reynoldswriting.com Blog

Sometimes prospective clients will ask me if I specialize in their particular industry: “Do you have experience writing for the automated-widget business?” Many times I can truthfully answer, “Yes.” Other times I can just as truthfully say, “No, and here’s why it doesn’t matter.”

So here’s why it doesn’t matter.

Most of us copywriters consider ourselves generalists — professionals adept at absorbing whatever information we need to write on the widest possible range of subject matter. Specializing in a particular industry or subject has its points, of course, both for clients and for writers. Specialists usually require less intake on the subject from the client, eliminating much of the learning curve on the front end of the project. From the writer’s perspective, a more specialized niche is easier to market to because that target market makes up a more cohesive group — people who tend to belong to the same organizations and speak the same lingo.

But as a generalist myself, I think general-subject writers have the edge in some notable ways. For one thing, the sheer cross-pollination of concepts, information and resources that we sift through on a daily basis, year after year, enables us to see the broad view of how your particular industry relates to others. If you work in the “green” industry, for instance, your product or service may impact the manufacturing, real estate, health and wellness, energy, electronics and other industries. Well, guess what? I’ve written for all of those industries and many others, so I can see the connections between them all — which means that I can help your audience see them as well.

At the same time, the outsider’s perspective counts for much. People who live and think in one field 24/7 start to assume that the rest of us know as much about it as they do, so they start speaking in buzzwords and technobabble without even realizing that we’re staring at them with a blank expression. A writer who can step in as Joe Q. Public and say, “What’s the bottom line on this stuff?” can see your products or services from a mainstream audience’s point of view.

Of course, everyone specializes in some way or other. For instance, even though I write on every topic under the sun, I focus on marketing pieces, or as I like to call it, “writing for short attention spans.” The work I do has a specific mission: to grab a reader’s interest and then nail a point home quickly and engagingly enough to inspire a purchase or a phone call. But as a general-subject writer, I can do that for any industry, product or service. So befriend a generalist today — and start getting your point across to the rest of us.

For more about my writing services and current package deals, check out my website at www.reynoldswriting.com.

Copywriting mastermind Robert Bly recently discussed an extraordinary new technological advance — writer-less writing. This program, the product of a company called Narrative Science, apparently synthesizes facts and figures to generate news stories and other articles. I was intrigued by this idea and stumbled on a New York Times piece that explores the technology and its applications in more detail.

The software does more than simply throw sports scores or stock prices into a blender and hit the mix button. It can accept and work with colloquial expressions and even choose a specific story angle, such as a come-from-behind win by a sports team. The resulting work is coherent, well organized and professionally presented. The folks at Narrative Science see an increasing role for this kind of computer-generated writing in journalism as the technology continues to advance.

So is it time for us writers to put away our laptops, pens and caffeine habits for good? I don’t believe so.

Take a look at the sample news brief referenced in the Times article. Underneath the smooth grammar and coolly professional tone, you basically get a sequence of events and statistics. Yes, the program communicates the significance of this data, but it can’t speculate on what might happen next or evoke the participants’ feelings on the matter. And it can’t imbue its work with its own feelings either, because it doesn’t have any. That’s okay for an objective report, but what about persuasive writing?

Real writers do much more than just write. When you hire a skilled, experienced freelance copywriter, you gain a creative partner as well as a scribe. I’m constantly asked for editorial guidance, creative brainstorming sessions, and opinions on what that next round of blog posts should explore or what tone a sales letter should employ. And yes, I rely on previous experience, collected facts and basic logic in my work — but I’m not stuck with those options. I can also leap beyond logic by drawing on such uniquely organic resources as intuition, humor, opinion and emotion. I can do more than just extrapolate story points from facts and figures. I can use those facts and figures as a launchpad for sailing into uncharted “What If” territory. Irrationality has its downside, but it also allows us to create, imagine, wonder and dream. That’s the extra edge a flesh-and-blood writer brings to the table.

Now if they ever start making computers as nutsy as humans, then we’re ALL in trouble.

