Category Archives: Copywriting
Five Tips to Help You with Those Pesky Commas
by Robin Embry on May 4, 2012 | no comments
in Copywriting, Punctuation, Writing
I’ve lived in the south my entire life and it’s safe to say my accent quickly distinguishes me from anyone living north of the Mason Dixon line. So, one would think that if I wrote like I talk, my copywriting would be full of commas…hey, why not pause every second during conversation to draw it out? Fact of the matter is I routinely don’t use them enough and I constantly refer to online resources to help me out. Using commas correctly seems elementary, but it is shocking how often this simple punctuation is misused.
Most people are familiar with Grammar Girl (I actually have her book The Grammar Devotional sitting on my desk) but probably don’t visit her as much as they should. Her web site is full of informative and easy to remember tips, and so is GrammarBook.com. In my opinion, here are some of the most useful tips from those sites:
Rule #1: Use a comma when an -ly adjective is used with other adjectives.
Lucy is a lovely, young girl.
Helpful Hint: To test whether an -ly word is an adjective, see if it can be used alone with the noun. If it can, use the comma.
Rule #2: Use commas to set off expressions that interrupt sentence flow.
She is, as everyone expected, very excited about the promotion.
Rule #3: When starting a sentence with a weak clause, use a comma after it. Conversely, do not use a comma when the sentence starts with a strong clause followed by a weak clause.
If these comma examples are not helpful, please let me know.
Let me know if these comma examples are not helpful.
Rule #4: A comma splice is caused when two strong clauses, which could be independent sentences, are separated with a comma without using a conjunction, a semicolon, or a period.
Incorrect:
Kristen wrote an award-winning press release, Steven created an impressive web site.
Correct:
Kristen wrote an award-winning press release, and Steven created an impressive web site.
Rule #5: Sentences that include “if clauses” are called conditional sentences. When this type of clause is at the beginning of a sentence you need a comma, and when it’s at the end you can leave it out.
If I don’t get enough sleep, I am worthless the next day.
I am worthless the next day if I don’t get enough sleep.
And, don’t forget the simple ones like use commas to separate words and word groups with a series of three or more; and use a comma to separate two adjectives.
Here is a recent article in The New Yorker about commas: it’s a funny read.
Do you have a common comma quandary? And, how did I handle my commas?
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Pinterest Craze Could Result in Legal Troubles
by Sarah Mansouri on March 15, 2012 | 1 comment
in Copywriting, Social Media
Not long ago, I wrote a blog post about one of my favorite social media sites, Pinterest. While I continue to enjoy using Pinterest to discover, organize and “pin” new ideas, I have stumbled upon some recent news that has caused concern. Last month, Kristen Kowalski, an attorney and photographer in Georgia, decided to delete her Pinterest account after conducting research on Pinterest’s terms of use. As a photographer, she had read various complaints from other photographers who took issue with the fact that anyone and everyone is able to pin a photographer’s work without his or her permission. In her blog post on the situation, Kowalski states, “Well, this got me thinking. What is the difference between posting another person’s photographs on your Pinterest page and posting another person’s photographs on your Facebook page? If the latter is so clearly a violation of copyright why isn’t the former?” Her lawyer instincts kicked in and she conducted a bit of research on the topic only to find some unsettling answers.
Upon a visit to Pinterest’s terms of use page, Kowalski and many others (including me) were surprised to discover that as “Member,” or someone who has completed the registration process, “You acknowledge and agree that you are solely responsible for all Member Content that you make available through the Site, Application and Services. Accordingly, you represent and warrant that: (i) you either are the sole and exclusive owner of all Member Content that you make available through the Site, Application and Services or you have all rights, licenses, consents and releases that are necessary to grant…” Member content is defined in the terms of use as content that members post and upload, and which is made available through the site.
It seems unusual that Pinterest would set its terms so that users pinning a photo must own or have permission to pin that image, since the purpose of the site is to quickly share images. Not only that, but Pinterest also clearly states in its “Pin Etiquette” guidelines that posters should avoid self promotion.
