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Nick Usborne - EzineArticles.com Expert Author
During a copywriting career spanning thirty years, offline and then online, Nick has worked with dozens of major companies and organizations, including...
Citibank, Apple, Chrysler, Franklin Mint, TV Guide, Diners Club International, Looksmart, MSN, Ricoh, Yahoo!, The Getty Trust, The New York Times, John Deere, Reuters, Encyclopedia Britannica and America Online.
He has been honored with fifteen major awards for his direct response copywriting work, both in Europe and North America.
Since 1997, he has been working ... [More]
[View Nick Usborne's Extended Author Bio]
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Nick Usborne Email Alerts
- Tap Into the Power of Asking Yourself Tough Questions About Your Freelance Business
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] In the world of freelance writing and copywriting, the act of asking questions is particularly useful. Why? Because we often get stuck in a rut. We just keep stumbling forward in a straight line, even if we don't know where that line is taking us. Asking questions changes everything. It opens our minds to new possibilities and opportunities.
- Are You an Opportunity-Seeker Or an Entrepreneur?
[Business:Entrepreneurialism] As freelancers we all need to invest in our futures by learning. This means subscribing to some newsletters, buying relevant business books and sometimes investing more heavily in online courses, products or programs. But before you take the leap and invest a few hundred or thousand dollars in that next program, think carefully about what you are doing, and why.
- How to Start Closing the Gap Between Your Potential and What You Actually Achieve
[Self-Improvement:Achievement] It would be nice to think that the most talented writers and copywriters were also the most successful financially. But that isn't the case. There are plenty of very talented freelancers who struggle to make ends meet. And there are people with less talent who go on to become millionaires.
- Can Your Web Pages Compete With the Allure of Micro-Content?
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] You may write some wonderful, useful and important content for your web site. You might write thousand-word articles, reviews or product descriptions. Your pages may be easy to read, instructive and valuable to your readers. But can they compete with 140 characters on Twitter?
- 3 Ways to Increase the Fees You Charge For Online Copywriting Projects
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] One of the great things about being a freelance online copywriter is that there is often a way to expand the scope of each new project you get. I'm not suggesting that you try pushing every client into giving you a bigger job than they had in mind. But very often you can. And if you can increase the value of an engagement, it makes a lot of sense to do so. Depending on the circumstances, here are three questions you can ask, each of which can lead to a bigger job and fatter fee.
- My Number 1 Copywriting and Online Marketing Tip - Be Honest
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] As online writers, designers and marketers we are being forced to become more and more transparent by three powerful, converging forces. If you are not prepared to be honest, the online environment is not going to work in your favor.
- 2 Ways to Identify the Website Content Your Visitors Are Really Looking For
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] When it comes to deciding on new content for websites, all too often the decision is made by people within the company. In other words, various stakeholders will identify the information they want to place in front of their visitors. Granted, any company or organization needs to present information about itself, its products and its services. But not all the content on your site should be company-centric. A significant proportion, or even the majority of your site's content should be focused on what your visitors want to find.
- When You Are Writing For the Web, There is No Final Draft
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] As students we were told we should write a rough draft followed by a final draft. And maybe some additional drafts in between. As adults, particularly in the print world, we were taught the same. We write our final draft and then, very often, someone else proofs our work to make sure it is complete, without errors and ready to be printed. It's not surprising that we bring a similar approach to writing web pages. But that's not right. The dynamics around that page will always be changing.
- How Good Are You at Writing For Web Page Skimmers and Scanners?
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] How well do you write web pages for people who simply glance at, skim or pass their eyes across a web page, barely reading a thing? It is tempting to think that every visitor reads every line on your website. But they don't. They scan a page before they start reading.
- The Problem and Answer Approach to Writing Any Website Sales Page
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] One of the very best ways to open any sales page online is not so very different from how you do the same thing offline. Write a lead for your sales page that poses a problem, and then immediately lets the reader know you have the solution.
- Writing in Your Natural Voice is Not an Online Copywriting Technique to Be Learned
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] I don't know about you, but I receive quite a few emails from individuals who are total strangers, but write to me as if they were friends. A favorite approach right now appears to go along the lines of..."I was living in a dumpster five years ago and now have five sports cars. Luckily for you, I took notes along the way and can now share the secret of my success." That could be a compelling story, if it weren't for the fact that so many people are telling it.
- Are You Forgetting to Use Some Very Simple and Proven Sales Techniques on Your Online Sales Pages?
