I run a micro biz. How do I write better?
When struggling for inspiration or that perfect word, where do you turn?
Top 10
The internet is awash with “useful” information. But there’s so much “out there” where do you start? If you run a micro biz and want to write your advertising copy better, here are ten fantastic links you need to read.
- Copyblogger: This is easily my favourite. In addition to top notch tutorials on business critical topics such as headline writing and SEO, you’ll be awash with excellent and insightful blog posts from founder Brian Clarke and his A-list guest bloggers. Bookmark it now.
- Coming hot on his heels is Stan Smith’s Pushing Social. Stan was named one of Social Media Examiner’s Top 10 blogs for 2012. Pushing Social is an essential destination if you’re looking for quality blogging tips that aren’t run of the mill. His weekday posts are consistently classy and thought provoking. This one about goal setting is probably my favourite.
- Drayton Bird is the master of Direct Mail. So tap into his knowledge and sign up to receive 51 Helpful Ideas delivered straight to your mailbox. I eagerly awaited these in my early days and gained lots of ideas to improve my writing.
- Blogs written by Tom Albrighton at ABC Copywriting always stir up debate and discussion. I like this one about the role of exaggeration in copywriting.
- If it’s evidence you want that successful modern copy can be inspired by timeless classics read How to create a website that sells. Here Ben Locker talks about how he used a classic ad by David Ogilvy to promote his own business – the result? It brought in a significant percentage of his agency’s income that year.
- If you want the lowdown on how to use SEO to maximise your Google rankings you’ll want to read this by Sonia Simone. As you’ll see Google have fixed it so you can’t exploit loopholes in their algorithm. Now a high ranking site needs top quality content in addition to SEO functionality.
- Want to learn why emotions sell? Then read this excellent post by Russ Henneberry called How to sell Like Steve Jobs. Apple fans in particular will like this one!
- If you’re blogging to help build your niche authority, check out Jon Morrow’s Boost Blog Traffic website. His inaugural post, The 7 Dumbest Mistakes You Can Make When Launching a New Blog is packed with sensible ideas to strategise your success.
- Want to become a better writer? Mary Jaksch shares 73 strategies in this thought provoking guest blog post. My particular favourites are numbers 46 and 47.
- Finally here’s a little gem, again from Ben Locker. Read this is you want to discover persuasive words to weave into your copy.
And, as a bonus, here are a few posts of my own:
- Writing is a creative business so if you want some tricks to get into the right frame of mind read 10 Tricks to Make Creativity a Cornerstone of Your Business.
- Press releases offer a route to free media coverage – but only if you write them well. How to Write a Winning Press Release is packed with tips and ideas to get you writing a story that attracts the editor’s attention.
- Is your Marketing Copy a Turn-Off? This is the most popular post on my blog. Have a read and see why.
Learning to write better is a must for any micro biz owner who produces their own advertising copy.
To get better you’ve got to write more. You can’t short-cut this one.
But you can also learn from the best.
What’s your favourite copywriting blog post? Leave a link in the comments box below.
Devon Page says
Thank you for linking to our website and for yet another great blog post. Will bookmark so I can tweet in the future 🙂
Mike Robinson says
Thank you – a really useful list with plenty of value to it.
Ian Wedlock says
Thank you for having this list. Your tips are pretty good. It teaches us the right way to do blogging.
Martin Sayers says
A very good list, thanks Georgina. I have also learnt a lot from Drayton Bird in respect to copywriting that sells, but some of these others I haven’t heard of before. Will have a good read!