Author Archives: Leif Kendall
Love this talk from Gerry McGovern at Content Strategy Forum 2011. Gerry advocates focussing on our user’s tasks rather than thinking about content. Gerry gives good examples of websites bulging with unnecessary content that doesn’t help users achieve goals. Gerry’s suggestion is worth noting, partly because there’s a danger that writers see words as the [...]
Groupon has a distinctive way of communicating. Their copy is often discussed in favourable terms and the business seems to be doing well. However, I think their copy could be better. Here’s an email I received recently: My main objection with Groupon’s attempts at humour is that (in addition to being lame) they get in [...]
When writing copy for businesses, it can be difficult to get everyone to agree on what is ‘right’. As a copywriter, your words may be reviewed by several stakeholders, all with slightly different ideas of how their company communicates. Copywriters can either muddle on, hoping to assuage multiple stakeholders and get their copy signed off [...]
Copywriters have a job to do. We have to write the words that do the business. In this blog post series I’ll consider some of the finer points of copywriting – the little things that make a big difference; the tricks and touches that lift copy and make it more persuasive, better at selling [...]
Web designers love to show off, and they love to share inspiring design. There are many sites that help designers share the good stuff, and I’m jealous! When I want inspiration as a copywriter, where can I look? When I find fantastic copy, where can I share it? Nowhere. Or so it seems. So how [...]
Content creation can be an impossible task. After a content strategist has sketched out the grand plan, a copywriter must eventually write something. Pen hits paper. Keys rattle. Words emerge. And it’s all wrong. Horribly wrong. Marketing hates it, sales despise it, it makes the MD feel physically sick and someone in HR [...]
WriteClub, the informal meet-up group for all kinds of writers, approaches its second birthday. So here’s a little update on the group… For the past two years we’ve met regularly in Brighton (WriteClub London meets once a month). Every month, a small number of writers meet for coffee (in the morning) or beer (in the [...]
Actually, we turned three a couple of months ago, but were too busy to notice! Our third year has been our busiest yet. In addition to working with freelancers, small web agencies and local businesses, we’ve been doing more work with big brands and large organisations. Bigger projects have given us the chance to work [...]
I wanted to send nice-looking emails to a few clients, but I couldn’t work out how. I use MailChimp for sending automated responses and bulk messages, but it’s not really suited to sending custom, one-off emails to single recipients. It’s a bit like trying to mow your lawn with a combine harvester. Luckily, my clever [...]
Brighton Digital Festival – celebrating digital culture this September
By Leif Kendall | July 5, 2011
A bunch of Brighton people have been busy creating a digital festival for Brighton. The festival connects a collection of conferences and workshops and wraps them all up with a massive dose of digital art to create a month-long orgy of digitalism. In addition to performances, exhibitions, experiences and fairs, a host of Brighton’s regular [...]
