Yes I know, you’re a start-up business so money’s tight. But, you still need engaging marketing materials and an effective online presence to get things off the ground.

More often than not, copywriting is the one thing that gets crossed off your set-up shopping list.

Why?

Because you think you can do it yourself.

Granted, you can write pretty well. But can you write something that makes people think “Yes, that’s exactly what I need”?

Going it alone without a copywriter

This is a familiar scenario:

The task to write your sales copy is passed to someone in your office. They already have a full workload so it gets pushed to the bottom of the pile.

Eventually, the need for the copy becomes urgent so they spend their lunch hour quickly writing something that ‘will do’.

The problem with this is, writing about your company is difficult because you’re too close to it. It is incredibly difficult to stand back and look at what you offer through the eyes of your customers.

The result is you end up with copy that tells your reader all about your company and absolutely nothing about what your company can do for them.

What a copywriter will do for you

When you bring in a professional copywriter they will ask lots of questions to learn about:

• Your company
• Your product or service
• Your audience (i.e. your ideal customer)

This helps them understand you, your product/service and, more importantly, the person you are trying to sell them to.  Through this process, they can place themselves in your customers’ shoes and discover what it is that your readers really want to know.

The copy will talk directly to the reader, address their problems and sell them the benefits of your product/service.

The result?

• Your website copy will be optimised and will convert visitors into paying customers
• Your brochures will sell, not just inform
• Your case studies will entertain, inform and sell
• Your press releases will engage and generate new enquiries
• Your email marketing will be effective because they will be opened, read and acted on

Do you still think copywriting is a waste of money, or something you can do on your own?

Every piece of written marketing could be the first impression the reader has of your company. Make sure it gives the right impression – that you are a company that is professional and understands what its customers want.

What’s the golden rule when it comes to writing press releases?

DO NOT USE THEM TO SELL.

A press release is all about providing the reader with news. If you want to place an advert pay for it like everyone else.

But because it’s not paid for, your press release has to be top notch if you want to get it published.

Every newspaper and magazine editor is looking for genuine news that their readers are going to want to hear about. But it also has to fit the style and tone of their publication.

That all sounds like a lot of hard work and rather a hit and miss affair which is why many businesses shy away from issuing releases. But there are a number of benefits to be had so it’s well worth giving it a go.

Benefits of press releases

First off, they are relatively cheap to produce. Regardless of whether you write them in-house of hire a professional copywriter, they are a cost effective way of promoting your company.

Plus, because they appear as an editorial piece rather than an in your face advert, they’re more likely to read and viewed as being independent from your company and therefore will carry more weight.

Of course, there always has to be a downside to balance the positives:

The downside of a press release

When you write articles for the web, your own web copy, blogs and brochures, you have ultimate control over the content.

But when writing press releases you relinquish that control once it’s been sent to the editor. Just because you’ve written a 2 page release doesn’t mean there’ll be room for it in its entirety within the publication. The editor may have to truncate it and may not carry as prominent a position as you’d like.

The best way to use a press release

Your press release can be used for many purposes, such as announcing:

• A new website
• A new product or service
• A forthcoming event
• Charity work
• Advice
• Community involvement

But whatever the reason for your release, the subject has to be relevant to your audience if you want it to be accepted and published. That means doing research into the publications you are targeting.

The easy way to get your press release ignored

This may seem an odd thing to be including in this post, but if you do any of the following your press release will be ignored and consigned to the rubbish bin:

• Use a bad subject line in your email such as Press release.
• Using a bad headline.
• Filling it with waffle so it takes an age to get to the real news.
• Writing a disguised advert. Editors aren’t stupid, they will spot it. 
• Using sloppy English, dodgy spelling and atrocious grammar.
• Fill it with flowery language, repetitions, waffle and adjectives galore.

Now find out how to get your press release published

OK, we’ve seen what not to do, so now on to what you should do.

Take a look at your story, what makes it interesting? Can you use a local angle to create a hook to grab your readers’ attention thereby making it more relevant to them.

Basically, what that boils down to is using the good old fashioned Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How? in your opening paragraph.

Finally, it’s always a good idea to include the word count, release date, contact details, brief company profile (in the notes at the end), notes for the editor and any photo opportunities.

