If it’s easy to read, people will read it.
Even super-intelligent people prefer text that is easy to read. It’s not a matter of “dumbing it down.” It’s a matter of simplifying the information into a coherent sequence. In today’s short-attention-span universe, people won’t bother with text that is hard to read. Colin can make your text plain, simple, clear, and factual. And then […]
How a technical copywriter can help a tech startup
At a recent Startup Circle meeting I talked with an entrepreneur whose day job is at a tech startup in the infrared spectroscopy sector. I looked at the startup’s website, and here’s my Technical Copywriter’s Analysis of what they could do to improve their marketing presentation. I found flaws in these areas: • Focused on […]
A typical copywriting mistake in a tech startup site.
I’ve looked at a lot of startup sites and one common flaw is that they can’t bring themselves to tell you what they are starting up. The intensity of their passion is so huge and overwhelming that it doesn’t occur to them that visitors might not already be aware of it. I looked at the […]
The technology of text
Greece was just another grubby little kingdom until King Cadmus imported the Phoenician alphabet. In an accident of fate, Phoenician used five more letters than the Greeks needed for their language. Cadmus made the huge technological advance of using those extra letters as vowels. Writing had been a secret reserved for kings and priests and […]
Who is Colin Campbell?
I’m colin@colin.org, a domain I have maintained for 24 years. (I asked for colin.com back in 1995 but they gave me colin.org.) I mention this only to let you know that I’ve been around for a while. I was already an experienced copywriter, creative director, and graphic designer when the Personal Computer era began. Bought […]
Reality In Tech Advertising
My theory of copywriting is to present information that’s true. My theory is nothing new. I’m following the lead of Rosser Reeves, who published REALITY IN ADVERTISING sixty years ago. He pioneered the idea of the Unique Sales Proposition (USP). The best way to sell a product is to present the truth about it. For a […]
Santa Barbara Magazine was a startup when I became Associate Editor
They also expected me to copywrite ads. Free. We were already ill-paid, but we all pitched in where needed. We’d do anything to help the startup get going. If an advertiser bought a full-page ad but needed text, no problem! And many of the articles I wrote for the magazine were already de facto PR […]
Should tech startup sites be easy to read?
I’ve been attending meetings of the Lean Startup Circle since I arrived in Santa Barbara a few months ago, meeting entrepreneurs and looking at their sites. Being “easy to read” is not in the Top 10 of their wish lists. I’ve worked for sixty tech outfits, so I’ve seen the marketing trends in a lot […]
I’ve worked on marketing projects for these technology companies as a freelancer/contractor:
Abex Aerospace Hydraulic control systems Actian Big Data Analytics Akiet Downhole composite tubulars American Institutes for Research Courtroom presentations Anxiety and Panic Disorders Clinic of Santa Barbara Aplin, Uno & Chibana Apple Computer product guides Aracor Digital radiographic and computed tomography systems Austin Kerr Marcoccia Collateral for NEC’s Comdex Show C3Nano Transparent Conductive Films CAT […]
Technical copywriting
I’m a technical copywriter–an adbiz guy, not a technical writer. My job is to learn your strengths and innovations and make a straightforward explanation in plain English. Technical writers create instruction manuals and specifications and technical reference documents. That’s not me. Technical writing is aimed at people who have already bought the product. The intent […]