Why is Copywriting Hard For Some, and Easy For Others to Learn?
Many will agree that producing phenomenal copy can be difficult. Not many reflect on why this is so, or the best way to learn and become a professional copywriter. This short article explains why people find copywriting hard, and how to approach copywriting from a professional perspective.
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Why Copywriting Can Be Difficult To Learn.
Most of us would like to believe that we've been trained for copywriting all our lives since language has been an essential part of schooling for just about everyone. But this is tantamount to concluding that one is ready to become a public speaker or professional talk show host because we've been speaking all this time. The fact is, copywriting is hard and sadly many give it up, or worse — settle into a glut of mediocre copy, because of such assumptions. Copywriting skills take time and a strategy to build. We're not going to become instant copywriters for Nike or Apple after a week, or even after a year, of creating copy. And this is simply because of one major error in judgement that aspiring copywriters make: copywriting is just a skill, it's not the end-product. Our business and priority is end-products. We're not writing copy, we're creating brochures. We're not crafting beautiful words; we're writing a website. We're not churning out sentences and paragraphs; we're building consumer experiences. Do you see the trend here? Copywriting is simply a process, not an end-result. It's pointless trying to aim for processes since they keep changing but go nowhere. Professional copywriters instead focus on what the end-result is, and then put their skills to work to meet that goal. Your skill is a bag of tools, it's not the house. A carpenter is not prized for a bag of fancy tools, but for the products she builds. In the quest to sharpen your skills, make sure your focus remains on the end-result. Matthew Carter (type designer and creator of such typefaces as Georgia and Verdana) said, "Type is a beautiful group of letters, not a group of beautiful letters." This wisdom applies just as beautifully to copy: copywriting is not a group of beautiful words, but a beautiful group of words.
How Professional Copywriters Approach Copywriting.
Hold this close — amateur copywriters work towards skills, pro copywriters work towards solutions. No wonder copywriting is so hard for so many. We can't just mindlessly follow inspiration or creative sparks. It doesn't work that way. Instead, work towards a product — a website, magazine article, brochures. This approach forces us to become goal-oriented and our skills and processes can then be directed towards something physical, tangible, measurable, and most importantly, doable. This is what professional copywriting courses emphasise. It's better to learn how to create copy, rather than spending your days trying to constantly implement something like the 'seven Cs of great writing for anybody'. Let's leave 1990 where it belongs — about thirty years in the past. Becoming a product-oriented copywriter means training your mind to think strategically instead of subjectively, and approaching every copywriting project through conceptualisation over intuition. In other words, focus on influencing human behaviour and forget about waxing lyrical.
What To Learn About Copywriting.
Not magic, logic. After all, professional copywriting is much closer to a science than art — there are rules, functions, mathematical equations, cognitive recognition principles, pattern-spotting and consumer psychology. Copywriting is a design function; form develops to reason, and every piece is held together by objective rationale, not individual opinions. So if you meet someone who says, "I love to write and poems are my passion," warn them off professional copywriting. This field will kill that passion, because copywriting is not creative writing, and copywriting is not technical writing, and copywriting is not expressive writing. Copywriting is behaviour-driven writing with a purpose to solve problems and sell solutions. In other words, copywriting has something else to offer, and it's not the love of writing — though that is sometimes a welcome side effect — but the love of buying. This is what we do as pro copywriters — we influence the human mind to make decisions and take action. Now how do we suppose that happens?
Our job is to overcome the old and ever-present conundrum of copywriting: people like to buy, but they don't like to be sold to. Now if that sounds like the sort of challenge you welcome, then grab a notebook, sit at a busy public place and start observing people. Because copywriting begins in the minds of a pro copywriter, but it ends in the mind of the consumer. And you decide how the journey unfolds.