Kowalski brings up other concerns about the Pinterest terms of use dilemma, and the site’s founder, Ben Silberman even responded to Kowalski, saying he’s just “a guy with a computer who had a vision to create this site where everyone can share stuff.” Seems like rather a nonchalant answer for a situation that may result in legal trouble for users in the future.
Until there are some legal changes made, Kowalski will not be taking the risk of pinning other people’s work, and, with that being said, I believe some changes or clarifications should be made or the popular site may end up shutting down as quickly as it became a social media craze.
Three Simple Techniques to Boost Your Creativity
by Scott McIntosh on October 27, 2011 | no comments
in Advertising, Copywriting, Marketing
Whether you are crafting your next successful press release or brainstorming ideas for your client’s new killer marketing campaign, your ability to think creatively is one of your most important skills and resources. Your creativity is why you get paid the big bucks and why your campaigns win the awards. But what happens when the creative juices just aren’t flowing? Here are three simple techniques that can quickly boost your creativity when the well is running dry.
Step away. Many times you can be too close to a project making it difficult to think about it in creative ways. At this point, you should step away and allow your mind to think about something else. This doesn’t have to be a trip to the beach (although that can help). Go for a walk. Hit the gym. Go to lunch with a good friend. Ask your co-workers about their weekend and chat for a while. Allowing your brain to rest, if only for a few moments, is a powerful way to re-energize your creative abilities.
Return to sixth grade. Sixth graders are at that point in life where they get the basics but are curious about everything else. Therefore, they ask the best questions. Why do it this way? What if we did it this way? Why? Why not? Try looking at your project through the eyes of a six grader and question everything. Why am I doing it this way? What if I did it like this? What is the ultimate goal here? How am I accomplishing the goal? What would I do with an unlimited budget? Feel free to bring in a co-worker, friend or even an actual six grader to help you ask as many questions as possible. And remember, “Because we’ve always done it this way,” is never the answer.
Play games. Nothing gets the creative juices flowing more than having fun. Begin a brainstorming session with a ten minute game of Charades or Pictionary. Do a role-playing session where someone in your office acts out a customer experiencing your marketing campaign or reading your press release. Have a contest to see who can come up with the most ideas for a new campaign in fifteen minutes and reward the winner with a gift card or some other office prize. There’s no limit to the games you can play. Fun activities will boost the camaraderie and creativity of your team which will be reflected in your follow-on work.
Remember, you don’t always have to reinvent the wheel. If you’re having trouble coming up with that next big idea, you can always just look around. Take note of what similar successful campaigns are doing and think about how you could apply those techniques to your current project. Creativity is all around, and sometimes all you have to do open your eyes to it.
One Space or Two?
by Dana Coleman on February 1, 2011 | no comments
in Copywriting, Punctuation, Writing
A recent article by Farhad Manjoo of Slate.com struck a chord with me and sparked some spirited exchanges between some of my professional acquaintances. I don’t believe I can say it any better than Manjoo did in “Space Invaders: Why you should never, ever use two spaces after a period,” but the article reflects what I learned long ago in a concentrated course in typography; and never learned in typing, English or journalism.
It makes complete sense that we might now abandon a practice that came about in the age of the mono-spacing manual typewriter. The double space has long been the bane of typographers forced to painstakingly remove the extra spaces from copy for printed publications. Take a close look at published books, magazines and newspapers and note the consistent use of a single space at the end of the sentences. Many publishers’ submission standards, in fact, require the single space in manuscripts.
For many years, we’ve had access to sophisticated programs that adjust kerning and make other typographic improvements for us automatically, invisibly, as part of their user-friendly interface. Throughout my career, however, I’ve worked with several associates married to the “two spaces” practice. It’s amazing how strongly people feel about this debate!
I have, at times, attempted to be a two-space writer to conform to the style of clients or supervisors. If you’ve ever tried to convert from one practice to the other, you know how difficult it can be to change your ways. I’m now proud to confess, however, that I’m a one-space writer at heart, and I’m also a big fan of the art of typography that today’s sophisticated software programs have made it so easy for us to neglect.
Where do you stand on the one-space v. two-space debate? Do you plan to change your ways?
