.

Patience in planning.

Nothing good ever happened that wasn’t well planned. Think big holidays, home renovations, Sunday lunches. It’s all the same. Take time over the planning (and that’s generally who, what, where, when, why & how) and you’ll find your writing takes a more pleasing shape more quickly, when you get started.

Patience when perfecting.

There are people who can write an article in record time and send off the first draft without a single negative consequence. These people are experienced, lucky or have patient colleagues. Be confident and take your time when rewriting. Check against your planning notes. Is your writing delivering against the objectives you set yourself? If not then take a red pen and start reshaping things. Compare your first draft to the first pancake you make when cooking up a batch of pancakes. A bit disappointing, not the right texture, not the right shape (or is this just me?). Learn from it – and by the time you are on draft 2 or 3, you’ll be closer to something that resembles the piece you intended at the outset.

Patience before posting.

Never hit the “send” or “publish” button the instant you’ve finished your work. You need to wait a decent amount of time. And 10 minutes is sadly not enough. You need distance; you need to leave your work, go away, do something different. A good night’s sleep would be ideal (the saying “sleep on it” was invented for a reason). But how about running that errand at the shops, playing with your kids, making your lunch? Just distract yourself & clear your mind. Look at things after some time off and you’ll see your work with fresh eyes. You’ll spot silly typos. You’ll howl at the grammatical errors you didn’t clock before. And you’ll question the wisdom of including that particular anecdote about your Gran and the Jack Russell. And then you tweak, re-word and send with confidence.

Good Writing Takes Patience

Patience is so often underrated, but is an essential ingredient in creating copy that reads as well as you want it to. Start with a sprinkling of patience, and see where it takes you. Let me know – is fast and furious the only way, and do you violently disagree with my secret writing tip?Tell me in the comments section. Thanks!

Photo credits:

CEBImagery.com via Foter.com / CC BY-NC

Colourful.Threads via Foter.com / CC BY

Sky Noir via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

5 Ways to Email Like a Ninja

It’s quite likely that emailing is a huge part of your working life. And hallelujah to that. So the chances are you’ve become something of an email ninja, powering through dozens of emails and making the most of this technological gift. Emails speed things up, save wasteful paper trails, and mean we don’t have to to rely upon the postman, or even worse; actually talking to each other – perfect for introverts, the busy and anyone avoiding confrontation…

But every silver lining has a cloud lurking above it. And don’t we know it? The rage, the irritation, the relentless back-and-forth that emails regularly cause are the stuff of workplace legend. But a true email ninja doesn’t let this bother them, and they certainly don’t inflict email pain on others.

Want to know how to email like a Ninja? Here are 5 tips to get you started

1. The Email Ninja Understands the Reader.

There’s a time & a place for smiley faces and kisses, (in emails to your sister, your friends and contacts you’ve had forever, in case you were wondering), and if you don’t know the recipient then they play it safe.

Doing a bit of reader research is wise if your email is important (and why would you send an email that wasn’t important?). Take some time to understand if your recipient is a decision-maker or if they have to influence someone else. Make the reader’s job easy and let them know what you want them to do with bold and simple call to actions.

2. The Email Ninja is Always Well-Mannered.

Manners cost nothing. Emails are about building a relationship and getting a job done, so consider the social graces you’d use when building a face-to-face relationship, and apply them in your digital communications.

Directness can come across as being gruff and rude, and will do nothing to help your cause. Consider also that over-use of good manners can appear fawning and make you look like a walk-over, or even worse, insincere.

So remember your manners, but don’t overdo it – simple salutations, polite farewells and the regulation please and thank-yous should do the job.

3. The Email Ninja Embraces White Space.

White space has magical properties.

Honestly it does.

Add in some paragraphs and bullet points and see your writing come to life. A block of solid text causes snowblindness and slows your reader down. Careful punctuation, spacing and paragraphing will help you make your point, “manage” your reader, and get your point across.

See? Magic.

