The Copy Prescription blog
Ideas, insights and inspiration on all things health copywriting and marketing,
to help you attract more clients, fans and funders.
Beethoven meets the Beastie Boys (and how to find your business niche)
The power of finding your business niche – via Beethoven, The Beastie Boys and Jurassic Park.
Do we need a Hippocratic Oath for health copywriting?
Persuasive health copywriting doesn’t have to rely on aggressive sales tactics. But it’s not enough to not be aggressive – we should be proactively anti-aggressive. What does kind copy look like? We should leave readers better than we found them, by giving them a win even if they’re not in a position to buy.
Why we need to stop using war metaphors to talk about illness
What do we really mean when talk about ‘dominating Covid’ or ‘fighting cancer’? War metaphors might seem harmless, but we should think carefully about the language we use to discuss health and disease. Here are 4 ways to avoid the war metaphor trap.
Three copywriting rules you should break (+ one that’s sacred)
Three copywriting rules you should break – and one that should never be broken – if you want to write copy that sells.
Does your website pass the 5-second test? (2 lessons from website reviews)
When readers land on your website, you’ve got just 5 seconds (or less) to make a good impression. Are you making these common mistakes that could have website visitors heading for the X button? Here’s your cheatsheet for an attention-grabbing home page.
How to win over new clients when you have no experience (yet)
When you’re just starting out with a new venture – whether that’s freelancing for the first time, changing career, or offering a new service – you don’t always have proof that you can do it. So how do you convince new clients you can deliver the goods? Is it ever ok to lie about your experience?
Should health professionals ever offer a money-back guarantee?
Should you offer a money-back guarantee on your website? One of my copywriting clients was considering whether to offer their chiropractic clients a money-back guarantee if their symptoms hadn't been fixed within a set timeframe. A bold move, but is it a good idea?
Beware the curse of knowledge!
How to write great health copy without bamboozling your readers. When you're an expert in something, it's easy to forget what beginner status feels like. Here are 5 principles for welcoming people in the digital door (and ultimately on their way to better health).
How to nail your brand messaging
A guide to figuring out WTF to say to sell your services and programmes with ease. This post was inspired by my appearance as a guest host on the Creative Hold podcast. Here, I share my process for researching and creating brand messages that tell you exactly what to say to sell your services.