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Home PROFILE My Cricket Heroes (Part 1)
My Cricket Heroes (Part 1)
West Indies legends: Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Sir Garfield Sobers
By Dr. Dhanpaul Narine
I am glued to the Indian Premier League (IPL). I never thought that I would be fascinated by the shortest version of cricket but I can't move away from the television. My conversion to the IPL, and later the CPL and the Big Bash, started a year ago. It was then that I watched the T20's seriously.
The glitz and glamor and the thrilling finishes left me spellbound. The four hour entertainment also filled stadiums and brought in much needed cash to the game. But the T20's have had its critics, and from the senior ranks of the game. Clive Lloyd thinks that it erodes the skills that are needed for Test cricket while Michael Holding wouldn't be seen near a T20 game. He says that it's not cricket. Viv Richards, on the other hand, is on the staff of the Pakistan League and retired players from Australia, Sri Lanka, and South Africa can be found in the IPL.
The purists of the game argue that Test cricket is the real deal. It is the ultimate Test that brings into play a wide range of skills for a prolonged period. A Test Match can end in a draw but the contest itself can be gripping to the last ball. I have been asked on several occasions to write about some of my favorite players. I have profiled some of them in the past, including Rohan Kanhai, Roy Fredericks, Clive Lloyd, Alvin Kallicharran, and others. I am aware that so many greats have played the game that it would be impossible to discuss all of them. I would therefore limit my choices to the modern era, starting from around 1950. It is the year when West Indies beat England at Lords and it is a good place to start.
My first two choices are Garfield Sobers and Shivnarine Chanderpaul. They are similar and yet very different. Sobers and Chanderpaul are both lefthanders, and once set, are difficult to dislodge. But Sobers had it all. They said he was five cricketers in one, rolled up in the total package. He could bat, field in any position, bowl fast, at medium pace, and dazzle with his chinaman and googlies. He was and is personable and always willing to give advice.
Chanderpaul lived for cricket. He was brought up using coconut tusks for a bat and played on the sandy beaches at the Mahaica foreshore. His father constructed a cricket pitch in the yard where the young Chanderpaul perfected his batting skills. One of the great influences on the young Chanderpaul was Garfield Sobers.
It is difficult to grow up in the West Indies and not know about Sobers. He played in various games in the Caribbean, and abroad, but one of the earliest introductions of Sobers was his 365 not out against Pakistan in 1958, at Kingston. The record was subsequently broken by Brian Lara in 1994 but Sobers still holds the record as the youngest triple centurion. He played an unforgettable role on the 1960 tour to Australia where Frank Worrell led the team with distinction. The first Tied Test occurred on that tour and gave cricket the impetus it needed to become a popular world sport.
Sobers went on to captain the West Indies and to dazzle the fans with his exceptional skills. Many argue that his record as captain could have been better but for sheer entertainment and watch-ability he reigned supreme. He was the first player to hit six sixes in an over and his innings of 274 against Dennis Lillee, and others, is seen as the greatest played in Australia. There are other records that can be seen on social media.
If Chanderpaul were batting at the other end Sobers would have applauded his determination and resilience. While Sobers took the bowling apart Chanderpaul would have defended stoically. But this does not mean that he would allow himself to be tied down. Chanderpaul has one of the fastest Test centuries and it was compiled at his home ground Bourda against the Australians. In that innings, he played all the shots, driving and hooking to all parts of the ground.
Sobers did not play as many limited over games as Chanderpaul; the record shows that Chanderpaul has scored over 7,000 runs in fifty-over games and has a healthy average of over 40.
The great players often say that averages mean little. It is the joy of bat hitting ball or knocking wickets over that count. But when the media constantly reminds one that a certain statistic is needed to overtake a record, a player finds it difficult to ignore it.
There is no question that Chanderpaul would have liked to break Brian Lara's record for scoring the most runs in Test cricket. But Chanderpaul was treated in a shoddy and disrespectful manner by the West Indies Cricket Board. The former president Dave Cameron promised that 'this Caribbean hero would be given an appropriate send off' that befits a national treasure but it has never happened.
Chanderpaul was caught up in cricket politics and was pushed out of the team when it was said that he had at least another year of Test cricket left in him.
There are those that claim he was the victim of racism and favoritism that has dogged Caribbean public policy. Since his retirement, Chanderpaul scored heavily in county and domestic cricket so his ability was hardly impaired. A treasured bright spot occurred when the University of the West Indies conferred an honorary doctorate on Chanderpaul for his services to cricket.
This was appropriate and perhaps the University of Guyana will confer honorary degrees on Chanderpaul and Clive Lloyd to honor them and to help bring about social cohesion in Guyana. The lead up to the event can be a T20 game at Providence with a Chanderpaul Eleven versus a Clive Lloyd Eleven with Gary Sobers and Rohan Kanhai as coaches.
There is no doubt that Chanderpaul will make an ideal coach in the West Indies cricket structure. It is hoped that the new administration, under Ricky Skerritt, will make use of his services, and that of other senior players.
Chanderpaul and Sobers belonged to different eras but their commitment to cricket and the Caribbean nation could not be faulted. They are two of my favorite players.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Robin Schmidt is a multi-hyphenate filmmaker directing, producing, writing, editing, providing his own voiceovers and doing his own visual FX. And yes he's won awards too. He started life deeply immersed in classical music, first playing the piano at four, singing at five and picking up the violin at six. Five years as a chorister at Westminster Cathedral, and several commercial recordings under his belt Robin then won a Young Artist bursary with the English Performing Arts Ensemble touring the US with a number of productions. However, aged 18 he left music behind and found his way into local radio where he was a DJ for three years before making a huge jump sideways into marketing and branding consultancy, the Fourth Room.
It was here that Robin first had the opportunity to pick up a camera and start shooting, producing short documentary research films using early DV cameras and the first Apples to include firewire ports. Shortly after Robin decided to make the plunge into filmmaking full time and set up Chrome Productions with two friends with the aim of making extreme sports films and filling them with all the cinematic ideas they had in their heads. Over the next 8 years the company grew and grew, earning TV commissions, a hatful of music videos, lots of corporate work and very little of the drama the partners all wanted to make. Robin shot 35 music videos while at Chrome, directed numerous TV shows and taught himself how to edit, shoot, direct, write and create motion graphics to a high standard.
In 2009 he made the difficult decision to leave the company he had created in pursuit of a new challenge. Robin is now a well-known blogger in the DSLR community, has shot four short films, with two more in the pipeline, he has written two feature films, and made a sudden move into comedy with the Super Massive Raver, a multi-platform transmedia project. He is a firm believer that independent filmmakers need to be smarter in understanding the challenges and opportunities posed by the new digital landscape and is now being invited to provide transmedia storytelling to brands with a major project for a luxury resort chain now underway.
In 2010 Robin beat 400 other filmmakers to win the Bahamas 14 Islands Film Challenge and was a finalist in the Fireflies Framepool Challenge in the same year. He doesn't do festivals but he has lovely hair and would like to win an Oscar one day.


