Five copywriting blogs you need to read

If you want to know more about copywriting, increase traffic, make money from your blog or improve your content, there are loads of copywriting blogs that can help. But these five copywriting blogs are the ones you need to sign up to, read and follow if you want to get anywhere with copywriting and/or blogging.

Copyblogger

You will improve your copywriting skills and content marketing with Brian Clark’s blog (but not so much that you won’t need me, of course!). CopyBlogger has over 106,000 subscribers and nearly 50,000 Twitter followers. There’s a very good reason he’s so popular. If you’re not registered, you should be. Examples of his blogs include:

How to Give Yourself a First-Class Online Business Education
Lessons Learned from One of the World’s Highest-Paid Copywriters
The Critical Mistake that Keeps Bloggers Broke

I love Copyblogger – it’s honest, it’s intelligent and it’s even fun.

Seth Godin

This best-selling author is spot on, if not slightly arrogant. But I guess when you’re as good as he is…actually there’s no excuse. He is arrogant – but brilliant all the same. He’ll offer you free (valuable) ebooks and give it to you straight about what he hates and loves. Most importantly – for me anyway – is that Seth is a pioneer of customer-led marketing, rather than the HARD-SELL (which we all hate).

Here are some example posts:

Spring reading list–big ideas for idea people
It’s easier to teach compliance than initiative
Random rules for ideas worth spreading

Copywriting.com

How lucky to get this URL! I find this blog fresh, interesting, varied and experienced. There’s a great book you can download from the site, called “Aim for the heart”. Okay, so they are into the HARD-SELL (emotionally at least)…but most of their posts are genuinely helpful if you want to write decent copy or find out more about what this copywriting business is all about.

Some examples:

5 Grammar rules it’s OK to break
Ted Nicholas on headlines
Copywriting for Twitter

Drayton Bird

Drayton is an oldie but a goodie (he he – he’ll love me for saying that!) He doesn’t have a blog exactly, but just register and he’ll send you charming emails and direct response marketing tips. Drayton is all about results so this is a great copywriting ‘blog’ if you’re in DM.

I can’t send you examples, since he doesn’t have a blog (Drayton – come on, technophobe!) but here are some of his subject headlines that made me smile…or at least open and read his emails.

Will you please be my guinea pig, Tineke?
Here’s the best (childishly simple) advice I ever gave – by far
Want to see David Ogilvy in action? (we’re both Ogilvy fans – R.I.P.)

Marketing Experiments

This is not strictly a copywriting blog, however copy features a lot in their blogs – and their experiments. The team at Marketing Experiments see copywriting as vital to a website or landing page as design or usability (so do I – surprise, surprise). They are experts – that’s a fact. With their help, I’ve managed to achieve amazing results for clients.

Marketing Experiments’ Landing Page Handbook is a must for any business with a website. It’s not cheap – so start by reading their blogs. You’ll be hooked – if it’s money you want to make online.

Some (brilliant) examples:

Ultra-personal ads to be produced offshore?
Shopping Cart Abandonment: How not being annoying can get you 67% more cart completions
Conversion Diagnosis: Ideas for improving on a 258% conversion rate increase

So, those are my top five. They are all very good and all quite different, which is refreshing. If asked, and I’m not being asked but I am going to answer anyway…what my favourite blog was of the five? I couldn’t choose. I read them all when they turn up. I get major insights from them all. Not every day (especially when Seth is grumpy or Drayton talks about his private life just a little too much!) but definitely every week.

So go…sign up to them. You will learn an unbelievable amount – I promise.

Oh, I forgot one last site. Mine!