Social Media and Journalism Converge in AP Stylebook Change
by Jan Morrison on April 19, 2010 | 1 comment
in Copywriting, Website, Writing
At the American Copy Editors Society conference on Friday, the AP Stylebook announced that it would change its standards for the term “website.” Previous editions of the Stylebook recommended that journalists use “Web site,” instead.
Known as “the Journalist’s Bible,” the AP Stylebook serves as the ultimate guide for technical writing rules in journalism. If a writer is ever unsure of how to use a comma, hyphen, state abbreviation, academic title or any other aspect of American English journalism, the AP Stylebook has the answer.
Journalists requested that the Associated Press consider changing the term from “Web site” to “website” for a variety of reasons. Here at Lovell Communications, we agree with most of the reasons other writers give for choosing one over the other and we have been using “website” as our standard for years.
The format of the word itself is not as significant as the process that initiated the change. The Associated Press made their decision based on feedback from journalists, through Twitter, blogs and every other form of instantaneous communication.
Our communications have reached a point where the public can now influence the authorities. This is an important convergence in the worlds of social media and journalism.
What else do you think the AP Stylebook should consider changing?
Eight Common Errors in Writing
by Ashley Webb on December 1, 2009 | 3 comments
in Copywriting, Corporate Communications
Writing is a large part of my job, and as a communications professional it is my job to make sure my writing is accurate and error-free. Thank goodness I have grammatical gurus as colleagues because making a few common errors in writing can hinder a great communications message!
Here are eight common errors that I hear, read and struggle with most often:
1. Confusing affect with effect. This is one the most common errors people struggle with, including myself. Remember that affect is usually a verb meaning to influence and effect is almost always a noun meaning result (usually preceded by the word the).
Examples:
- Your attitude affects the way you look at your work.
- The effect was overwhelming.
- (Effect as a verb) He will effect many changes in the company.
2. Using could of, would of, should of. These phrases are born from sloppy speech patterns using would’ve, could’ve and should’ve. The correct usage is could have, would have or should have.
3. Confusing that with which. If you can drop the clause and not lose the meaning of the sentence, use which; otherwise use that. A which clause is surrounded by commas.
Examples:
- I remember the day that we met.
- The team, which finished last a year ago, is in first place.
4. Treating singular nouns as plurals. I see this mistake all the time! There are a handful of nouns that seem to be plural in form but are actually singular and, thus, take a singular verb.
Examples:
- The staff gets bonuses at the end of each year.
- The couple gives donations to the local shelter.
5. Confusing complimentary and complementary. Complimentary refers to a compliment or in reference to something that is free. Complementary refers to someone or something that completes someone or something else.
Tip: A simple way to distinguish complimentary from complementary is to remember that complementary means to complete and both begin with comple-.
Examples:
- They received complimentary tickets to the show.
- The husband and wife have complementary careers.
6. Repeating yourself. This is a mindless mistake I see and make on a regular basis. PIN stands for personal information number; therefore, you cannot say PIN number without being redundant. Similarly, it is redundant to say CD or DVD disc.
7. Using over when you mean more than. If you’re referring to numerals or if the amount is countable use more than. Over refers to spatial relationships.
Examples:
- The employee worked more than 40 hours last week.
- The dog jumped over the fence.
8. Confusing lie and lay. Even the grammar gurus have trouble with this one! The action word is lay. It takes a direct object. Lie does not take a direct object and indicates a state of reclining. So you lie down on the sofa (no direct object), but you lay the book on the table (direct object). So the present tense seems pretty easy, but then everything goes haywire because lay is the past tense of lie. Here’s a chart that may help you decipher the difference in the present, past and past participle.
| Present Tense | Past Tense | Past Participle |
| Lie | Lay | Lain |
| Lay* | Laid | Laid |
* Requires an object
When I need a quick refresher I visit Grammar Girl. Her site has some “Quick & Dirty Tips” that’ll do just the trick!
What writing errors do you see or struggle with most often?
