The Conversational Copywriting blog for online writers and copywriters

How to survive the rise of AI in marketing.

August 26, 2019May 14, 2019 by Nick Usborne

When the web arrived in our lives, way back in the mid 1990s, it heralded a wave of disruptions, one after another.

The web changed how we look for and find information, how we connect with others, how we shop… and a great deal more.

Over time, the web has also profoundly changed the way companies do business.

It was and continues to be massively disruptive to multiple industries. When did you last go to a physical store and buy a music CD? Or rent a movie on a VHS cassette?

Industries have been changed almost beyond recognition – like the taxi business.

And now we have a new wave of disruptions coming our way.

4 ways to create web content that’s more conversational.

August 27, 2019May 2, 2019 by Nick Usborne

The focus of most of my posts is on writing sales copy that is less pushy and adversarial… and more open and conversational.

In this post I’m going to focus not on sales copy, but on web content.

Because content can go either way as well.

Content can be flat editorial that is broadcast AT an audience of passive readers.

Or content can be more engaging and conversational in its approach and tone.

If you want your own content to be more inclusive, engaging and conversational, here are 4 things you might want to think about.

3 Reasons why conversational copywriting is a natural fit for email marketing.

August 27, 2019April 13, 2019 by Nick Usborne

Email has been around for longer than the web itself.

I remember sending my first emails way back in the late 1980s.

Funny thing though. Online pundits keep telling us how email is going to disappear. Eaten by the web, made obsolete by texting, made irrelevant by messaging apps.

And yet… email is still going strong.

More amazing still, it still functions in pretty much the exact same way as when the SMTP, POP3 and IMAP protocols were formalized back in 1995.

Everything else online changes at warp speed… but email and its functionality remains the same.

No wonder marketers love it. It’s easy, and familiar.

If you want a conversation to be both engaging and memorable, anchor it with a good story.

August 27, 2019March 30, 2019 by Nick Usborne

Stories and conversations are deeply intertwined.

Walk into a bar or coffee shop, find a group of people deep in conversation, and chances are they’ll be sharing stories.

“Do you remember the time when…?”

“Did you hear about what happened to Jack at the weekend…?

“You’ll never guess who I saw on the bus this morning…”

When we gather together in groups, we’re always telling stories.

Find the courage to use your own voice in your marketing.

March 15, 2019 by Nick Usborne

Man holding out a microphone to record what you say

It takes courage to stand out on your own.

Particularly if you’re a solo professional of some kind… Like a freelancer, coach, consultant, therapist, or anyone else who works one-on-one with clients.

The safe way to sell yourself is to adopt the persona of others in your industry.

Look and sound like your fellow solo professionals.

If you’re a freelancer, you might model your website on those of other successful freelancers in your niche.

The Conversational Blog