Here are two lazy errors that I often see when someone asks me to review and improve their copy:

• What is it you’re trying to say?
• How do you want the reader to feel after they’ve read your copy?
• What problem does this product solve?

That isn’t an exhaustive list of course, but they’re powerful cues for planning any convincing piece of copywriting.

When a copywriter should ask questions

If you’re a copywriter too, no doubt you’re ready to argue in favour of questions in your copy. And you’re right, there is a place for questions. But not open-ended generic ones that leave your copy open to a million obvious and sensible responses that the reader already has prepared.

Readers have good reasons why they shouldn’t part with their hard-earned cash or expose their personal details. That’s their default position when they begin reading your copy. So it’s our job as copywriters to respond to their objections with fair and honest pre-emptive counterstrikes. You do that with sincere empathy and stories of a brighter future that fulfil their existing desires.

Good questions to ask are ones which don’t interrupt the flow of your copy. Questions that are non-intrusive, rhetorical and enhance the conversational tone of your narrative. Take this example from some copy I wrote for my wedding photography page:

In the example, notice how the question is threaded into the goal of the copy. It’s a closed-question truism that’s based on a researched understanding of the reader’s problem. And it’s integral to showing empathy. It certainly isn’t a pointless catch-all that says “oh well, I couldn’t be bothered taking time to understand your situation so I’ll let you fill in the blanks instead.”

If you find yourself straying into “what better way to…” or “why not…” territory then stop. Because you probably haven’t put enough effort into the crucial analysis phase before you write your copy.

The most likely conceivable replies to any questions that you pose to readers should already be taken care of in your copywriting plan. Because these are the concerns, objections and characteristics of the people you should know intimately before you start writing your copy.

That’s what customers of Surf Circle really want. It’s not just family-friendly surfing holidays in Morocco, but the dream that every surfer clings onto as they wade through freezing-cold British coastal waters in search of perfect waves.

Empathy like that proves you understand a reader’s situation that’s why there’s plenty of it in the copy over at www.surfcircle.co.uk.

The copywriting is based on honest research into what it’s really like being a surfer with responsibilities. And I gained that with relentless and immersive questioning of Surf Circle’s founders David and Imad – both passionate surfers with families.

Surf Circle Morocco's home page

Together we devised a simple user journey through friendly web pages populated with copy that’s clear and easy to understand.

Features and benefits are deftly intertwined with outcome-driven copywriting throughout:

Inspiring desire for the surf dream drives every carefully-constructed sentence, like in the activity descriptions on the Surf Circle relax page:

The page I’m proudest of as freelance copywriter is the account described in a day with Surf Circle Morocco. It transplants the reader from their present into an appealing future holiday using extended metaphors that parallel their present. And the best thing is that it’s true – real experiences threaded into an embellished narrative.

Surf Circle is a shining example of content is king. I set up the website quickly using WordPress and skinned it with a theme from Elegant Themes then got on with the most important part. That’s populating it with engaging content through detailed planning and thoughtful copywriting. That reduced costs for Surf Circle and sped up the whole process of delivering a website.

Surf Circle Morocco's relax page

The humble pencil.

Always use protection when copywriting (photo by Pink Sherbet Photography)

I haven’t been into space yet, but writing’s a daily occurrence in my line of work as a freelance copywriter. And recently I’ve rediscovered just how natural and satisfying copywriting is when accompanied by an honourable cylinder of lead encased in a wooden jacket.

A relative thought it was a joke when I asked for some nice pencils for my birthday. I had to reassure her that I don’t have want of much these days. Just a few good books, spare hours for growing veggies and some space to indulge my copywriting whims.

To my elation she duly gifted a pack of pencils to acquaint myself with. And what a glorious reunion it’s been!

I’d forgotten just how effortless and fluid it is to write copy with a pencil. Even now as I draft this blog post its tip skates deftly across each contour of the page. Undulating gently over soft depressions and ascending nimbly out the other side.

