WORDS
and wild ideas
Get your reader on, it’s the blog.
BYO snacks
What Does The 4th Wall Have To Do With Sales Copy?
There’s this concept in theatre called the 4th wall. It’s a performance convention; the wall is imaginary. It’s what you, as the audience, sees through to view the performers on stage - and those performers are asking you to believe that wall exists because otherwise...
What A Lifetime Of Singing Taught Me About A Career In Copy
I started dance at the age of 2. My mother was a ballroom dancer, she met my father dancing, my Aunt owned what was then the biggest ballroom dance school in WA, both sets of my grandparents danced, and my great-grandma, Ho Ho (pronounced "Hoo Hoo"), sewed my dance...
Why Out Of Office Replies Are A Very Good Idea
Why would you set yourself up an out of office reply? Surely there are enough little jobs to do this time of year, top of the list including some serious lazing on a couch in front of the air-con (or fire, depending on which part of the world you're in). OOO replies...
Watch Your Language – Words To Ditch From Copy
Some of you have heard me say this before. Copywriting is part creative, and part science. And here’s where someone who has never formally studied the human brain will tell you a thing I am 99% sure is true: When we're under pressure, it’s much easier to recall...
Very Crispy 2020 Black Friday Deals
It's no secret, I really love a sale. But I don't really need more "stuff". I mean, unless someone wanted to buy me a mint green KitchenAid, then I'm up for it. Or anything SMEG, perhaps a fridge. Anyways, getting distracted. What is cool to buy is...
How A Website Is Like A Home Reno
You know, you think, "it'll just be this one job" and then you pull the thing apart a bit and realise you need 56 more (wo)man-hours, 2 extra pairs of hands, 4 trips to Bunnings for tools you can't pronounce, and a degree in something engineeringy? It goes for home...
4 Things You Need To Write Converting Blog Copy
Blogs aren’t just blogs. Eh? Think about it. If you’ve been writing blog posts all this time, ask yourself "why?" To share info or tips with your readers, to find people with common interests, to just sort of vent about your day? Or maybe you haven’t started blogging...
A Round-Up Of My Favourite Copywriters (And Their Favourite Copy)
I have favourites. And they're varied and diverse and interesting, just like people generally are. But included in this list is a handful of the people I just adore reading. I like them, I like their stuff, I like the way they word-wrangle. So, I thought it would be...
Why Now’s The Time To Get Yourself Online
If I know anything about life, it's that it'll throw you curveballs just for fun. However, learning to catch is never a waste of time. In fact, when COVID-19 hit I, like many other people living with chronic illnesses and disability, felt altogether terrified but also...
Tell Your Readers Where To Go (In A Nice Way!)
The mighty Call To Action (I’ll be calling it the CTA from hereon in) is one of the most important elements of your copy. Truly! In fact, CTAs should be used across all your communication. Yep, all of it. (Seriously, try it on your kids.) A CTA is a sentence, phrase,...
Spotto! How To Spot Your Ideal Client By Working Backwards
This is one of those How To guides where it’s easier to start at the end. Like when you re-enter the dating world after an inappropriate marriage and inevitable divorce, to work out your ideal person, it helps to recognise what is less than ideal. The deal breaker....
What The Heck Is A Nurture Sequence (It’s Not Only For Hippies)
Mmm, nurture sequences. They sound so comforting. Like snuggling up in a blanket, sipping a cuppa, and having a little bonding sesh with your reader. Truth be told, they’re not entirely unlike that. But first: What the heck is a nurture sequence anyway? Also called a...
“Fat Girls Don’t Belong Front-Of-House”
My boss said it. To my face, not about me. He was doing an impersonation of another "fat girl" who was in the same role as me, at another school. He was imitating her eating Tic Tacs. Because "fat girls" eating. Gross. He let loose this little pearler while sitting in...
6 Easy-As-Pie Steps To Start Writing Emails
You know what you don’t want when you spend 20+ minutes creating a post in Facebook or Instagram? The cheery sound of crickets. Nada. Nothing. Zero engagement. Or worse, your Ma gives it a thumb’s up and then private messages you to let you know you’re doing it wrong...
What Is Conversion Copywriting (and Does It Work In An Australian Market?)
Somewhere, somehow, some Australian marketer that doesn't understand conversion copy pooh poohed it long enough and loud enough to put us all off. Which means just about every single time I onboard a new done-for-you copy client or copy coaching client and I mention...
Crisp Copy Class Alumni Showcase – Jennifer Zeven
Crisp Copy Class Alumni Showcase – Jennifer Zeven Meet Jennfer from Blurb-ology #OpinionatedWoman | Writer Extraordinaire | Crisp Copy Class Alumni Blurb-ology is a niche copywriting service whose superpowers are writing banging blogs, entertaining email scripts, and...
