by Sheryl Allen I bang on a lot about the value of plain English. I’m a true champion of simple, accessible language. It’s my favourite way to create feel-good copy that does the job it’s designed to do. What’s plain English? It’s about using language your audience can understand the first time they read it….
Category: blog
5 sure-fire tips for writing accessible copy
by Sheryl Allen (Photo by Fabian Irsara on Unsplash) What is accessible copy? In an ideal world, everyone – including people with disabilities – can view, understand and interact with your content, both online and offline. If so, you’ve created accessible content. Go you! You might already know what accessible content looks like (think: colour…
About Sheryl Allen
I wrangle words (so you don’t have to). No more tears. No more fears. No more wasting your time and energy struggling to hit the sweet spot with your brand/business copy. That’s where I step in. (Truly, I see myself swooping in wearing a cape, but let’s keep it real.) As a professional freelance copywriter,…
Superb verbs: what “doing” words do for your copywriting
Some days I’d surrender my first-born for a superb verb. Clever verbs trump nouns or adjectives any day. They overshadow pronouns and decimate adverbs (absolutely). A verb can tell your audience so much more than a string of wimpy, overused adjectives. Used well, they paint masterful word-pictures and require minimal punctuation so are less likely…
Get out of my inbox! Go do something creative
Who wants to mark Valentine’s Day by buying a new printer cartridge? Or (for feck’s sake) gutter guard? Not me. I don’t want to mark Valentine’s Day at all. Yet, it seems that everyone with something to tout thinks Valentine’s Day is an ideal time to hit my inbox with an offer. Hell, I even…
I, we or they? Finding your voice in copywriting
I’m often asked about the right “voice” for business communications? There is no absolute answer. It all depends. Whether you’re writing for email, your website, print marketing collateral or your blog, choosing the appropriate voice for your piece depends on your objective, your audience and your business. Connect and emote with “I” The first person…
I write the signs. I write the signs. (Interpretative content guidelines for professional copywriters)
As a professional copywriter bereft of a specialty, I get to work on a remarkable array of projects. One of my favourites is developing content for interpretative signage (or interp’s projects, as they’re known in the industry). You’ve all seen them … those signs fringing the trail as you wander through coastal wetlands, the storyboards…
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