Welcome Informed Criticism of Your Work


When you come to 'know' something, there is a temptation to stop thinking about it. You put it in a box as 'known' and are happy to argue with anyone who disagrees.

This is both a good and a bad thing.

It is good to hold firm to your beliefs, to be true to yourself, to stand your ground over knowledge or a belief that is fundamental to your character and values.

That said, holding stubbornly to your point of view, allowing no space for doubt, can be limiting. Oliver Cromwell is reported to have said to Charles I, on the eve of the king's execution, "I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, consider is possible that you may be wrong." Or words to that effect. Charles I was clearly in no mood to change his mind, and the outcome was not pleasant for him.

Holding true to what you 'know' in terms of copywriting is clearly small potatoes when compared to the decision Charles I faced.

However, we are still faced with the same questions. Should we always hold fast to what we know about our craft? Or should we allow for the possibility that there are better ways to write, different approaches to take, alternative words to consider?

No and yes. No, we shouldn't back down every time a client or colleague questions our work. Yes, we should consider the possibility that what we knew from last year may not be the best choice this year.

So at least, when you have written some copy, seek out a contrarian view. Find someone who's opinion you respect. Ask them to read your copy carefully and criticize it in any way they want. And then consider their views carefully.

Discard criticism that you truly feel is not on target. But also, leave yourself open to the opportunity to grow as a writer, expand your knowledge and skills, and find new, better ways to extend your craft.

Nick Usborne is a copywriter, author, speaker and advocat of good writing. You can access all his archived newsletter articles on copywriting and writing for the web at his Excess Voice site. You'll find more articles and resources on how to make money as a freelance writer at his Freelance Writing Success site.

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Copywriting Information:

Related Articles

Welcome Informed Criticism of Your Work
When you come to 'know' something, there is a temptation to stop thinking about it. You put it in a box as 'known' and are happy to argue with anyone who disagrees.
Headline Writing Can Lead To Fortunes: Here Are The Basics Of Writing Headlines
Headlines attract attention. Headlines generate interest.
Cleaning Up Your Copy
When you are beginning to write, you gather as much data as you can. You continually add allied thoughts.
Custom Writing Services: Market Overview
Market identificationCustom writing services market is a sector of the e-commerce industry. Custom writing services are fee-based.
Why Copywriting Is The Secret To Your Online Success
Over the last decade, the number of companies selling their products and services on the Web or sharing information online with their target market has exploded.It's no longer frowned upon to conduct your business on the Web, and huge numbers of people are making a healthy living doing just that.
How You Can Find Freelance Children's Writing Positions That Will Last
Freelance children's writing positions are always advertised. Rather, the schooling to learn how to write for these jobs is advertised.
Its Time To Start That Swipe File
Just as great fiction is an art, so is great copywriting. Beneath the art, however, there's a foundation of basic knowledge and skills.
Increase Freelance Sales With an Online Resume!
Freelancing is a competitive business, especially in today's fast-paced, e-focused world.Often there are hundreds of writers competing for the same, limited number of assignments, and the writer who can best showcase his or her abilities is the one who lands the job.
How To Find Freelance Copywriting Jobs
Your goal is to land a few nice, secure freelance copywriting jobs, but how do you get them? The most important factor in finding these jobs is that you pursue the job you are looking for with all of your ducks in a row, so to speak. Here are a few things you need to do in order to get the freelance copywriting jobs that you have been looking for.
Writing Benefit-Driven Web Copy - 4 Steps to More Sales
You've identified the benefits you offer your customers, but how do you turn a list of benefits into engaging web copy which converts visitors into customers?Recently I wrote an article explaining how to identify the benefits you offer your customers (http://www.divinewrite.
Revealed: The $12,500 Copywriting Formula
Have you heard of Brian Keith Voiles? Probably not, but if you have eyes you've seen his ad campaigns and you probably even bought products that he created ad campaigns for. Would you like to have the formula he gets paid $12,500 to put into use for Fortune 500 Companies?Well then, today's your lucky day, isn't it? If you follow this formula whenever you write a sales letter or an ad you'll see how well it increases your success.
Its Not What You Say But How You Say It
Copy is all about words. Or is it?Copy is about using words to describe the benefits of your offer.
Online Promotion Beats Traditional Ten-One
While traditional marketing can work for the book author or publisher, the return is dim for the huge effort it takes. You must promote 90% of the time to even get a milligram of attention.
Website Advertising: 10 Tactics To Make Your Ad Copy More Impactful
If your ad is not generating a lot of sales, the reason may be because it is not effective.Here are secret website advertising tactics to make it more impactful and therefore generate more orders:1.
Copywriting and Your Five Senses
In its most basic form, copywriting is, among other things, the art of conveying a message in writing for the purpose of persuading someone to do something. This is especially true when writing descriptive copy.
Copyright, Copyrighting, and Online Copyright Abuse - Save Yourself the Headache by Reading This!
Lets start with copyright infringement.It is easily explained as copying someone else's work without gaining permission first.
Freelance Copywriters on the Internet: How to Tell the Difference Between Heaven-sent and Hack
If you're hunting for a good freelance copywriter and have never done it before, or if you have but find yourself needing another for the first time in a while, I don't envy you. This "brave new" e-world has turned your once straightforward search of a neatly stacked file of brochures and introductory letters into a bothersome wade through a mucky world of half-baked online listings and search results which only seem to list those freelance copywriters who are experts in SEO, or at least know what the heck it means (search engine optimization).
"Super Adjectives" Boost the Power of Your Copy
Pretty or elegant? Good or scrumptious? Nice or delightful? There is power in the adjectives you choose. Just like Clark Kent and Superman or Bruce Wayne and Batman, some adjectives are plain, ordinary, everyday words.
Memorable Sales Copy -- How to Write it
Want to know the secret of creating MEMORABLE promotional copy? Sales copy that actually stays with your customers long after they've finished reading it?Then master the art of using words to create pictures in your customers' heads.If you can describe your products or services in such a way that it forms images in your customers' heads, well, then you've just created something that will last long after the marketing is over.
Power Keys To Writing Power-Packed Marketing Copy
In order to maximize your sales efforts and fully seize your greatest profit potential, these essential elements are a "must-have" and "must-apply" in all of your action-driven marketing communications.Value-Added, Benefit-Rich Headlines Make The DifferenceA bold, mouth-watering headline is considered by many a marketer to be the most important element of any super-effective marketing copy.