Recently emailed a copywriter? Five Easy Ways to Make it to their 'Bin'

Get in the bin! No, really. That’s where you (or rather, your email) will be heading if you commit one of the following ‘crimes’ when you email your chosen copywriter about the possibility of working together.

Start the Email with ‘Greetings!’

Show me a genuine email that starts with ‘Greetings’ and I’ll show you 1,0235 emails that aren’t. What is it about spam messages?! They literally all start with something wildly ‘olde English’ like ‘Greetings’.

Your email provider is probably so used to this keyword that the email in question will almost always end up in your ‘Spam’ folder anyway, but if not, you’ll probably veto it yourself and send it to ‘Trash’.

So, if you’re a bonafide copywriting client that starts emails with ‘Greetings’, perhaps you need to rethink your strategy.

Tell Us Your ‘Usual Copywriter is Busy’.

Now, come on folks…the first (unspoken) rule of buttering someone up to work with with you is to flatter them.

We don’t expect you to tell us you’ve been a ardent admirer of our work for decades (well, you can if you want) but we don’t want to know that you’re only getting in touch because your go-to copywriter is otherwise engaged.

Make us feel special, yo. Please.

Sob.

Ask Us to Do it Cheaper

No. Just no.

Copywriters (and indeed all other professionals) charge thus because they believe their service is more than worth the price.

Want it cheaper? Find someone else.

Tell Us You’ve Used 3 Copywriters and ‘No One Gets It’.

It’s not me (or rather, them)…it’s you.

Sure, one copywriter might not understand your brief. Two might fall short when it comes to meeting your objectives…but three, or more? It’s probably time to reassess how you brief your copywriter.

We copywriters are friendly folks; we’ll work with you and not against you, in order to ensure you get the perfect prose you’re after - but we aren’t mind readers and we do appreciate something of a steer from you too.

The client/copywriter relationship works both ways. Help us do good work and…well…we’ll do good work.

Send a ‘Round Robin’ Message

Again, we just want to feel special*, so allow us to feel that way.

If your email starts with ‘Hi there’ - and you’ve accidently forgotten to blind copy the other copywriters you’ve messaged, the chances are we’ll simply feel like nothing more than a money-saving exercise.

Sure, you have a budget and you also want to find the best copywriter for you - but pitting freelancers up against each other may rile some of the more sensitive amongst us.

Again, you don’t have to go overboard with the compliments (although, please feel free to do so - a spot of flattery will get you everywhere), but it is nice when would-be clients let us know we’ve been plucked from a sea of copywriters as a stand-out candidate for your project. In fact, it’s blimming brilliant.

*gets out tiny violin for one’s self

Want to work together? Say hello here - and, please, tell me you like my blouse or whatnot.

Until next time…

Why use a freelance copywriter?

Copywriting? ‘Pah, I can do that myself!'

After all, it’s just putting pen to paper, ain’t it? Or fingers to keyboard?

Well, yes and no.

Anyone can write - it’s one of the first things we learn to do at school - but not everyone can write well. Or rather, write to sell.

It’s even harder when what you’re selling is yourself (not like that, folks - get your mind out of the gutter). Or your brand. If you’ve ever tried to write your CV (and I’m guessing most of you have needed to, at some point), you’ll know exactly what I mean.

Self-promotion is something our American cousins are pros at. Not us Brits, though. We’re rubbish at taking compliments and equally rubbish when it comes to shouting about ourselves and our achievements.

I’m a copywriter, as you know, but I even toyed with the idea of asking a fellow writer to pen my website’s ‘about’ page. Yes, really.

The thing is, writing about yourself is hard; we all know what we want to say, but knowing what our customers want us to say (or even our prospective boss, when writing that CV) is another thing entirely.

• ‘Do I sound like a big-headed know-it-all?’

• ‘Am I shouting about my achievements enough?’

• ‘Am I rambling?’

• ‘Do they really need to know this?’

• ‘Will telling them about X, Y or Z alienate them - or will they lap it up?’

• ‘Does anyone even read website pages these days?!’

How many of the above questions have you asked yourself when pulling together your own website content? If the answer’s one or more, you’ll benefit from using a freelance copywriter.

After all, we’ve been helping people like you stand out online for years - and because we do this every day, we know the kind of things people want to know when they visit your site. We also understand Google and its algorithms to ensure your website gets found in the first instance - and once people are on your site, you’ll want to keep them there longer. That comes down to what you write.

That said, we totally get it if you want to write your own website content; no one knows your business quite like you do.

So, perhaps you’d prefer to hire a freelance copywriter to look over what you’ve done, suggest some edits and give you the reassurance that what you’ve put together will pull in the punters.

