Hot Copy – Details, episodes & analysis

Hello and welcome to this special festive episode of the Hot Copy Podcast. Belinda and I have come back together to roast some chestnuts, neck some egg nog and talk all things copy.

So if you’re ready to put up your stockings with us and wait for Father Christmas to slip down your copy chimney, this is the episode for you.

Did you know we've been creating this podcast since 2015 -- never missing an episode?

Well, not until 2020.

2020 has been the year of "the surge" for us both.

In this special episode, we go through how we've handled working through the pandemic and what's happening with the Hot Copy podcast.

Spoiler alert: we're mixing things up in 2021!

Did you notice we missed an episode?

You’ve probably got bigger things to worry about right now. Like the C-word. We’re talking about COVID19, of course.

The truth is, we’ve been a bit scrambled too. Belinda is surviving on wine and 80s music.

Lockdown with memberships, communities, courses, launches AND managing the kid’s online learning.

It’s a bit bloody much.

We wanted to talk about that and what we’re doing to stay sane. We also got some questions about writing copy during this time.

We don’t know how useful this will be but we’re talking about it anyway.

Tune in to learn:

We’re revealing our lives right now including:

• How different lockdown is to school holidays
• How we’re managing our workload, relationships, homeschooling and screen time.
• Where our heads are at and how we’re managing our mindset
• Our coping strategies as time goes on
• Avoiding overdone content topics
• Whether you should be giving stuff away for free right now
• Guilty COVID pleasures

If you like what you’re hearing on Hot Copy, the best way to support the show is to take just a few seconds to leave a rating and/or comment over on iTunes, Spotify or Stitcher. Thanks!

Oh and big hugs to Mejsh87 from Australia from Austraila for this lovely review.

“Am loving the podcast episodes and can’t wait to get through them all and implement the learnings! Just finished #62 and as always it was super practical and interesting with a touch of humour and lightheartedness. Thanks ladies and keep up the great work - it’s appreciated!!”

Even the most experienced copywriters can suffer from confidence wobbles. Those moments you begin to question your writing abilities or your business skills... or both! In this podcast, we chat through some confidence blurts copywriters have kindly shared with us and add our own experiences and tips on overcoming them!

Tune to hear us chat about confidence blurts like:

• Comparing yourself (and your writing) to others
• Answering the phone
• Communicating off the page (verbally)
• Meeting clients to discuss projects
• Preparing quotes and getting clients through the sales process
• Getting negative feedback
• Questioning your writing skills
• Keeping the pipeline consistently full
• Waiting for clients to get back to you
• Lack of experience

If you like what you’re hearing on Hot Copy, the best way to support the show is to take just a few seconds to leave a rating and / or comment over on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks!

Thanks to Jenny De Lacy, Lisa Cropman, Jodi Gibson, Rashida Tayabali, Anne Maybus, Nicole Leedham, Matt Fenwick, Katherine Elizabeth, Rose Spagnolo for sharing their wobbles in Kate’s Clever Copywriting School.

• The Clever Copywriting School coaching calls
• Belinda’s copywriting coaching and mentoring
• G+: Clever Copywriting community
• FB Group: The Cult of Copy
• FB Group: Online copywriters

Today we’re talking to Ryan Wallman Head of Copy at Wellmark a Melbourne creative agency that specialising in niche industries and in particular healthcare and pharmaceutical communications.
Ryan has an alter ego Dr Draper on Twitter and is a well known name in copywriting circles.

Tune in to learn:

• What a Head of Copy job entails
• How Ryan started out as a copywriter?
• Advice for copywriters considering specialisation?
• Whether you need qualifications to become a medical copywriter?
• Tips for breaking into agency land?
• Ryan's biggest challenges in his copywriter career
• Ryan's creative process
• Tips for newbie copywriters

If you like what you’re hearing on Hot Copy, the best way to support the show is to take just a few seconds to leave a rating and / or comment over on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks!

Thanks to Andrea Rowe from Your Coastal Connection for her fab review, read out on the show.

