Brochure copywriting

 

Your catalogue has mere moments to capture customers.  Yes, catalogue copy must provide the product details.  But it should do more than that.  It should inspire desire. What’s the difference between mediocre and dazzling catalogue copy? Contact me and find out

• AWARD-WINNING CATALOGUE COPY  As a catalogue specialist, I’ve written for some of the UK’s favourite catalogues – read samples in the boxes below.  In 2008, XchangeTeam named me Editorial Freelancer of the Year for work that “added value to clients’ businesses”.   
• BUSINESS BROCHURE COPY Make no mistake: timid copy will affect your bottom line.  So don’t risk filling your business brochure with home-made content. Contact me to talk about brainstorming, editing, or writing content for your brochures. 
  Marketing leaflet for Bakker Spalding (mail-order plants)

• BROCHURE COPY FOR…  I’ve supplied brochure copy for Parkray Stoves, ACW Media, NHS Trusts and Bakker Spalding.  I work with exceptional brochure designers across the UK, and I partner up with art director Mark Mitchell in Exeter.  If you don’t yet have a designer, perhaps I can help.

The Copyqueen website is having a makeover…

Copyqueen is getting a clean-up.

 

 

… which is why it looks so terrible at the moment.  I am having something more interactive that I can (in theory) edit myself.  That’s if I ever get the time or the sense to understand the thing. 

Reaping the rewards of stupidity

I loved this piece from the South African Times last week, claiming that stupidity is our biggest renewable resource. It’s certainly true that many corporations make a healthy profit from human stupidity. And I don’t sit in judgement on the stupids: we all have tendencies towards this behaviour, after all. Even someone with a high IQ could have a healthy dose of added stupidity – the kind that dupes that person into (for instance) telephoning to save a Welsh person on Strictly Come Dancing, failing to double-check the car breakdown policy, or convincing themselves that they shouldn’t see out their youth without driving the new Jaguar. Any of these stupid mistakes equates to lucrative profit for the big guys. That’s why Channel 4 made £3 million from the Big Brother phone lines in 2006 (for those wondering, that’s why they’re broadcasting yet another series this week). What do you mean stupid? We’re all human. And that’s a resource that will never run out on us.

Web copy for Hot Diamonds

I am thoroughly enjoying writing new web copy for Hot Diamonds this week.  With part of my family in the wholesale jewellery business, I’ve a familiarity with the industry that makes this a natural niche for me.  Having worked with H.Samuel, Ernest Jones, Pure Jewels, Bees and Hot Diamonds, I’ve a good understanding of the various types of jewellery-buyer and how to reach them.  Plus, as a devoted collector and uncurable diamond addict myself, I find my enthusiasm very rarely wanes.  This is my kind of Thursday.

 

A boast that isn’t about me

This is a copywriting blog, so I’ll keep my non-copy news short. My very talented and athletic husband came 31st in Sunday’s Dartmoor Classic – one of the UK’s biggest cyclosportives, attracting more than 600 entrants to ride 100 miles of awe-inspiring hills. I have no idea what posesses him to cycle this far or this hard in this heat, but the result is a testament to his intensive training and great legs. Next stop, L’Etape 2008!

News: men go online for fashion

There was an interesting piece online at the Independent last week.  According to a survey by Accenture, the boys are catching up with the girls when it comes to online fashion spending.  The reporter’s analysis of male shopping behaviour is very interesting.  Because men are “inherently lazy”, and because they like to buy what they like over and over again, they’re now turning to the net in their hordes.  Ecommerce sites are tapping in to this behaviour by providing advice-style content, swift delivery, and a quick checkout process.  My own experience bears this out.  I can’t be the only one whose husband prefers to try on shirts over his clothes than take them into the dressing room?  Unlike me, he views shopping as a chore rather than a social pleasure.  His favourite clothes-shopping destination is Sainsburys, where he can raid the sales racks in the time it takes me to bag up a few apples (and skip a few aisles at the same time).  He knows what he likes, and he likes what he knows.  Perhaps the future for men’s fashion is online, if he’s anything to go by.

Check it out: Data2Doormat web copy

 

Some proper features coming soon, I promise.  In the meantime, I have some more showing-off to do.  This new site for Data2Doormat is already getting a lot of attention in SME circles – direct mail for 50p per piece!  It’s revolutionary, and deserves all the praise it’s getting.  As someone who has personally spent hours, if not days, no months, stuffing envelopes for direct mail, this was an easy voice to work with.  I left two jobs already because my tongue couldn’t take any more, for heaven’s sake.  So I am delighted that D2D has the solution for fellow DM sufferers.

