Well Versed NT | Consultation agency

Well Versed NT

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22.01.2022 On the downhill limp to some time off. I suspect there is a more eloquent and in-depth post in me somewhere but for today it’s ‘just keep going.’

22.01.2022 It’s Budget day today in the NT and there are a tonne of small business grants in the works. I’ll find out more and keep you updated!

21.01.2022 What can this great hunk of spunk teach us about getting a great brief? Read all about it on the blog.

21.01.2022 COPY TIP Using short, simple sentences is the best way to write good copy. Don't make a sentence so long that if you read it loud, you'd pass out from lack of oxygen.... Stop. Full Stop. Use your punctuation. Replace 'and', 'because', 'so' and 'however' with a full stop and start a new sentence. A sentence with more than 16 words is bad news. Chop. It. Up. Hemingway is a great tool to check sentence length. It'll highlight the sentences that are long and hard to read. Give it a try.

21.01.2022 COPY TIP You'll often hear me talk about being clear in your copy. But what does that mean? Basically, it means that you say what you mean and you mean what you say.... When we're in a conversation, if we're getting tongue-tied and our audience doesn't quite understand, we can make adjustments. In copy, we don't have that luxury. Here's a good example from a parenting book: "If the baby does not thrive on raw milk, boil it". Okay, what or whom are we boiling here?? Read it again. Can it be misconstrued in any way? Does it say what you mean it to say? Does it leave people with more questions than answers? If you're not sure, get someone else to look it over. Sometimes that fresh set of eyes can pick something up that you've missed. Write for understanding, folks!

20.01.2022 Welcome to 2021! I did the most amazing new year session at @yogaterritorynt today. It was just perfection. And while I could easily bang on all day about what I achieved in 2020 or what I want to do differently in 2021, it’s probably not that interesting to anyone but me.... So I’ll make it short and sweet. Keep being awesome. No matter how good or bad 2020 was, or how good or bad 2021 turns out to be, your job is to keep being awesome. And wash your bloody hands. #happynewyear

20.01.2022 COPY TIP Be really careful with sayings. This is particularly important if your customers have English as a second or third language. Some things just don't translate.... If you're going to use a saying, make sure you know what its origin is. Do you know what the origins of 'rule of thumb', 'saved by the bell' or 'daylight robbery' are? I do, and they're not good. Don't put your foot in your mouth or touch on a subject that makes people feel yuck. We want people to have good vibes from your copy, not think of horrible things. Consider whether that saying is really adding anything to your copy. If it's not, ditch it. Write for understanding, folks!

20.01.2022 COPY TIP Be active, not passive! This is often a source of confusion for a lot of people.... What I mean is, the thing doing the doing always goes first! For example: 'The cake was eaten by the dog' is passive. 'The dog ate the cake' is active. 'The baby was changed by Mum' is passive. 'Mum changed the baby' is active. So why does this matter? Well aside from being super clunky and hard to read, passive voice makes your sentences longer than they need to be. And that's death for good copy. A good tool to check this is the Hemingway app - hemingwayapp.com Just copy and paste your text and it'll highlight the bits that need attention.

18.01.2022 Thanks to Andrea from Salty Plum Events for the thought-provoking virtual chat! Some of these really got the brain ticking!

17.01.2022 At my Grade 7 graduation, I won the English prize. For some reason our school called it ‘Language’ but it was English. I remember being really proud of it but it wasn’t a surprise to me. I didn’t know I was getting an award but that subject and those skills were my jam. I was good at it and I loved it. So why did it take me just shy of 25 years to make it my career? ... Fear. So much fear. I remember wanting to study journalism but being scared of the broadcast TV subject. Same when I actually studied law; the idea of a mock trial subject in 4th year terrified me. I was petrified of being ‘out the front’ of anything for years. The only time I felt good about being in charge was when I did teaching and the audience was kids. Or coaching kids in hockey or weightlifting. No matter what, I’d always know more than them and they’d never know if I wasn’t good enough. The last 3.5 years have been tough for so many reasons but especially learning to get comfortable stepping out in front of my own business. I’m not dealing with kids; I’m dealing with people who are experts in what they do. And those experts in turn, are looking for me to bring my expertise to help solve their problems. There is no space for fear. There is no time for second-guessing. There’s no place to hide. And sometimes, that means remembering the 12-year-old who knew what she was good at...and white-knuckling the rest.

