Matt Ambrose's Blog
Persuasive Writing 4 - Structure
Now you need to plan how to structure your writing so it leads your reader along a logical path of thought towards taking action.
Just like how a seasoned debater or lawyer prepares to argue their case, you need to assess how to communicate your points so they resonate with the reader and seduce them into agreeing to your proposition.
Remember that people make buying decisions based on logic and emotion, so your writing needs to trigger both if you’re going to persuade the reader to pull out their credit card. More...
Welcome to 2009 Crucible Readers
It’s certainly going to be a tough year for many people; I’ve started hearing the ‘d’ word mentioned in reference to the economic plight both sides of the pond.
However, I’m going to leave doom ridden talk to the journalists, and instead concentrate on the opportunities available to SMEs who’re able to promote themselves more responsively and flexibly than their monolithic corporate competitors. More...
Happy Holidays Crucible Readers
In the meantime I’ll leave you with this informative video (link via Michael Stelzner’s blog), which tells you everything you need to know about becoming an internet millionaire, but without having to waste your time writing copy:)
Happy holidays!
Writing Persuasively 3 - Features Tell, Benefits Sell
“In our factory, we make lipstick. In our advertising, we sell hope.” - Charles Revson
Whenever someone reads your website’s landing page or sales letter they’re not thinking about how clever the wordplay is but ‘what’s in it for me?’They want to know how your product can solve their problem and benefit them personally, not how great your company is or how many speed settings your widget has.
If you’ve provided them with the right triggers, their imagination will also be picturing what life would be like if they took advantage of your offer. More...
Writing Persuasively - Planning Why You’re Writing, Who To And What Action You Want Them To Take
“The more informative your advertising, the more persuasive it will be.” - David Ogilvy
As any lawyer knows, it’s not the strength of your words but the strength of your arguments that wins.
The same rule applies to persuasive writing.
Dazzling the reader with your use of a thesaurus or adopting a pushy tone isn’t the best way of convincing them to respond the way you want.
Persuasive writing is thinking on paper and salesmanship in print, rather than clever wordsmithing.
The aim isn’t to impress the reader with stylish prose, but to present your case as clearly and logically as possible. More...
Writing Persuasively - Do You Want to Communicate or Confuse?
"Our business is infested with idiots who try to impress by using pretentious jargon." - David Ogilvy
Words are an undervalued asset in the business world.
Whether clouded in technical jargon, marketing buzz words or hype filled corporate claptrap, writing fails to communicate when it’s trying too hard to sound clever or impressive.
This misguided approach is further crippled by the popular use of vacuous phrases, such as ‘product evangelists’, ‘360 degree thinking’ and ‘paradigm shifts’, which merely sound like a replacement for genuine thought and fail to convey any real meaning. More...
eBook on Persuasive Writing Coming Soon
It won’t contain any groundbreaking info most writers don’t know already, but I’m hoping it will be useful for casual visitors looking for some advice on how to write clearly, with brevity and without some of the corporate speak and gobbledygook used by government councils and the like, which confuses rather than communicates. More...
Business Blogging/Content Marketing Campaign Tips
So how do you go about it?
Get Wordpress
Unless your web developers were prudent enough to equip your website with a content management system, you’ll need somewhere to post your articles to. My entire website is built using Wordpress, so obviously I’m a big fan. More...
Copywriter, PR Writer or Brand Journalist? You Decide
A copywriter can be defined as ‘a person employed to write advertising or publicity copy’. More...
Email Marketing Copywriting Tips - Delivered, Opened, Read and Responded to
Getting emails past the spam blockers
With spam about as desirable as raw sewage, junk filters are getting ever more zealous in blocking suspicious messages. This means the tactics used by spammers to get their emails noticed and read are constantly being added to the blacklist of unacceptable email marketing behaviour.
So you need to avoid using a spammer’s language if you want to pass the gatekeeper; don’t use words and phrases such as FREE, amazing, buy now, congratulations, dear friend, great offer, investment, special promotion or winner. More...