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] Most of the time I talk about how writing for the web is different. And it is. But when it comes to your sales pages and most landing pages, some good, old-fashioned sales techniques still apply.
- Add a Human Touch to Your Website by Making a Promise
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] There is something deeply human about making a promise. Corporations make promises every day, and we take those promises with a pinch of salt. But a promise that is transparent and rings true is deeply connecting and powerful.
- Do Visitors Read Your Website's Primary Navigation Links?
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] I imagine various experts who conduct eye-tracking studies know more about how visitors interact with a site's main navigation links, but here's my take on it. When visitors, first-time visitors in particular, arrive at your site, I don't think they bother to read those primary navigation links presented as horizontal tabs at the top, a list of links in the left margin - or however else you display them.
- Do You Create a Sense of Continuity Within Your Email Campaigns?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Email-Marketing] I have been doing quite a bit of work recently on email marketing campaigns. Mostly for larger-sized companies. And something has struck me. There is often no continuity within the communications. It's as if each email is the first email ever sent to that prospect or customer.
- Improve Your Copywriting With an Imaginary Critique
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] I was working recently with one of my coaching clients and asked him to write a new version of his home page. He was taking the marketing of his business in a whole new direction. He had new goals to aim for and needed his home page to align with those goals and express a message and promise that were very different. Once he was done, he sent me the page and asked me what I thought.
- Give Your Emails a Sense of NOW
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Email-Marketing] As our readers become more and more adept at speed-deleting unwanted emails, we need to find new ways to capture hold their attention. People really are getting good at removing unwanted emails. If you're lucky you'll just be deleted. If you're not, your email will get the "Report as Spam" treatment.
- Buy From Me Because You Know Me
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] How much attention are you paying to the relationships you have with your prospects and customers? We may learn the best practices when it comes to crafting our sales messages and maximizing conversion rates. That's all well and good. And it's important. But none of it really contributes to the quality of the relationships you create.
- The Top 10 Mistakes Made by Freelance Writers and Copywriters
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] Freelancers get anxious about paying the bills. So they are tempted to take on every job that comes their way. Doesn't matter whether the fee is good, whether the deadline is reasonable or whether the task actually matches their skills. They take on every job because they don't dare say no to the money.
- The Most Important Writing Tip of All - Prepare Before You Start
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] The key to developing productive writing habits is to spend sufficient time on preparation. Follow this three-part writing tip and watch your productivity soar.
- Wake Up Productive, Every Day
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] Freelance writers typically waste between 10% and 20% of their day simply because they are not fully productive when they sit down to start work each day. This article delivers proven methods on how best to wake up productive and start working at full speed.
- Two Ways to Overcome Writer's Block
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] The cure for writer's block is not the mystery some people make it out to be. First, choose writing projects that appeal to you. Second, prepare the entire writing process thoroughly in advance.
- If You Can Write, You Can Create a Money-Making Web Site
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Internet-Marketing] The web is awash with get-rich-quick schemes promising to show you how to create a money-making web site. But here is a way to write about a topic you enjoy, and make money slowly.
- Don't Charge For the Freelance Services of the Person You See in the Mirror
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] One of the biggest mistakes freelance copywriters make when pricing their services is to price for the person they see in the mirror - and not for the business persona they have created through their marketing. When you price according to your business persona, you make a lot more money.
- When Setting Your Goals, Don't Think Just About Money
[Self-Improvement:Goal-Setting] Many freelance writers set goals that relate only to the income level they aspire to. You'll have more success by expanding that goal statement to include a more concrete outcome that includes reference to the niche you are working in.
- How To Work Through Writing Assignments On Topics You Are Not Familiar With
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] When writing on topics that are not familiar to us, it is harder to write efficiently and quickly. The best way to speed things up is to become highly organized in how you tackle the job.
- How to Write Faster and Get More Done
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing-Articles] A writer's income is tightly tied with his or her ability to write fast and complete each assignment quickly, without distraction or procrastination. How can you achieve a state of constant and peak productivity with each new assignment? Find out here...
- The Cost Of Procrastination For Freelance Writers
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] If there is one thing almost all freelance writers have in common, it is that their productivity varies from day to day. Some days are great, targets are achieved, projects are completed and there were no problems. Other days, writers find themselves procrastinating.
