OK, I’ll admit it. Even though I am a freelance copywriter I do sometimes get rather carried away with my writing. Sometimes, when the ideas are flowing freely I have to remind myself that I am writing sales copy, not the next best seller.

It is very tempting to go overboard – somewhere deep down there is a Pulitzer Prize novelist trying to escape.

So how do I stop myself?

By remembering why I am writing.

Every piece of copywriting is designed to help someone’s problem. They are hurting and they need you to make it better for them – just like our mums did when we were young. Who was it we turned to when we fell over and cut our knee?

Exactly, good old mum. She was always there with a few kind words, some cotton wool, disinfectant and a kiss. And it was always the kiss that made it better.

So that is all I need to remember to keep my writing on track – I am writing about the mother’s kiss they want to take their pain away.

But what happens when the reader doesn’t realise they have a pain anymore? Can writing about the solution to a problem they don’t realise they have work?

Absolutely.

We are all guilty of burying our heads in the sand at times. So I just have to remind them, loudly, about the problem they have – do they have enough life insurance? What will happen to their family when they are gone? Is there sufficient insurance to clear the mortgage, pay the university fees, cover the monthly bills etc?

It can at times feel like you are wielding a sledge hammer, but if that’s what it takes, do it.

As a UK Freelance Copywriter, Sally Ormond (Briar Copywriting) can provide you with a range of UK copywriting services.

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Voted As One of The Top 100 Freelance Blogs

Fantastic news! Freelance Copywriters Blog has been voted by oDesk as one of the top 100 freelance blogs
and in the top 4 freelance copywriting and marketing blogs:

Freelance Copywriters Blog Freelance copywriter Sally Ormond’s tips for freelancing, such as these “10 Tips for Dynamite Copy,” are exceptionally helpful for contract writers and marketers alike.

Thank you so much – and keep this blog bookmarked, there are plenty more hints and tips on their way.

Sally Ormond is a UK Freelance Copywriter offering a range of  Copywriting Services to businesses and individuals.

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When working with clients, I like to get up close and personal.

Not in that way!

By that I mean I like to be part of the whole process. I want to understand what they are doing, why they are doing it that way, who they are targeting and why. Only by having access to that type of information can our relationship be truly effective.

Think for a moment – picture a scenario in which you run a busy kitchen. Business is booming and you need to bring in a new chef. On Thursday evening he arrives all ready to work. But rather than discuss with you how the kitchen works, what is on the menu etc., he goes off and does his own thing – the result? CHAOS.

In the freelance copywriting world your ingredients for a successful direct marketing campaign are:

A great list

A fantastic offer

Superbly crafted copy

Now if you come to the party without having any input into the first two requirements, the likelihood of the campaign being successful is low.

If the list is wrong, old or a bit dusty you probably won’t be targeting the right people so the campaign will fail.

If the marketing department of your client put the offer together in a rush or without really thinking through what is important, the campaign will fail.

If you write the greatest copy ever seen but the list is wrong or the offer is poor, the campaign will fail.

So what it comes down to is this, no matter how great your copywriting, if you don’t have input into all aspects of the campaign, you are running the risk of it going Pete Tong.

To maximise your chances of success – get access to the list, work with the marketing team to ensure the offer is top notch, write fabulous copy and finally stick around and find out what happens.

If the return is not as expect, find out why. Work with your client, review the whole process and find the weak link. Direct mail campaigns are not guaranteed and there can be a lot of factors that will affect the outcome (your target audience, your tone, the time the campaign was sent out, how it was sent out, what your client was looking to achieve…)

Clients remember – a freelance copywriter should always be seen as an extension to your team not an optional extra. Use their knowledge and experience to give your campaign the best possible chance for success.

Follow this link for more details on Briar Copywriting ’s UK copywriting services

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Last night I gave a talk on copywriting and the 5 Simple Steps to Sensational Marketing to my local WIRE networking group in Bury St Edmunds.

During the talk I mentioned how important it is to get your website optimised and the content written so that it not only attracts traffic to your site, but keeps them there and sells to them. Believe me, that’s no mean feat but it is possible with well written and powerful website copy.

It is becoming more and more apparent that Google is taking over from the Yellow Pages, the Phonebook and local papers. Soon everyone will be searching for what they need through Google so it is vital that your website content is effective, powerful and persuasive.

Take a look at your website now – does it talk to your customer? Is it easy to read? Is there plenty of white space, headings and keywords?

Now would be a great time to revise your copy – if you are unsure of what needs doing call in a website copywriter. The investment will be well worth it because a well written site (SEO’d to the max) will get you great Google rankings and plenty of extra business.

That can’t be bad.

.

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Freelance copywriting is what makes sales literature and websites make the reader take action. So all those brochures, websites and emails you receive would (probably) have been written by a freelance copywriter.

They really are the secret weapon of marketeers. You see it is their creativity that makes an advertisement memorable or a website readable.

