Conrad Winter Copywriter

Awards shows play a crucial role in inspiring us to open our minds to new possibilities, they fuel the competitive spirit to perform to a higher standard and they teach us how it’s done.

The “textbook” of my first copywriting class was a One Show awards annual—the book that displays all of the winning creative work for the year. For my 20-something self, working an entry-level job in an ad agency, living in a trailer and looking forward to 50-cent tacos at Tortilla Flats, I was sure I couldn’t afford the $65 for the publication. It was an unjustified extravagance, and I really couldn’t understand the expense…until I received the book.

It was beautiful. Hardbound. Two inches thick. It had weight. And inside was a brand new and exciting world to me. The best advertising in the world. Sample ads and billboards, radio and TV scripts—even full campaigns.

The message was clear: this is good work—do this.

Being able to see how successful work is done is invaluable. And it’s a rare opportunity. With gated content and so much niche-work being done (as opposed to mass-market), we just don’t see a lot of the great campaigns and tactics out there. But as marketers’ media mix has become more varied and complex over the years, the educational aspect of awards shows has become more important, maybe even essential.

If you want to, say, see examples of email drip campaigns (and outstanding ones, at that), being able to check out an awards annual beats signing up for mailing lists so you can see how Audi, Crate & Barrel or Starbucks market to prospects.

There are many awards shows out there. They vary from local to international. Some are industry-specific or media-specific. I think the best ones emphasize the work by sharing the work and displaying the work—as opposed to just handing out plaques, posting podium shots and publishing a trophy count at the end of the night.

The One Show, Communication Arts (CA), Clios, Cannes and others do this either by publishing a printed annual, creating an online gallery or doing both. If you want to immerse yourself in the work, these are great options. They all offer great opportunities to see “how it’s done”—although compared to the One Show and CA (both under $100) the $99 per month subscription to view Cannes work can be a bit of a bite. Insider tip: you can check out Clios winners free.

For a more educational experience, you can’t beat the Effies, an award show revered by marketers across industries for its focus on results as well as for its case study format. Viewing the case studies requires membership, but the comprehensive details and insights make them invaluable tools. The Direct Marketers Association DMA International® Echo Awards have an online gallery of winning work that also makes for an exceptional educational resource—but you’ll need a membership to access them.

My area of copywriting specialty is transportation and logistics, and I was delighted recently to discover the Compass Awards (funny story) put on by the Transportation Marketing & Sales Association. The work is all in my niche and all the winning campaigns and content are available to members through TMSA’s resource library. Smart idea.

As someone who’s trying to learn more about this industry, I’ve been eating up the case study format. The Compass Awards were one of the many learning opportunities I discovered while attending TMSA’s annual conference. (Read my takeaways here.)

Even when you don’t win, you can still take something away from award shows.

(Speaking of awards, wondering what I’ve won? Or would you rather see the work?)

I remember my first official freelance assignment like a dream that never was.

I was working from my kitchen table. Framing my computer screen was a pretty view of the apartment cluster’s courtyard. The smell of coffee mixed nicely with the scent of salt air from the beach a block away. I remember sighing and thinking “this is the life” as I wrote my sell sheet copy for an incontinence product.

There I was typing, revising, sighing and sipping coffee—I was deep in the zone…and then the phone rang.

It was my client.

That was the first of a career’s worth of reminders that there is a lot more to writing than writing. Over the years I’ve embraced the ethic that copywriting is a service, and success depends on how well you serve your clients.

More often than not, that means attending faithfully to the non-writing parts of the job: the picking up the phone and promptly getting back as well as the planning, proofreading, strategizing, discussing, brand-emmersing, presenting, revising, listening, sharing, meeting, researching and reminding.

It’s hard to believe just how much service is wrapped around a little 60-second video script, copy deck, case study or ad concept. The details may seem trivial, but they determine the positive flow of projects, make clients’ lives easier and protect the quality of the writing.

Service determines the success of projects. To me, it’s really just a synonym for good communication—a clear delineation of goals and roles, which promotes efficiency. It also translates to alignment, which ensures the copy syncs with the design, media choices and more.

Service is much more than a nice to have in this business. Besides, who wants to work with a grumpy hermit writer anyway? Have fun. Do good work. Demand great service.

I’m here if you need me: Reach out here.

My house backs up to a cemetery and fronts up to a small but busy cul-de-sac maintained and plowed by our town.

During a snowstorm, the cemetery side is where all the action is. Without exception, the guy who plows their roads has theirs cleared and salted hours, sometimes days, before the city sends someone to dig me and my neighbors out.