- Advice For Freelancers - Set Yourself Tougher Personal Deadlines
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] As freelancers we all work to deadlines. But often we work to deadlines set by our clients. This is fine, of course. Ultimately we need to meet the times and dates our clients set us.
- The Secrets to Networking Success
[Business:Networking] We're not all natural born networkers. In fact, getting out there and meeting people fills many of us with dread. Don't worry -- there are plenty of other approaches to being a successful networker.
- Health and Fitness: A Huge Industry in Need of Writers
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] Billions are spent on health and fitness every year. As a writer or copywriter with an interest in medicine, alternative therapies or fitness and diet topics, you should be able to find all the work you'll ever want.
- Self-Esteem: The Foundation of All You Achieve
[Self-Improvement:Attraction] Self-esteem is the foundation of all our achievements in life. Conversely, low self-esteem is the root of our failure to achieve our true potential. Take the first step towards strengthening your own inner core...
- Online Retirement Opportunity: Freelance Copywriting
[Home-and-Family:Retirement] Do you have a second income for your retirement years? If you don't, and unless you are already very wealthy, those golden years could be very lean indeed. Now is the time to explore a genuine online retirement opportunity...
- Freelance Copywriting Advice #1: Take the Scary Jobs
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] As a freelance copywriter you will sometimes be faced with work opportunities that seem just too challenging, and well outside your comfort zone. My advice is to take these jobs every time. Here's why...
- The Mobile Freelancer: Freedom to Make a Living from Anywhere
[Home-Based-Business] As a freelancer or home business owner you can now create a mobile office with all the hardware, software and services you need to work and run your office from almost anywhere in the world. What's holding you back?
- Web Design: Use it to Showcase the Message
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Web-Design] If you work on a web site that is meant to be maximizing converison rates and delivering sales, the focus of your design should be not on making the site pretty, but on making the text readable and compelling. It's the words that drive conversions. Here's how to do it...
- Freelance Productivity - Do One Thing Extra Each Day
[Self-Improvement:Time-Management] As freelancers we often worry about getting into bad habits. But here is one good habit you can get into. It takes just a few minutes every day and could make a big difference. Find out what is is.
- Can Anyone Succeed as a Freelance Copywriter?
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] Not everyone can succeed as a freelance copywriter. Some people don't have what it takes. But if you think that being a diploma-carrying writer with a degree is one of the requirements for success, that's not it at all. Find out if you have what it takes...
- RSS Explained
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:RSS] If you keep hearing about RSS and how great it is, but still haven't managed to wrap your brain around what it is exactly, and why it's imprtant - this article is for you.
- Why Every Freelancer Needs a Weblog
[Home-Based-Business] Freelancers always need to expand the ways in which they promote their services. Every medium offers different strengths and opportunities. Find out why blogging is such an important part of the mix.
- When Panic Attacks Writers
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] If you write for a living and have worked with deadlines for a few years, you probably know what I mean...when suddenly everything seems impossible...and you start to panic. Here's a way to get past it.
- How to Overcome Procrastination
[Home-Based-Business] It's not unusual for most people to procrastinate about certain things in their lives. However, if you work for yourself and depend on your own, personal performance to make a living, procrastination can become a serious problem.
- How to Position Yourself to be an Expert
[Writing-and-Speaking] Whatever kind of freelance or consulting work you do, one of the fastest ways to get yourself known and respected as an expert is to start writing articles.
- How to Write a Landing Page
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Ecommerce] When you write and design a landing page on your web site, you are hoping for high conversion rates. Find out how to write a page that delivers the best results.
- Freelance Writers: Double Your Income
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] Most freelance writers don't make the kind of money they could. Why not? Because they don't treat what they do as a serious business. A simple shift in attitude can double your income.
- Direct Response - The Fast Track to 6 Figure Freelance Copywriting
[Business:Marketing-Direct] If you are looking for your niche as a freelance copywriter, one of the most lucrative areas to work in is direct response. Find out why...
- Secrets of a 6-Figure Freelance Writer
[Home-Based-Business] It's not the freelance writers who write the best that make the most money... it's the freelance writers who work the smartest. Earn a 6-figure income with these 4 secrets to freelance writing success...
- Google: The Ultimate Web Writer's Style Guide
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] As web writers, many of us keep Google in mind when writing web pages. And quite rightly so. However, those who see Google simply as a search engine may end up with clunky, keyword-heavy text. Instead, view Google as a style guide...
- Writing Online In Two Syllables or Less
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] One of the keys to simple, clear writing is to keep your words short. If you find yourself using long words, think about it. There are almost always shorter, simpler alternatives.
