An ESSENTIAL report for your business!

Reasons Why Your

Copy Is Awful...
By Award-Winning* Copywriter Ross Lowe
Ross Lowe Copywriting 2014
*50m Bronze Swimming Certifcate (Breast Stroke), 1983.
Your frst lesson? ALWAYS read the small print!
HAVE A WORD...
T: 01332 874 352
M: 07967 254 490
E: fndme@rosslowe.co.uk
W: rosslowe.co.uk
I provide copy for websites,
promotional campaigns, magazine and
newspaper articles - and much more
besides. If youre struggling for words
then dont worry - I have plenty...
ROSS LOWE
COPYWRITING
The 7 Reasons
Why Your Copy
Is Awful...
An ESSENTIAL report for your business!
Well, put simply its the words that you use to get your message out there whatever that
message might be. There are so many ways to go about it and its likely youll have used
one or two already. Press releases, social media updates, newsletters, blogs, brochures,
website content the list goes on but everything on it has one thing in common words.
In order to communicate your message, you need to get your words right. Theres no
point in having a fantastic new product to tell everyone about or a cunning new initiative
that is going to change their world only for you to fuff your lines and garble everything
out in an unintelligible mess. Its unprofessional and I guarantee that it will send
potential clients or customers running away screaming in the opposite direction.
The 7 Reasons Why Your Copy Is Awful
By Ross Lowe,
Ross Lowe Copywriting
Copy
Let me tell you, Ive seen some examples of Copy Crime out there that have
had me weeping into my laptop and throwing my biro across the room in
dismay. So Ive decided that its time someone did something about it.
Thats why youre now reading my 7 Reasons Why Your Copy Is Awful.
Its my sincere hope that if you digest the precious information contained within this report and apply
it to your copy then maybe just maybe we can work together to make the world a better place.
Whats that then?
SO WHY IS EVERYONE
DOING IT?
HAVE A WORD...
T: 01332 874 352
M: 07967 254 490
E: fndme@rosslowe.co.uk
W: rosslowe.co.uk
I provide copy for websites,
promotional campaigns, magazine and
newspaper articles - and much more
besides. If youre struggling for words
then dont worry - I have plenty...
ROSS LOWE
COPYWRITING
The 7 Reasons
Why Your Copy
Is Awful...
An ESSENTIAL report for your business!
1. Inform. Educate. Entertain.
Good copy does all of these things. Bad copy doesnt. Think
about why youre writing your piece in the frst place what
is the purpose? What do you want the reader to know that
they didnt know before? What do you want them to do
when theyve fnished reading? Im guessing the answer is not
crumple up the paper and chuck it in the wastepaper basket
but if youre not careful, thats EXACTLY what theyll do.
2. Youve Turned Your Reader Off!
Blah blah blah blah blah. Dull dull dull dull dull dull. Yawn
yawn yawn you get the idea. Unless you give the reader
an incentive to read on, then they wont! Think about
what youre saying and how youre saying it. Nobody likes
having something rammed down their throats in a blatant
attempt to sell, but dont bore them with too many details
either. Engage your reader, keep it fresh and keep it light.
3. Wasted Headlines
Headlines should stand out and shout! Dont have a
headline that snoozes contentedly and ineffectively
away above your main text put it to work. Your readers
time is precious and limited so use your headline to
say something useful and attention-grabbing while
encouraging them to stick around and read on.
4. Repetition
Check back over what youve written and make sure youre
not making the same point twice. Youll only succeed
in boring your reader and unnecessarily saturating
your content. That space could have been used to say
something else have you missed something out?
5. Punctuation and Spelling
Punctuation and spelling mistakes drive people up the
wall, and bad copy is littered with them. For me, theres
nothing worse than asking your reader a question AND
FORGETTING TO USE A QUESTION MARK! It leaves
the reader wondering exactly what theyve just read
and not knowing how they should respond to it.
Spelling mistakes also send a very negative signal to the
reader; if you dont know how to spell what you sell then the
impression you give is that your business is equally as slapdash.
Check what youve written before you send
it out and then check it again!
6. Never Underestimate Your Audience!
Dont patronise your reader. By using fller words and talking
purely for the sake of it rather than saying something
interesting and believable you risk insulting their intelligence.
7. Keep it Regular!
Theres no point in writing fab copy and then sending
it out in drips and drabs. People will quickly forget
who you are and the whole exercise will be rendered
pointless! Use those words to gently and continually prod
people to remind them of WHAT you do, HOW you do
it and WHY they need you. Build up a regular presence
through a sustained campaign of Tweets, blog posts,
press releases whatever suits your target audience.
So... do you need a
little Lowe in your life?

