The Word Nest Blog
How to write a terrific tagline or marketing slogan for your business
Feel like you need a tagline to go with that nifty brand name or logo? Excellent call. A great tagline is compelling verbal shorthand for who you are and what you promise. It has the potential to unite all aspects of your brand around a single, powerful idea in a way...
Why developing your brand voice is like laying Easter Eggs
I love the thrill of an Easter Egg hunt. And not just the chocolate kind. (That I love that kind goes without saying.) I'm talking about digital Easter eggs - the secret messages and subtle references that programmers and creatives hide in their work. Hidden gems that...
How much does proofreading cost?
So, you’ve written a document and it needs to be perfect. Trouble is, you’re now so close to it that you can’t see the wood for the trees. However good your writing is, when words represent your business or brand you know that even one typo won’t reflect well. You...
How do copywriters write about unfamiliar topics?
A prospective client asked me this question the other day – and provided the inspiration for a blog post I thought many would find useful. “My area is quite specialised so I just wondering how you feel / what the process is for writing about topics which you...
4 Reasons why blogging is like housework (and also why it’s not)
4 reasons why blogging is like housework (and also why it's not) As I was cleaning the bathroom today, it struck me that blogging is a bit like housework. You know it needs to be done, but you don’t like doing it. Am I right? Blogging may seem to you like...
How to give your visitors a reason to subscribe to your list
Recently a client asked me for help with wording his website email opt-in form. This got me thinking “What will encourage visitors to subscribe to his list?” He wanted their permission to send them updates on his products. But is the promise of product updates enough...
Is reading faster a good thing?
Is reading faster a good thing? Okay, so I was writing a blog post on the Comma when I came across something FAR more arresting. I’ve just heard about this new speed-reading app called Spritz that enables you to read up to 1,000 words a minute. (The average adult...
Why do People Buy?
Fear, desire & other motivators Knowing what motivates your customer is the key to your success. Though your target market might seem diverse they will all share similar dominant motivators. Understand these key motivators and you can tailor a marketing plan to...
Boost your conversion rates with a realistic call-to-action
Boost your conversion rates with a realistic call-to-action (And don't ask for too much too soon!) I was proofreading a client’s newly launched website today when I saw that the web designer had included a bright and shiny BUY NOW button. WOAH! Hold off there a minute...
Prices for copywriting website pages
So, you’re searching for copywriting costs. You want a ballpark figure, a guestimate, an approximation just to get you started. (And you’ve probably found that most copywriting websites won’t give you one - frustrating, right?) I get it. You think copywriters want to...
How Storytelling Can Dramatically Improve Your Communications
"She couldn’t believe it. It was as if she’d been living in a world of black and white that had just turned Technicolor. Why ever had she not realized this before? The writer’s block... The struggle to be understood, to connect... All at once there was clarity... The...
How to reduce refund and return requests
Have you ever bought something and then thought that maybe you’ve made a huge mistake? I know I did – when I made my biggest purchase ever – my house. In fact, when I bought my house, I experienced a roller coaster of emotional highs and lows so much so that I felt...
Pimp My Product – 7 copywriting tips to give your product more punch!
Sometimes what you think is fascinating and sexy about your product is as dry as dust to the average person. So how do you polish it up into a prize that’s worth its weight in gold? The answer is in your copywriting. And if you know a few tricks of the trade, you’ll...
Email Marketing – 10 Ways to Increase Your Open Rates
50 characters – that’s all that stands between your successful email campaign and the trash. When writing your email campaign your subject line plays a leading role, but if long-term and lucrative list building is your goal there are other crucial parts you should pay...
Let’s talk ‘About us’
Let’s talk ‘About us’ How to write an effective 'About us' page for your small business website Small businesses like you and me have the chance to compete with the big boys on the Internet. The playing field has been leveled and with professional copywriting and...
Give me a break! Are we going a little line-break crazy?
Give me a break! Are we going a little line-break crazy? We all know that online readers are impatient, tending to scan a page rather than read it word-by-word. For this reason, online copywriting best practice is to chunk text into bite-sized paragraphs. But where...