Also make sure you write in the third person and be concise without using jargon. 

Structuring your press release

Here’s a quick run down on how you should structure your release:

1. Write Press release at the top of your page.

2. Write the date either as 7^th November 2010 – For immediate release, or 7^th November 2010 – 12.00 15^th November 2010.

The first shows it can be used immediately, the second shows it must not be used until the specified time and date.

3. Next, your headline should be eye-catching and should grab the editor’s attention straight away.

You can also use a sub heading to flesh out more of the story.

4. The first paragraph is critical and must dive straight into your story. Forget hype and adopt a journalistic tone which sticks to the facts.

5. The second paragraph gives supporting evidence but must still remain focused.

6. The third paragraph is the place for quotes that are relevant to the story. But make sure you have permission to use them.

7. Your final paragraph is your conclusion, briefly explaining the link between the story and your company.

8. Finish with ‘Ends’ or ###

9. Finally add notes for editors and contact details.

That simple 9 point list gives you the general outline for your press release.

Just remember, if you want to be successful it must be about genuine news and not a disguised advert and shouldn’t overly promote your company.

Done correctly, press releases can generate a lot of interest in your company; done badly and they’ll only ever see the recycling bin in the editors office.

Copywriters are always having to come up with new ideas. Whether it’s for blog posts, client projects or for their own web copy, fresh and original content generation is a part of their daily life.

I’ve been working as a freelance copywriter for several years now and I would be love it if i could just sit at my desk in the morning and create an unlimited number of original ideas without any effort.

Wouldn’t that be great? Just think how easy it would make anyone’s life if they could simply produce idea after idea after idea. Never again would a project stump you, you’d write oodles of great blog posts, newsletter and email content would flow freely.

But the real world isn’t like that. In the real world we all suffer from writers’ block. How many times have you sat in front of your computer, stared at the blank screen only to realise your mind is equally as blank?

We’ve all been there – even me.

So how do you break the spell?

Well one way is to create a swipe file.

Idea generation – the swipe file

Now before you recoil in horror, a swipe file is not a means to plagiarism.

Your swipe file is a way of generating inspiration.

No doubt you get bombarded with emails and mail shots all trying to sell you something. Most of them you’ll bin or delete, but one or two may catch your eye. They are the ones to place in your swipe file.

If they caught your eye the chances are they also caught someone else’s.

Study it – what was it that made you read it? Was it the layout, headline, content, use of images?

This type of analysis will help you understand what techniques make people read something.

Make a note of them and gradually you’ll build up a reference library of great headlines, techniques etc., that will help you strengthen your own copy.

This ideas file (whether in physical form or held on your computer) will help trigger your creativity when the dreaded writer’s block strikes.

Remember though the material in your swipe file is there for inspiration and not to be copied.

Do you already have a swipe file? If so, what piece of marketing really caught your eye and why? Leave a comment and share it with us.

Building your freelance copywriting business from scratch isn’t easy.

• How do you get started?
• Where do you find your clients?
• How do you build up a portfolio?

They are just a few of the questions that will be flying round your head.

I have been a freelance copywriter since 2007 and I am frequently asked those questions by copywriters just starting out.

But there is often another one too – Should I write for free?

A fledgling freelancer has a problem – potential clients want to see a portfolio of work. But you can only amass a portfolio when you have clients.

So how do you get those first clients?

Should you write for free?

If a newbie was to ask me whether I think they should write for free, I’d probably say no.

If they asked whether I’d every written anything for free, I’d have to say yes.

How’s about that for confusion? But I have only every done free work in exceptional circumstances. And I’m not alone as this post by Lorraine Thompson shows when she gives 5 cases for working without pay.

When would I work for free?

• As a donation to a charity that I support
• As part of a mutually beneficial barter
• If it’s a ‘too good to be true’ portfolio enhancing opportunity
• For friends and family
• If it helps promote me and my business

If you are asked to do some work for free stop and give your response serious consideration. Is it really going to benefit your business?

Remember Wimbledon last year and that epic match between Mahut and Isner? It lasted an incredible 11 hours and 5 minutes in total with Isner eventually winning 6-4 3-6 6-7 7-6 70-68!