As reported in 2 Minute Medicine, the MITRA-FR trial doesn't appear to improve outcomes in secondary mitral regurgitation. See summary results below or follow the link to read the entire article for full results.
Among patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and severe secondary mitral regurgitation on medical therapy, percutaneous mitral valve repair did not significantly reduce 12-month rates of death or hospitalization due to heart failure when compared to medical therapy alone.
Percutaneous mitral valve repair was associated with increased rates of stroke, need for renal-replacement therapy, and severe hemorrhage.
Study Rundown: Among patients with HFrEF, secondary mitral regurgitation is associated with poor clinical outcomes; however, it is unknown whether the regurgitation impacts prognosis and if intervention is warranted. The aim of this trial was to determine if percutaneous mitral valve repair improved outcomes when added to medical therapy among patients with HFrEF and severe mitral regurgitation. The primary outcome, death or hospitalization due to heart failure, was not significantly different between interventional and control groups. There was also no significant difference in key secondary outcomes, including the individual components of the primary outcome, death from cardiovascular causes, and survival free from major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs). Additionally, percutaneous intervention demonstrated a higher incidence of stroke, renal-replacement therapy, and severe hemorrhage. The results of this study conflict with other recent evidence supporting valve repair in this population; thus, more data is required before definitive conclusions are drawn.


Just recently, the 2017 Nissan Altima was named the top scoring midsize car in the Strategic Vision Total Quality Impact Awards.
If you're in the market for a new electric vehicle, consider the 2017 Nissan LEAF. Stylish and well-equipped, the car has recently been crowned one of the "5 Best Electric Cars Under $40,000" by Kelley Blue Book.
Spacious, stylish and powerful, the 2017 Nissan Armada has caught the attention of top automotive outlet, Autotrader, which has chosen the SUV as one of their 2017 Must Test Drive Award winners.
Nissan is widely known for building vehicles that don't easily depreciate, and the automaker is being awarded for it. Recently, the 2017 Nissan Maxima earned the 2017 Kelley Blue Book Resale Value Award.
If you've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the all-new 2016 Titan, this latest news out of the Texas Auto Writers Association should make you even more excited. The brand-new Titan XD has just been named "2015 Truck of Texas."
Looking for a top-notch, fuel-efficient sedan at a value that won't break the bank? According to the fifth-annual AAA Green Car Guide, the 2015 Nissan Versa Sedan is the very best green car value this model year. Here at Nissan of McKinney, we couldn't agree more. Thanks to the generous standard features, a comfortable cabin and premium fuel economy, the Nissan Versa truly lives up to this remarkable title.


Very few people know how much data the insurance industry keeps. It is substantial. Everything from health claims to insurance applications, it is all available to these companies. Keep reading to be frightened.
The MIB or Medical Information Bureau is a member-owned corporation that shares data on individuals for the purpose of underwriting life and health insurance.
Likely too much for comfort. Medical conditions for individuals are reported and coded into their database for all members to access, should they require it.
Would you like to know some of what they know about you?
You can find out, and we at the Houston Courant suggest you do. Request your MIB File, you are by law entitled to view it.