My reason for telling you this isn’t to get you to sign a petition. Rather, it’s to illustrate an important point when it comes to contracting for freelance copywriting services: the city’s snowplow operators are paid hourly, while the cemetery’s is not.

What’s true in the snow business is true in other areas, too. Whether you’re paying for snowplowing or copywriting services, project fees—or fixed fees as some like to call them—work best for clients in every case. My city’s snowplow drivers provide a classic example why, and it’s only the beginning of the reasons to favor fixed fees.

Paying hourly actually rewards inefficiency.

It’s twisted, but true—the longer our city’s snowmen take to clear our streets, the more money they make. Conversely, the faster they go, the less money they make. That’s the main problem with paying hourly. On the other hand, paying a project fee rewards freelancers for working hard, smart and fast because the emphasis is on doing the job, not the hours.

When you go project fee, the freelancer carries the risk, not you.

With hourly, you never really know what your final bill will be. Sure, it could be less than you expect. But it could also be more than your budget. With a project fee arrangement, it’s up to the copywriter to manage their hours; if they go over their estimate, it’s on them—not you. And you don’t have the risk of running out of hours because fixed fee projects are all-inclusive.

You get what you pay for with a project fee.

With fixed fee assignments, all the details are laid out in the contract, which sets the expectations for all parties. It establishes deliverables and deadlines for both the client in terms of approvals and provision of source materials, and for the copywriter in terms of when the copy is due. The contract supports an orderly revision process and delineates how services over and above the agreed-upon scope will be handled.

Fixed fees inspire efficiency.

With their clear details and parameters, fixed fee contracts help clients stick to their own timelines and provide a framework that ensures success. In essence, there are rules that guide everyone to do what they agreed to do, which encourages the project to go the way it’s supposed to go. In contrast, hourly agreements don’t usually have contracts. The lack of defined parameters can lead to loosey-goosey workflows, false starts and unrealized project objectives.

Hourly creates a psychological disconnect from value.

Hourly arrangements lead to hourly mindsets that can distract you from the big picture and the value of the project to your business. That may lead you to treat the project with less care than it deserves. Let me put it this way, is it “just an email that will take a few hours of work” or is it really a message that’s going to thousands of prospects that could net you millions in sales?

Hourly rates defy logic and cause discomfort.

Let’s be honest. It is impossible to look at someone’s hourly rate and not compare it to other, completely unrelated rates—be it your lawyer’s, your plumber’s or even your own. It is best not to go there. What difference does it make, anyway? With project fee, the focus is on the value of the work to your organization—as it should be.

Negotiating a project fee keeps you in the driver’s seat.

With project fee, you control the cost and the deliverable. But with hourly, the cost can vary. It’s just the nature of creative work. Sure, you can try and impose a cap on the number of hours a copywriter can use, but that can lead to varied results. Every creative person has their own process and pace. When you mess with their way of doing things, you do so at your own risk. It’s better to just agree on a price you’re comfortable with and let the copywriter deal with how much time it takes.

Project fee relationships bring unexpected value-adds.

With project fee, when an hourly copywriter exceeds the expectations of the project, it’s an unexpected gift, and it’s free—as it should be. Not so with hourly. When your copywriter goes over and above the call of duty, they’re exceeding the project scope. That means you the client end up paying for something that you didn’t ask for, budget for or really even think you needed.

Fixed fees work on any project you can imagine.

It’s possible to propose project fees for everything from the biggest jobs to the most piecemeal ones. That includes projects like website prompts, headline projects, tagline explorations or amorphous copy editing jobs. That said, it’s true that working on a project fee requires more work up front for the copywriter in estimating. It’s also more work for clients because they have to articulate their needs clearly. But I’ve found the extra planning to be well worth it in the end because it helps ensure clients get what they need without going over budget.

Remember the tale of two snowplow drivers on your next project.

One was fixed-fee driven and focused—the other was last seen texting his girlfriend in front of the Bulldog Deli.

And don’t forget, if you need help digging yourself out from a mountain of work, I’m here to help. Email me anytime to set up your free consultation.

I woke up in a panic a few Sundays ago. My daughter had a travel soccer game and we’d way overslept. The maps app said it would take 50 minutes but we only had 45.

I reassured myself that those estimates only applied to little old ladies and snow plows. If I was driving, it would only take me 40—maybe less if my wife didn’t get mad at me for speeding.