- Search Engine Copywriting: Focus on One Topic
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] Writing web pages to catch the attention of Google and the other major search engines may appear very difficult. And if you don't know what you're doing, you can become very confused by a lot of conflicting advice. My approach? Keep each page simple, and focused on a single topic.
- Freelance Writing: How Many Regular Clients Should You Have?
[Writing-and-Speaking:Writing] Being a freelance writer often means you are in a position of 'feast or famine' - too much work or two little. The trick is to find the best balance, and achieve a profitable middle ground.
- The Perfect Home Based Business: Freelance Writing
[Home-Based-Business] After over twenty years as a freelance writer, I can't think of a better way to earn a living from home - whatever your age or background, wherever you live. You can get started with almost no money invested and start earning almost immediately.
- 3 Ways to Find Your Niche as a Freelance Writer
[Home-Based-Business] To be successful, you need to be seen as an expert in your field. You can't be an expert at everything, and companies like to hire 'experts'. Find out how to choose your niche.
- Is the Freelance Writing Life For You?
[Home-Based-Business] Being a freelance writer has its advantages and disadvantages. This article may help you decide whether you have the personality and ambition to be a successful freelancer.
- Step One for Copywriters: Understand WHAT to Say
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] Great copywriting doesn't spring from just writing well. The foundation of any piece of great copy is understanding WHAT to say.
- Welcome Informed Criticism of Your Work
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] Be open to and welcome informed criticism of your copy, while at the same time sticking to what you feel is right. It's not always an easy balancing act!
- Don't Be Satisfied With Your First Draft
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] Under pressure of time, it's often tempting to make do with the first draft of a headline, opening sentence or subject line. The trouble is, our first effort is rarely our best.
- Copywriters - Make Friends with Search Engine Optimization
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] Writers often feel some resistance to writing for search engines. They shouldn't...because their readers and the search engines are both looking for the same thing: relevance.
- Four Things Every Web Site Headline Must Do
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Web-Design] Homepage headlines are not easy...they have to fulfil multiple purposes and please a wide variety of people. That said, don't give up...because your home page headline is arguably the most important piece of writing on your site.
- 3 Ways to Increase Conversion Rates
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] While web sites and direct mail packages may seem to be utterly different in almost every way...they share some common needs when it comes to copywriting. In a nutshell, with both media, the copywriter needs to drive action.
- 3 Reasons why Content is Still King
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] Visitors don't come to the web for the technology, or even the design. They come to your sites for the content. They are looking for information and answers.
- Fill Your Readers with Confidence
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] A lot of people stress about the design and architecture of a web site. But the truth is, most visitors will forgive a horribly designed site, so long as the text fills them with confidence. Find out how...
- Long Copy Sales Letters on the Web: Hype or Not?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Web-Design] We have all seen those web pages that are about twenty screens long and overflowing with hype. Do they work? Yes, they do. But you can acheive results that are just as good...and retain your credibility...with a different approach to long copy sales letters online.
- Two Pillars of a Successful Web Site
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Ecommerce] The success or otherwise of your site is underpinned by two questions: 1. Do you have absolute clarity as to the purpose of your site, and is this purpose reflected on every page? 2. Do you meet your visitors' expectations? Answer Yes to both, and you're golden.
- Your Site is all Direct Marketing
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Ecommerce] Writing for the Web is very different from writing for other media, in many ways. However, don't let that blind you to some core similarities between writing ecommerce sites and writing direct mail packages.
- Help, Help, Help, Sell
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] Web sites are much harder to navigate than catalogs or brochures. It's hard for visitors to find what they want. That's why the first task of the copywriter is to HELP people find what they want. Then it is time to SELL.
- Why Do Marketers Lie in their Emails?
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Email-Marketing] Yes, you have to work hard on your subject lines to get people to open your emails. But that doesn't mean you should lie, or even stretch the truth in your subject lines or in the body of the emails. Do that, and your credibility will take a hit from which you may not recover.
- The Search Doesn't End at Your Homepage
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] We tend to focus on optimizing landing pages for the keywords being used by our visitors. But the relevance of keywords and phrases doesn't end on the homepage or landing page. Use of keywords and phrases can keep your visitors on track on subsequent pages as well.
