Kate Bonnycastle Communications

Tasks that we don’t feel confident doing, we put off, ignore and avoid -- even when it COSTS us! Join Cash Flow and Profit Optimizer, Anne Dickinson for a FREE masterclass in finding more money in your business: http://ow.ly/zehA50uZNRM

While I'm (sort of) on the topic of family -- about to spend a week on an island with mine -- let's talk about why your mother, brother, retired-prof aunt and book-editor sister-in-law are *not* the best ones to edit your copy. I've said it before and I'll say it again: copy is not just strong writing. It's strong writing with a purpose and a particular appeal to a specific audience. So unless your mother, brother, retired-prof aunt and book-editor sister-in-law have been pro...vided with a detailed creative brief or have asked you important questions about your client's hour of need, your brand positioning and this copy's role in your marketing strategy they might, with all the best intentions, just be rewriting it using words they like better. By all means let your family members weigh in on the perfect martini, and allow them to shake one up for you, but keep their hands off your copy. #smartcopy See more

"Sell me this pen." That's the Hollywood version of the perfect sales pitch. Show me what you can do; show me how you would sell me something as ordinary as a pen; inspire me to buy this small thing. It's not a bad exercise. The point is, people don't buy a pen. They buy the affection of the person that they woo with the love letter that they write with the pen. I've got more insight into writing copy that sells in next week's blog post. Stay tuned! #wordsrule

Next week I have a rare opportunity to enjoy the company of 2 of my 3 siblings and both uncles. As a family, we talk frequently, visit when we can, but gather rarely. I'm glad I'm making the time & effort to get to a place where Bonnycastles will be. In a follow up to that 'What Are You Reading' post, I've read some pretty entertaining fictional family stories lately, like: Her Fearful Symmetry, by Audrey Niffenegger (author of The Time Traveller's Wife), Angela's Ashes, by Frank McCourt (an oldie but a goodie) and almost everything by David Sedaris who has a delightfully cynical take on all relationships. #summerreading #wordsrule

When you get lost in the forest, what do you do? Madeleine MacRae shows why it’s the same thing to do when you get lost in your business.