So, I bum-rushed my 12 year-old daughter and sleepy wife out the door, completely focused on obeying the voice of my map app and getting my daughter to her soccer game on time. I did a fast-and-furious reverse down the driveway and whipped onto the street. In a minute, I was on Main Street and before the app could say “interstate” I was pulling onto the 287 and into the fast lane.

60, 70, and then 80 mph. Things were looking good. No cops. No traffic studies.

We pulled up to the edge of the field with minutes to spare. I felt like a definitive dad-hero. I sat back as all the stress rushed over and out of me. Life was good. My daughter opened the door to jump out…and shrieked.

She had forgotten her cleats.

In our rush to make it to the game on time, we had forgotten the most important thing: a basic equipment check. It would have taken a minute. Instead we flew out of the house without a second to spare.

When we’re in a rush, we often forget the basics…like the creative brief.

It’s ironic to me that confirming, at the very least, these essentials of a brief—key message, objective and support points—is often deemed a waste of time under a tight deadline.

The truth is, taking the time to lay down the purpose and important points of a project at the onset can speed the work immeasurably, and help you avoid misdirection that makes you miss your deadline.

On your next hot, or not so hot, project, don’t be afraid to be the bad guy or gal—the momentary momentum killer—who asks:

1. What are we trying to do here?
2. Whom are we talking to?
3. What do we want them to do?
4. And what is our simple, single-minded key message?

Write the answers down and remind your team of them often—it will surely save you in the long run.

As for my daughter, she ended up borrowing a mom’s sneakers, so everything worked out okay in the end.

Need a driver for your upcoming ad, website refresh or inbound program? I’m here to help. Just email.

A few months ago I attended the AdAge B2B conference in NYC. One of the attendees, a marketing director at a small or midsized company, asked a question that befuddled the panel of agency luminaries.

She asked why every agency she came in contact with insisted on going through a lengthy discovery process of uncovering the company history, culture, etc., before actually getting to work. It was a fair question—and a familiar one to me as a copywriter. Clients are often surprised by how many questions I ask and the amount of background information I request.

Research or “the discovery process” is such a given on creative projects that the panel didn’t really know how to respond, and I don’t think she ever received a satisfactory response from the group. So I’ve taken it upon myself to answer her, wherever she is. Because the fact is, writing good copy starts with a lot of questions.

You have to dig for gold.

I believe that only through a thorough discovery process can you uncover killer insights and develop angles that will be fresh and interesting to your market. Otherwise you end up playing in the same old superficial, generic territory as everyone else—your competition included. To paraphrase famous designer Bob Gill a couple of weeks ago at HOW, if you want to come up with a great idea for a dry cleaner—you go spend a week at the store. You watch, you listen, you ask questions and learn everything you can.

You have to know the brand to write for the brand.

When you write for a brand, you have to “become that brand.” To do that, it helps to think of the brand as a character you assume. It’s hard to do that authentically without knowing everything about the brand, including its natural way of “speaking,” its values, personality and history. The only way you can do this without coming off as phony, is by reading everything that’s been written about it and talking to the real people behind the brand.

It’s not an indulgent, fact-finding exercise.

It’s important to arm your copywriter with the facts and real insights.  To write effectively, copywriters need to know what they’re talking about. When you’re B.S.’ing, it shows in the jargon and generic, boring copy. Worse yet, it can show in inaccuracies that will turn off prospects. Plus, the more a copywriter knows, the more they are inspired to venture into new territory in developing copy that gets people’s attention, communicates real value and is memorable.

Practical tip #1 – Interview

When people explain themselves verbally, they do it in an honest, natural tone. In a one on one conversation, people take the time to give examples, to speak in understandable terms, they edit less, they don’t overthink, they just answer. I can’t tell you how many times a client will say something once and nail it (and never be able to repeat it the same way).

Practical tip #2 – Ask everything

There are no stupid questions. Ask the basics, like where is this ad going to run and when and what your past advertising efforts looked like. Also ask the not-so-basics. For example, I often ask clients to break down how they provide their service to their clients. Then I listen carefully for interesting and differentiating details about what they do.

Practical tip #3 – Avoid burnout by splitting interviews into sessions.

I’ve found that two hours is about the longest you can go before interviewees start repeating themselves and the one-word answers begin. So I recommend splitting interviews for large projects like complex websites into two or three sessions.

Practical tip #4 – Keep ’em separated.

If you need to talk to more than one person at a company, only interview one person at a time. People will be less inhibited, and you’ll get better answers.

Practical tip #5 – Don’t do a survey.