Check it out: web copy for stoves

I can’t resist sharing this one: isn’t it gorgeous?   Design by Mark Mitchell, copywriting by me.  This was a great project to work on – it’s a Scandinavian range of woodburning stoves with exceptionally low emissions.  I’m a bit of an eco-freak in my spare time so I loved the concept and the work.  I think the design on this is truly beautiful, too.  What a nice addition to my portfolio!  Now we’re just waiting to see how it performs.  Here’s a closer look at the product copy.

Writing sales letters, part one

Click to enlarge.

 

Having had an influx of requests for sales letters lately, I can only conclude that April is a quiet month for everyone except me. It may seem peculiar, but I just love a good sales letter to get my teeth into. Thought I’d kick off this exploration by sharing my top tips for writing your own. I hope this doesn’t put me out of business.

1. THINK DIFFERENTLY. Because I’m easily bored, and because I hate junk mail, I work hard to make sales letters readable, different, and funny. “Can you make insurance interesting?” asked one email enquirer. Goshdang can I. “Who inherits your mortgage?” began my letter. You’ve got about 5 seconds to capture attention. The opening line is a place for intrigue and challenge. Put yourself into the reader’s shoes (an oldy but a goody) and look at your service or product from their perspective. Then use your newfound knowledge to strike fear into the very heart of the reader. Or, if you like, to alert them to the truth of your proposition. Just don’t be obvious. Think sideways.

2. BIN THE RUBBISH. Here’s another letter heading: “Introducing the PR agency that gets results. (Stop laughing.)” The ‘claim’ is quickly qualified with a we-know-what-you’re-thinking remark. Sure to get the reader on-side and on-page. And that’s another Very Important Point about sales letters. For heaven’s sake don’t make tedious or unsubstantiated claims like:
Your (insurance policy) can be tailored to meet your precise needs.
We’re the leading (agency) in the South West.
It’s easy to back these up with proof (unless you’re lying), and you will maintain your reader’s trust and attention by doing so.

3. REMOVE BARRIERS. Everyone’s doing the old ‘get into the reader’s shoes’ trick, but sometimes they forget to identify barriers. Whether I’m looking for an extension contractor or a film to watch, I’ve got doubts. These whisper in the back of my mind when I’m thinking of buying. Am I getting value for money? Are these cowboys going to stand around smoking in the garden all day? Does this film have any bits that will make me hide behind the cushions? If you can identify some common barriers to buying your product or service, you can act to remove them. Are larger companies concerned about hiring a freelancer? “Being freelance doesn’t mean I work alone,” I write. “It means I work with other freelancers to bring the best skills to every project.” Don’t be frightened of obstacles. Confront them, and better them. Your reader’s path to action is now clear.

4. MAKE YOUR POINT. This letter’s most important job is to answer two questions:
What are you offering me?
Why should I use your company?
You can’t guarantee a positive response to the first question – it just funnels potential customers, who will keep reading if relevant – so the second question is where you must work hardest. Are you cheapest, quickest, friendliest? Do you have a speciality, or do you outperform your competitors in terms of delivery, speed, or reliability? What do you have that’s new and different? Here is another secret. You don’t have to have a USP. You can create one.

5. SET YOURSELF APART. Scary stuff, of course. But a unique brand positioning can make up for a lot of deficiencies. Virgin’s made an empire from its name and reputation, created through a strong voice and design. If you’ve identified a target market, and it’s a niche that isn’t sufficiently served by your competitors, then your USP is your audience. Match it with a characterful style and finely-targeted campaign, and you can grab hold of the entire segment right under the competition’s nose.

6. ALL THE USUALS. Edit to ensure you’re following the usual rules: focus on YOU not US, keep sentences short and their structure varied, and eliminate unnecessary words. Keep text short and sweet, and finish with a strong call to action. You know just what you want the reader to do – make sure they do it. A sense of urgency helps. Finally, double-edit to make sure you’re not repeating yourself. Every word counts.

Next: delivering and testing direct mail campaigns

Check it out: web copy for kitchens

Click to enlarge.

Okay, so this wasn’t the only thing I got up to yesterday (don’t ask), but this was definitely the most fun. Very small boxes = very short word count = very tricksy copywriting.  I love the idea of having your own designer at home (it appealed to the Margot in me) and wanted to put a bit of personality into the call-to-action. 

Website designed by Online Worx (that line through the middle is my fault).