Category: Radix Podcast

Podcast 89: B2B copywriting tools, tips and tricks

Posted on by The Radix Team

In this episode of Good Copy, Bad Copy, we’re talking about copywriting tools, tips and tricks to make you a better B2B writer.

Our guest co-host, Radix copywriter and content lead Katy Eddy, speaks with Julia Pierce from Literature and Latte about whether a writing tool like Scrivener might be a serious alternative to Word. And four writers share what they learned at this year’s Copywriting Conference.

Plus, a Deputy Chief Information Security Officer gets brutally honest in the Anonymous Five, and we need your help to find the best B2B content of 2020.

Where professional copywriting meets creative practice

What can creative writing pursuits teach us about professional copywriting? Lots, it turns out. And here’s the surprising thing: that learning flows both ways. The habits and disciplines of the day job can make creative work more effective too.

But when it comes to software, most B2B copywriters consider Microsoft Word as the de facto tool of the trade (in fact, we have a whole blog post about Word v Google Docs). Specialist writing tools like Scrivener can often be seen as the preserve of novelists, screenwriters, and other creative types. But in our feature interview this month, Julia Pierce explains why that might not always be true.

Especially if you’re writing an ebook, a white paper, or any other piece that involves organising multiple reference sources,  it a change of tool could be just the thing to help you see the big picture among the details.

(Also: if you’d like to know any more about NaNoWriMo, and how it can help you to write faster, you’ll find Katy’s blog about that here.)

What we learned at CopyCon: perfectionism, persuasion, reviews

Kudos to ProCopywriters for using the switch to digital events as an excuse to make the Copywriting Conference bigger than ever. At Radix, we got several writers involved in the training, as well as the day itself. Have a listen, and you’ll hear what they learned:

  • George shares how to harness systematic and heuristic decision-making
  • Lizzie reveals a coping method to overcome the perfectionist’s fear response
  • Ben muses on the importance of sharing with writers from other backgrounds
  • Kieran suggests you might want to ditch tracked changes, and have a call instead

The Anonymous Five: Deputy Chief Information Security Officer

In this month’s “Anonymous Five”, we get a brutally frank perspective from a Deputy Chief Information Security Officer (or DCISO for short), at a large US real estate firm.

Basically, if you write or commission cybersecurity content, you need to hear it.

(Thank you to our anonymous DCISO. We’ve donated to the charity of your choice: the mental health charity MIND.)

Here’s what you will find in this episode…

2.10 – Katy explains why everyone should be grateful to Goths

9.05 – Julia Pierce shares some of the more surprising uses for Scrivener

24.30 – Katy reveals which B2B content projects might benefit from new software

28.49 – Four Radix writers share what they learned at the Copywriting Conference

40:18 – The Anonymous Five: Deputy Chief Information Security Officer (DCISO)

Send us your thoughts, feedback, and favourite B2B content

Contact us through @radixcom on Twitter or [email protected] (if you’re up for it, email us a voice memo).

In particular, we want to know about the best piece of B2B content you’ve seen this year.

How to listen 

Credits 

Thanks to Julia Pierce for your time and insights. We’ll definitely be giving Scrivener a go in the office, and we’ll let you know how we get on.

Thanks also to our anonymous DCISO, and all the speakers and trainers at this year’s Copywriting Conference. In particular Tim Fidgeon, Jo Watson, Honor Clement-Hayes and Hinrich Von Haaren.

Podcast editing and music by Bang and Smash.

Podcast 79: The Best B2B Content of 2019

Posted on by Katy Eddy

Welcome to the second annual Best of B2B Content awards, as nominated and voted for by you, our esteemed audience of B2B marketers, copywriters, and everyone else who has found their way into listening to Good Copy, Bad Copy.

We’ve put together a rundown of the 17 nominations, and now we’ve had a chance to collect and count all your votes, it’s time to announce the winner.

We’ve a lot of traditions in the Radix office, particularly when it comes to the festive portion of the year. Our tree is always topped with a slightly unnerving fairy with John’s face. Matt always provides enough chocolate and sweets to give us all month-long headaches. I attempt to sew a piece of festive clothing before our end-of-year dinner (this year, I failed miserably).

The question is, how many times do you have to do something before it becomes a tradition? I’m hoping it’s two, because otherwise both my dressmaking and this awards event don’t count. Yet.

So, in this soon-to-be-traditional finale, David and Fiona run down the list of your top 12 examples of content from the last year of the decade (yikes), including your 2019 Best of B2B Content winner.