For more about my writing services and current package deals, check out my website at www.reynoldswriting.com.

Recently I read an anxious post by a fellow copywriter on a writers’ forum. She was relatively new to the business but had done well enough for herself by landing a steady stream of work from a fairly deep-pocketed corporate client. Unfortunately, she wrote, that stream appeared to be drying up into a trickle. She assumed she could find another sugar daddy somewhere, but where — and how?

This writer suffers from a mistake that many of us make, whether we write for a living or not. It’s called putting all your eggs in one basket, and it isn’t a good spot to be in. I know, because I’ve been there.

When I first launched my freelance writing career, I knew a little about writing but not much about how to run a writing business. I had two major clients who called me every once in a while and supplied me with enough work to pay my rent and (some of) my bills. It was a tenuous existence at best, but I was just happy to have any kind of freelance work at all. And it was so easy! All I had to do was sit around and wait for the phone to ring.

You can predict the next twist in the plot. One of my big clients decided to take the work I’d been doing in house, and the other went totally silent — I later learned that it had pulled out of town altogether without bothering to let me know. Instead of sitting around waiting for the phone to ring, I suddenly found myself just sitting around, which doesn’t pay terribly well.

So for any fellow freelance writers or other contractors out there, here are some tips for keeping abject poverty at bay:

Multiple eggs. It’s great to niche yourself so that your target market can zero in on your services and vice versa, but build some versatility into your offerings as well. You might want to learn how to work in multiple formats so you can create a press release, two-column video script or whatever else a client might need with equal ease. Or you could establish yourself as a generalist who can write on every conceivable subject from eyebrow tweezing to rocket science.

Multiple baskets. Build your clientele through a variety of channels, including online ads, a well-optimized Web presence, active participation on social media sites and face-to-face networking. Always play the “who do you know” game by asking your current clients and networking buddies for referrals. Make an effort to help others in the same way. Plug into the community and let it work for you.

Whatever you do, don’t wait until that stream has become a trickle. Whether you’re a freelancer or some other small business trying to remain strong, work on your eggs and egg baskets right now — and you’ll never find yourself without an omelet cooking on the stove.

For more about my writing services and current package deals, check out my website at www.reynoldswriting.com.

I’m picky about my writing tools. It might be just my nature, though it’s more probably because I spend most of my waking hours banging out a living keystroke by keystroke. I know that various writers throughout history have had their favorite toys. Andy Rooney, for instance, used the same old manual typewriter for most of his career. (His voice haunts me now: “Didja ever wonder why I did that?”) Even back in ancient times, a monk or scribe somewhere was probably insisting on a quill made only from the feathers of that turkey over there.

I didn’t even draft on a computer early in my professional career; I used a pen. A Pilot Precise V5 to be, well, precise. Once I started using the keyboard for all stages of writing, I found myself gravitating toward those laptop-style models with the scissor-switch keys. When one of them died on my recently, I replaced it with the closest match I could find. It just feels right to me.

The other day I decided that I was tired of my creaky old version of Microsoft Word. Instead of shelling out for the current version, however, I stopped and thought: Now might be the time to switch horses. Word’s sheer wealth of capabilities seemed to get in my way at times, offering me so many options that I sometimes found myself thinking about the writing tool instead of the writing. What do I really want in a word processor? I want something that feels invisible and gets out of my way, giving me all the options that I need and none that I don’t.

That’s what businesses seek in selecting their writing tool — a professional copywriter. They want someone who will work quietly and efficiently in the background on their behalf. They want a skilled technician who can hammer their raw ore into a dazzling finished product with a minimum of muss and fuss. They want someone who, as Apple would put it, “just works.”

That’s what I strive to do. I keep my pricing, work processes and communication methods as simple and streamlined as possible. I offer my opinion when clients want it and keep my mouth shut when they don’t. I filter complex, often unfinished ideas into clear, effective messages. And perhaps most important of all, I take the time up front to get to know my clients so I can anticipate their needs before they’ve even expressed them.

