Writing Skills Quiz – with Answers

Do you think it is OK to start sentences with “And …..”? Yes.  However, many of us were taught not to, I think for two reasons.  First, because ‘and’ is a conjunction, and our teachers were also telling us conjunctions were for joining phrases together, so allowing them at the start of sentences would have been contradictory. Second, language has become less formal since most of us were at school, and starting sentences...

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Copywriters – 10 reasons why to use one

PERSPECTIVE  1.)  Copywriters don’t make the most common, fatal mistake ALL of us see our business from our own perspective. So, when writing promotional material it isn’t easy to jump out of that mindset and into our customers’ viewpoint – which is of course what business need to do when writing brochures, website text, newsletters, etc. 2.)  Copywriters ask the key questions To write about a business, copywriters have to ask...

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Write better headings – EXAMPLES

Headings really matter, and we all need to sharpen up our writing at times. Here are some less good and better examples from my recent book on Business Writing Tips – For Easy and Effective Results. Below you can read what were the original headings to my book’s parts (in bold) and chapters … and what they were in the final version (in italics). Only a couple of parts/chapters did not change their headings/titles. I think you...

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3 Videos of my book launch

I launched my book, ‘BUSINESS WRITING TIPS – For Easy and Effective Results’, in March 2015. You can now watch 3 VIDEOS of the event 1)  An interview with me at the launch  (2 minutes – Professionally made)   2)  “Writing a book is like having a baby” (HE says)  (7 mins)   3)  My speech in full  (12 mins) HERE is how to buy my book – using Paypal OR on Amazon    ...

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Copywriting – best practice examples

Why does corporate copywriting have to be so dull? Below are three examples of what I think are copywriting best practice from my recent book – with my comments,  that I believe engage, attract customers and stand above their competitors. Are there any best practice tips for your writing? Let me know what your comments …   1.) Pret A Manger (website) Our kitchens get replenished with wonderful ingredients early each morning and our Hot...

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Writing tips – Learn from the pros

  Want some writing tips?  Then why not learn from the pros …  In my training courses on effective writing I show delegates some of the writing techniques used by professionals, and then let the delegates apply the techniques to their own writing.  I summarise these pros/professional writers as the ‘3Ms’: people who write for Mass Markets (i.e tabloid journalists) Marketers (writers of advertising copy) Maestros (newspaper/magazine...

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