4. The Email Ninja Doesn’t Abbreviate.

Thx, Pls, BR, comms; abbreviations may be standard within certain businesses but are often needless. It’s often a habit, but try to make the effort to use the full word or term – that way  you can be certain your recipient will understand what you’re talking about. For instance – I use the term “CTA” to denote “Call to Action”. A quick Google reveals that “CTA” can also be used to refer to Chartered Tax Advisers, Celebrity Talent Academy, and the Chicago Transit Authority. How could I be certain that my email recipient would know which “CTA” I was referring to?

Don’t assume that others will understand your abbreviations. At the best you will make them feel as if you are on different wavelengths, at worst you could be working on something entirely different and not know it until far too late.

5. The Email Ninja Understands the Limitations of Email.

Emails are great, but aren’t fail-safe. Phone calls, video-conferences, actual face-to-face meetings … the personal touch will nearly always result in a better outcome. An email may seem like the faster/clearer/less controversial route, but who hasn’t been involved in a hugely confusing email chain that goes on and on? Pick up the phone, meet for a coffee, use the breadth of communication tools available to best effect. In business as in nature, it’s the ability to adapt that allows us to thrive.

Be an Email Ninja

The Email Ninja makes the most of the tools available and uses them to their best effect, but most importantly, they don’t rely upon a single medium. It’s often when using a new technique or unusual method that we reap the best results – so the Email Ninja will mix things up a bit and use more than just email.

Use your emails skilfully and at the right time and place. Then you’ll gain your place as an Email Ninja.

The Email Ninja is always willing to learn. What are your tips for emailing like a Ninja? Let me know by posting a comment.

Gifts for the Wordsmith in your Life

This isn’t a wishlist for myself, more an inspiration for anyone that wants to buy for a writer – enthusiastic or otherwise. But if anyone wants to buy me something from this list, I won’t be complaining…

A Decent Thesaurus

There is only so far anyone can go with search engines and the Microsoft thesaurus function. A good thesaurus will add elegance to writing, and help prevent repetition. To be used with caution of course – complex and uncommon language will curry little favour with most readers. The Penguin Reference Roget Thesaurus would be my choice – the paperback version retails at £10.99.

Good Pencils

Needing less pressure than the ubiquitous Biro (less chance of writer’s cramp), pencils are pleasingly low-tech and make a nice little stockingfiller to be used for pensive planning or frantic draft-writing. These little beauties from Faber-Castell (the 9000 Perfect Pencil) are the complete package, including rubber, sharpener and a pencil extender and would please anyone needing to take notes in style.

Paper

And what a shame to give pencils without paper. The classic choice would be a Moleskine, but a stylish Paperblanks book would be sure to please as well. Don’t overlook a more sizeable pad – A4 is the ideal size for capturing ideas that won’t stop coming. The fundamentals? Smooth paper that doesn’t show the writing on the other side of the page, and bear in mind that a thinner book with a slim spine is so much more comfortable to write upon.

Food for the Soul

On some days inspiration is scarce. A book of quotes, speeches or facts would be just the thing to kickstart a stodgy mind. I particularly like the visual style of David McCandless’s “Information is Beautiful“.

Balm for the Mind

If stodginess is the least of your problems, there is certainly such a thing as too much caffeine. Clear a racing mind and think more clearly with a soothing and stimulating infusion. Teapigs do some lovely combinations, other brands are certainly available as well.

Linguistic Fundamentalism

Should you split your infinitives?  Hyphenate or not? And what about that apostrophe? The English language is a minefield, and because your writer is exactly that (a writer) and not a professor of English, it’s helpful to have a handy reference for those moments of doubt. The classic “Eats, Shoots and Leaves” by Lynn Truss is a good starter for ten. There are plenty of other books to choose from. Tip – make sure your recipient would appreciate such a gift, otherwise you may well offend… don’t say I didn’t warn you.

For Very Good Days, and Very Bad Days

Whatever their poison, your writer friend will have days to celebrate, and days to forget. Give them a multi-tasking gift they can celebrate with, or commiserate with. Incredible chocolate, uber-posh gin or indulgent bath salts (maybe this is my wishlist after all…). If you ask nicely, they might share.

 

 

Note: no commissions or payments were taken in the writing of this wishlist.