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 podcast@radix-communications.com (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
- You can download the episode here (right-click and select “Save As” to download)
- Or you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts
- Alternatively, add our RSS to your preferred podcast player
- And don’t forget you can follow us on Spotify
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.
