The Write Blog

Image by Vanessa Pike-Russell via Flickr A Tip on How to Balance Good Writing with Good Customer Service I had spiders in my garage. Lots of them. Probably hundreds, to be honest. But they were just in my garage – they hadn’t infiltrated my home. Yet. In fact, I hadn’t seen a single spider in [...]

When you’re in the middle of a copywriting job, there’s an age-old marketing maxim that can be hard to remember – and it can sometimes be hard to convey to clients: You can’t be all things to all people. Good copy does two things: It speaks to a specific, targeted audience AND it has a [...]

In an earlier blog post, I cautioned against ad campaigns that were too trendy or topical, but Starbucks’ new “Via” TV ad is an edgy, hilarious example of why it’s sometimes okay to buck convention. In addition to promoting their new instant coffee, Starbucks takes on a touchy (and waaaay timely) subject: town hall meetings. [...]

Photo by Mario Sixtus It’s disingenuous. It’s dishonest. And, it’s everywhere. It’s called “astroturfing”. Chances are, you’ve been exposed to it. And, if the folks behind it have done their jobs right, the chances are pretty good that you didn’t even know it. Social media is powerful stuff. In its most basic form, it’s the [...]

Versatile writers are hard to find. For a long time I was surprised when I’d get great journalism samples from a writer, but the minute I put them on a copywriting project, it was a total flop – and vice versa. But I’ve finally discovered the disconnect: the real reason that some writers have such [...]