Last week I gave a ten minute presentation on co-writer to members of my networking group. Like a lot of people, most weren’t familiar with the work of a copywriter. So I tried to help them with what a genuine copywriter doesn’t do.

Firstly, a copywriter does not write perfect English.

Forget the grammar lessons you had at school.  We pick and choose how we interpret the Queen’s English. A good copywriter writes to capture attention. Using words to achieve good pace and add excitement makes us above the law where grammar is concerned.

Secondly, a copywriter will avoid jargon at all costs

No copywriter should ever resort to jargon. It is impenetrable. In fact in my presentation I exclaimed that I would rather boil my head than write the words ‘leverage’ and ‘synergy.’ Which led me to do a spot of Googling to spot a good example of jargon gone haywire. Check this one out:
“Working with an integrated methodology based in communication, collaboration and inclusion, we have cracked the code on how to implement and execute  complex organizational projects and initiatives. Our work addresses the interdependencies and differences between levels of leadership and management to establish cohesive efforts in moving projects and organizations forward to their desired outcomes and results. We provide customized engagements addressing the needs of our clients that are designed to fulfill what they want to accomplish. Our offerings in organizational design, leadership development, projects and individual development include hands-on support and coaching. As our client, we promise you results and transfer our bias for action into implementation and execution.”

Urrrrr. OK. Whatever.

Thirdly, a copywriter doesn’t always write want you want to say

A good copywriter writes for the audience. Now this isn’t another place where a copywriter gets to be a maverick. This simply means a good copywriter will take what you want to say and turn it into words that your audience wants to hear.
Although the subjects we write on vary all the time, a good copywriter will never lose sight of the goal: to create words that are easily understood by the people who matter most. That means no jargon, writing for the reader and bending a few rules on grammar.
And did I mention that no copywriter worth paying would entertain the words leverage and synergy? 
If you need a proper copywriter, get in touch with Josie at co-writer. She’d rather boil her head than write leverage and synergy. 

It can’t be often that a copywriter gets lost for words.

Whilst I may not be totally flummoxed, I’m certainly a lot quieter than normal. Why? One word. Pain.

I slipped on my ridiculously steep drive on a rainy Auckland day a few weeks ago. I didn’t hit the ground but I twisted very awkwardly. It took about 3 weeks for my body to give up fighting the injury. I woke last week with my back in total spasm. I was crying. It hurt.

After a few days full of codeine and anti-inflammatories I managed to get up and walk. Then finally I managed to sit for short intervals. Now, over a week later, I’m still finding life uncomfortable. Living with low level pain is tiring and makes me grumpy. I hate having to take so many pills to get me through the day.

It turns out I did a pretty good job of breaking myself. I gave myself whiplash and I managed to put my pelvis out of alignment. Thankfully the suspected slipped disc was ruled out after an x-ray. But the x-ray did show that I have no curve in my lower lumbar region. I feel very special.

So my neck and my pelvis are pulling at each other and causing continued muscle spasms. This in turn means the nerves are being pinched. I’m not in a happy place.

And it has been made a whole lot worse by being unable to run the Auckland half-marathon last Sunday. I couldn’t even have walked 5km let alone run 21km in a new personal best. Six months of training. Running at 5am three times a week. Gone in one slippery moment. And I can’t even go out for a run to clear my head.

Of course it plays havoc when you are trying to be a copywriter – how do you write lying down? And how do you get comfortable once you can sit again? If there are any others out there, copywriter or not, with useful tips please share them. I’m surrounded by cushions and pills.

In the meantime, here are some words from a silenced copywriter:

Pain, ache, cramp, discomfort,hurt, smarting, soreness, spasm, suffering, throb, agony, distress, pain in the neck, inflammation, injury…….

Writing is never just about words.  In fact a huge part of it is research and knowing what to do with all the things you find out. Google has proved to be my best friend on many projects. It helps build knowledge, check facts and generally gives more authority to your writing.

Here I my favourite ways to work Google harder:

1) Excluding words

Use a minus sign in front of the word you want to exclude.

e.g. “copywriter auckland” -technical

2) Specific document types

If you are looking for presentations or PDFs use the “filetype:” command within the search.

e.g. “copywriter auckland” filetype:ppt

3) Numeric ranges

If you want to search specific date, price or other numerical ranges use two periods (or two fullstops) between the values.

e.g. “prime minister” 1990..2011

4) Calculator

You can also do quick sums on Google.

e.g. 12*12

5) Definitions

If you need to check the definition of a word or phrase, put “define:” into the search term.

e.g. define:copywriter

6) Similar words

Searching for a word that has similar terms associated, such as copywriter and copywriting, with it can be tricky but Google can help with the “~” symbol.

e.g. auckland ~copywriter

7) Explicit phrases

The more you can narrow your search the better. Just enclose your search terms in double quotes to make Google work harder for you.

e.g. ”copywriter auckland”

Well if you live in New Zealand, you’ll know there’s a bit of a game about to happen. I can’t go anywhere in Auckland without a copywriter somewhere trying to get my attention with messages linked to the Rugby World Cup. In amongst the deafening marketing chatter, I spotted this advert. It made me chuckle.

For anyone unsure about the New Zealand accent, this will give you the perfect insight into how to communicate clearly over here.

They say that a policeman is never off duty. Well the same goes for a copywriter.

I was rushing to get my ferry to Auckland’s gorgeous Rangitoto island on Sunday when I was stopped in my tracks by the menu of a local coffee shop. Next time I am in Devonport, I will be going back there for lunch. I can’t wait to try their ‘Bacon and Lintil Soup’.

Now I suspect this all seems a bit fussy and picky. But I genuinely find it hard not to notice words. So even on a Sunday, this copywriter is still working in her own little way.