Crisp Copy Class Alumni Showcase – Nicole Smith
Crisp Copy Class Alumni Showcase – Nicole Smith Meet Nicole from Creative Mum Life Coffee Fiend | Inspiring Educator | Crisp Copy Class Alumni Creative Mum Life is a collection of brands and learning inspired products, providing educational pathways to school...
Crisp Copy Class Alumni Showcase – Alicent Wong
Crisp Copy Class Alumni Showcase – Alicent Wong Meet Alicent from home.cook.love Kitchen Wizard | Curator of Gorgeous Dining Ware | Crisp Copy Class Alumni home.cook.love makes dining tables beautiful everywhere with a specially curated collection of luxuriously...
Crisp Copy Class Alumni Showcase – Tarryn Reeves
Crisp Copy Class Alumni Showcase – Tarryn Reeves Meet Tarryn from Zimpasha OBM | Ridiculously Organised Tech-Loving Extraordinaire | Crisp Copy Class Alumni Tell us about the moment you decided to start your own business. What was the catalyst? My business started by...
An ROI on a TOV and WTF?
Imagine you’re at a party. The room is filled with the crackle of conversation; you’re excited you’ve found a bunch of cool, like-minded people who have interesting things to say. You find a group of entrepreneurial types with sparkling wit and business chops for days...
Guest Blog – 4 Online Editing Tools To Help You Write Gooder (And They’re Free!)
Guest blog by Crisp Copy Class Graduate, Natasha D'Arcy. "Disclaimer: The following article may or may not contain spelling and grammatical errors. Only now as a parent of a prep year student do I appreciate how messed up the English language is! All those...
Case Study – What Happens When You Join The Crisp Copy Class As a Massage Therapist and End Up A Copywriter
Guest Blog/Case Study by Nicola Hogan"Late nights and tequila shots are not conducive to family life. I did what any sensible 40 year old should.I signed up for the 2018 Crisp Copy Class and started a business by accident.Actually, that’s not quite true. I already...
What Is A Long-Tail Keyword?
OR The Short Tale of the Long-Tail Keyword In Norse mythology, the monstrous Jormungandr was thrown into the heaving seas. His tail was said to be long enough to encircle the world and fit back into his own mouth: when he releases his tail, the end of the world...
2 Ways to Crush A Copywriter’s Soul (And 5 Steps To Hire A Copywriter Who Clicks With You)
If you’re thinking of hiring a copywriter, first of all – yay! – you’re starting to realise how important the right words are to your business (hint: very important). Second of all, just check yourself a minute. Yes, I’m suggesting you slow down. Have a little think...
Micro Copy – A Little Bit Clever
Just because it's a button doesn't mean it's boring Just when you thought copywriting was all about the words, I’m going to break your heart. You’ve already heard the rants about copywriting being different to content writing but there’s more. Yep, I’m going to add...
Digital Resources I Love – A Short List
If only I had a dollar for every time someone asked to pick my brain… I’d be able to take at least a month off. So, here’s a collection of my favourite digital things. Website themes, content resources, hosting, legals… all the good things that make your business look...
Advice For Copywriters – Don’t Believe Everything You Read
Do you think you might be a cruddy copywriter? If you’re secretly thinking, ‘yep’, it’s likely because of these 2 things: Because you are a cruddy copywriter. Or is it because that copywriter is all over Facebook celebrating their pants off and painting the town red...
3 Things To Improve Your DIY Copywriting I Learned From A Money Seminar
I attended a seminar about money last year, and yet I just learned something that totally relates to writing your own copy. The subconscious mind keeps us safe - that’s its job. It keeps our heart beating and our lungs filling up with air and a bit of our brain...
Thinking Of Breaking Into Copywriting? Here’s A List Of Reasons Not To
Copywriting – I’m good at it, and it’s been good to me.It’s not for everyone, though. And it’s certainly not for some people who you’d think it’d be for. Let me explain.In my 1:1 copy coaching sessions, I always ask my budding copywriters why they want to become pros,...
Writing An About Page Got You In A Panic?
I’ve won awards for writing crisped copy for businesswomen in Australia and around the world. I have clients who won awards after I wrote for them. I’ve rewritten business brands in ways that not only tickle the people who do the communicating but also tick boxes for...
Shouty Copy and Fornicating Fonts
PLEASE, STOP WITH THE SHOUTY COPY!! Did you quit your job, follow your dreams, sell your car and read everything about business building on the Google just to be SHOUTED AT? Heck, no! Shouty Copy isn’t good for anyone. It’s hurting my eyes, and frankly, it’s making...
The Gendered Conundrum Of Worth
For this word-nerd bird, setting the dollar amounts I now charge scared me half to death. It was a trial by fire – complete with third-degree burns. For so many of the women I work with, deciding on your prices is fraught with fears. We find all sorts of crazy...