You’re probably wondering what Wimbledon, and that match in particular, has to do with SEO copywriting. Well hang in there and I’ll tell you.

Just like Isner, if you want to win with your SEO strategy you have to be in it for the long haul.

Many people still view their ‘SEO strategy’ as:

• Find a few keywords
• Get someone to build a website
• Stick some text on it which includes the keywords
• Bob’s your uncle, you’ll be on the front page of Google

That’s not how it works. If it was that easy we’d all be laughing.

To put a more scientific slant on this, here’s a simple equation to help you discover what it takes to success with your website’s SEO:

SEO friendly website + great SEO copy + back links + determination = great rankings

If you want to achieve great organic rankings you must:

• do great keyword research
• get a professional SEO copywriter to write your copy for you
• constantly build back links to your website (via blogs,articles etc.)
• review your analytics regularly to see your site’s performance
• regularly review your keywords

Basically it is a continual process. Is it hard work? Yes, it can be but when you consider how much money you’ll save (in relation to pay per click advertising etc.) it won’t seem so bad.

Great search engine results will reduce the need for other paid advertising. So what would you rather do? Spend a bit of time getting clients for nothing, or spend a shed load of cash on ineffective advertising?

The decision is yours. But I know which I would prefer.

As a freelance copywriter, I have used blogging as a way of promoting my business, my knowledge and to help other people out there who need a bit of help when it comes to copywriting, marketing and general social media issues.

But if you are coming to blogging without any experience the whole concept can seem quite daunting.

Blogging is great if you do it effectively – so what steps can you take to make sure you’re doing it right?

How to be an effective blogger

If you want to blog well, blog regularly.

It’s a bit like social media – the more you do it the more exposure you’ll get. How frequently you should blog will depend on your audience and your own time constraints. Some people blog daily (some even several times a day), but to be a success you have to find a frequency that suits you as it is vital you stick to it.

I run 2 blogs (this one and www.freelancecopywritersblog.com) so I post 5 times a week across the 2 of them. This fits in with the time I have available and provides regular content for my readers. But whatever you decide is right for you, stick to it. As you gather regular readers they will grow to expect your next ‘instalment’ so don’t disappoint them.

To help me stay on course, I tend to blog ahead and schedule the posts so if I have a ‘quiet’ day I can write several posts, upload them and schedule them for publication – this can save a lot of time.

Ideas factory

One of the most daunting aspects of blogging is coming up with a constant stream of new material. Here are a few tips to make sure those ideas keep flowing:

• keep a pad on your desk so when an idea comes to you, you can jot it down
• read other industry blogs and magazines to generate ideas
• comment on current affairs especially if you can tie them into your industry
• invite your readers to comment – you may get some spin off ideas from these
• write ‘how to articles’ and ‘top tips’ relating to what you do

Before you know it, you’ll have a stack of article ideas ready and waiting.

Why?

When you create a post make sure you know why you are writing it, it should have a purpose. Whether it’s to promote something through your writing, to start a discussion, or a way of attracting more business or trying to attract links.

Whatever it is, keep this in the forefront of your mind as you write.

Giving back

If you want people to read your posts you have to give them something in return.

The information has to be of value to them and try and keep your posts ‘on topic’. By that I mean make sure your blog deals with the same type of issues. For example this blog is all about copywriting tips, marketing tips, how to use social media marketing and SEO related issues. So when a post is published you, my readers, know roughly what genre it will be about.

Make your blog an encyclopaedia for your area of expertise.

Write simply and with love

The layout of your blog post is very important.

Begin with a catchy heading. It should be interesting enough to draw in your reader so arouse their curiosity. To help your SEO, get your keyword in there – so if you are writing about copywriting, try and get that into the heading if you can.

Next comes an image. You may not see that as important, but a good image will draw readers in. Use something playful, something that will pique their curiosity.

Then comes the hard part – writing an interesting and entertaining post. Make sure the body of your post is packed with useful information. You know the audience you are targeting and therefore you’ll know what they are looking for – so give to them in spades.

Break up the copy with sub headings to make it easier to read. And finally don’t let it go out with a fizzle; invite comments or add in a call to action (depending on what the aim of your post is).