16.01.2022 I have a confession. I buy books and don’t read them. I’ve read so many interviews with famous and accomplished writers who say the number one rule to being a good writer is reading lots. By that standard, I’m a failure and a terrible writer.... I have not opened a single book to read for enjoyment this week. When I’ve spent an entire day and week writing and reading, there is no relaxation or joy for me in reading more. Many of those books stacked high on my bookshelf are apparently excellent books that I really want to read but my brain just can’t get excited about it. I guess it’s like the cliche carpenter with an unfinished renovation or the chef who orders pizza. We do what we enjoy for a living but it’s still work and I don’t fancy doing any more of it when I clock off. So sorry to all those award-winning writers who think reading is the be-all and end-all of excellent writing; I just don’t agree. Maybe I’ll take some time off and read. But probably not. Tell me: what is your professional confession?

16.01.2022 DON’T MAKE YOUR WEBSITE LIKE MY MAILBOX Let me make a really average analogy right now. The mailboxes for my apartment complex are out in the weather and they generally look pretty average. The Darwin sun and monsoonal rain mixed with metal are not a good match.... So when I saw a handyman sanding and painting them the other day, I was pleasantly surprised. We’d have beautiful, shiny mailboxes! A highlight of 2020 for real. Well, I went to check my mail this morning and Mr Handyman has painted my mailbox shut. And it’s not just one layer of paint - that thing is absolutely stuck solid. I am going to have to chisel that bastard open. So while it looks pretty and is incredibly secure it is absolutely useless. Is your website suffering from the same fate? Is it shiny and beautiful but absolutely useless to you and your customer? When you’re thinking about your website, make sure you think about: Your copy - is it easy to understand, interesting and representative of who you are and what you do? Your interactive elements - do your calls to action, buttons, contact forms and downloads work like they should? Is it clear what that button does? Speed - sure sliders and and fancy graphics are great but if they’re slowing your site down so much that your customers can’t even get into it, you’re wasting your time. A beautiful website that doesn’t fulfil its one function (to sell you and your service) is as useful as a mailbox that’s been painted shut. If you need a hand getting your site right, let me know! No chisels required.

14.01.2022 Concentrating like a mad woman to get shit done this week. Christmas has snuck up on all of us. Given the first half of the year felt like it was 17 years long, that's not surprising. We blinked and all of a sudden it's mid-December and those deadlines are a bit close for comfort. ... Anyone else on the downhill run to some time off?

12.01.2022 COPY TIP Exaggeration is literally the worst thing in the world. Well, it's not great but it's not the worst thing in the world. Coronavirus and world hunger are pretty damn bad right now.... But if you're aiming for credibility in your business, it's important that you don't exaggerate. If it's not always, don't say always. If it's not never, don't say never. You can still promise great results without telling fibs. Don't make claims you can't back up. It'll just backfire.

11.01.2022 Oooh my pet peeve word! Utilise. This is an excellent (and brief) explanation of why ‘utilise’ and ‘use’ aren’t interchangeable.

11.01.2022 COPY TIP The English language is a wonderful thing. There are tens of thousands of words you can use to describe something. So why are you using ‘very?’... Get creative and pick a better adjective. If you need to use ‘really’, ‘very’, ‘pretty’ or ‘so’ to get your point across, your description isn’t strong enough. Instead of really big, try huge. Instead of pretty great, try good, fine. Instead of very fast, use speedy or lightning quick. Instead of so loud, use deafening. Don’t intensify boring adjectives...pick better ones! The dictionary is teeming with amazing words for you to pick from.

10.01.2022 COPY TIP Big words aren't better. If you're trying to make yourself sound smart with big words, you're on a road to nowhere.... It's important to remember that lots of people aren't great readers. If you make your copy too complicated for them, they'll give up. People don't want to read your copy and feel dumb. Check thesaurus.com for simpler alternatives to big or tricky words. Additional becomes extra. Conclusion becomes end. Duplicate becomes copy. The exception to this is when you are writing something technical. But you're not off the hook: if you need regular Joe to understand it, then you need to define it. The same applies to jargon and acronyms. If you use it, make sure it's essential and make sure you spell out what it means. Don't alienate your audience. Remember, write for understanding!

10.01.2022 Ooh boy. When naming your child or marketing your product, it's important to really look at what you're saying.

07.01.2022 2020 has been kind to me. I know for millions of others it hasn’t been. I don’t take for granted that this absolute paradise is less than an hours drive from home and that I am in a position to be able to enjoy it.

06.01.2022 The super popular website review I offer is going up in price from 1 September. Soz. If you're keen to get in at the current price of $99 let me know. There are 4 spots available in August (one per week). If you miss out, don't worry: the new price is still BRILLIANT value.

06.01.2022 I'M HIRING! The time has come. If you know anyone who is amazing at research and could use some work, please let them know about this gig. I'd prefer a Territorian but happy to receive applications from anyone. ... Applications close 16 January 2021. If you need any info or would like the PDF version, hit me up.

