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Author: Frank Chamberlin

Copy Corner: Writing an ad

When you are writing an advertisement, the first impression – the first thing the reader sees or reads – can mean the difference between success and failure. If the first impression is boring or irrelevant, the ad will not attract your prospect. If it offers news or helpful information, or promises a reward for reading ...

Copy Corner: Writing for the web 101

When writing for the web, don't write for readers, but write for scanners. Make sure you are as concise as possible. Make sentences short and to the point Avoid long blocks of text. Each paragraph should be about a specific idea Use headers and subheads so that scanners can navigate information easily Use bulleted/numbered ...

Copy Corner: Frankie gets moody

Writers need to be aware of mood changes. You need to alert the reader as soon as possible to any change in mood from the previous sentence. Words to use for changing the mood include: but, yet, however, nevertheless, still, instead, meanwhile.  It is much easier for readers to process a sentence if you start ...

Copy Corner: In under 25 words ...

One of my pillars of good non-fiction writing is brevity. Essentially, brevity means saying things in the most economical way. A good writer does not give the reader anything he or she does not need. Writing is like a good watch. It should function smoothly with no extra parts getting in the way. Generally in writing, ...

Copy Corner: Frankie says Relax

An important part of writing is being able to relax. In the typical situation at work, you sit down to write and you want your report or email or whatever, seem important. You think about how impressive it will look in print. You think about all the people who are going to read it. Senior people. You think about ...

Copy Corner: Power in your sentences

Do you want a very simple technique for improving your writing? Well, this is one that really works and you can start doing it from today. Cut the length of your sentences! It’s as simple as that.  Long sentences should be seen as the enemy. They create confusion for readers and they block clarity. And ...

Copy Corner: Rewriting is the key to writing well

When you write your first draft, the words very often just bubble out. There may not be a great deal of structure. That's fine for the first draft. When you move into the rewriting or editing phase, you check that there is a logical flow to your work. Plus, you delete unnecessary words to make the writing sparkle ...

Copy Corner: Producing better emails

Emails are such a huge part of our lives these days, it’s worth thinking about how to do a better job with them. Here are a few things to think about. The salutation is an effective way to set the atmosphere. Think about the options such as ‘Hello’, ‘Dear’ or ‘Hi’ and decide what’s right for you in each case. Make ...

more about our blogger

Frank Chamberlin

As an experienced and knowledgeable professional marketer, Frank Chamberlin has been a full time copywriter for ten years.

He teaches Direct Marketing at the Masters level at Monash University and he offers a one-day ‘business writing skills’ course for corporates. He also convenes the popular dm Forum in Melbourne.

As a successful copywriter and owner of Action Words, he does all sorts of work for large and small companies.

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