Judo - 112th ranked beats 6th ranked in the world, in under 2 min..
Olympics: A Wrestler, a Judoka and a Taekwondoist walk onto a mat..
One of the Olympics' most surprising upsets comes on the judo mat.
In 2012, she was an alternate for Mexico. In 2016, she will represent Team USA in taekwondo at the Olympics.
Taekwondo's most decorated athlete will be competing at his fifth Olympics.
Check out the highlights of the Asian Taekwondo Qualification, Rio 2016 Olympic Games.


The division number 3 police on Tuesday busted a gang of burglars.
Those arrested are Bunty, Ravipal and Anand. They were involved in multiple cases of burglary and snatching.
Bunty is the kingpin of the gang. The accused were living in rented accommodation near Sherpur Chowk area and Lakkar Bridge. Bunty has been facing trial in 60 such cases in Ludhiana and Delhi.
The police arrested the accused near Lakkar Bridge following a tip-off. The accused were travelling in a three-wheeler they had stolen a few days ago.


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Posted inAtlanta Intown, Brookhaven, Buckhead, Dunwoody, News, Sandy Springs, Top Stories
Local nonprofits look for donations on Giving Tuesday
by Bob Pepalis November 28, 2022 November 28, 2022
Bins of produce are available for CAC clients during food pantry hours at its south Sandy Springs branch at 120 Northwood Drive, Suite 150. (Bob Pepalis) Credit: Bob Pepalis
Nonprofits throughout Georgia will be part of Giving Tuesday on Nov. 29, a day an international day of giving that follows the traditional shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Giving Tuesday is a chance for community residents to feel good about their part in the community and to help feed their neighbors, donate to a cancer society or somebody who helps foster children, Community Assistance Center spokesperson Laure Deupree said.
More than 700 nonprofit organizations were registered even before Thanksgiving for GAgives on Giving Tuesday, Jennifer Dunaway, a Brookhaven spokesperson, said. Some of the Brookhaven nonprofits involved include Bagel Rescue Inc., Peachtree Creek Greenway, Inc. and Quality Care for Children.
"There's plenty of worthy causes out there and this is a chance to get together with everyone else who has donated on the same day and make a big splash," Deupree said.
Led by the Georgia Center for Nonprofits, GAgives on GivingTuesday is Georgia's biggest generosity movement, designed to connect Georgians to its nonprofits.
Since launching in 2012, the GAgives movement has helped raise more than $90 million for the benefit of thousands of nonprofits. A record $27.14 million was donated in 2021.
As part of the efforts, Atlanta-based Mailchimp announced on Monday that it is partnering with the NFL and Giving Tuesday to present Give Where You Live: a movement that is shining a light on nonprofits to drive donations during the holiday season.
Mailchimp launched an interactive website where residents can learn more about each nonprofit. A video also shares more about the campaign. Local organizations to benefit include:
ATL Collective
We Love Buford Highway
Freedom University
Village Micro Fund
Latino Community Fund
Helping Empower Youth
Giving Kitchen
Gateway Center
Lost-N-Found Youth
Soul Food Cypher
On this day, even $5 is game-changing money for the organizations trying to do good in the world, Deupree said.
"I think CAC does a really good job of taking care of our community and putting that front and center. So when you contribute to CAC, you're really contributing to your neighbors, to your community as a whole. And we're just a really effective way to get back to your community."
Demand for CAC's services has been up this year, having already reached 2021 numbers in August, Deupree said. The nonprofit isn't seen its usual clientele. This year people who were doing fine during the past two years and managed to make it through COVID have found the economic forces they face today are a bit too much.
"These are people who are absolutely making ends meet or working full time, but in the last year have found that their purchasing power has decreased," she said.
Costs for everything went up and they are paying rent that rose several hundred dollars. The CAC uses donations to help with services such as its food pantry, where a family of four could save $758 a month compared to grocery store shopping.
Springmont Montessori families contributed to Solidarity Sandy Springs to help buy food for food-insecure families, the school said. They responded with $2,500 in two weeks. And then they gathered at the organization's food pantry to stuff 250 bags full of Thanksgiving food for families who live even within a mile of the school grounds.
Now with the help of a friend, any funds donated to Solidarity Sandy Springs through this link will be matched, up to $20,000.
Nonprofit Propel ATL, which advocates for bike and pedestrian safety, is matching donations dollar for dollar up to $12,000. "Your generous support will make streets measurably safer for people biking, walking, and using scooters or wheelchairs," the organization said in a statement.
Horizon Theatre in Little Five Points is hoping that donations during Giving Tuesday will help the company continue to recover from pandemic losses and launch its 39th season of new plays and musicals.
Tagged: Bagel Rescue, Community Assistance Center, Giving Tuesday, Horizon Theatre, nonprofit, Peachtree Creek Greenway, Propel ATL, Quality Care for Children, Solidarity Sandy Springs
Bob Pepalis
Bob Pepalis covers Sandy Springs for Rough Draft Atlanta and Reporter Newspapers. More by Bob Pepalis
Publisher's Note: AJFF Special Section January 27, 2023


