Copywriting

Copywriting is mostly listening

Good copywriting rarely starts with clever lines. It starts with knowing exactly who reads the page, what they worry about, and what finally convinces them. Most of that is already in your business: in your head, in reviews, in the questions people ask on the phone. My job is to collect it and put it in the order that leads to a decision.

That is why every project starts with an interview and a pass through your customers' own words. Phrases from reviews and messages often become headlines, because they describe the problem the way buyers think about it, not the way the industry talks.

What makes copy convert

• The first screen says what, for whom and where. No slogans that could belong to anyone.
• Benefits in money, time and stress. "Booked in 60 seconds" beats "streamlined experience".
• Proof right next to claims. Reviews, numbers, photos of real work, process details.
• Objections answered before they become reasons to leave. Price, timing, risk, "what if it goes wrong".
• One clear next step. And a softer alternative for people who are not ready yet.

These sound obvious. Look at ten small business websites and count how many follow them.

Ad copy is a different craft

Ads have far less space and far less patience. Google search ads need headlines that match the exact query and give a reason to click this result over the three above it. Meta ads need a first line that earns the "see more" tap. Video scripts need a spoken hook in the first second. Because I write ads for campaigns I manage myself, I see which lines pull clicks and which do not, and the next round of copy builds on that.

Every ad should land on a page that continues its promise. An ad about "same-day water heater repair" that lands on a general homepage wastes the click. The blog post on the landing page for paid ads explains the match in more detail.

Plain American English, and the rules

I write in plain American English: short sentences, everyday words, US spelling and conventions. Copy also has to follow the rules. The FTC expects claims to be truthful and supported, endorsements to be real and disclosed, and prices to show what customers actually pay; some states, including California, go further on hidden fees. Commercial emails fall under CAN-SPAM, which requires an accurate sender and subject line, a physical postal address and a working unsubscribe. Regulated fields such as healthcare, finance and law have their own advertising rules. I flag anything that needs your attorney's eye before it goes live.

Website copy and SEO

Search engines read the same page your customers do. Clear headings, a page focused on one service, natural use of the phrases people search, and answers to real questions help both. I write web pages with a main phrase in mind and deliver meta titles and descriptions with them. For ongoing articles and deeper keyword work, see SEO content. If you are rebuilding the site, the website copy that sells article shows what I look for page by page.

Emails people actually read

Emails work when they are expected and useful: a quick confirmation after an inquiry, a reminder before an appointment, a seasonal tip, a reason to come back. I write the copy for one-off campaigns and for automated sequences that run in the background. The setup of the sequences themselves is covered under email automation.

What you get

Final copy in a shared document, organized by page or placement, with meta titles and descriptions for web pages and notes on where each piece belongs. Up to three rounds of revisions are included. If positioning itself is unclear, we may start one step earlier with your value proposition, so the copy has something solid to say.