The Copywriter's Toolbox

 Do you use weak verbs?  Are you needlessly redundant, or robotic in your use of long sentences? Do you sometimes overstate the obvious? Here are 9 handy tips that can improve and economize your writing. We all learned how to write in school, but in advertising, there are some simple techniques that experienced writers use to convey messages with greater impact and brevity.  Without being too tutorial, you’ll find these 9 tips quite handy when writing your next sales letter, brochure or web page. Avoid the wimpy verbs—is and be. These “do-little” verbs only occupy space and state that something exists.  So don’t write “There is one simple omission that can transform a sentence from boring to brilliant.”  Do write “One simple omission can transform a sentence from boring to brilliant.” Similarly, avoid “We will be running the new program from our Dallas office.”  Instead, opt for “We will run the new program from our Dallas office.”  Place the longest item at the end of a series.  Start

  Nothing can turn strong copy into a 97-pound weakling faster than a flawed review process. The result is severely handicapped marketing efforts and, alas, fewer sales. Find out how you can avoid this dire marketing situation. Nothing can turn strong copy into a 97-pound weakling faster than a flawed review process. The result is severely handicapped marketing efforts and, alas, fewer sales. How can you avoid this dire marketing situation? By having a smart and consistent review process that preserves the selling power of your marketing communications. Following are 7 essential tips for reviewing and approving copy. 1. Review the copy from the customers’ perspective. On the first pass, read the copy (all of it) without your red pen in hand or editing hat on. That’s how your customers or audience will read it. Now, what do you think? Does the concept work? Did the headline grab your attention? How was the tone? Does the copy flow? If you begin by editing the first sentence or sweating

  Here's a terrific new article from ForCopywritersOnly.com: The demand for case study writers is booming. Yet very few freelance writers are aware of this fun and lucrative market. This article explains. I remember the first time a client offered me a case study writing assignment. I was petrified. It was early in my freelance writing career and I didn’t even know what one looked like. I had a lot of questions. “What the heck is a case study?” “How long is it?” “What is the format?” “How much do I charge?”  I didn’t have a clue. Of course, these days, I know more. A lot more. In fact, I write dozens of case studies for clients each year. Case studies now rank high on my list of the most fascinating — and lucrative — projects I handle. (I’m sure glad that client offered me the job all those years ago!) If you’re unfamiliar with case studies, don’t worry. They’re really quite simple. A case study is just a fancy name for a success story – the tale of a happy customer and his or her