Posts by Angie
copy… what now?
I was talking a friend of mine recently who was working on a new client proposal. She was trying to work out what to offer and kept getting stuck, so she reached out and asked me what the difference was between copyediting, copy coaching, and copy chiefing. I answered her privately and she was able…
Read Moregeneric = the kiss of death
I was hanging out in a copywriting group the other day (what, doesn’t everyone nerd out over advertising? Just me? Shut up)… and got into an interesting discussion with a newer copywriter. This person was tasked with writing a “generic” ad that could be “reskinned” and used for multiple businesses, with different owners, in multiple…
Read Morerejection is part of the process
“Another one for the hook…” I’m paraphrasing the punch line of a great story told by Stephen King in his book, On Writing. Back in the day, he’d work his day job and submit stories and book ideas on the side. And he’d get letter after letter back – no. So he hung a hook…
Read Morecreating good problems
What if, instead of freaking out whenever problems pop up (as if we’ll ever solve ALL the problems)… We focused on creating good problems? It’s a different way to look at the same challenge, but it’s a critical distinction. Rather than focus on lack or overwhelm, often a shift to opportunities created can open your…
Read Morenow what?
John had THE big idea. He invented the Facebook for golf lovers, and he just KNOWS he’s on track to rake in millions of dollars in the next couple years. All he needs are some investors and some beta users and a little buzz/word of mouth, right? It sells itself. So he starts on the…
Read Moremisadventures in podcasting
I’m currently in the middle of taking a podcast workshop from Seth Godin. For years now, especially after I’d speak on stage at events, people would come up to me and tell me I needed to podcast. But I never knew what I’d talk about, at least until I started writing my book. It’s called…
Read Moreassume positive intent
Here’s an observation – especially in today’s world of frayed nerves and insta-snark kneejerk replies at anyone who’s even perceived at being “out of line”. What if the person reaching out to you didn’t intend it the way you interpreted it? We’d all go a lot farther by giving folks grace and assuming positive intent.…
Read Moreabdication vs delegation
I have a confession to make: Tech and I don’t get along. Unless it’s super intuitive and gettable-at-a-glance, I tend to give all technological solutions a wide berth. That’s not to say I’m a luddite – my smartphone is practically glued into my hand some days (an unhealthy habit, that’s for damn sure). And being…
Read Moreadvice to new copywriters, from someone who hires copywriters
Today I had an ambitious up-and-coming copywriter reach out to me via private message. Normally I would leave this kind of convo unread and not engage – life is much saner for me that way. But his approach caught my attention and I felt inspired to try and help him out by sharing some advice…
Read Morestepping into someone’s head as a copywriter
This week I got a question: When you’re writing copy, how do you find the balance between being true to the company’s voice but also bringing your own ideas/slant? Had this challenge before when I was hired based on very ‘me’ samples specifically written for that company, but when it actually came to writing a…
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