Interviewing in person is much better than providing clients with a form to fill out. Forms allow cutting and pasting, a rehashing of the same-old same-old. People become self-conscious about how things are written which makes things sound businessy—and they edit out points they think are trivial or too personal. Ironically, this is often the good stuff that differentiates them and prospects will find endearing.

Practical tip #6 – Smile for the recorder.

It’s best to record the interview, but I type notes as I go—just in case there are any technical glitches. My preference is to do interviews over the phone. I use Freeconferencecall.com, which gives you a record option (free of course).

Practical tip #7 – dealing with the please-don’t-use-this’s and I-don’t-want-to-go-into-that’s.

Clients often catch themselves during interviews in this way. I understand. And I always assure clients that they’ll have the final word before any of the things they say are published. However, one of my jobs is to push clients out of their comfort zone. Let’s face it, clients don’t hire a creative writer like me to take dictation. My advantage coming from the outside is that I don’t have the biases that prevent clients from seeing themselves as they really are and really could be.

Avis provides a classic example.

I’m sure the executives resisted coming out and telling people “When you’re only No. 2, you try harder.” But that was the tagline that changed everything for them. It was believable, compelling and endearing all at once. Exactly why we dig deep for truths in the discovery process.

Questions are the answer.

It’s very hard for clients to expand or shift their perceptions of themselves. There’s doubt and bias every inch of the way. But I’ve seen it time and time again: if you’re willing to go where the “discovery process” takes you, new ideas will come from it that can lead to unique positioning and copywriting that your prospects will notice.

If you’re up for a little interrogation and want great work, I’m up for helping. No question. Just call 917-664-1768 or email me.

My time-tested approach for coming up with lots of ideas in a short time frame.

You know, there as a time not too long ago, when clients would actually give you two weeks to come up with concepts for an ad. Yup. One ad, two weeks. These days, you’re lucky if you get two days to work on a banner ad or an e-blast.

I’m not complaining, like most, I’ve accepted the reality and learned to excel with these new parameters. So how do I come up with a ton of good ideas in a super short time frame – and more importantly, how can you?

It’s all about coming up with strategic buckets that guide your thoughts and speed your creative process. Here’s how it works:

1. Create strategic buckets. Think of all the key messages you could communicate. Write down every one that comes to mind. If your project is a B-to-B ad, your buckets might look like this: “saves you time,” “saves you money,” “we have great customer service,” “we’re experts,” and “we’ll make you look good.”
2. Get your buckets in order. Prioritize them.
3. Check your time. When’s your project due? How much time does that give you for ideation? 30 hours? 20 hours? 2 hours?
4. Decide how many you can conceivably do. Each bucket deserves at least 2 hours. On an ad or campaign, I try to spend at least 3 hours on a bucket, although sometimes I have as little as half an hour or as much as 10 hours.
5. Time to work. Develop ideas for one bucket at a time allotting a set amount of time for each one.
6. What about the “coming up with ideas part”? Your job is to find alternate ways of communicating the bucket’s idea. Try it from every angle you can think of. Don’t just do slight rewordings, try visual approaches, metaphors, let your mind go.
7. Stay fresh. I often use a timer to limit myself to an hour per bucket. That forces me to set ideas aside and come back to them with a fresh mind.
8. Keep moving. Move to the next bucket when your allotted time is up or when you hit a lull. Hey, sometimes a bucket just ends up being a dog. It’s a waste of time to force it. So write down what you can—even if they’re bad ideas—and come back to it later.
9. Make the hardest part choosing the best ideas. The biggest benefit of using this bucket approach is that you end up with a wide range of options—never a bad thing.

If you have an ad or campaign coming up, why not give this technique a try? And if the well runs dry for whatever reason, remember I’m here to help. Just call 917-664-1768 or email. 

It’s important for copywriters and designers to present their work in person (or over the phone anyway.)

I encounter almost universal resistance to presenting my work to clients. And just so you know, when I say, “present” I mean read my copy aloud to you over the phone as opposed to just emailing.

I think I understand why. Maybe you don’t want to be rushed or feel like you’re being “sold.” I get it. That’s why I don’t push it when you insist to just email it.

But I do believe that it is better to present, and here’s why:

• Ideas are fragile things. And it’s silly to risk an idea being killed just because of a misunderstanding that could easily be cleared up in person.
• The copy I’m presenting is almost always out of context. In other words, there are no pictures or sound effects (in the case of radio). I can help you visualize the concept if I’m there to explain it.
• My work can’t defend itself. “Ah-ha,” You’re thinking, “But it should stand alone.” Not really. It’s possible to nitpick any copy to death, no matter how good it is.