So that’s how I go about blogging. What do you do? Do you have any other ideas to help out the new bloggers on the block? All contributions are welcome so why not share your thoughts with us?

The humble case study can be like the AK47 of your marketing armoury.

What better way to boost your company’s profile while showing your customers a real life example of exactly what your products can do for them.

The most powerful case studies are those that combine an interview with your customer. using quotes from them and their personal insight will add weight and authority. But interviews shouldn’t just be reserved for case studies, copywriter I use them in projects such as newsletters, press releases, internal communications and news items.

Often you will find the interview will provide a framework from which the rest of the case study (or other marketing material) hangs and the quotes used substantiate claims whilst injecting your writing with life.

So how do you conduct an interview to make sure you get the most out of it?

Tips to conduct an effective interview

1. Do your research

Research is paramount – it doesn’t matter what form your copywriting takes (website, brochures, other interviews, press or magazines), taking time to gen-up on your interviewee will prevent you from asking them the same old questions they always get asked. It will also help you find angles for your interview.

2. What’s it for?

First things first – why are your doing the interview? What are you looking to achieve? How is it going to help your client/brand?

If you’re interviewing a customer who’s using one of your products, make sure you ask them about it – why they chose it? what has it done for them? Information that your reader is going to want to know.

3. How?

The best way to conduct your interview is face to face but that isn’t always practical (or cost effective). A telephone/Skype interview comes a close second.

I wouldn’t recommend an email interview as it is really difficult to get great quotes. Most people will refine their answers until you get something quite impersonal. If you can chat with your subject, either face to face or over the phone, you are more likely to build up rapport and get some great quotes.

4. What to ask?

Have a list of questions worked out before you begin (you can always add to  them as new things crop up in conversation).

Avoid closed questions as they won’t get you anywhere and make sure you always have the reader in mind. Make sure the questions you ask are relevant to the purpose of the piece you are writing and ensure you ask for answers in ‘language our readers can understand’ especially if you are dealing with a complex subject.

5. What now? 

Shorthand isn’t my strong point and trying to scribble down notes during the interview usually means I don’t take in everything my subject says. Therefore I have found the best thing to do is record my phone interviews (of course, with my subjects permission). I don’t have any fancy tech, just a speaker phone and a digital recorder which then allows me to upload the file to my PC.

After the interview I transcribe it which helps me get a feel for the material and consolidates ideas and angles that would be good for the case study.

Interviews and case studies are invaluable parts to your marketing strategy. Just remember – research before hand, make a list of relevant questions and engage with them. If you sound disinterested they’ll close up. Listen, absorb and react and then you’ll get great material to produce a killer case study.

If you are an avid reader of marketing blogs you’re bound to have come across the old saying ‘content is king’.

Internet marketers across the globe have been telling us that if you want more organic traffic to our websites we need to generate more content—but not any old content, targeted content containing relevant keywords.

As a result many companies are now adding content to their sites, but it’s not always good content.

One of the easiest ways of getting loads of content is to use a copywriter. But there are loads out there so it pays to do your research and find a good professional copywriter and that doesn’t mean the cheapest one. As with most things in life you get what you pay for; if you pay peanuts that’s what you’ll get.

Of course good copywriters don’t come cheap so many companies some believe they’ve found the perfect solution to this. You think you’ve got the best of both worlds – shed loads of new content without the high price tag. If that’s you, you’ve probably done one of two things:

• Out sourced your content writing to an Indian company or elsewhere in the world where you can pick up loads of articles for next to nothing
• Decided to take the DIY approach and written it yourself

Big mistake!

Remember, what’s written on your website reflects you as a company. Content is not all about traffic – it’s also about reputation. Can you really afford to jeopardise yours through poor quality content?

Don’t value quantity over quality

Diluting good copywriting with the not so good could have a seriously detrimental effect on your rankings. 

A large part of your search engine optimisation strategy is link building. But people will only link to great content. By watering down the effectiveness of your content with sub-standard articles will have a knock on effect with your linkability. As the number of links you generate dwindles so will your rankings.

If you want to attracts links, your content must be entertaining, interesting and appealing.

But there is a more serious consequence – low quality content will reflect badly on your company’s image. Now for the science bit:

Great Content = Increased value + Positive effect on your company’s image

Poor quality content = Disappointed readers + Negative effect on your company’s image

Why am I telling you this?