There’s an unspoken joy shared between my hand the top of the pencil as its flattened edge accelerates pleasingly over smooth sections of paper. Letters liberate themselves gracefully and sentences stride confidently towards the spine of my moleskine.

My father, an English teacher and author, swears there’s an organic connection between the natural fluidity of writing with pencil and the velocity of thoughts as they cascade from your mind.

I believe him.

That’s because three hundred words just spilled fluently onto the page in a little under three mintes. And that sort of productivity makes me a very content copywriter.

So you type furiously in a frantic attempt to distract yourself. But even your keyboard’s in collusion. It’s rhythmic tapping marches you ever further from what your copy could’ve been.

You’re trying to write copy that appeals to everyone, instead of copy that’s appealing to a specific group of people. Because you’re frightened of scaring away all those other potential customers that you feel like you’re excluding.

It’s a losing battle between what’s right and what you think will pay the bills. And in evitable defeat you languish in lifeless, diluted copy that treats everyone like they’re the same.

As every successful business person (and pious copywriter) will preach: know your customer. Find out exactly who they are and what they want. Then give it to them.

Don’t be scared of specificity in copywriting

When you’re marketing your new service or product, it’s only natural to feel a bit nervous. Especially when it means restricting the number of people you’ll reach before you’ve even got any.

Cutting that number down feels like you’re reducing the amount of sales you’ll potentially win.

Well here’s a suggestion. Don’t think of it as restricting. Think of it as concentrating. You’re making a bold statement when you focus on a specific group of people. The subtext to your message becomes:

This isn’t a radical idea. Think about it. When you buy a premium product, you expect bespoke service. You don’t truly desire something when you know everyone else gets exactly the same treatment. People want to know they’re special. Part of a unique small group of people with exacting requirements.

Perhaps you’re anxious because don’t know enough about your customers yet. So going after everyone feels like a more successful strategy. Well think about it this way. It’s easier to know a few things about a few people than everything about everyone. The latter is impossible and doomed to failure.

If you’re still not convinced, a compelling side-effect of specificity is that you make your market research (and the copywriter’s) a lot quicker and more effective too.

But … what about everyone else?!

Don’t worry about all the other potential customers you might miss out on if you write for a specific group of people.

Your copywriting paints such a beautiful picture of life with your product that they’ll want a piece of the action too. This other potential customer has different needs, but if you’ve written really blistering copy, they’ll talk themselves into wanting it. All because your copywriting benefits from being so focused and efficient.

Plus, people still share common human traits. So there are bound to be overlaps between your specific group and everyone else. And there’s always the catch-all contact form where can they ask for something exceptional.

Let them decide

Just get your copy out there in front of people. Test it first before you decide if it works or not. Your customers are the best people to decide that.

Note how I refer to customers as people. As soon as you shift to that way of thinking, your readers become real people with emotions to appeal to, problems to solve and dreams to believe in.

And if your copy’s not working? Change it. That’s the beauty of tools like WordPress, things can always be updated easily in just a few clicks.

Find out how best to serve a specific group of people. Commit yourself to them. Then prove it in your copywriting.

You’d probably be sincere, show a bit of empathy for the other person and talk enthusiastically about interests you both share.

Unfortunately those simple principles are ignored by Calumet Photographic in this disingenuous sales letter they sent to me, full of bland self-aggrandising and false sentiment:

Calumet's thoughtless sales letter

A good sales letter compels a reader to do something, like buy, book or inquire. Not foam at the mouth in an eruption of venomous bile like I did. I imagine that isn’t the response Calumet sought from their lecture of irrelevant facts and indulgent dirge about how great they think they are.

A light-hearted response

So I bit my tongue and thought about how to reply to Calumet constructively, here it is:

My reply to Calumet's letter

The reply cuts to the point, is honest and offers friendly advice that could help us both. There’s even a bit of insight to show how to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. All delivered in an approachable tone that speaks to the reader instead of preaching at them.

I look forward to Calumet’s response and hope that “if you have any feedback on our service, I would welcome your call or email” isn’t just an empty platitude like the rest of their letter.

