Category Archives: copywriting

How to start a rumor.

Published April 3, 2012

Loose lips sink ships – and get people reading.

Remember how rumors start?

Lean in.

Look to your left. Look to your right.

Lean in some more.

And with a twinkle in your eye, tell your confidante something totally hot and dripping with juice.

“Oooh, this is so good. Promise me you won’t tell anyone else.”

I mean, right?

We all know how it’s done, people.

The real knack is translating that kind of “delicious secret” energy to your copy.

Another way to think of this is: what are the best-kept secrets in your line of work—that you’re ready to share with the lucky ducks who opted-in to …

Posted in brand + message, copywriting, how to be, how to write

The junk food message.

Published March 27, 2012

Quit selling + start saying something

Have your efforts to “sell” sold you out?

Lately, I’ve been chewing on the idea that a lot of marketing out there is like fast food. Predictable, cheap, and ubiquitous.

And I feel sick, unnourished and hungry after I eat it.

Why? What we call fast “food” isn’t much like real food at all. It’s been scientifically developed to store, travel and reheat well. Much of what we taste is actually chemically crafted. In a lab. By engineers and scientists.

The same holds true for marketing messages in a lot of people’s stuff:

“Make more mo.ney with ease …

Posted in brand + message, copywriting, how to be, how to write

The ole’ push-pull

Published March 20, 2012

How to rope ‘em into reading more.

Want more readers?

Last week, we were talking about hooks in your writing.

There may have been a mention of hookers in that post, as well.

This week, continuing our inspired and totally impromptu series on “copywriting techniques that keep readers reading,” we’re talking about the hook’s kissing cousin: the “pull question.”

Pull questions are a fabulous little sneaky way of pulling your readers into the “body” of your copy. (I’m putting vocab words in quotes, for those of you at home who are making a list of words that you need to know to be a better and more …

Posted in brand + message, copywriting, how to be, how to write

You need a hook.

Published March 13, 2012

The "hook" makes your copy irresistible!

Remember Captain Hook?

When Stella was in teacher school, getting her masters’ degree at the University of Washington to sculpt high school minds, she learned a valuable lesson.

Attention must be won.

And the way to do that, at least at the opening of class, is with a “hook.”

As in, hook ‘em and cook ‘em.

Hook, line, and sinker.

Think I get through this blog post without mentioning hookers?

Anyway…

As a classroom teacher, the idea was to plan most every lesson with an opening sequence that engaged your students in the topic at hand. It could be as …

Posted in brand + message, copywriting, how to be, how to write

“We are all writers now.”

Published March 6, 2012

Branded content is a powerful way to promote your biz.

I was in Austin, Texas last weekend, exploring the city with a friend. Turns out, we were there the week before S x SW, a massive and uber-hip music and film festival.

Couple moments of note:

Instead of staying in a hotel, we used airbnb.com, a free online service that hooks you up with folks renting out their back shacks, vacation properties, and apartments around the world. For $90 a night, we stayed in an adorable residential neighborhood within walking distance of everything (including the Alamo Draft House, with a yard and full kitchen. Awesome!

We got to …

Posted in brand + message, content, copywriting, how to be, how to write