3 years on from ’31 days to write better copy’
I was just talking with Krishna De yesterday and she reminded me of the challenge she set me three years ago. On 1st October 2010 when my son was 9 months old, I set out to write a series challenging SMEs and SMBs to join me and learn about writing copy that sells.
It was a series of 31 articles over 31 days which contained a little theory and practical exercises. It provided business owners with free advice and techniques for successful copy-writing.
Topics included:
- Change your writing mindset
- Find out who exactly your audience is
- What headlines are killers – for the right and wrong reasons
- Create a framework to write quickly
- Write equals editing
- Shorten long paragraphs into snappy little sentences
- Email etiquette – the do’s and don’ts
and much, much more.
Success of ’31 days to write better copy’
Who would have known the success the challenge brought me and others who have read it? I certainly didn’t. But just take a little look:
Series into a Book
- The series was turned into a book available for sale on Amazon
- The book was also turned into a Kindle ebook
- Sales continue on a monthly basis
Awards
- The series won an acclaimed international Publication Excellence APEX award for ‘How-to’ series in 2011
- The book won Best Small Business Book Award (Marketing category) in 2012
Denise in the Media
- I’ve been featured in local and national print media such as Sunday Business Post, Irish Independent & Women Mean Business
- I’ve been featured in local radio stations such as Phantom FM with the lovely Alison Curtis, Highland Radio with Shaun Doherty and LMFM with Deirdre Hurley
- I’ve been interviewed for RTE’s Derek Mooney show and on John Murray show
- I’ve spoken about email etiquette on TV3’s Ireland Am
Clients & Speaking
- I’ve been asked to talk to groups of SMEs about writing better copy and communicating a better message to their customers
- I’ve worked with some fantastic business owners who want to persuade and influence their customers in an authentic way.
Do I think writing a book was worth it?
Absolutely. The hardest part was starting and knowing when to end.
Do I need to write another book?
Absolutely yes. There are many authors who finish on one book. I’m already in talks about writing a really useful, practical guide with another colleague. I’m super excited about that.
Next steps…
I’ve been spending a lot of time researching about the written word and how we can all communicate better using the written word. Our promotional copy is like our 24 hour salesperson – you wouldn’t hire just anyone to sell on behalf of your business so why would you put such little effort into your written material.
Sales or marketing promotional material needs the same dedication as hiring and training your top sales people.
And that’s what I’m going to help business owners with – writing the best copy so that they can influence their customers and leads to take an action.
If you need help with getting your customers to take action, then email me today at denise @ achievemarketing.ie