- Writing Web Pages: Get To 'The Meat' Faster
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Ecommerce] When writing pages for ecommerce sites, be sure you don't 'ramble'. That is to say, don't waste words and time on information that is not directly relevant and helpful to your visitors. Here's why...
- Set Yourself Apart From The Ordinary
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Ecommerce] There is a balance to every great web page. On the one hand, you have to be relevant to your visitors' needs. You have to show them what they expect. On the other hand, you need to show some character...you need to surprise your visitors and set yourself apart from the ordinary. Here's how to achieve that balance...
- Web Site Copy is about More Than Keywords
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:SEO] Keywords and phrases in your page text are essential. But don't let your focus on keywords distract you from another essential component to your page copy - you must also appeal to your readers on a personal and emotional level.
- Don't Distract Readers from What They are Doing
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Ezine-Publishing] When you send out a quality newsletter, you'll want people to read the content. So be careful about distracting their attention. If you want them to focus on the content, don't tempt them away from the newsletter with multiple, unrelated links.
- Get Out of The Way
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Ecommerce] Sometime we create great text for our web site pages, and then overwhelm it with images and design restrictions. Keep in mind, unlike print, on the web people look at the text first. So make sure your design supports your text, and doesn't get in the way of it.
- Tomorrow's Cliches Today
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] When you write copy for web site pages, avoid the use of clichés. First, they are meaningless. Second, they say nothing positive about your company. Third, they get in the way of helping your visitors understand what you can do for them. Instead, choose simplicity and clarity in what you say.
- Direct Marketing isn't all Brute Force
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Ecommerce] Direct marketing disciplines can teach you a lot about how to sell on your e-commerce site. Just be sure you don't just go for the 'hard selling' approach alone. Good direct marketing also includes a more personal touch.
- Tell Them What's in The Can!
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Ecommerce] When someone first arrives at your site, can they tell, instantly, what it is they can expect to find. As with cans on a supermarket shelf, job #1 is to let people know what's inside.
- Say Something Worth Talking About
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Ecommerce] The biggest error we make with e-commerce sites is when we get the fundamentals wrong, when we misunderstand the real opportunities the web offers. For example, if you want to tap into the viral nature of the web, you absolutely have to SAY SOMETHING WORTH TALKING ABOUT.
- A Fairy, a Low-Fat Bagel, and a Sack of Hammers
[Arts-and-Entertainment] This is a short parable on the importance of text online. Unlike offline media, where peoploe tend to look at pictures and captions before they read the main headings and text, on the web, visitors read the text first. If you don't get the message right, all the time you spent on design is wasted.
- Helping Your Visitors: a State of Mind
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Ecommerce] Compared to a print catalog, any web site is hard to navigate. Paper catalogs and magazines are easy, you just flip the pages. And they all work in the same way. However, no two web sites 'work' the same way, so first-time visitors have to figure it out, with every new site they visit. Your job is to help them...
- Your Readers are Publishers Too
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Ecommerce] We tend to forget that our readers are content creators too - through forums, newsletters, bulletin boards, blogs, wikis and more. So why not take advantage of their knowledge and expertise? Why not invite your site visitors to send in content contributions you can use on your site? It makes sense in lots of ways...
- Web Users Crave Familiarity
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Ecommerce] For any first time visitor, your site is a mystery. Before they can find what they want, they first have to figure out how your site 'works'. You can help by making major elements of your site design, architecture and copy familiar to them.
- The Power of Saying 'You Can'
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] Being told that you 'can' achieve something has a powerful impact, whether you are a child, a teenager or an adult. The use of the 'can' word has a place in writing for the web and helps move visitors forward to achieve their goals.
- The Art of Being Human
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Ecommerce] The web is a uniquely personal medium. In fact, it is the most personal of all the mass media. But very few web sites carry a personal voice. How come? By 'being there' and engaging readers with a genuine, personal tone of voice, you will increase your visitors' level of confidence and trust, and increase their sense of loyalty to your site.
- Tell Site Visitors What To Do
[Internet-and-Businesses-Online:Ecommerce] E-commerce sites live or die by the actions taken by visitors. If people don't click forward from your home page, you have failed. If they don't click forward from a second to third level page, you have failed. How do you get more people clicking? You tell them what to do.
- 3 Steps to Great Copy
[Writing-and-Speaking:Copywriting] The craft of copywriting is exactly that - a craft. It isn't about putting together a list of 'power words' and 'killer phrases'. It about understanding your audience, getting in their skin and understanding what it is you need to say. It's about writing well.
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