Copywriting | Kate Toon

Choosing a copywriter that’s right for you

Posted by katetoon on July 1, 2010

With so many copywriters in Sydney how do you choose the one that’s right for you? I’m an experienced copywriter with over 15 years experience developing digital marketing campaigns for top brands, small businesses and leading advertising agencies. I specialise in writing SEO copy that’s...

Filed in: Copywriting

How to write readable copy

Posted by katetoon on June 24, 2010

I read a blog post yesterday by another popular Sydney Copywriter, and quite frankly it was a lot of pseudo-intellectual gobbledygook. Lots of long words and endless sentences. I think I’m reasonably bright, but I was bored and confused by paragraph two. This got me thinking. When writing copy,...

Filed in: Advice, Copywriting, Usability

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Improve your back door SEO

Posted by katetoon on June 9, 2010

I love a good analogy, especially when it comes to Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). When you start talking SEO, people’s faces screw up into little balls of consternation. “It’s all too hard, I don’t understand,” they complain, and I sympathise. SEO can be confusing when you’re starting...

Filed in: Advice, Copywriting, Information architecture, SEO

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How not to get sucked in by spam emails

Posted by katetoon on January 19, 2010

I get a lot of emails. I’m not showing off; these days it’s not a sign that I’m in demand but rather that my email address has been found by some spam-producing git. So this morning when I looked through my junk mail I wondered, “Which of these emails is legitimate and which is just crap?”...

Filed in: Advice, SEO

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Bespoke Magic website

Posted by katetoon on January 17, 2010

I’ve just launched a new website www.bespokemagic.com.au for Sydney’s coolest magician Bruce Glen. Bespoke Magic offers an entertainment experience not to be forgotten: a unique, tailor-made magical performance – written and performed – just for you. As well as designing and...

Filed in: Clients, News

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How to write great digital copy

Posted by katetoon on December 3, 2009

Over the last few months I’ve had several enquiries about how to become a digital copywriter, mainly from DM copywriters looking to ‘break in’ to the wonderful world of web writing. First up: I didn’t train to be a digital copywriter. I did English literature, History and Philosophy for my degree...

Filed in: Advice, Copywriting, SEO

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F is for user Friendly copy

Posted by katetoon on October 19, 2009

Having been a web copywriter for many years now, I have to face the sad fact that people don’t read my copy. Yes, even though you think you’re reading this article now, you may in fact simply be scan reading it, whizzing across the page as fast as you can, zipping through my hard-crafted copy at...

Filed in: Advice, Design, Information architecture, SEO, Usability

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A blast from the past CBA online advertising

Posted by katetoon on September 1, 2009

Through the joys of social media I recently got back in touch with a lovely creative fella I knew back in the day. He sent a link through to his portfolio where I was chuffed to find whole stack of concepts that we had worked on together (including the ‘Perfect Man’ banner for which we won...

Filed in: Clients, News

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Imperial Leather website live

Posted by katetoon on August 18, 2009

The Cussson brand recently launched their new Imperial Leather Australian website to coincide with their sponsorship of the Australian Masters Golf Tournament. Working with Sydney agency Triad I assisted with: Information architecture – Sitemap, wireframes. Copywriting – with special...

Filed in: News

1

How to deliver a wonderful website

Posted by katetoon on July 7, 2009

I am now only a few weeks away from squeezing a new mini-Toon into the world and people are telling me to waddle away from the laptop and start relaxing. So this will be the last of my ‘How to’ blogs for sometime, and what subject matter is more fitting than delivery? The comparisons between the...

Filed in: Advice, Coding, Copywriting, Design, Information architecture, SEO, Usability

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Relaunch of VoulezVouloz

Posted by katetoon on July 1, 2009

I’m pleased to announce the relaunch of the new look VoulezVouloz website. The site has been given a fresh, new design and is now maintainable via a CMS allowing much more flexibility. It also includes RSS feeds, Video, a blog function and more. Before After

Filed in: News

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Toon’s Top Five Webby Bits This Week

Posted by katetoon on June 28, 2009

A collection of things I’ve found interesting in the last few days of being a web beast. 1) Photoshop Tutorials I’ve been meaning to do some proper Photoshop tutorials for a long time and these ones look pretty good:http://dzineblog.com/article/tutorials 2) Top five tips for writing...

Filed in: Copywriting

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How to build the perfect email. Part 4 Design

Posted by katetoon on June 1, 2009

Firstly, let’s understand something: An email is not a piece of direct mail. Recently while working for a major ad agency in Sydney I was horrified to discover that they were literally taking snap snots of direct mail pieces and sending out these single jpeg images as emails. This was for a major...

Filed in: Information architecture, SEO, Usability

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How to build the perfect email. Part 3 Copy continued.

Posted by katetoon on May 28, 2009

Here are my other core email copy guidelines for ensuring your email really hits the spot. 5) HTML header By this I’m referring to the piece of copy that appears before the email proper begins. Most silly people write some nonsense such as: “If you are having trouble viewing this email communication,...

Filed in: Information architecture, SEO, Usability

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How to build the perfect email. Part 2 Copy

Posted by katetoon on May 27, 2009

Most email copy is dreadful and consists of overlong, chunky paragraphs of guff that no one ever reads. Writing copy for emails is a different skill again from writing for the web and an art in itself. Here are a few useful tips to guide you: 1) Consider who your email is from Decide whether your...

Filed in: Copywriting, Information architecture, SEO, Usability

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How to build the perfect email. Part 1 Strategy

Posted by katetoon on May 25, 2009

I’m sure that barely a day goes by when you don’t check your email. Electronic Direct Mail (eDM), as some old-school folk describe it, has become an integral part of how we conduct business, socialise with friends, shop, bank and interact with the world. It’s crucial to get it right. Over the...

Filed in: Information architecture, SEO, Usability

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How to write a copy deck in five easy steps

Posted by katetoon on May 17, 2009

It isn’t always this easy to put together a copy deck so I thought it might be nice and loving of me to let you all know how I approach the writing of a web copy deck, in five easy steps. Of course all good web copywriters will have their own process, but this post is more for those unfortunate account...

Filed in: Advice, Copywriting, Information architecture, SEO

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Cut back your copy

Posted by katetoon on May 13, 2009

Some words add nothing but length to your copy. Here are some examples. Adjectives Use adjectives to make your meaning more precise and be cautious of those you find yourself using to make it more emphatic. The word very is a case in point. If it occurs in a sentence you have written, try leaving...

Filed in: Advice, Copywriting, SEO

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How to write great SEO copy

Posted by katetoon on May 10, 2009

People are arguing right now about just how important keyword saturation or keyword density is to improving your search ranking. While it may not be the number one factor in winning the Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) battle, it’s definitely worth giving keywords a try. The truth is that writing...

Filed in: Advice, Copywriting, SEO

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My top five QUICK SEO FIXES

Posted by katetoon on May 5, 2009

There are, of course, a million things you should be doing to keep on top of your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy. However, sometimes it all feels a bit overwhelming, doesn’t it? Let’s keep it simple. Here are (in my humble opinion) the five most important fixes you can do in minutes...

Filed in: Coding, Copywriting, SEO