Photograph featured in Padder magazine app

This photo is from a set I shot at Yorkshire Air Ambulance’s 10th anniversary. It’s always nice to hear my client’s photos are easily recognised, out there working hard to market them on the web.

It’s good… but it’s not quite there yet.

It’s one of those dreaded conversations with your client. They’ve looked at the beautiful passage of copywriting you lovingly crafted after hours of research and painstaking refinement. Just when you thought you’d attained perfection they stamp all over it and leave you tugging jagged shards of criticism from your bruised pride.

There’s no denying it’s a horrible feeling when someone criticises your work. But it’s one that copywriters, designers and other creatives alike feel at some point in their freelance career; a nauseating mixture of shame, disappointment, embarrassment or even anger.

We seem to instinctively fear the prospect of failure in the eyes of our peers, perhaps because it’s seen as a sign of weakness or incompetence. Politicians make an art of steadfastly refuting accusations of U-turns after a change of heart, a simple misunderstanding or a genuine mistake.

Why it hurts so much

Honest misunderstandings and mistakes are down to poor communication. There’s a mismatch in objectives: the client wants a product to make money; you want it to be the magnum opus of your creative career. Your client’s head contains a vision of what they want and it’s your job to interpret that into something tangible. With all that tacit knowledge being transferred, there’s bound to be something lost in translation.

It’s a problem that’s compounded in our creative industry, where the perceived quality of our output is subjective and often hostage to the wildly oscillating whims of our clients. Plus, if you do your job properly and invest your heart and soul into a job, it’s no wonder you get upset when a client wants to tinker with your masterpiece.

How to handle criticism

There’s no easy cure for a bruised ego, but here’s a few techniques I’ve learned for damage limitation and positive thinking.

1. Look for positives

Most people have manners (clients included) and dress up their criticism. Some even go as far as suggesting improvements. So ask yourself, has the client really offended you? (If the answer is ‘yes’ then do you really want this person as your client?) Chances are they’ve been gentle about it so take a deep breath and be thankful.

After you’ve taken criticism on the chin, stop short of revisiting your work and looking for reasons to disagree with the client’s opinion. After all, their reputation stands more chance of being damaged than your pride and turning this into an argument won’t get you any closer to fixing things.

Focus on the good that can come out of this: the final product will be better, closer to the brief and you’ll have a happier client. Be grateful that you’ve got a chance to do something about it, unlike the alternatives: your client takes their business elsewhere or worse still; they become an expert copywriter/designer and take matters into their own hands.

2. See the big picture

1995 just called, they want their animated GIF back

Do you feel the criticism is unwarranted or incorrect? Time to put aside exactly what the client said and try to understand they’re really getting at. Do a little digging around, look for the root of the problem rather than concentrating on solutions. A timeless example is the client who insists their web site lacks an animated spinning email ‘@’ GIF. Why? It turns out their customers weren’t sure how to get in touch through the web site. An issue better solved with clearer microcopy and an inline contact form (both easily deployed using WordPress).

If you sense tension or conflict, it helps to remember that this thing is bigger than both you and the client put together. It’s all about the reader, user, customer or whoever it is that consumes the product you’re building together. Whatever makes life easier and simpler for them is the right way to go.

3. Learn and improve

Make this an opportunity to avoid similar situations in the future. Be proactive and make a few notes on the situation to improve how you work, like:

• Ask more questions at the start
• Tighten up the brief and get sign-off
• Add more review points

Each of these help you understand what motivates your client (or fills their head full of ‘good ideas’) so you can preempt problems before they happen.

You’re only human

Poor communication, misunderstanding and mistakes are as human as opposable thumbs, bipedalism and short-tempers. But what really characterises us is our ability to learn from experience. So prepare for and take lessons from criticism; use it positively to grow stronger and numb the pain. That way you can carry on doing what you do best: investing your heart and soul into your work. Plus, you expected this anyway, right? That’s why you costed in a redraft…

The bride and groom set a simple brief for their wedding photography. They wanted natural and unposed shots of people having a good time, with a few formal group shots for the mantlepiece. From the start of the wedding ceremony right through until the the last speech after dinner. But they didn’t have a budget to cover the rates that some intimidating wedding photographers charge.

