Are you alone? (Look around, quickly – check) Coast clear? Good – I want you to do something for me. I want you to…(WAIT FOR IT!)…… Pretend to be a chicken. Don’t look at me like that. I mean it! I want you to unleash your inner thespian, and assume the guise of nature’s yummiest [...]
I expected a bloodbath. Swift and brutal retribution. But so far? Nothing. It beggars belief. You remember last time, right? I mentioned this veteran copywriter who went off script, claiming short copy will get you more biz than the long stuff. (Hogwash and sacrilege!) Well I thought by now, we copy bods would have exacted [...]
Every tribe…community….collective…has its sacred law. An unbreakable code of conduct – or an oath, sworn by every member. For magicians, it’s “Never share your secrets”. In business networks, “Refer other members”. For hairy bikers, “Don’t steal another dude’s gal while he’s getting a buttock tattoo”. (Probably) And for copywriters? The eternal truth: “The more you [...]
Chimpanzees can talk, you know. Well, up to a point. Back in the 70s, researchers taught a chimp called Nim to communicate. Giving him a row of buttons, labelled with signs representing all his favourite things. He learned hundreds of signs. Pushing the buttons whenever he wanted something. Okay, he was never going to win [...]
I hate people using my name. Hate it with a passion. Or rather…I hate people overusing it. (Do you know what I mean? Or is it just me? Am I crazy?) Maybe it harks back to childhood? Because back then, when you heard your name on the lips of an adult, you knew trouble was a-comin’. A [...]
Here’s a tricky question from Sandra, for a sunny Q&A Tuesday: “Hi James – how do you know when your copy is good to go, so you can stop editing and get it out the soddin’ door?” Hmm. Sandra might be asking the wrong guy. OCD types like me edit way more than we should! [...]
It’s Q&A Tuesday again – and here’s a question from Darren: “James, I run a collections agency – we help our clients to get paid. I want to send regular emails, but in my industry there’s not much to talk about. Any advice?” This is a common mistake: thinking you’ve got a small set [...]
I can’t be sure. But I think this will be my most popular post this year. Because of that headline: The Ancient Chinese Copywriting Secret! I’ll explain why in a mo. But first, a bit of a story… A while back, I wrote some copy for a company selling medical devices. At the time, their [...]
Tis Q&A Tuesday, and we’ve got a question from Phillip: “James, people keep talking about polarisation. I’m not comfortable courting controversy and alienating potential customers, but I don’t want to be boring either. What do you suggest?” Well, as someone who’s more squirrel than shark, I get you. But you don’t have to beat your [...]
It’s Q&A Tuesday. So here’s a video to answer a question from Ben: “Once you have identified the avatar of the ideal customer, how do you get into their mindset and begin preparing copy and the angle for them? How do you avoid writing it from your point of view and write it from theirs instead?” [...]
