Here are some examples of my work on the College of Media and Publishing’s online course which I started in September 2018 and successfully completed in October 2019.
- This was the first copy I wrote for the course. It had to be on a favourite form of transport.
6 REASONS TO TRAVEL BY TRAIN (and get your copywriting rolling!)
Boarding a train is a treat.
You can’t beat a good train journey!
And what it offers can also help your copywriting!
Tap into conversations
Trains are a haven for safe eavesdropping!
Listen out for the quirky, inventive, downright normal.
Something you over-hear might inspire you!
Reflect
Trains let you sit back and enjoy the scenery.
And you’ll always have something on your mind.
You might even nail that elusive slogan!
Amble up the Aisle
On trains, you can stretch your legs and still be hurtling along.
Use the buffet car as an excuse for a break.
Exercise and nourishment never hurt a copywriter!
Imagine
Trains are full of passengers to pass time creating personas for.
What are their lives like?
What might they buy? What could you write to sell them it?
Nose Down
Trains give you time to read and get to your destination!
For a copywriter, there’s no price on that! Just the ticket!
Strike up a Conversation
On trains, you might even chat to a complete stranger.
You might even talk about copywriting.
Explain it clearly. They may think it’s for them, too!
Happy Training!
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2) I wrote this on an assignment for adverts. I decided to write for my friend, Matt Walkden’s will-writing service. I enjoyed writing it and my tutor wrote ‘It’s good to see clear concise writing.’
So, how superstitious are you?
In Tudor times, superstitions were rife. Robbing from a swallow’s nest was fatal. A hare crossing your path was an ominous portent. A clergyman on a hunting expedition brought bad luck.
It was the Victorian age when opening an umbrella indoors became a popular bringer of ill-fortune. Actually, those cumbersome metal spokes were downright dangerous. There can be common sense behind superstitions.
You’ve probably heard someone say; ‘If I make a will, I’ll die.’
What’s that? Superstition? Good sense? Probably the first.
Why would you leave what you leave behind to chance?
Making a will is fast, easy and cheap. And free on our app ‘Will Do’.
Visit us at www.wills.org.uk Professional legal will-writers since 2006.
Don’t touch wood. Make a will.
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3) This is copy for leaflets.
What would a burglar think looking at your home?
“Easy? Worth a shot? Could get away with it?”
With 150 years of protecting homes and businesses worldwide, ADT SECURITY knows what a burglar would think if they saw your home fitted with our Smart Home security system;
“No chance! Not worth it! Easier pickings down the road!”
Get ADT Smart Home protection;
- It’s the latest in technology
- It monitors your property 24/7
Our professional team at ADT will;
- professionally fit Smart Home to personally fit YOUR home.
- install high definition CCTV cameras, sensors, and detectors
- make sure ADT Smart Home technology runs smoothly
- double-monitor your property with GPRS back-up 24/7
- call the police when your alarm is triggered
- replace your equipment free of charge
- protect your data so even ADT Smart Home can’t be hacked
You can;
- set/unset alarms from wherever you are by phone, app, laptop or pc
- check up on your home by video streams
ADT SMART HOME– Rest assured there’s much more than just security
Call us now on ________________ for a free quote or appointment.
- From £29.99 per month
- Installation from £199
- 10% off in May 2019
Visit our website; http://www.adt.com
Katherine Myers, homeowner, Exeter, recommends ADT Smart Home;
“I want to be sure my house is safe. My home is not just bricks and mortar – It’s flesh and blood. Me and family are in good hands with ADT.”
Make sure your home is in good hands. Not a burglar’s.
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4) This is an example of advertising content I wrote for a webpage. I did it for a Sardinian company at www.sardiniacohosting.it.
MAKE YOUR HOLIDAY HOMELY
ACCOMMODATION TO RENT IN CAGLIARI AND SOUTH SARDINIA.
Wondering where to stay for your holiday?
Try here.
By booking with us, you get the freedom of your own place.
With the perks and precision of a hotel.
Our Mediterranean-style flats, houses and villas are;
- Ideally positioned;
- Fully furnished;
- Tastefully designed;
- Spacious;
- and immaculately kept.
On arrival, you get;
- picked up at the airport;
- shown around your accommodation;
- given the car you’ve hired;
- and left with a hamper of goodies.
During your stay, we are here to make sure your holiday goes swimmingly.
You can contact us;
- to sort out anything that needs sorting out;
And to book any extras, such as
- Mid-stay cleaning
- Excursions.
If you’re like our previous guests, you’re;
- A family;
- A couple;
- A group of friends.
You’re also;
- A culture vulture over for Sardinia’s history;
- A food and wine connoisseur over for the island’s menu;
- A sun worshipper over for white sands and turquoise sea;
- A party animal over for the lively night life.
Above all, you’re independent.
Prices are seasonal;
- €60-€200 a night for Cagliari.
- €300-€1500 a night for our villas along the coast.
Discounts available;
- 10% off if you book before January;
Low season deals, such as;
- €2100 a week at our villa in Castiadas. (CORRECT)
Low season lasts to May, so;
- Be quick to catch the colours and costumes of Cagliari’s May 1st celebrations.
We look forward to giving you your front door keys.
Count on yourself. Count on us.
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5) This copy was for the assignment on SEO as a content writer. Aim to improve a new, fictitious I.T. company’s ranking on Google search engine results using best search phrases (in bold here). To be published in a blog for local businesses. Company is fictitious.
Portsmouth IT support keeping city’s business buoyant
You’d be hard-pressed to think of anyone working in computer maintenance in Portsmouth as anywhere near swashbuckling or heroic. But I’ve just met an enterprising young man who’s changed my mind. Or rather made me think they’re unsung heroes at least.
