New site
Posted on October 1st, 2009 by Adria
For those of you interested, I now have a new website about my fiction writing. Come on over for a visit! www.adrialaycraft.com
The shoemaker’s kids
Posted on June 19th, 2009 by Adria
It’s that old saying, how the shoemaker’s kids run barefoot, and the plumber’s toilet leaks…and the writer’s blog hasn’t been updated in months. Well, that’s the way of the world, I suppose, and I am happy to report that there are far too many important writing jobs on my desk to be mucking around with blogging.
That said, I thought I’d better take two minutes and visitors know that yes, I’m still here, and yes, I’m still taking on both copywriting and ghostwriting contracts. With any luck, I will post on the power of sales letters soon.
Ask an Expert
Posted on January 22nd, 2009 by Adria
In the latest issue of Rising Women Magazine you can find an Ask an Expert column written by…me! The magazine can be found on stands all over Calgary, or online at www.risingwomen.com
I also have more articles coming out in Business in Calgary magazine next month. See the December issue for a story about continuing education.
Words To Write By
Posted on October 14th, 2008 by Adria
Worth Quoting: William Safire’s Rules for Writing
1. Do not put statements in the negative form.
2. Remember to never split an infinitive.
3. It is incumbent on one to avoid archaisms.
4. The passive voice should never be used.
5. Proofread care-fully to see if you words out.
6. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
7. Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
8. Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.
9. A writer must not shift your point of view.
10. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
11. Don’t overuse exclamation marks!!
12. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
13. Never, ever use repetitive redundancies.
14. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
15. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
16. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
17. Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.
18. Always pick on the correct idiom.
19. The adverb always follows the verb.
20. Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.
(Source: The New York Times)
You don’t have to be unique…
Posted on August 26th, 2008 by Adria
Quote:
“Unlike what many marketing consultants say, your value doesn’t have to be unique. It just needs to be genuine, distinctive, and valuable to them. You don’t need to be the only person to have innovative copywriting skills, yours just need to be worthwhile in specific situations to specific clients…”
Mike Schultz, Wellesley Hills Group
I think this is an important message. So many companies (not just copywriters) are going out of their way to be unique, to ‘differentiate’ themselves from the competition, and it’s not working out. If you truly have something that makes you stand out, great. But if you are simply providing a solid, reliable service–like me, creating a name as a deadline orientated copywriter–then this is a welcome and reassuring message from a guy who knows what he’s talking about.
How about you? Do you struggle with this question when your marketing guru brings it up?
Top ways to generate leads
Posted on July 9th, 2008 by Adria
Go here to see the top ten written formats for generating leads, according to a study done by MarketingProfs Research Insights. Newsletters and Press Releases, numbers one and two folks, are two of my specialties. 
Newsletter writing sample
Posted on July 3rd, 2008 by Adria
For a look at the most recent newsletter I worked on, click here.
eBook anyone?
Posted on June 16th, 2008 by Adria
If you want to offer something of value to draw more visitors to your website…
If you have a specialty that people would pay to learn about…
If you need to educate your contacts on a particular subject at length…
Why not create an eBook?
eBooks are wonderful products in that they can be delivered almost instantly (download), involve no shipping costs, and they are easy to create (most commonly in PDF format). Some people offer them as free products and use them for lead generation, others sell them for the valuable information they impart on their own. They can be as short as a few dozen pages, or as long as hundreds. All you have to do is create the content and link it to your site or next newsletter. You can even create a special sales letter to offer your eBook to your list, giving you yet another way to keep in contact, stay top of mind, and offer something of value.
Not too sure about the process of writing an eBook? Don’t have time? That’s what I’m here for. Give me a call or drop me a line today! Go to www.thewriteinitiative.com for contact information.
White Papers: What they are and why they are important to you.
Posted on May 5th, 2008 by Adria
There is a growing interest in using white papers as a means to offer something of value to potential clients. White papers have the length to create an authoritative voice while still being concise and readable, and they are the epitome of value-added marketing. They also fulfill the ‘permission-based’ marketing definition because the user chooses to read the document based on a need they have.
That said, how many of you out there know what a white paper is? I wrote to Michael A. Stelzner for some help with the proper definition of the term:
“High-level white paper definition: A white paper is a persuasive document that usually describes problems and how to solve them. White papers are a cross between magazine articles and brochures. A white paper takes the objective and educational approach of an article and weaves in corporate messages typically found in brochures.
Copywriters are not mind-readers.
Posted on March 11th, 2008 by Adria
Do you want to feel perfect satisfaction with your copywriter? Then be certain you know what you want and can communicate that when you meet them. Allocate some time to get prepared for that meeting by thinking about what purpose the document is supposed to serve, and what audience it is intended for. Getting clear on the purpose of any written piece will refine the message, and writing to a specific audience will bring focus to the content.
One common mistake is to expect too much from one document. Don’t try to have it achieve too many purposes, or speak to a variety of audiences. This dilutes your core messaging, and confuses the focus. If you are clear in your intentions, and narrow that focus down to one audience and one purpose, you will see a much better ROI from your copywriting.
One further note on this topic: copywriters, like spouses, can’t read minds. We are good at communicating, yes, but it is the responsibility of the client to inform the copywriter in order to get the best possible results. Personally, the more information you can give me, the better; I will pull from it based on your purpose and audience. But if the purpose is muddy, and the audience is too general, I promise you will not be as satisfied with the final product as you could be.
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