• Linkedin
• Wellmark blog
• Wellmark
• Twitter

• 'A beautiful constraint’ book 
• Ad Teachings (Suzanne Pope)
• Andy Maslen’s copywriting books 
• Dave Trott’s books 
• Drayton Bird’s books 
• Mark Duffy’s article on unexpected visuals 
• Nick Asbury’s site
• Ogilvy on Advertising
• Product copy agency
• Rory Sutherland’s article

In the last Hot Copy podcast we shared some copywriting techniques to help your clients build trust and credibility with their audience. One of those techniques is getting testimonials and it’s so important for your own business that it deserves a pod of its own. This week we get stuck into getting and using testimonials to power up your marketing.

Tune in to learn:

• Why testimonials are such a powerful tool
• Different types of testimonials and how to get them
• Best questions for awesome testimonials
• Where to use testimonials for maximum impact
• Cheats you can use to power up your testimonials

If you like what you’re hearing on Hot Copy, the best way to support the show is to take just a few seconds to leave a rating and / or comment over on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks!

• The Brain Audit by Sean D'Souza
• How to get powerful (and believable) testimonials
• Client testimonials  your questions answered
• Hot Copy podcast Testimonial page
• Copywrite Matters Testimonial page
• Kate Toon Copywriter Testimonial page
• Recipe for SEO Success Testimonial video

When it comes to deciding on whether to do business with someone, trust is key. So if you can help your copywriting clients build trust and credibility with their audience you’re doing a great job.

We’ve put together some top tips to help you write trustworthy copy, inspire confidence and convert readers into customers.

Tune in to learn:

• How to use specifics, stats and facts to earn trust
• The importance of clarity and error free content
• How to use guarantees
• Using testimonials, clients lists and samples
• Why fake scarcity and offers don't work

If you like what you’re hearing on Hot Copy, the best way to support the show is to take just a few seconds to leave a rating and / or comment over on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks!

• Hemmingway app
• Podcast 2 – How to find copywriting clients
• Lies in copywriting – Hyperbole Vs Realism

This week we chat with Jacqui Pryor.

Jacqui has more than 16 years of experience in the trademark industry helping businesses protect their intellectual property. She is the founder of Mark My Words Trademark Services Pty Ltd and shares her knowledge on the Flying Solo website. In this podcast we pick her brains about copyright and trademarking.

[Tweet "Podcast 21: Know your rights when it comes to copyright? Hot Copy interview with expert, Jacqui Pryor  #hotcopy #copywriting"]

Tune in to learn:

• The difference between copywrite and copyright
• How copywriters can protect the words they write
• Clients ownership of the copy you write for them
• Why you should consider trademarking your business identity
• What you can do if you find someone is copying your words or products

If you like what you’re hearing on Hot Copy, the best way to support the show is to take just a few seconds to leave a rating and / or comment over on iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks!

• Australian Copyright Council
• Mark My Words Trademarks
• Say hi to Jacqui on Facebook

You've won the copywriting project. Whoo hoo. But now the hard work begins.

Although many copywriters might be great writers, they're often not so good at project management. Belinda and Kate believe that your process, particularly when it comes to sign offs - can make a huge difference to both your client's satisfaction levels and your sanity levels.

Tune in to learn:

• Why process is so important
• How managing your sign offs carefully can boost your income
• How to deal with too many amends
• Managing final sign off
• Who has the copyright?

• Anna Butler's How to use track changes video
• Proposal template
  
• Work in Progress template
• End of Project Sign off template

This week we're talking copywriting fees, what to charge, when to charge and how to charge. We'll explain how we charge our clients, how we put together our estimates, how we use deposits to ensure cash flow and why we're not big fans of charging by the word.

Tune in to learn:

• How to work out your hourly rate
• Different ways to charge for your copywriting work
• How to use retainer agreements
• Our quoting formula
• Why getting a deposit is so important
• How to chase up later payers

• Copywriting rates: How much should I charge
• How to quote for copywriting: My experience is your shortcut!
• Recommend rates for Australia Copywriters
• Copywriter rate card
• Suggest rates for hiring copywriters (UK)
• Hourly rate calculator