Copywriting

You hire a content agency like Wordsmithie to create a brochure, datasheet or website. The agency promptly assigns you a copywriter. Who is this person, and what should you expect when working with him or her? (Here’s an interesting post on the origins of the word copywriter.) The background of a copywriter Often, your copywriter…

Any experienced copywriter will tell you, usually with a sad shake of the head, that most clients think they can write, and that nearly all of them are wrong. Oh, sure, they got through college or university okay. And they can bang out a decent marketing report. But writing for professors or colleagues isn’t the…

When I initially pitched the idea of writing about tech and startup writing, I got a lot of pushback. “Are these two industries even related?” “How can you write about discrete industries together?” The questions went on and on. But really, both industries require the same skill: the ability to communicate new and/or complex ideas…

From a marketing communications perspective, writing for “education” encompasses many types of organizations and businesses. These include K–12 schools, institutions of higher education and other learning organizations; academic, research and development organizations; curriculum developers and publishers; developers of e-learning tools and solutions; as well as nonprofits. Businesses that support charities or engage in community-involvement work…

As a food writer who spends a large portion of her time developing, testing and editing recipes, I’ve worked my way through hundreds, maybe even thousands, of recipes, some notably better than others. Sure, a stunning hero shot might be what draws most people in initially (see: Instagram or Pinterest). But unless the copy is…

Whenever anyone hears that I write for the beauty industry, the first thing I hear is, “What a fun job!” And they’re absolutely right…sort of. Beauty can be a notoriously challenging vertical to write for. It’s tricky for potential customers to look at a tube of lipstick or a vial of serum and understand whether…

Tell people you write about real estate, and they assume you’re hammering out crafty copy that homebuyers must interpret when sifting through dozens of residential property listings. “Cozy” equals “cramped.” “Convenient location” means “the freeway runs right through your backyard.” And “handyman special” translates as “You will absolutely empty your bank account making this thing…

As you prepare to write a case study, white paper or data sheet, you’ll gather as much information and background material as you can. Next, you’ll probably record an interview with one or more of the stakeholders. It’s always useful, too, to have transcripts of your interviews, especially if you plan to quote people directly.…

You’ve worked hard to find the perfect voice for reaching your American clients with beautifully crafted content. But what about your overseas prospects? English may be widely spoken in international business, but your English-language content will always fall short. Nelson Mandela, a native Xhosa speaker who rose to the presidency of post-apartheid South Africa, explained,…

Back in 1998, when the Internet was all shiny and new (and referred to with awe as “the information superhighway”), I was hired by a search engine company to write web copy. Our department of brave new online writers was known as “Editorial,” based on the newspaper model. The word “content” hadn’t crept into our…