06.01.2022 Sometimes we get so busy doing other things, we forget to celebrate! I found out yesterday that a women's shelter client of mine won funding from the Australian Government so they can employ and support a full-time counsellor for the first time. This will make such a huge difference to the women and children who find themselves at the shelter - not only in processing and healing their trauma but in getting timely and tailored support to help them regain their independence a...nd get on with their lives. It'll also help the organisation’s bottom line so they won't have to outsource to other services who are already facing increased demands on their resources. Getting that news just made my heart so happy!

06.01.2022 I've been working on quite a few awards submissions lately and I thought it was timely to give you a few pointers about not only *how* to do it well but also why you should do it at all. Check it out!

06.01.2022 ON WRITING DIFFICULT PIECES A fellow copywriter lost a friend recently and is currently writing a eulogy. Truly one of the hardest things to write in the world. It got me thinking about the challenge of writing difficult material.... There are two writing projects I've done that were incredibly difficult: one was a letter from a politician to the family of a soldier who died in Afghanistan, and the other was my grandfather's eulogy. The first was difficult because what the hell do you say to a family that has just lost their young son and brother in the most pointless way. How do you straddle that fine line between service and sacrifice? That letter - of only 4 short paragraphs - took me more than 24 hours to put together. I had to keep wrangling the words to sound sincere without being gushy, genuine without being too familiar, and more importantly, non-political. It was hard but I think I did a good job and I am hopeful that those words gave that family maybe 3 seconds of something other than blinding grief. The second was difficult because my Dad had asked me a few years before Dadda died to start putting something together for him to read. I couldn't do it. I couldn't physically write about him in the past tense when he was still - at least physically - here in the present. Dadda's funeral was delayed while some of the family were overseas so I had about a month to work on it. That's almost worse than a quick turnaround in a sense. I kept reading and re-reading, writing, editing out, editing in. Just constantly making changes. The challenge was commemorating an extraordinary man who was a hugely important part of my life without that taking over the speech; reflecting who he was to *everyone* in a way that was respectful and memorable. And if perfectionism is ever going to creep up in your life, it's when you are desperately trying to sum up one of the most important people in your whole world in 10 minutes. I make a living out of writing but that stuff is still hard. It's challenging at the best of times to put feelings into words. How do you properly explain feeling loved or valued? How do you adequately describe deep love, respect and reverence without sounding cliche? If you're in the position where you're writing something challenging, know that the difficulty you're facing is not unusual. Even those of us who do this every day struggle to find the right words sometimes. If I can give you one tip, it's to write without judgement. Open a blank document and just start typing. Don't edit as you go; just get the stuff out of your head and work out where it does or doesn't fit later. Difficult stories are stories worth telling. <3

05.01.2022 Know anyone looking for some work? Cairns Industries are on the hunt!

05.01.2022 It was an absolute privilege to be able to help the Darwin Entertainment Centre with their annual report recently. They have really gone above and beyond this year to help keep the arts sector alive during incredibly challenging times and it was a joy to tell that story. This report went next level with absolutely beautiful design work by KWP! Advertising

03.01.2022 An amazing hot tip on when to use ‘amount’ and when to use ‘number’. Amount = not individually countable eg water, sand, flour etc Number = individually countable eg flowers, stars, cups, drinks

02.01.2022 Yep, that's me done for 2020. I've got some lovely juicy projects coming up - and some just waiting to be confirmed - so I am booked out. How did that happen!?... This year has been incredible - despite everything that's happened - and I am so privileged to be able to close my books and really focus on these final projects for the year. So, if you're keen to get a project started in 2021 - or you want to access one of those lovely grants on offer from the NT Government - jump onto my website and book a call with me. We can chat about it now and get started in the new year. If you just can't wait, let me know and I'll hook you up with one of the other amazing copywriters I know. They'll look after you for sure. Now, back to the grindstone! This work isn't going to do itself.

01.01.2022 Hit me with the name of any local voiceover artists! I’m looking for assistance with an upcoming project.

01.01.2022 COPY TIP Use power words. Power words are psychologically proven to be effective. Why?... Because they connect with us emotionally. They make us feel something - it might be scarcity, urgency, trust or that our problems are about to be solved! For the most part, these power words mentally prepare us for what's to come and provide a solution to a pain point. Have a look at this list and consider popping these power words into headings, opening sentences or blogs. Introducing Welcome Unique Special You Now Discover New Results Guarantee Proven Easy Care Simple Family Love Children Save Money Win Cheap Free Reduced Sale 50% Off Discount Special Offer These words are all brilliant but make sure you use them well. Stuffing your copy full of power words is just going to make your stuff unreadable! Pick the best for your situation and get writing!