Watch this short video so get an essence of what a freelance copywriter could do for your business.

Freelance Copywriter – Briar Copywriting on YouTube

If you like it click on the link above and rate it on YouTube or share it with the link below.

As you can see, it will also remain embedded in the sidebar of my blog so you can watch it anytime.

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If a freelance copywriter is to build rapport, create a bond and be interesting all at the same time, they have to be positive.

There is no bigger turn-off in the land of sales writing that a piece that starts of being negative.

Would you want to read a letter that was constantly negative?

No.

That is why copywriters will always (wherever possible) try and keep their readers happy by offering them good news and happy endings; they keep their writing positive.

By steering away from negative words and phrases your copywriting will automatically take on a positive feel. It’s not exactly rocket science.

To illustrate this point, I have listed below a few negative phrases that you may have come across and their positive equivalents:

Negative                                                         Positive

Don’t delay                                                      Hurry

Don’t forget                                                     Remember

Your money back if you’re not satisfied         Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back

There’s never a better time to…                     Now is the ideal time to…

I’m sure you’ll agree it makes quite a difference.

So remember, stay positive and be happy.

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The title of this blog probably needs a bit of explanation before I am ‘virtually’ pelted with stones by the world’s copywriting population.

I don’t mean to infer that every freelance copywriter (or in-house copywriter) is aesthetically challenged. But rather that they understand the value of plain talking.

More often than not, as people grow and mature, they like to try to sound clever by using big words; words that make them feel intelligent. That’s all well and good and our school teachers were always pushing us to extend our vocabularies, but when it comes to copywriting you should resist the temptation.

In sales writing you are trying to connect with your reader therefore a great place to start is using basic, simple and clear language.

Here is a list of 10 words that you might be tempted to use and their simplistic counterparts:

Disseminate                            Spread

Residence                               House

Procrastinate                           Delay

Grandiose                                Showy

Innumerable                            Lots

Investigate                              Look at

Prevent                                    Stop

Construct                                 Make

Implement                               Carry out

Obtain                                     Get

This should be applied to any sales writing, whatever tone or voice you are using. Even the most powerful business people on earth are human and would much rather read something simple than waste their time having to look up the meaning of every second word.

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What do I mean by keeping your copywriting active? Well, I don’t mean filling it with adjectives which simply increase your word count without actually adding any value.

Still not sure?

Think back to the best years of your life – your school days (well, apparently they were the best years of your life, although I’m not entirely sure that applies to every single year of my academic youth). What did your English teacher constantly bang on about?

“Verbs are ‘doing’ words”

Like a stick of rock, if you cut open a copywriter (not that I am suggesting for one second that you should) those words will go right the way through them.

Just as they were in fiction, verbs are important in your sales writing. They drive your writing; they make it active and vigorous. Copywriters love verbs.

But there is a tendency in some in-house copy to turn perfectly good verbs into nouns.

I think an illustration is required:

Nouns

“Our specialization is the provision of high quality IT solutions“ (10 words, 55 characters)

Verbs

“We specialize in solving IT problems” (6 words, 31 characters)

I think that speaks for itself. So remember keep your copywriting active – it will have a much greater impact.

Sally Ormond

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Q: What is the one thing that freelance copywriters are always asked for?

A: Snappy copy.

Ask your client exactly what they mean by ‘snappy copy’ and the response is usually:

“Erm…you know…snappy…punchy…that sort of thing.”

Very insightful.

In order for a copywriter to create powerful copy, they need to utilise power words. These are very basic, simple words that don’t require defining or explaining. Your reader should be able to connect with them immediately.

You want to see some examples? OK. Power words are things such as:

• Love
• Hate
• Cash
• Care
• Best
• Crash
• Worst
• Win
• Lose
• Huge
• Risk
• Fizz

Once a copywriter has created a first draft, their next job is to read through the copy and clear out all the flabby worn-out words and replace them with something more powerful. Of course, the choice of words is going to depend on what you are writing and who you are writing for.

If you are still unsure of what I am getting at, I have listed below some worn-out words and given a powerful alternative.

Worn-out                                                                   Powerful alternative

Cost-effective                                                             Cheap

Impact negatively                                                       Hurt

Optimal                                                                       Best

Upgrade                                                                      Boost

See how much ‘snappier’ the power words are? They will give you copy far more impact.

Sally Ormond

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Are you guilty of filling your sales and advertising writing with jargon?

Come on, be honest. It is a very easy trap to fall into. After all, you speak it every day to colleagues so it becomes part of your natural vocabulary.

But guess what? It’s a real turn-off for those not ‘in the know’.

If you want people to read your articles, websites and sales literature with interest, you have to write clearly.

I have put together a Hubpage on this particular subject so follow this link to read about how copywriters don’t do jargon.

Merry Christmas.

Sally

Briar Copywriting – Freelance Copywriter

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