How I present my work in a best-case scenario.

• I set up a meeting in advance. I try to get somewhere between 20 minutes to a half hour to present a print ad or a landing page. For a website, I need about two hours. And for radio, video or TV, about an hour.
• I do email the copy fifteen minutes or so before our meeting so you can print it out – but no peeking. I know this seems infantile, but trust me, it leads to a much more productive meeting.
• I explain the reason for everything I’ve written, and then I read every word to you.  Is this necessary? Yes. If the copy is important, which it always is (said the copywriter), then we should go through every detail.
• Afterwards, I take your comments. And that’s it.  If you want to think things over and get back to me, that’s fine. At least now you have the context and the details to make good decisions.

Try it this way on your next project, and see what a difference it makes. And if you’re looking for a writer who likes to read, shoot me an email. 

Even designers who write, can benefit from working with a copywriter.

Are you one of the designers who can write? They do exist—I know, because I’ve worked with them.

But no designer is an island, especially when it comes to words. Even if you know how to turn a phrase or crank out a post, here are three things a professional copywriter can bring to your solo act:

• Brainstorming suggestions from a copy perspective. A wordsmith can open up new creative territory for you.
• Headline refinements: making the words perfect takes tweaking and re-tweaking. A copywriter can save you time and effort.
• Elaboration, i.e. stretching one ad into 12. Once you have a creative direction, it’s helpful to be able to delegate its development to a writer.

Recently, the designer/writers at cinquino+co., one of New Jersey’s leading brand communications agencies, brought backpocket copywriter (me) in for all three of the above. How did it work? Well, we brainstormed in person on two occasions and then I fine-tuned the headlines and copy remotely. Once a campaign was chosen, I helped them expand the campaign into 12 ads. You’ll find one of them below.

Hope it inspires you to look for an IJO jeweler – and work with a copywriter. (Hint, hint.)

Congratulations, you have a new product or service. You’ve poured years of effort and experience into it, and it’s just what the market needs. But, your baby has no name. So, how do you pick a memorable, distinctive and meaningful name–without making yourself crazy in the process? Here are the first four of my nine steps to coming up with a great name.

Step 1: Name Drop

Start by researching the names that your competitors have chosen. This will clue you into what names have been taken. It can also reveal the themes and areas for naming that have not been taken.

Step 2: Be Strategic

Split all the things you want the name to communicate into categories or “buckets.” For example, there could be a “cutting edge” bucket, a “historical roots” bucket, and a “we care” bucket.

Step 3: Go for bulk.

Ready, set, now go fill those buckets up. Start with a big list, and weed it down later. Take the time to thoroughly explore a wide range of directions. Let your creativity flow. But know when it’s time to stop.

Step 4: Set a deadline, then set it aside.

It’s important to have an end in sight. And it’s even more important to be in the right frame of mind when you edit your list of names. So put it away for an hour or a day or a week–whatever you can afford. Then come back to it and edit when you have a fresh perspective.

That’s it for this  edition. Look for steps 5-9 in my next installment when I’ll explain how to “kill your darlings” (as they say in writing) and get to a winning name.

Until then.

In my previous post, I showed you how to conduct a thorough naming exercise. Now I’ll show you how to separate the wheat from the chaff with the end goal of finding your own Snausages, DieHard, or Mac for your product or service. Get ready for part two of my nine steps to coming up with a great name for your product or service.

Step 5: Be brutal.
Scrutinize each and every name. Start by asking yourself if it meets the objectives you started with. A name needs a “reason for being.” If it veers into la-la land, kill it.

Step 6: Check for functionality. 
Listen to how the name sounds. Consider how it might look on paper, as a URL, spelled out in an 800 number, or as a logo. If it’s confusing or has objectionable connotations, give it the axe.

Step 7: Do a perfunctory search.
See if the name’s being used and how. Start with a simple Google search. Do a trademark search with the US Patent and Trademark Office. Lastly, check someplace like Go Daddy to see what URLs are available.

Step 8: Edit and re-edit. 
Make your goal a solid shortlist of 5-10 names. If you’re having trouble letting go, try putting the names on index cards and ordering them from most to least favorite. You’ll be surprised by how this can help you move things along.

Step 9: Cover your butt.
Lastly, hand your whole shortlist over to your trademark attorney. That way, no matter what your lawyer eliminates, you’ll still have strong back-ups.

Hope these steps help you come up with a great name . Please let me know how it goes. And remember if you need assistance along the way – I’m here to help.