You won’t get any spoilers from me – I’ll just say congratulations to all the finalists:

  • ABC News Story Lab
  • Adobe
  • The Center for Advanced Defense Studies
  • Danfoss Cooling
  • dotdigital
  • DXC
  • Hectare Agritech
  • Korn Ferry
  • Linode
  • MarketingProfs
  • Microsoft
  • NTT
  • Rockwool
  • Sophos
  • The Marketing Practice
  • Turtl
  • Wait, What? and Quartz

Want to find out who won? You’ll need to listen.

In this special countdown episode, you’ll find…

2:10 – A brief yet heartfelt apology for our broken email address

2:40 – The nominations that – sadly – didn’t make it into the top 12

4:41 – The countdown begins

24:18 – Time for the top three

28:40 – Fanfare… the winner is revealed

32:38 – A sneak preview of January’s edition, where we’ll be discussing the results of our recent survey into what gets in the way of great B2B content

Send us your thoughts, podcast-related feelings, or righteous indignation

Contact us through @radixcom on Twitter or [email protected]. (Bonus points from David if you share a voice memo.)

How to listen

Credits and resources

Thanks so much to everyone who sent us a nomination or audio: André Spiteri, Angela Cattin, Giles Shorthouse, Heather Barnett, Jon Lonsdale, Karla Rivershaw, Kerry O’Shea Gorgone, Lasse Lund, Maureen Blandford, Paul Hewerdine, and more. You rock our world.

Podcast editing and music by Bang and Smash.

Podcast 69: B2B tech copywriters versus the “Gender Say Gap”

Posted on by Katy Eddy

I once dialled into a conference call in time to hear the tail end of a conversation between the client’s marketing manager and the expert I was about to interview. The manager was breathlessly explaining that they would be talking to a “lady copywriter”, as if I were some sort of elusive cryptid, only recorded in grainy photographs and poorly sourced Reddit threads.

It was quite sweet, really – they sounded genuinely pleased that they’d be dealing with a female writer. (Plus, depending on the inflection, “lady copywriter” makes me sound like I own a very large manor house in the country and can trace my lineage back to the Plantagenets.)

But, until that point, I’d never thought of myself as a novelty.

And in a way, that’s what our latest episode of Good Copy, Bad Copy is all about. Why are “lady copywriters” such a rarity in our industry?

Let’s talk about gender in B2B tech copywriting

In response to some sobering statistics from the most recent ProCopywriters survey (including the fact that female writers are still somehow paid 25% less than male writers, despite making up the majority of the workforce), David asks Fiona to share what it’s really like to be a female B2B tech copywriter.

We’re also lucky enough to have a truly excellent interview with Claire Mason of Man Bites Dog, discussing what she calls “The Gender Say Gap”. We aren’t just missing women’s writing in the B2B tech marketing – we’re missing out on female experts to showcase and quote, too.

I won’t spoil too much here, but listen in to hear Claire, Fiona, and David chat about:

  • Why auditing diversity is just as important as auditing everything else in an organisation
  • How to get expert female voices in front of our audiences – and why it’s so important
  • Practically, what can we all do to make business tech marketing a more inclusive industry for every gender?
  • Why encouraging more young women into STEM isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s vital for the UK economy

Add your voice to the podcast

As always, we love getting any comments, questions and ideas on the podcast from you. If you’ve got a contribution you’d like to make, you can send it to us via @radixcom on Twitter or [email protected] (you can even email us a voice memo, if that tickles your fancy).

How to listen

Credits:

Podcast editing and music by Bang and Smash

Podcast 68: the best B2B content of 2018

Posted on by Katy Eddy

Alarmingly, the end of the year is upon us.

To avoid thinking about the fact that January is looming, and we haven’t finished writing out our 2018 resolutions, let alone done any of them, we’ve been looking back on just some of the great B2B content this year has had to offer.

In our final episode of Good Copy, Bad Copy for the year, we’ve put together a deeply unscientific top 10 based upon nominations and votes from our esteemed listeners (plus some of our own favourites).

So, here’s to excellent marketing content (and here’s our list of excellent marketing content):

10. Arco: “Be Sure” safety campaign

Fresh from its win for “Best Thought Leadership” at the B2B Marketing Awards, our number 10 is Arco’s “Be Sure” campaign, created with Born + Raised, to make us think a little harder about the fact that not all safety equipment is created equal. You can read more about it here.

Thanks for the nomination, Adam Harper!