Whatever your writing tool of choice — a pen, a keyboard, a word processor or a professional copywriter — go with the one that just feels right. You’ll get a lot more done with a lot less effort.

For more about my writing services and current package deals, check out my website at www.reynoldswriting.com.

The opening credits play over a long shot of a multi-story apartment complex, a series of rather drab buildings surrounding a courtyard. Set into these buildings we see window after window — some closed with curtains drawn, others giving us glimpses of the various rooms and their occupants.

We get an intriguing look at the odd but endearing collection of everyday folks living out their everyday lives in these buildings, until we finally pull back just enough to realize that we ourselves are gazing out from one of the windows — Jimmy Stewart’s window, to be exact. We then pan downward from Stewart’s face to see that he is in a wheelchair, his leg in a cast.

What is Alfred Hitchcock doing in the opening sequence of his 1954 suspense classic Rear Window? He’s hitting us with a series of revelations. He reveals our environment, then reveals our cast of characters, then reveals our star, then reveals our star’s dilemma. Stewart’s character, L.B. Jeffries, is stuck in his apartment until he heals up, with nothing better to do than observe his wacky neighbors through the window. But he gets more of a show than he’d bargained for when one neighbor’s bedridden wife vanishes from the premises overnight.

Ever seen the same technique used in marketing? You bet you have. It works for a sales letter or web page just as effectively as it does for a film. Hit your reader with a series of colorful, fascinating opening statements while keeping them just off-kilter enough to feel compelled to look further. Stewart’s character feels the same compulsion. Why is Thorwald, the neighbor, coming and going in the middle of the night carrying a suitcase? Wait, are those his wife’s jewels in the suitcase? Where did his wife go? Why is Thorwald washing the bathroom walls? Why is that dog digging so obsessively at the flower bed?…

I won’t reveal the ending, in case you’re one of the three people on the planet who haven’t seen this movie yet. But the way Hitchcock drips information at us one astonishing dollop at a time keeps us on the edge of our set — we have to know what comes next.

You want your marketing content to lead your readers by the hand in exactly the same manner. Dump the whole load of information on them right from the start and it will just land with a thud, like the movie trailer that reduces a two-hour drama to a series of sound bites and car crashes. You have to build your story from one point to the next, giving your reader time to absorb each one.

That’s how you build suspense — in the movies, and in marketing.

For more about my writing services and current package deals, check out my website at www.reynoldswriting.com.

I recall a client who’d requested and received a 300-word article asking me, “On second thought, a 1,000-word article would fit my format better. Can we just pad this piece out to 1,000 words?”

I also recall my response: “Can we? Yes. Should we? Probably not.”

If brevity is indeed the soul of wit, then you want your marketing content to be the life of the party — not the guy reeling off some rambling epic tale with no apparent beginning or ending as he blocks your way to the bathroom. Effective, powerful, entertaining writing makes its point and then gets out of the way instead of monopolizing the reader’s time and patience.

Brevity doesn’t necessarily mean squishing everything you write down into soundbites, though the runaway success of Twitter has proven that 140 characters can go a long way. But it does mean adopting a “less is more” approach and viewing your writing with a surgeon’s eye. Here are some advantages to concise writing:

It’s easier to process. The eye gets fatigued as it pores over massive blocks of text, and the more of it the page contains, the less of it actually seems to matter. Clear, concise writing is easier for the eye and brain to handle, giving you better odds that your reader will actually want to keep reading.

It packs more of a punch. I find that my writing always turns out better when I’ve overwritten and have to reduce the word count. This kind of forced edit requires me to condense and purify my work, cutting out digressions and extra phrases until the writing becomes airtight. What’s left is all muscle — a lean, mean content machine.

It’s more versatile. A relatively short piece of writing will integrate more easily into a variety of situations, formats and templates. A few short paragraphs of website content, for instance, will leave more room for other page elements than an elephantine chunk of text that has to hog center stage.

