Blog | Copywriting Is Art

Terrible Advice For Freelancers

Post author By admin
Post date 13/03/2015

“Have your say!” seems to be all I hear these days. I can’t so much as watch a TV programme without being invited to “join the conversation!” or “get involved on social media!” In some respects, an egalitarian society where anyone with a blog and an idea can be heard is a good thing. In others, it is not.

It feels like everyone, everywhere is now in the business of sharing advice for freelancers and would be entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, as well as individuals with a great message and some top advice for freelancers, that also includes people who have never even started a freelance business.

Tags advice for freelancers, freelancing

Freelancing

Are Copywriting Awards Important?

Post author By admin
Post date 11/02/2015

I’ve been asked plenty of times, by both prospective clients and other copywriters, what I think about awards for copywriting.

Honestly, they’re something that I never gave any thought to at all for a long time. When you’re a junior copywriter, you’re more concerned with paying your bills than winning awards.

These days, when I think about entering to win a Yellow Pencil Award or the like, I end up thinking about Leonardo DiCaprio…

Tags freelancer awards, leonardo dicaprio, oscars

Copywriting Design Freelancing

Why Fiverr is NOT killing the design/copywriting industry

Post author By admin
Post date 19/08/2014

“Design can be art. Design can be aesthetics. Design is so simple, that’s why it is so complicated.”
– Paul Rand

First of all, let me make something clear. I DON’T think Fiverr is the devil. A service can’t be successful without the presence of supply and demand, and it’s pretty clear that Fiverr has both. Payday loans companies and services like Fiverr provide a service that people want and, however that sits with your own ethical views, you can’t blame them for that.

Tags cheap copywriting, design, fiverr, freelancing, graphic design

Freelancing Marketing Software

AB testing (without the B)

Post author By admin
Post date 18/08/2014

Whether you’re working on something as a freelancer or building a website/project of your own, I can’t overstate the usefulness of AB testing. If nothing else, knowing about split testing means that when your boss comes out with this…

ab testing against your boss

…you can test it against your own idea and, God willing, prove that you’re right. If you’re currently asking yourself the question ‘what is AB testing?’, Optimizely has a nice breakdown here. Once you’re up to speed, come back and I’ll tell you why AB testing without the B can still be useful.

Tags A/B testing, peek, split testing, user testing

Freelancing

Five reasons not to be a ‘we’

Post author By admin
Post date 15/08/2014

It’s a question as old as time:

Should freelancers try to look bigger than they actually are?

No, I’m not talking about platform shoes. I’m referring to the debate about whether freelancers should refer to themselves as an ‘I’ or a ‘we’.

When I first started out, I went down the ‘we’ route. There may even be a couple of them still lurking on older pages…But since then, I’ve switched to being an ‘I’.

vanellope wreck it ralph royal we

Of course, there’s no right or wrong answer. Mind you, that didn’t stop me thinking long and hard about it before I made the switch. Here are five of the reasons I came up with not to be a ‘we’:

Tags best freelance websites, copywriting, freelancers, startups

Copywriting Technology

Why developers need copywriters (or to think like one)

Post author By admin
Post date 05/06/2014

This morning I woke up to a text from a developer friend asking whether, as a copywriter, I thought the slide below was sexist or just crass. You’ll find my answer a little later in this blog post, but it encapsulates a problem that I’ve been trying to put into words for a while now –

A lot* of developers and entrepreneurs etc have a problem with semantics.

* But not all of them. See later in this post.

Tags copywriters, developers, semantics, technology, women in tech

Blogging

Why no-one’s reading your company blog…

Post author By admin
Post date 15/11/2013

Ok, apologies for that linkbait title. First of all, I’m sure there are people reading your blog…just not as many as you want, right? Second of all, the advice in this post doesn’t just apply to business blogs; it’s also just as relevant to personal blogs, whether they’re about tech, fashion, parenting, film or…you get the picture.

The biggest problem with blogging and online journalism is that it’s often motivated by greed; whether it be a desire to generate advertising money (online mags), hits (company blogs) or freebies (tech and fashion blogs), the line between blogging and blagging is a fine one. When people blog for selfish reasons, it always comes across that to readers; posts don’t add value, so they leave and they don’t come back!

Tags blogging, company blog, disruption, fashion blogging, innovation, online journalism, PR, tone, voice, writing

Uncategorized

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Post author By admin
Post date 14/10/2013

original_when-i-grow-up-baby-grow

Sports star. Pilot. Scientist. Lawyer. Astronaut. According to a survey conducted last year, these are a few of the jobs that children most covet when they’re growing up. With the exception of lawyer (and perhaps scientist), these dream jobs are pretty unrealistic for all but a lucky few. Despite this, children earnestly believe that their ambitions are not only achievable, but inevitable. For many, that belief sticks with us for a long time. Sure, the career path might change a bit, but we tend to believe that if we try hard at school and go to University then our dreams will come true.

At the age of twenty five I sometimes feel burnt out, like I’ve stopped dreaming. And I’m not alone in this — it’s a running joke that most young people who live in London work too hard, have zero disposable income and will be sharing flats with strangers long into their 30s. Worse still, it’s a joke that they will tell you when you talk to them, as if they’ve simply accepted a lifetime of unfulfillment.

Tags apprenticeships, business, careers, dream jobs, employment, internships, small business, SME, unemployment, youth