9. SI Partners: marcoms agency growth survey

Nominated by Grist’s Andrew Rogerson, number nine goes to the Marcoms Agency Growth Survey by SI Partners.

According to Andrew, it’s a “compelling, research-driven thought-leadership programme” – and we’re inclined to agree.

8. Goldman Sachs: interactive briefing on drones

Rocking up at number eight is Goldman Sachs with its “Drones: Reporting for Work” interactive briefing.

According to Paul Hewerdine of Earnest Agency fame, it’s worth overlooking the company’s “pantomime villain” reputation for content this well-written and visually compelling.

7. Ceros Originals: a decade of Bitcoin

Long-time Radix friend and head of writing at Velocity Partners Harry Kapur has provided us with lucky number seven, Ceros Originals’ “Riches and Regrets: A Decade of Bitcoin What Ifs”.

It’s another of those scrolly infographicy website thingies, which charts the peaks and troughs of the original cryptocurrency with a heap of fun pop culture references. (It’s sadly lacking a CTA, though. Rookie mistake?)

6. Three personal stories

In sixth place is a mildly self-indulgent three-way tie, nominated by our very own David McGuire:

They’re three of the content pieces that most challenged David’s thinking this year (but you’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out how).

 

5. Nokia Bell Labs / Lonelyleap / Reeps One: “We Speak Music”

From Ogilvy’s head of copy Glenn Sturgess comes our mid-point nomination, “We Speak Music” by Lonelyleap and Nokia Bell Labs.

It’s a huge project – a six-part documentary series in the making – about the future of voice. We can’t wait to see it in full.

4. Saxoprint: “Great British Postcard” competition

Rising to the top of a predictably crowded category, “Best Use of Content Marketing” winners Saxoprint and Freestyle’s postcard competition comes in at number four.

With an unexpectedly rock ‘n’ roll endorsement, they boosted the hell out of Saxoprint’s brand awareness on a paid media budget of basically nothing.

 

At the top of the list, things get interesting… with another three-way tie:

=1. Kingpin’s blog post about humour and marketing in B2B

Nominated by Yvonne Deegan and Evelyn van Kelle, “Is humour and marketing the new B2B double act?” from Kingpin is one of our top contenders.

“B2B content can be intelligent, informative and humorous at the same time.” – Yvonne Deegan

=1. LinkedIn’s Britpop-infused content creation story

With a double nomination from Sonja Jefferson and Jane Morrin, Jason Miller’s “How LinkedIn’s Lead Generation Went Supersonic” has got some good weight behind it.

“Always enjoy reading Jason Miller’s work.” – Jane Morrin

=1. Hubspot’s “Conversational Marketing” string

Yet another double nomination – and some cheeky self-promotion – Velocity Partners’ Rutger Frissen and Ogilvy’s Glenn Sturgess have thrown Hubspot’s hyper-visual conversational marketing slideshow into the mix.

“Maybe I’m just the target audience, but it’s got something to say. And the typography, the visualisations, and the format all amplify the message.” – Glenn Sturgess, Ogilvy

So, how to pick a winner?

To hear Fiona’s deciding vote – she is our new CEO, after all – well, you’ll have to listen to the podcast. (And you’ll hear a special, festive bonus: a B2B content poem, read by the amazing Molly Raycraft.)

As if all this wasn’t enough (you lucky things) David finally adds his nomination to the B2B Content Hall of Fame, the Maxon Motor Catalogue. (Bear with us; it’s far more interesting than a catalogue has any right to be.)

Want to contact the show?

We always welcome comments, questions and ideas (particularly if you think there’s excellent content we’ve missed).

You can send them our way via @radixcom on Twitter or [email protected] (or, if you’d like to add your voice to the podcast in a more literal way, you can even email us a voice memo).

How to listen

Credits:

Podcast editing and music by Bang and Smash

Podcast 65: handling feedback on your writing, and how to proofread well

Posted on by Katy Eddy

Every copywriter dreads getting a document back from a client covered in red markup and sharp comments.

But how do you deal with that feedback constructively? And how can you change the way you work to avoid getting more of it?

In our latest episode of Good Copy, Bad Copy, David sits down with pro proofreader Lorraine Williams of Lighthouse Proofreading, to talk about why proofing is so important, her tips for checking your own work, and why proofing isn’t a reliable way to make friends – though it is sort of useful for influencing people.

(Also, here’s Louise Harnby’s proofreading companion document, which Lorraine mentions in her interview.)