28-year-old Edward Wildsmith works for IT Protect, an IT support company which has just set up its offices at Dunsbury Business Park.
“I go out to save computer systems from going down on the high seas of big business. Armed with my Portsmouth business IT support skills,” he jokes, tongue-in-cheek.
We’ve already struck up some banter. But behind it is a serious point: that no-one running a company should take people like Edward for granted. You need them on board for plain sailing in today’s modern business.
As a blog writer, I often pop down to Dunsbury Park. Voted South Coast Business Park of the Year in 2017, it’s a great source for modern business tales in this maritime city. Like so often happens, I’ve just got chatting to a complete stranger in one of its cafes. Who’s opened my eyes to a new world.
About thirty minutes ago, I would have said that the world of Portsmouth computer repairs is, at best, challenging. At worst, downright boring. But talking to Edward, I’ve realised just how important the job he does is. I write a blog and, yes, my computer is important. But he’s talking about bigger fish. Not just writing the odd line or two.
Edward’s line is that any local business worth its salt will have an IT support package in Portsmouth to make sure their computers are running smoothly. Prevention is better than cure. Like any seafarer, you want to keep everything shipshape. Not just at sea but before you ever set sail. The logic is that any local company needs to protect its computer systems. And needs a company like his; IT Protect.
He’s just been taken on as part of its team, working in computer technology since graduating at Portsmouth University with a Business and Computer Studies MA in 2013.
IT Protect provides professional 24/7/365 computer system backup, consultancy and advice, remote monitoring, onsite support, storage and security. And it will have a stand at the Portsmouth Business Expo 2019 in July.
This annual event comes at a time when business in the city is on the crest of a wave, with new horizons ahead; £48m secured from the Government’s City Deal Programme. An expected £830m of investment to develop the Tipner and Horsea Gateway business estate. £2b investment over the next twenty years planned by the county council.
This is uptime for Portsmouth. No company can afford downtime.
“I just make sure your IT technology doesn’t play up,” is how Edward puts it. And as he sails off into the distance, I’m a little bit the wiser about something I knew anyway. But never gave it a thought. Because it doesn’t normally get the glory.
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6) I wrote this for the newsletter assignment – three articles. Based on a fictitious company.
Letter from Heather Nightingale, KitchenWiz CEO.
Dear customers,
Welcome to this green edition of KitchenWiz’s monthly newsletter. We know all of you, old or young, are looking to keep or get green through our products.
KitchenWiz’s commitment to the environment is as old as the hills. We are continually looking to better our products to make them more efficient, price-competitive, aesthetically pleasing, and of course eco-friendly. It’s a tall order but our customers expect us to aim high.
Two weeks on the international green calendar that don’t get much greener are Zero Waste Week and Energy Saving Week. We are always more than happy to make our contribution to Zero Waste Week (2nd-6th September) which raises awareness in reducing household and business waste. Energy Saving Week (20th-26th January 2020) may seem some way off, but customers will have already seen us gearing up to it in our stores. Our Mini Eco fridge/freezers for singles and couples have a 20% discount on them to rid you of your monstrous dinosaur models that do little else but eat up energy.
This edition focusses on something close to all our hearts; the environment. And, in-so-doing, the kitchens of the future. The world is demanding they do their part to help the planet.
Keep up to date on this and more by subscribing to our newsletter, by following our blog (kitchenwizblog.com) or by simply finding out the latest from our staff.
How to be lazy. And green!
Bet you all know someone that sighs forlornly at the talk of being eco-friendly. All that effort. All that hard work. Seems so much easier sticking to old antiquated habits that have got the planet to where it is today; a mess.
Well, KitchenWiz’ breaking news is that the lazier you are, the more you actually help the Earth. And the best place to start is in the kitchen with our appliances. Here are two examples among many.
The KitchenWiz Eco-Kettle. It has a special chamber that boils one to eight cupfuls of water. All you have to do is select how many. No need to bother working out how much water you need. How lazy is that? Main point is it saves energy, and saves your electricity bill at every boil, too. A bargain at £29.
Dishwashers have always meant luxury; not washing up. But KitchenWiz’ state-of.the-art Eco-dishwashers make you even lazier. And greener. They clean themselves, use less energy, waste less water and even recycle it to be reused again (to water plants for example). 20% discounts on all models right now.
We could go on. The point is you don’t have to lift a finger to save the planet. You just need to point it in the right direction; your local KitchenWiz store.
KitchenWiz interviews Rachel Strauss, founder of ‘Zero Waste Week’
KitchenWiz was delighted to be able to interview Zero Waste Week’s founder, Rachel Strauss on her visit to our Exeter store on 10th September as part of a live webinar;
How did Zero Waste Week come about?
“In 2004. Seeing firsthand the floodings in Boscastle, Cornwall while on holiday there. I vowed I had to do something myself about climate change. And recycling seemed the first step. It was very personal but that’s the ethos; every person can do something. Today, Zero Waste Week is testimony to that.”
How do you see the role of stores like KitchenWiz?
“Extremely important. People will recycle if reliable products are easily available. A store like KitchenWiz round the corner has a global impact.”
This was our chance to plug some of our range of kitchen accessories like washable grocery mesh bags and organic cotton coffee filters.“Yes, and your bamboo Kitchenroll. It re-washes and lasts for months.” she jokes in mock American advertising accent. “That’s what it says on the packet and it’s true. I use it myself!”
Good to know. And the goal for the future?
“That keeping up with the Joneses means your bins are empty.”
You can see the full webinar interview on www.kitchenWiz.com. Rachel will be presented with a cheque as part of KitchenWiz’ donation to Zero Waste Week in December. Read about it in next month’s newsletter.
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