If your written content feels flabby, fails to engage the imagination or just makes your eyes hurt, take out your red editing pen (or hire mine) and start trimming away the fat. You may love what you find underneath!

For more about my writing services and current package deals, check out my website at www.reynoldswriting.com.

Not too long ago I got a call from one of my regular vendor partners, a firm that specializes in marketing strategies and campaigns for small businesses. The owner of the company was trying to come up with some fresh branding for one of her clients, but the combination of triple-digit Texas heat and her busy schedule had left her feeling the need for a creativity boost. Could I come in and brainstorm slogans and angles with her with an hour or two? Well, sure I could.

If you don’t have your own marketing firm or department to knock ideas around with, you too might find creative consultations a huge help. No, I’m not a full-blown marketing strategist — but as you see from the example above, even marketing strategists can use a second set of frontal lobes on occasion. Brainstorming with someone who uses a high degree of creativity for a living can help you dislodge old ideas, free yourself from inertia and help you confirm that you’re on the right path.

I’ve posted before about how business owners can sometimes lose perspective on their own products and services. If you find yourself in that situation, it’s time to call in a third party — preferably one who can look at your marketing with both objectivity and a certain level of professional insight. You’d be amazed at how well a simple comment such as, “Oh, what you’re really trying to say is this” can bring your branding and messaging into sharp focus. And clear concepts make for clear writing.

Maybe what you need from your copywriter doesn’t fall neatly into a category. Maybe you could really use a set of slogans, or ten different metaphors for the same idea, or a fabulous punch line. Maybe you don’t even know what you need — you just know that you need something. Contact your copywriter and borrow his brain. He’ll happily rent it to you, probably at reasonable rates. Just give it back to him when you’re done.

For more about my writing services and current package deals, check out my website at www.reynoldswriting.com.

I don’t know whether it’s the unusually early onslaught of triple-digit heat here in Austin, my ongoing experiments in finding the ideal sleep schedule, my sedentary lifestyle or all of the above, but lately I’ve found that my brain needs an extra jump-start or two on most days. Afternoons pose the greatest threat, with my creative juices bearing more of a resemblance to molasses.

I’m forced to create anyway, of course, because I have to pay the rent. Like most other working people on the planet, I have to perform regardless of whether I feel inspired to do so. I usually have to be flat-out sick before I’ll give myself permission to slack off. Those deadlines won’t meet themselves.

Fortunately, I’ve learned a few tricks along the way to unblock the old grey matter and get rolling again. If you find yourself up against a creative deadline without two brain cells to rub together, you might want to try them yourself:

Play the “What If” Game. The original writers of Saturday Night Live used this technique when they felt stumped for ideas. It involves constructing completely surreal premises out of two or more unrelated parts. They phrased these premises in a “What if” format, asking questions out loud such as, “What if Eleanor Roosevelt had magical powers?” or, “What if Spartacus had fought the Romans while flying a Piper Cub airplane?” Some of these bizarre notions actually found their way into SNL sketches — but more importantly, they freed the writers’ imaginations from all constraints so creativity could run wild.

Keep a list. A young Ray Bradbury once decided, almost on a whim, to write down a list of nouns as fast as they would come to him. He ended up a huge stockpile of compelling images (and prospective stories) such as THE LAKE, THE NIGHT, THE CRICKETS, THE RAVINE, THE BABY, THE OLD WOMAN, THE DWARF, THE MIRROR MAZE and so on. He would then return to this treasure trove to get inspiration for future stories.

Get comfortable. Maybe you’re just tired, in a bad mood, eating or sleeping poorly. The brain is a part of the body, after all. You may find that with a little more sleep or some daily exercise your thoughts will start flowing again as if by magic. You may also want to experiment with different writing rituals, as I discussed in a previous post, until you hit on an environment or schedule that unlocks your muse.

And stay out of the heat!

For more about my writing services and current package deals, check out my website at www.reynoldswriting.com.