9 Businesswomen I Met At AusMumpreneur (Who You Need To Meet Too)
I went to AusMumpreneur to win an award. Well, that’s a little bit of a fib. I went on the off chance, the one in a (couple hundred with change) shot, the slightest possibility I’d win an award.
You Can’t Just Up Your Prices – You Have To Up Your Brand
I started out like a lot of women new to business; I thought I’d leave my job, provide a killer service, and get paid accordingly. Which worked, in the beginning. Because I simply doubled my hourly rate as an employee and charged my time out as peanuts. Nodding? Uhoh....
Crisp Copy Named Ausmumpreneur Of The Year in the WA Business Excellence Category
I am thrilled about this award, truly. But I felt like a complete dork writing about it, so, I let my press release do the talking! Perth Business Woman Brings Home Gold at National Awards 'Parkerville Mother of 3, Jay Crisp Crow, has just been named AusMumpreneur Of...
Best Content Planners for Bloggers (Or My Blogging Was Crap, Here’s What I Did About It)
I’m often asked if blogging really is that important for business. The answer is: only if you want more visitors, readers, and potential customers. Erm. I hope you just answered 'yes' to those. That's why I happily wrote hundreds of thousands of words of blog content...
6 Downloadables To Visually Brand Your Copywriting Business
There are some seriously cool copywriters who can convert with some black text on a white screen. For the rest of us, there's Canva. Because copy needs a strong, beautiful partner and visuals are just the love-match required. If you've been mucking around sending out...
The No-Trick New Blogger Strategy for Content Creation
It doesn't feel so long ago that I spent a decent 12 hours sweating in anticipation, about to press ‘publish’ on my first blog. So, I feel your pain. Although I’d spent over a decade writing as an employee for various institutions, the first piece bearing my own name...
Copy and Design – A Website Love Story
As a bona fide, card-carrying word nerd, I’m always going to advocate good copy as the essential aspect of your business branding If we’re using marriage as the metaphor, let’s say copy is the wife. But, fair’s fair – design is an important facet. A union needs a...
Why I Delete My Hard-Earned Email Subscribers
Decluttering is the latest buzzword, and the whole world has jumped on the organising bandwagon. (Except for me; I refuse to give up that clothes-pile-on-corner-chair in my bedroom.) Decluttering promotes a sense of accomplishment, and the same applies to business....
What’s The Point Of Social Media Copy? (It’s Not Making Sales)
Social media copywriting. It’s just information sharing, right? Like chatting. Yes, but as they say in the classics, it’s all in the delivery. The interwebs is a place where you have the whole world at your fingertips. At the touch of a button (or maybe a few)...
Social Media Marketing Strategy – Why You Need One
Having an effective social media marketing strategy is an integral part of increasing the number of views your site receives, and growing your audienceIt may seem fairly straightforward, you just post a few things on Facebook or Twitter and people click on the...
How To Ask For A Testimonial (And Make It Easy For People To Say Yes)
Do you cringe at asking for a testimonial? What about if I asked you to write me one? Did you just shrivel up inside? That’s just how your clients and customers feel when you ask them to pen you a para or two. Unless they’re word-nerd-birds like yours truly, writing a...
Why Content Writing Isn’t Copywriting (But How To Blend Them Brilliantly)
You’ve heard them being bandied around, these two terms. Copywriting here, content writing there… but do you know the difference between them? Maybe it’s one of those things you ‘should’ know, so you’re too embarrassed to ask. Or maybe you just assume they’re exactly...
Why And How To Communicate With Newsletter Subscribers (So They Don’t Yawn Or Delete)
In this day and age, there’s probably a million ways to talk to your clients, so you’re probably wondering: “Jay, what’s so special about an email list? Why can’t I just use social media? Word of mouth is working for me A-OK, I don’t need to bend over backwards...
What Is SEO Copywriting?
Sometimes, someone leans over to me at a workshop and whispers: “what the HECK is SEO writing and how do I do it?” SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) can help your site climb up search engine results pages and catch the eye of more prospective customers and clients....
Why I Can’t Meet You For A Quick Business Coffee
I am roaring through my inbox (still haven’t taken the time to set up the email filters like my business coach has taught me to), trying to maximise my writing time while handling incoming emails, upgrading my proposal document, and carefully scheduling every moment...
What Is Search Engine Optimization?
Search Engine Optimization = SEO. If you’ve been on the internet in the past decade, you’ve probably heard the term, at least in passing. And it sounds pretty spiffy. I mean, just say it out loud – Search Engine Optimization. I feel like that’s the sort of thing that...
© Copyright 2016 - 2020
Jay Crisp Crow + Crisp Copy
If you steal my words I'll
send my teenagers to your house
...with their kitten
Crisp Content
Make your reader lick the screen