Diamond Select is hitting up New York Comic Con 2018 with a ton of new products for you to take a look at that you can order through your local comic shops or shop.diamondselecttoys.com.
There's a little bit of everything here, and some of it is just gorgeous. That Hulkbuster is going to cost a pretty penny, but it would look great in anyone's collection.
Make sure to stop by the Diamond Select booth (booth 1644) during NYCC to check out all of the new items.
Venom Will Feature Two Post-Credits Scenes; Here Are the Details!


"Bowl -- red and black on cream polychrome. Black rim with 4 narrow banding lines with spirit breaks, foliage and floral designs -- exterior. Signature on bottom "Santana Melchor Santo Domingo" Excellent [condition]" -- From the Museum catalog.


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Home Featured Theatre Reviews Fame 'the musical' at the Opera House
Fame 'the musical' at the Opera House
Dave Stringer
They say that you can't keep a good thing down and that is certainly true of Fame- The Musical. Based on the smash hit film of the same name that hit the screen in 1980, the brand name has spawned a highly-successful TV series and a stage version that first saw the light of day in 1988. And now the residents of Buxton and surrounding areas can see the latest production at the Opera House.
For those few who have never heard of the musical, it tells the story of the Class of '84 at the School of Performing Arts. The tale carries the audience from audition to graduation and documents the students' trials and tribulations and their developing relationship with the teaching staff.
There is the expected cast of characters – the extrovert, the introvert, the boy struggling with his sexuality, the girl with body issues, the talented artiste who struggles with addiction, the talented musician wishing to come out from the shadow of his successful father, the dyslexic student and an aspiring ballet dancer who feels held back by her apparent privileged background – all led by a disciplinarian Principal who ultimately has a heart of gold.
Albey Brookes is well cast and has all the comic timing to play the brash and cocky (and near the knuckle) Joe while Keith Jack (best known for finishing runner-up in the televised competition Any Dream Will Do) does a superb job as a potential serious actor and is given the opportunity to showcase an excellent voice.
Hayley Johnston shows her comedic talents and dancing ability as Mabel and Simon Anthony is very believable as he becomes a father figure to his fellow students. Jamal Kane Crawford is an energetic Tyrone who allies some excellent dancing with a sympathetic performance as a troubled teenager. He also forms a great partnership with Iris (Jorgie Porter – formerly of Hollyoaks and Dancing on Ice). Porter is developing into an accomplished stage performer (although it is difficult to believe her character's claim that she has never been kissed!!)
Josie Benson gives a powerful performance as Miss Sherman and she is ably supported by Katie Warsop, Spencer Lee Osborne and Duncan Smith as the teaching staff.
But the stand out performances come from Molly McGuire and Stephanie Rojas. McGuire gives an excellent performance as the nerdy Serena who is desperate both for fame and to find her own Romeo. She also gives a beautiful rendition of the poignant" Let's Play A Love Scene",
Rojas is the ultra-talented but highly troubled Carmen and she holds the audience in her hand as her life journey reaches its inevitable end. Her performance of" In LA" is worth the price of entry on its own.
Overall this is a vibrant production performed by a talented cast and the choreography is at times so full of vigour that you can be exhausted just watching but there is real pathos in the slower more, reflective moments. Benson is able to bring out the best of the tear-jerking "These Are My Children" and the uplifting "Bring on Tomorrow" reinforces the optimism that young people can carry all of us forward.
The ultra-critical would say that Fame gives little chance for the characters to be given real depth and there is certainly some substance in that. But there was enough in the characterisations for the audience to be swept along in their joy and tears. This is a highly enjoyable production and the reaction of the audience at the final curtain reflected the enjoyment given.
Fame continues its run at the Opera House until November 9th and has a running time of approximately 2 hours 30 minutes including interval.
Fame 'the musical'
Josie Benson
Molly McGuire
Staffordshire Moorlands
Stephanie Rojas
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Theatre Review – Curtains at the Regent
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