Dear Copy Bitch: Your post on “Why I (sometimes) hate writing websites” really made me stop and reconsider my web strategy. My company has been in business for 15 years. We’ve finally decided to get a website. (Up until now, we’ve gotten business through word of mouth and referrals.) Can you point me to some sites, […]
Dear Copy Bitch: We’ve been doing an every-other-month email newsletter campaign for over a year, but one of my competitors (I’m an executive coach) does a quick-hitting weekly email with a quote/source of inspiration. I’m thinking I should do something like that starting in January. Our list is around 150, and we have, on average, […]
Dear Copy Bitch: Should I use the word “fewer” or “less” in this sentence? Fitness industry statistics indicate that about 75% of health club members are interested in personal training, but fewer/less than 5% ever purchase it due to its perceived high cost. –Todd, Boston Answer: Use “fewer” with items that can be counted. Use […]
Hey, Copy Bitch: Got any tips for keeping affect and effect straight? I can never remember which word is correct in a sentence like “This marketing campaign will affect/effect conversions.” —The Copy Bastard, Sacramento Answer: Both affect and effect can be used as verbs and nouns, which is why these words cause so much confusion. […]
Here are three failed marketing initiatives I experienced this week: 1. Be Careful How You Ask Me for Money My college sent me a letter telling me to be on the lookout for a letter from two alums. I had a feeling the second letter would be asking me for moolah. I was correct. However, […]
I was referred to a business the other day, so I popped on over to its website. The home page was professional looking with clear navigation. It had three boxes for three separate audiences, along with hyperlinked bullet points in each box. So far so good. I appreciate sites that effectively “talk” to multiple audiences and […]
Q: Dear Copy Bitch–I want you to create a print ad with a really clever headline. I don’t want a sub-headline, just the headline. I want it to tease the mind a bit so that it leaves the person to fill in the blanks. I think that’s what makes it memorable–because it engages the reader. […]
Dear Copy Bitch: Got any tips for remembering how to use peek and peak correctly? Answer: Sure. You need your eyes to look quickly–or “peek”–at something. There are two e’s in eyes. Same for peek. (You also have two eyes, so you can use that hint as well.) The peak is the top of something, […]
Q: Dear Copy Bitch: Is it okay to end sentences with prepositions? A: The Copy Bitch says yes, especially if it sounds too clunky to rewrite it “correctly,” but grammar purists hate me for it. That’s when I pull out a quote (often attributed to Winston Churchill) to make my point: “Ending a sentence with […]
Here’s a question for you, dear readers: would you talk to a 20-year-old male living in Los Angeles in a different manner than you’d talk to a 45-year-old woman living in a suburb of Boston? (This isn’t a trick question.) A: Yes, of course you would. So imagine my shock the other day when I […]