How Do You Spark Creativity When You Need a Great Idea, Fast?
by Nick Tazik on July 13, 2009 | 5 comments
in Advertising, Copywriting
As marketing, advertising and communications folks, we are expected to develop creative solutions to challenging problems on a daily basis. By our very nature, we usually jump at the chance to flex our mental muscles and chart new creative territory, whether we’re tasked with developing a:
- Catchy design theme for an advertisement, brochure or trade show booth;
- Incisive marketing tactic to target a specific, tough-to-reach audience;
- Fresh phrase to say the same old thing in a press release; or
- Unique angle for an article in a newsletter or e-newsletter.
Of course, we all know from experience that creativity can be feast or famine. One day you have more ideas than you know what to do with. The next, nothing.
You can’t force a good idea, and “trying hard” is usually counterproductive.
So, what do you do when your creativity has come to a grinding halt but a deadline is fast approaching?
Here are nine possibilities dreamed up during a quick poll around the office. Add yours in the comment section below, and bookmark this page for future bouts with writer’s block.
1. Go Outside – Fresh air and sunshine (if it’s a nice day) will do wonders for your creative mind. For an added boost, you can people watch or play a game of “what does that cloud look like?”
2. Surf the Web – The Internet is a wealth of valuable information (for research) and inane humor (for distraction), either of which can be helpful. The trouble comes when a quick peek becomes a 30-minute distraction, and your productivity plummets. If this is a problem for you, you can actually download a browser timer to alert you if your surfing time is up.
3. Do a 3-Minute “Free Write” – This can be done on paper or electronically. Simply remove all distractions (music, email, etc.) and write stream-of-consciousness for 180 seconds without stopping. Don’t try to form complete sentences or even phrases. Just write whatever comes to mind.
4. Poll Your Network – This has gotten easier with the advent of Twitter and Facebook. You can just shoot a quick note (status update, tweet) and see what good ideas roll in. Of course, you can also do it the traditional ways, like face-to-face or by phone.
5. Give Yourself Permission to Be Creative – Even if your ideas aren’t likely to survive review by management, let them out anyways. After all, it’s much easier to scale back a winning idea to a manageable size than it is to pump up an old, tired one.
6. Juggle – Or, if you don’t know how, watch other people juggle (and, yes, there is a World Juggling Federation).
7. Drink a Cup of Tea – Those of us who drink coffee know that it provides diminishing returns after the second cup. Switching things up and drinking a cup of hot tea might be just the shift in routine you need.
8. Run – If you can run over your lunch break or have the luxury of delaying the project until tomorrow, running can help free you mind. Unfortunately, this won’t help if you don’t like to run.
9. Chocolate – If all else fails, eat a handful of M&Ms.
Those are some of our favorites. Type your creativity tips and tricks into the comments box below.
Hold On—Don’t Put That Copy to Bed Just Yet!
by Ashley Webb on July 6, 2009 | 1 comment
in Copywriting
Call it what you will: line editing, reviewing, double checking or proofreading—whatever the name, just do it!
Proofreading your work one last time before you hit send or hand it off may make the difference between someone reading it or turning away in horror.
Whether it’s an email, proposal or collateral copy, before it leaves your hands, go through this quality checklist:
1. Check the tense. Are you writing in the past or present? Skipping back and forth can confuse readers. Consistency within the story is key.
2. Pay attention to singular and plural pronouns. Watch out for one person talking about their approach.
3. Look for inanimate vs. animate objects. Companies aren’t people. AT&T didn’t hold their annual meeting. AT&T held its annual meeting.
4. Look for typos. You can’t depend on spell check to catch everything. Look for real words that slip into the copy. You meant to write of but typed if. Then became the.
It helps to look at a printed version and read it out loud.
5. Reread the lede. Does the first sentence entice people to read the second? Does the anecdotal lede take too long to get to the point? Is it asking the right question?
6. Tighten. We could all afford to shed a few words. Cut the words that don’t really have to be there. Here’s how:
- Eliminate passive voice.
- Find the best part of the quote and eliminate the rest.
- Stay away from “There is” and “There are.”
- Eliminate hyperactive words, such as “very” and “extremely.”
Now you’re ready to put that copy to bed!