Then, David and Fiona delve into why we copywriters dread negative feedback so much, how to handle it, and why it’s so important to take it on the chin sometimes. They discuss:

  • Why you should be looking for patterns in your feedback
  • What you can do to mitigate imposter syndrome and assorted other reactions
  • How the stages of grief apply to copywriting feedback (they do, we promise)

And the training notes Fiona mentions? They’re here:

8 Stages of copywriting feedback

Finally (and most importantly), I’ve finally added my own nomination to our B2B Content Hall of Fame. Tune in to hear me wax lyrical for a few glorious minutes about Drawbotics’ wonderful 3D floorplans of TV’s most famous offices.

Thanks once again to Lorraine Williams, both for joining this episode and for being one of our favourite contributors to date.

Announcement: new podcast ahoy…

We’re piloting a new podcast series, called The B2B Content Audio Blog. It’s a short, easy listen, and we’d love to know what you think.

Want to contact the show?

Comments, questions and ideas from our esteemed audience are always welcome. You can send them our way via @radixcom on Twitter or [email protected] (you can even email us a voice memo, if that floats your boat).

How to listen…

You can download the episode here (right-click and “save-as” to download). Or stream the episode in the player at the top of the page.

(Alternatively, you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here. Or maybe add our RSS to your preferred podcast player.)

Credits:

Podcast editing and music by Bang and Smash

Disclaimer: since this podcast is about proofreading, there will *obviously* be errors in this blog post. This is sod’s law.

Podcast 61: what can you buy to improve your B2B writing?

Posted on by Katy Eddy

Every writer has a bit of kit they swear by. Monitors, software, file storage – you name it, someone has an opinion on it.

And as it turns out, George has a lot of strongly held opinions about these things.

In his recent magnum opus, The Professional Copywriter’s Essential Kit List, George gave us a detailed run down of the most important tech a copywriter – or, indeed, a marketer who often finds themselves turning their hand to writing – should have to do their best work.

And in this episode of Good Copy, Bad Copy, he joins David and Fiona to discuss those key purchases in more detail, and answer questions about computers, word processors, and keyboards (which are more complicated than you might expect).

Questions like:

  • Does a copywriter need a Mac, or are you better off with a PC?
  • Is there a realistic alternative to Microsoft Word?
  • Do you need a standalone audio recorder, or will your smartphone do?
  • Should professional copywriters use Grammarly?
  • What is a mechanical keyboard switch (and are they worth the money)?

To help, we have some excellent contributions from our friends on Twitter, giving opinions on their best-ever work purchases, so thanks again to Tom Albrighton, Laura Sutton, Leif Kendall, Anna Gunning, Matt Turner, Lyssa-Fêe Crump, and everyone else who gave us their input.

We received lots of recommendations, including for Airstory, WriterDuet, oTranscribe and Deskmate. (You can see the whole thread on Twitter, here.) And Fiona calls ProWorkflow “one of the most effortless pieces of time recording software that I’ve ever come across”.

You’ll also hear from the rarely seen Kieran Haynes of senior copywriter and content lead fame, as he adds his nomination to our B2B Content Hall of Fame: the CB Insights newsletter.

(Oh, and the first thrilling instalment of “Fiona talks about chairs”.)

Want to contact the show?

We had some great contributions from our friends and listeners in this month’s episode – and we’re always looking for more voices to add to the mix. You’ll find us on Twitter… or feel free to send your thoughts, jokes, questions, suggestions, complaints or keyboard switch colour preferences to [email protected] (better still, email us a voice memo).

How to listen…

You can download the episode here (right-click and “save-as” to download). Or stream the episode in the player at the top of the page.

(Or you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here. Alternatively, add our RSS to your preferred podcast player.)

Credits:

Audio editing and music by Bang and Smash.

The B2B Content Audio Blog #9: a foolproof blog post structure you can steal

Posted on by John Kerrison

You’ve got a great idea for you next blog post—so why is it so difficult to get down?

Ordering your arguments and writing persuasively is one of the most important skills for a writer to have, and with the right structure it doesn’t even have to be that hard.

In this audio blog you’ll hear structural template that you can totally steal (with our blessing) and use for almost any blog you’re likely to write.

In six minutes flat, you can pick up:

  • Our bulletproof structural template for a basic blog post
  • The top tips we rely on for engaging our audience
  • Ways to add value to your posts—no matter what you’re writing about

“Looks like we got ourselves a reader…”

You’d prefer the old-fashioned, written version of this piece, here’s A basic structure you can use for almost any blog post.