We had a large medieval church with high ceilings and low light to contend with. So it was a great test for my new Canon 7D, coupled with a sturdy monopod to improve my chances of getting more photos in those less than ideal conditions for photography. The photos turned out quite nicely, especially as I was able to get behind the alter and shoot from behind the priest – that meant I could catch more reactions from the congregation too.

Cath and Dale were delighted with their wedding photos. The photos captured the day beautifully and accurately – but most importantly did it within their realistic budget and at a price they could afford.

Affordable wedding photographs

If you believe your wedding is about people enjoying real events that take place naturally, and that your wedding photographer should be affordable then take a look at my wedding photography packages »

Kill joy

So why have I gone and taken all the fun out of it? By over-analysing my options with assiduous scientific diligence. An approach that serves me well when I’m copywriting, but is near-enough useless in the process of decision-making.

Tamarin: my favourite animal but ultimately a meaningless name for a business

Perhaps I’m just twitchy because of what naming a business represents. It signifies more than just a moniker, it’s the foundations of a brand.

Personally, it represents commitment to a new phase of growth but publicly it’s a chance to say something about who you are and what you do best. In only one or two words. And that’s why I’m apprehensive. Suddenly I’m forced to gulp down my own wordy medicine in tiny doses, not the comforting tonic of sizeable sentences.

Bzzzzzz

This week I pulled into the hard shoulder, turned off my engine and let the bee out of my bonnet. With the painful list of ideas safely hidden away we’ve time to reflect upon some helpful advice and suggestions people have kindly offered for picking the right name for a business:

• Can you live with it a few years down the line? If your name has novelty value, is a bit too vogue or quirky, chances are you’ll grow to hate it. (See Copywriter 2000, Carpets4U or any dry cleaners named Touching Cloth).
• What does it mean to other people? After all, they’re who you’re selling it to. It’s no good if it’s a private joke or a nickname from school. (Exception being MoonPig).
• Does it explain what you do? Not a hard and fast rule (e.g Nike, McDonalds), but there’s a lot to be said for slipping your function in there when you’re an unknown small business.
• What does it sound like when you say it out loud? Brilliant acid-test for copywriting too. Can it be said quickly over the phone, for example.
• Avoid solutions in the name. Why? BECAUSE IT DOESN’T MEAN ANYTHING. (Unless you sell chemicals).
• Don’t analyse it too much, it should just come to you: That’s the problem, they keep coming to me.
• Is it available? Arguably this should be top of the list if you want to purchase the domain name or trademark it.

Show and tell

What criteria, suggestions or inspiration informed the name of your business?

JOMC's email newsletter

What do you write about in a newsletter?

Well for a start there’s no hard-sell. It’s a chance to talk to your readers and impart some friendly advice about what you do best. And that’s what just we’ve done with JOMC. There’s wry humour, opinion and experience – all ‘on topic’ but interesting and compelling. Our goal is to posit JOMC as experts in their field and so keep the brand at the front of the reader’s mind.

Why to hire a freelance copywriter to write your newsletter

First there’s the huge benefit of time. You’re probably too busy actually doing your job to write about it. Then there’s the fresh pair of eyes a freelance copywriter can bring to your newsletter. We aren’t dangerously close to your subject matter and can step back and show you how best to interest your audience.

Plus there’s all the leg work too. For JOMC I take care of:

• Editing and organising content
• Improving headlines and copy
• Building a HTML newsletter from scratch (with design by Look!media Leeds)
• Marking up content into email and online formats
• Testing

But the most important and often underestimated advantage of using a freelance copywriter is the gentle nudge in the right direction we bring. If you keep meaning to get round to your newsletter or the project never seems to move off the back burner it’s probably time to draft in a freelance copywriter.