I like to work with my clients, not on behalf of them. It’s a lovely, collaborative process, which means if you want to take the reins and write the content, that’s great. You can use a freelance copywriter like me to whip it into shape, if it needs it, or for an extra - and fresh - pair of eyes.

Similarly, if you feel your content would benefit from a complete overhaul, I’m your gal - get in touch via the link above and let’s see how we can work together - and don’t forget to take a look at this blog post, which goes into a little more detail about hiring a UK freelance copywriter.

Until next time…

Guest Blog Post: Famous Copywriters - and Why They're Great

When I was starting out as a writer, I was fortunate to have some great mentors who encouraged me along the way. The first was the news editor at the local newspaper I worked on; the second was the director of a former Leeds advertising agency.

I was treated to such a positive start to copywriting that I’m glad to be able to offer some help to would-be copywriters. So, when Douglas P Thorne got in touch, asking me if I’d be his mentor, I was happy to assist. Douglas was keen to write a blog post for my site and this is what he has come up with.

I’m impressed. I’m sure you’ll find it an interesting read, too. Take it away, Douglas…

“Free mentors…get your free mentors here!”

I mean…a lot of them aren’t around anymore, but let me explain. 

If copywriting were a religion, you better believe I’d be worshiping the copywriting gods. Ogilvy, Coleman, Blume…do those names ring any bells? If you’re not familiar with these legends, let me learn ya somethin’; these are the people that have created the commandments of copywriting you can use to succeed.

By studying the greats in this business, you can cut the learning curve in half and start raking in profits faster (and prove all your haters wrong).

Whether you’re just starting out or you have some experience under your belt, one thing rings true: if you wanna be the best, you better study the best. Let’s learn about the top five copywriters that people pay big bucks to study in ad school.

  David Ogilvy

“Don't bunt. Aim out of the ball park. Aim for the company of immortals.” 

David Ogilvy lived between 1911and1999 and is considered the father of advertising.
Everything that you need to know about connecting to the audience you’re selling to can be found in Ogilvy’s philosophies. His take on human behavior, consumer thinking, and product presentation revolutionized the way companies advertise.

Ogilvy on Advertising is a fantastic resource to utilize in your journey as a copywriter. Dove, Rolls Royce, Sears, and many other huge companies owe their success to this man.

Joseph Sugarman

“It's not whether you win or lose in life that's important but whether you play the game. Lose enough and eventually you will win. It's only a matter of time.”

Joseph was born in 1938 and is still alive today. My favorite philosophy of his is that the greatest writers are the greatest editors.

For him, it’s about writing your first draft, fixing it, and repeating the process until your copy is refined and
effective.  Joseph believes that in order to be a successful copywriter, you have to become an expert on what you’re trying to sell. Once you have every detail on the product, you can better connect to your audience.

His book, The Adweek Copywriting Handbook, is a must-read for any aspiring or expert copywriter.

Gary Halpert

“Get yourself a collection of good ads and DM pieces and read them aloud and copy them in your own handwriting.”

Gary Halbert was born in 1938 and passed away in 2007. He’s known as an entrepreneur, direct mail tycoon, and a successful businessman.

He spent time in Boron jail in the ‘80s for tax evasion, but during his time there he wrote a series of letters to his son about how to succeed in direct mail marketing.

These letters were published and became famous for being basically the Bible for copywriters. They became
known as The Boron Letter and can be found online for free. Every copywriter should study these letters throughout their career to remind themselves of the fundamental principles of human behavior and selling.

Laurence Blume

“Everybody eventually discovers that they are an individual with the power to affect their own lives and make it better or not.”

If you want to see what a modern successful copywriter looks like, Laurence Blume is your man. Check out his
website to find his portfolio if you’re looking for what good copy looks like.

He’s completed projects for the BBC, Guardian, Maclaren and more. You’ve probably seen his work somewhere before and studying his portfolio is well worth your time.

John Carlton

“People who never risk anything suffer the worst anxiety of all.”

John's been called "the most respected and ripped-off copywriting wizard alive".

Early in his career, he actually worked for Gary Halbert – talk about finding a good mentor! He is known as being one of the first pioneers of using emails, blogs, and podcasts to advertise the products companies were selling.

His book, Kick Ass Copywriting Secrets of a Marketing Rebel, is a must-read for anyone pursuing a career in copywriting.

These copy Titans know their stuff, so dust off the old notebook and get to schoolin’!

Studying what these greats preach can act as a shortcut for your success. Each has their own set of tools and resources that you can find in any copywriting course you’d pay top dollar for.  By no means will the road by short and easy, but it’ll be well worth it to learn about some of the greats.

Until next time…

Thank you very much to Douglas P Thorne for contributing this guest blog post