For this simple reason - if you don’t invest in quality content for your website you’re going to do some serious long term damage to your reputation.

If you genuinely care about your image and reputation make an investment in a professional freelance copywriter who will work with you and be with you for the long haul.

Businesses everywhere are beginning to appreciate the benefits of email marketing.

It is a form of marketing that can be done cheaply and on a massive scale. It’s never been so easy to get your message out to your market place.

But not only is it fast, its results are also measurable.

With today’s sophisticated software you can track who opens your emails, what links they click on within the email, what they do once they’ve made that click. This kind of transparency helps you hone your email marketing, constantly improving it to make sure it’s giving your customers what they want.

Testing the effectiveness of your email marketing

As a copywriter I work with a number of clients on their email marketing campaigns. One of the hardest things to get right is the subject line. That is the one thing that will determine whether your email is opened—if they won’t open it, you can’t sell them anything or build a relationship with them.

Creating magnetic subject lines isn’t easy, it’s futile to pretend otherwise. They can take a lot of time to develop. You not only have to think about who you are sending it to (and what will trigger them to open it) but also the words you use, as you don’t want them tripping any spam filters. In a previous article I looked at 10 Words That Will Make People Open Your Email – these are powerful words that will help you boost your open rate.

That’s all well and good but the only real way to work out how effective your subject line is, is to test it.

Many people will split test by sending one group of recipients an email with one subject line and a different group another subject line to see which one has the most successful open rate.

But there is another way – have you ever considered using social media to test your subject lines?

This is something that I’d never thought of until I’d read BlueSkyFactory’s blog and in particular their post on How to use social media to boost email marketing open rate. Christopher Penn tells us how he used Twitter to help work out how effective a subject line is.

Do your Twitter followers resemble the demographics of your email marketing list? If so why not try it out, it could give your email marketing quite a lift. If you decide to give it a go please come back and let us know how you got on—it would be interesting to hear your feedback.

There are masses of blogs out there, some great, some not so great. Everyone seems to have something to say, so how can you make an impact in the blogging world?

The best place to start is to look at the structure and presentation of your blog posts.

How you write and the way you present it can be more important than what you write when it comes to drawing readers in.

Admittedly if what you’ve written is poor they won’t come back, so you have to make sure you tick all the boxes – simple then really.

Producing a constant stream of fresh and interesting content can be tough. But inspiration is all around you – in the newspapers, magazines, films, TV, images, everyday experiences, conversations etc.

So what do you do once you’ve got a subject idea?

How to structure a great blog post

There are 5 main steps to go through when you create a blog post. It’s a system I’ve been using for quite a while – this is how it goes:

1. Title

Your title is really important.

It has to grab your reader’s attention and make them think “that sounds interesting”. If it doesn’t immediately grab them, they won’t bother wasting time reading it. Ideally your title will be specific to your topic so your reader knows what they are going to learn. However some abstract/humorous titles work just as well if they pique you reader’s curiosity.

2. Beginning

Before you even begin writing your post, think about the visual image of your blog. Having a well chosen image that compliments your subject matter introduces an instant link to your topic and makes it more aesthetically pleasing.

As with any form of writing, you have to grab their attention within the first paragraph or two if you are going to get them to read the whole post. And the more interesting it is, the more likely  they are to stay with you to the end, especially if they learn something new along the way.

3. The most important first

Always start with the most important aspect first. Explain your concept simply and clearly without resorting to the use of jargon. If you do that, you’ll lose readers hand over fist.

People read blogs for entertainment and to learn – make that learning experience easy for them and they’ll return time and time again.

4. What’s next?

A post that explains a concept but fails to illustrate how to put it into practice, is a wasted post. Take this one for example, assuming you’re still reading you are well on the way to understanding how to create stronger blog posts.

5. Summarise

At the end of your post, write a few lines outlining why the information you have given is important to them and explain how, by following your tips/recommendations, they will enhance their lives.

Being careful about how you create your posts and paying attention to your headings, images and starting paragraphs will make sure you are well on your way to writing informative and enjoyable posts that people will want to read. This will help increase your traffic and widen your readership.