Next time you’re at your local mega-super-multiplex cinema, watch the movie patrons as they walk out of whatever film they just finished seeing. What do you expect to witness? Stunned silence from the audience of a grim war drama? A throng of kids bursting out the door, zapping each other with imaginary ray guns after an afternoon with a sci-fi action flick? Smiles, laughter and hand-holding between couples as they exit a top-flight romantic comedy? That’s what I would expect from a movie that has done its job well and entertained in the way it meant to entertain. (If you ever see stunned silence from an audience as they file out of a romantic comedy, you may safely take that movie off your list of things to do.)

A successful movie or play takes pains to make sure its audience leaves the theater in a specific emotional state. Even after weaving a powerful spell for two solid hours, however, the movie can still falter if the ending doesn’t follow through. Either the viewers immediately forget what they just experienced, or they walk away frustrated and confused. Either way, they don’t return, nor do they tell their friends to go see the movie, and so the movie tanks.

You and I face the exact same challenge with our website or print-marketing content — only for “ending” substitute the term “call to action.” You can lead your reader by the nose all the way from the opening header to the closing paragraph, but you’ll still lose the sale without an inspiring finish.

An effective call to action is consistent in tone with what came before (no jarring shifts that wreck the mood), clear (because an ending should feel like an ending) and commanding (“Laugh! Cry! Think! Buy something!”) Do it right, and your audience will go forth doing what you want them to do. Do it wrong, and they’ll just go forth.

May your next marketing venture earn four stars from your most demanding critics — your target market!

For information about my writing services and current deals, check out my website at www.reynoldswriting.com.

The curtain rises on a murky, foggy night in Elsinore. A man atop a platform stands watch nervously, his lantern the only point of light in the gloom. He hears a sound, leaps to his feet and demands that the semi-obscured figure identify himself. The figure replies with the same demand. Fortunately, it’s only his friend come to take over the watch, but something’s clearly got everyone spooked. Why all the unease? Because of the ghost, of course — a dreaded apparition that haunts the castle.

Yes, I’m describing a play — Hamlet, to be precise — and not a brochure, website or print ad. On the surface, in fact, this scene would appear to have nothing at all to do with marketing or sales copy of any kind. After all, Shakespeare’s not selling anything here, is he?

Sure he is. He’s selling Hamlet.

An arresting opening to a play, film or literary work sells interest in the rest of it. It must hook its audience quickly and strongly if the author wants to see warm bodies in the seats for Act Two. Similarly, a great opening to a gigantic epic novel can persuade a reader to wade several hundred pages deeper than anyone expected. (“Call me Ishmael” has a lot to answer for.) Raising a brilliant opening curtain is like casting a magic spell — it may not hold for very long, but it’ll do its job long enough for you to strengthen and reinforce your command over those people for the period of time you need it.

The beginning of your marketing piece must command the “stage” — in this case the inner stage of the mind — just as firmly. This is especially, brutally true on the Internet, where we all have the attention span of a gnat with attention-deficit disorder. When someone lands on your homepage, you have a precious few seconds to cast your spell. So hit hard and aim true. Whether you open with an entrancing mood, a vivid depiction of a painful moment, a hearty laugh, an astonishing concept, or any of the other weapons in your mage’s staff, make sure you point that initial moment straight at the heart, mind or funny bone of the specific people you want to enthrall. Ask yourself, “What will get my ideal customer’s attention right now and hold it long enough for me to keep them from mousing away?” Then fire away.

The same principle holds true for print marketing as well, though generally readers will give you more time as they take in the pretty pictures or the nice slick paper. Even so, they want to encounter the good stuff ASAP, because they’ve got other things to do. So tell them in a big way, right from the opening header. Then follow up on that initial promise with more goodies as you guide them through the piece.

You don’t have to be a Shakespeare to grab your audience’s attention. You just have to know what will make their collective heart skip a beat, and then put it in front of them as the first thing they encounter.

Curtain up!

For information about my writing services and current deals, check out my website at www.reynoldswriting.com.