Actually less of the little. I personally prefer diminutive.
But I fully appreciate how time-consuming it can be
to get your copy just right, and to get it working for
you in the ways that you would wish. After all, youre
busy doing what you do best: running a business.
I can help you out. I can take the time that you dont
have and enable you to avoid all of the Copy Crime
pitfalls that I have listed in this report. I can provide
engaging, entertaining and informative copy at very
competitive prices to ensure that the message you put
out there is the right one and does what you need it to.
Im always happy to have a little chat to fnd out more
about your business and how I might be able to help.
Feel free to drop me a line by calling 07967 254490
or by emailing me via fndme@rosslowe.co.uk
In the meantime, thanks for joining me
in the fght against Copy Crime!
I hope to have a word or two with you soon.
Ross
The 7 Reasons Why Your Copy Is Awful
HAVE A WORD...
T: 01332 874 352
M: 07967 254 490
E: fndme@rosslowe.co.uk
W: rosslowe.co.uk
I provide copy for websites,
promotional campaigns, magazine and
newspaper articles - and much more
besides. If youre struggling for words
then dont worry - I have plenty...
ROSS LOWE
COPYWRITING
The 7 Reasons
Why Your Copy
Is Awful...
An ESSENTIAL report for your business!
Ross Lowe?
Professionally, Ross has worked in a number of sectors and
disciplines that include teaching and the airline industry. In 2006
things took a very creative turn and he spent almost fve years
in London working in television production helping to create
programmes for BBC1, BBC2, BBC4, Channel 5, the Good Food
Channel and National Geographic. Credits include Crimewatch,
Escape To The Country, The One Show, Watchdog, Rogue Traders,
Hospital Heroes, Bill Grangers Tasty Weekends, Car SOS and
Regimental Stories. Following this Ross worked in web design as
a copywriter before deciding to take the plunge and go solo.
Originally from Derbyshire, Ross has returned to his roots and
when not at his desk can either be found yomping through the
Peak District in a ridiculous pair of socks, riding his bicycle in a
ridiculous pair of shorts or cheering on his beloved Derby County
FC in a ridiculous waste of time and money. He is also heavily
involved in local theatre as a producer, director and performer.
Try him. You might like him.
And what can he do for you?
Who is What has he done?
Ross Lowe hasnt
always been a
copywriter, but
hes always written.
Inspired at an early
age by the works of
Roald Dahl, Douglas
Adams, Eagle Comic
and the Peter and
Jane books, Ross has
never been far from
a biro or keyboard.
What have people been saying about Ross Lowe?
I love Rosss copy, Not only
does he make it really easy
to turn my ideas into words
that really convert but he has
a unique style which means
people just want to read
what he writes! There are
a lot of copywriters around
but Ross is the only one who
I have found that can really
translate the spirit of what
I am looking to get across.
PAUL CHAPMAN
Business Growth
Advisor, Nottingham
We have used Ross at Niven & Joshua on a number of occasions.
I send him a small brief, which he then turns into a superb
story for our magazine. If Im pressed for time, he will send
ideas to me (often better than my own!). Hes always polite and
friendly on a personal level, and delivers great work (on time)
- which keeps me and my company coming back for more.
CHRIS BEASTALL
Managing Director, Niven & Joshua & Ape to Gentleman
Ross is inventive and intuitive, you can rest assured that
he will attack any project with vigour and the results
are consistently amazing. Thank you for all your help to
date Ross, well be needing you again very soon.
KAYE BOOTH - Co-Director & Social Media
Consultant at Social Myna.com, Derbyshire
HAVE A WORD...
T: 01332 874 352
M: 07967 254 490
E: fndme@rosslowe.co.uk
W: rosslowe.co.uk
I provide copy for websites,
promotional campaigns, magazine and
newspaper articles - and much more
besides. If youre struggling for words
then dont worry - I have plenty...
ROSS LOWE
COPYWRITING
The 7 Reasons
Why Your Copy
Is Awful...
An ESSENTIAL report for your business!
Ross has worked closely with the VOX Digital team on a
number of projects now and on each occasion his approach
has been both innovative, highly professional and a perfect
ft for the job at hand. Ross has specifcally worked on copy
for some of our websites, mission statements, and scripts for
videos. He has also assisted with social media strategies.
So, if youre looking for a dependable, professional,
innovative and enthusiastic character to work with as
a member of your team then Ross is your man!
BRIAN MILMAN-HURST
Creative Lead and Founder, VOX Digital, Lichfeld
Ross is a great guy who really brings words to life. We
fnd that a lot of our clients who write their own text
for promotional material are too close to their own
work and waffe on somewhat! We always recommend
having Ross and his wonderful wordsmith skills to
run over copy that they have written and suggest
improvements or totally rewrite it from scratch.
Good design can be let down with poor words
or text so having Ross on board as our preferred
copywriter means our clients need never
worry about substandard copy again!
GARETH ROBERTSON
Creative Director, Design Pit Ltd, Lichfeld
Ross is the frst copywriter
that I have ever had the
confdence in to work with.
He makes you feel completely
at ease and transforms your
thoughts into works of art!
He is an absolute star and
Im looking forward to
working with him again.
KIRSTY JACKSON
Director, Abacus Belper
Ross writes the content for our
monthly online newsletter and
additional text for our website.
Put simply, hes fab! He puts
real character into his words
that give our company a real
presence and personality. He
truly gets what were about.
All I have to do is tell Ross
what I want before he gets to
work and gets the job done!
ANGELA RICHARDSON
Director, Range
Communications, Nottingham
Say
WHAT?!