When commissioned to proofread magazines, newsletters, reports, manuals and web sites before they are sent to print or published on the internet, often we find major inconsistencies throughout the document, which require considerable rewriting or editing. Sometimes there isn’t enough time to do this and the document is produced with only the worst errors and typos corrected.

Anyone producing a long document can avoid this by assuming the role of editor and managing production from start to finish. By using style guides for both the visual and written content, you can ensure consistency through contributions from many writers, illustrators and designers. 

And because you’re monitoring progress all the time, you won’t be faced by the need to make impossible changes just before going to print or publication. 

It’ll save you time, money and hassle, and also result in a better publication.

Download our free prompt sheet on managing long documents effectively or if you want someone to edit your long document for you, call us on 0845 200 7830 or email us.

There’s quite a bit of doom and gloom in the press and media about the credit crunch, house price falls, consumer confidence and all manner of economic disaster.

As a business, what do you do? Bury your head in the sand and hope it doesn’t happen? Or panic?

Well, there is another way. Make sure your business is fit to compete in a toughening marketplace.

One of the ways to do this is to increase your marketing efforts when others are cutting them. How? Assess all your marketing material: brochures, web sites, sales letters and all customer communications to make sure that every one is up-to-date and promotes your current products and services.

Will it increase your costs at a time when you want to reduce them? A freelance copywriter, proofreader or other specialist should be able to help you revitalise your material at a reasonable cost. And if they help you to increase sales, it won’t be a cost at all.

On the other hand, there are many things you can do yourself and we offer a range of useful free prompts and checklists to guide you through these.

So don’t panic – strengthen your marketing armoury and win more business.

Robert Zarywacz

One of the main uses of web sites is to sell – everything from expensive property and high cost business services to things you want to get rid of on an auction site.

There are many different approaches to writing sales copy and, as a copywriter, I prefer the concise approach. Yet I have to concede that single-page web sites filled with text that seems to extend for many fathoms under my computer screen must be effective or businesses would not use them.

This doesn’t mean that I like or approve of them. Personally, when I am looking to buy something, I don’t like being treated like an idiot. I look for specific information, e.g. details of the product’s specification, price, delivery options. I do not want to be told 20 times that the product is “fantastic”. After all, I write marketing copy and I wouldn’t describe anything as fantastic, because the term has been over-used.

When I come across these long single-page web sites, I leave them unread. Perhaps the product is good, perhaps it isn’t, but the selling message has turned me away.

What does this mean? That different writing formats work for different people, so it’s important to address your target audience in a way to which they will respond. The wrong approach could alienate them.

I still won’t write text for long single-page web sites. At least, there are plenty of other formats I am happy to write and which keep me busy.

Robert Zarywacz