Or, if you’re you’d like to listen to something longer, try our monthly discussion podcast Good Copy, Bad Copy: the B2B Copywriting Podcast.

How to listen

You can download the episode here, or stream the episode in the player at the top of the page.

(If you’d rather use your podcast app, you subscribe to us on iTunes, and there’s an RSS feed here.)

Get in touch

Got something to say?  Email [email protected], tweet at us, or leave an iTunes review. (Please, we’re lonely…)

Credits

Audio editing: Bang and Smash

The B2B Content Audio Blog #8: you’re doing email subject lines wrong; here’s why

Posted on by John Kerrison

If you write marketing emails you’ve no doubt been told over and over again that the subject line is the most important thing to get right. Why? Because it’s first thing the audience will read – and governs whether or not your email gets opened.

But the truth is, it’s more than that. Most of the time, it’s the only thing your audience will ever read.

So, how do you craft punchy, engaging subject lines time after time? In this audio blog we share our top tips for capturing your audience’s attention from the get-go (and delivering at least some marketing value even when they don’t open your mail):

  • Why getting an email opened isn’t even half the battle
  • The importance of targeting your reader’s subconscious
  • Four ways to craft the perfect subject line

“Looks like we got ourselves a reader…”

You’d prefer to read Steve’s original blog post for yourself? That’s absolutely fine by us. Here’s Subject lines: the secret shortcut into the subconscious.

Or, if you’re you’d like to listen to something longer, try our monthly discussion podcast Good Copy, Bad Copy: the B2B Copywriting Podcast.

How to listen

You can download the episode here, or stream the episode in the player at the top of the page.

(If you’d rather use your podcast app, you subscribe to us on iTunes, and there’s an RSS feed here.)

Get in touch

If you found this audio blog format useful, we’d love to know. Email [email protected], tweet at us, or leave an iTunes review.

Credits

Audio editing: Bang and Smash

Title music: “Chinny Reckon” by the Nye Bevans

The B2B Content Audio Blog #7: how to write an ebook that gets results

Posted on by John Kerrison

Content marketing is full of ebooks; some good, some bad, and some ugly. How do you write content that really stands out?

In this audio blog we present a definitive guide to writing ebooks the right way. We identify the key characteristics and tricks of the trade that will get your words read – and more importantly, responded to.

Listen now to learn:

  • The three hallmarks of a great ebook
  • Top tips for approaching your next project
  • An step-by-step guide to writing every section

“Looks like we got ourselves a reader…”

If you’d rather see the written version of Fiona’s complete guide, here’s How to write an ebook for a B2B audience.

Or, if you’re you’d like to listen to something longer, try our monthly discussion podcast Good Copy, Bad Copy: the B2B Copywriting Podcast.

How to listen

You can download the episode here, or stream the episode in the player at the top of the page.

(If you’d rather use your podcast app, you subscribe to us on iTunes, and there’s an RSS feed here.)

Get in touch

If you find the audio blog format useful (or if you have a way to improve it), please do get in touch. Email [email protected], tweet at us, or leave an iTunes review.

Alternatively, you can read about our ebook writing services, here.

Credits

Audio editing: Bang and Smash

Title music: “Chinny Reckon” by the Nye Bevans

The B2B Content Audio Blog #5: the big mistake you’re making with titles

Posted on by John Kerrison

What is a present participle? Why are they overused? And what exactly is the difference between a gerund and a gerundive?

In this 9-minute audio blog, we look at the unexpected effect all those “-ing” words are having on your copywriting, and show how you can replace vague sentiments with clear, effective titles.

Give it a listen, to learn:

  • What a present participle is—and why you’re almost certainly using them too much
  • The best alternatives to woolly word choices
  • Why no one in their right mind cares what a gerundive is anyway

“Looks like we got ourselves a reader…”

If you’d rather read the full text of Fiona’s original blog post in all its unadulterated glory, here’s Death to the present participle, or why “-ing” is not your friend in B2B headlines.

Alternatively, if you prefer a longer listen, try our monthly discussion podcast Good Copy, Bad Copy: the B2B Copywriting Podcast.

How to listen

You can download the episode here, or stream the episode in the player at the top of the page.

(If you’d rather use your podcast app, you subscribe to us on iTunes, and there’s an RSS feed here.)

Get in touch

If you find the audio blog format useful (or if you have a way to improve it), we really want to hear from you. Email [email protected], tweet at us, or leave an iTunes review.

Credits

Audio editing: Bang and Smash

Title music: “Chinny Reckon” by the Nye Bevans