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5Nov/09
Hi.
I'm John Laing and I'm a writer.
I live in Kansas City, but work for clients around the world. If you use brand name products or spend much time online, you've probably seen or interacted with my work.
What do I write?
- Promotion ideation / concepts
- Campaign ideation / concepts
- Corporate brochure copy
- Web page copy
- Advertising copy
- Training materials
- Product launch materials
- Written materials for e-businesses
- Web page copy
- Catalog copy
- Media releases
What do I produce?
- Corporate videos (write & produce)
- Training videos (write & produce)
- Promotional overviews
- Event recaps
Who do I write for?
Confidentiality agreements prevent me from disclosing the majority of my client list. Here is a partial list of client industries. An asterisk next to an industry indicates that I have written for one of the top three manufacturers in that industry; A + indicates that I have written for multiple clients in that industry.
- Health & beauty *+ (my work includes makeup, deodorant, vitamins, toothpaste, lotions, soap, OTC meds & femcare)
- Food *+ (my work includes frozen entrees, shelf-stable entrees, soup, branded produce, salty snacks/chips & more)
- Other CPG *+ (my work includes cleaners, disinfectant sprays, tissue, toilet paper, disposable plates, batteries & more)
- Small electrics *+ (coffee makers, electric tools & battery-operated floor cleaners)
- Fast food *+
- Automotive *+
- Long distance *
- Service providers + (testing services, billing services, psychological service providers, entertainment companies & more)
- Direct marketers + (misc. direct to consumer and business to business companies)
- Technology *+ (computer equipment & software)
- Apparel +
How can you put my skills to work for your company or brand?
It's easy. Just contact me!
16May/13
It's hard to believe it's been over a year since I've posted on this blog - but it's been a busy year!
It seems like I get at least one e-mail or phone call each week from someone asking me if I write for SEO.
What's that mean, anyway?
Usually when someone is asking that question, it means they're looking for repetitive keywords tossed together in a seemingly endless loop of uselessness. And (yep, I just started a sentence that way) they think that this string of characters will lead to a number one ranking on Google by the next day.
I don't usually respond to those e-mails or calls. Life is just easier that way.
That said, here's my feeling on web copy: Well-written copy for the web should inherently be SEO friendly. Today's search engine algorithms are better and better at determining whether something is written for human or machine consumption. Sure, they can be fooled for a bit. Then you get blacklisted.
Do it the right way! Write way?
Oh man, I'm too much tonight. Too much.
3Mar/12
It's hard to believe it's almost been two years since I've updated this site!
With that in mind, here's a quick post to assure you that I'm still alive and still writing.
Even though the beautiful spring weather beckons, I'm available -- and waiting -- for your copy writing project! (Why not go enjoy that weather yourself and let me take care of your writing project?)
Just contact me to get things started!
16May/10
Who loves a good squeeze page?
Well, aside from the person who wrote it and the person who's banking on its success, probably no one.
In fact, unless you're a writer trying to figure out how to write a squeeze page or someone who needs a squeeze page writer, I doubt you would've found this page.
Indeed, it takes a special level of talent to create a long-form sales page. Many of us who "grew up" as advertising copy writers generally want to fit as much content in as little space as possible: A billboard, thirty seconds of time on television or radio, a headline... We try to create an immediate sense of need or action with as few words as possible.
Long form squeeze pages turn that on its ear. It takes a certain love of pain for a good copywriter to write a solid squeeze page.
First, you create the offer. Simple. Then you stretch it out as far as you'd ever in a thousand years be comfortable stretching it out. Then you find a way to double it. Sometimes it's hard to wrap your head around it, but nine out of ten times long form copy outsells short form copy on the majority of cost per action (CPA) offers. (And, sadly, sometimes that long form copy doesn't even need to be good! There are times that I have shivered when a new client has shown me their current squeeze page copy, chock full of spelling errors, grammatical errors, sentences with no meaning -- and then tells me that it's getting a 5-10% conversion. Nuts!)
If you need a good squeeze page, I'd love to write one for you. Contact me!
28Mar/10
Interestingly enough, I've been receiving a decent amount of traffic from people who are googling phrases such as, "how long does it take to write a corporate brochure" and "how long does it take to write a one-pager?"
I'm not sure if it's other writers trying to see how long it should take them to write a brochure, a one-pager or some other piece of marketing material or if it's a client-type trying to see if they're being over-billed or worried about whether they can afford to outsource their copy writing.
Writing is a fickle beast. Some days it comes easy, some days it feels like work and drags on. When you're on the payroll somewhere, it all works out in the wash. However, if you're an independent professional, it's a little trickier -- your clients desire and deserve your best. Therein lies the problem.
I suppose you could compare a freelance writer to a plumber. Does it take a plumber the same amount of time to install a toilet on different days, in different situations? No. What's interesting is that some plumbers charge by the job and some plumbers charge by the hour. If the same job could take two hours one day and four hours the next, a flat-rate plumber would always charge the same amount for installing a toilet. An hourly plumber would have a variable rate, depending upon how long the job took.
So, how long does it take to write a brochure? How long does it take to write a one-pager? It all depends on the day, the writer, the client and the project.
With new clients, I typically charge by the project. I've found that doing so puts clients at ease and makes them feel more comfortable working with someone they don't know. (If you're new to freelance writing and considering this, always ensure you put limits on it -- inevitably, you'll run across a client who wants ten rounds of rewrites and wants it all included in the cost you originally estimated.)
If you're a client looking for a writer who is comfortable bidding on writing projects by the project rather than by the hour, you've found one! Contact me!
8Mar/10
Technology in a flyover state? You betcha.
During college I spent a good chunk of time finding exciting ways to describe hard drives -- and got paid for it. Since then I've had a soft spot in my heart for tech. Of course, I did more than just write about hard drives during that gig, but at the time external hard drives were that company's bread and butter. Finding exciting ways to differentiate them -- and keep them entertaining -- was a challenge.
I received my first national exposure during that stint -- I wrote the copy for a double page spread for a new computer that ran in several national publications. I also learned quite a bit, not the least of which was that catalog and technology copy can be fun...and that if done right, "fun" can translate into big sales.
I went on to found Drinkspecials.com, a nightlife destination. A couple years later, I then co-founded VendingAuction.com, a business to business site that enabled vending companies to liquidate excess inventory. (As far as I know, it's defunct now -- but I cashed out before that happened.) Around that time, I co-founded BillMyClients.com, which currently processes half a billion dollars worth of invoices each year.
I've spent a great amount of time in consumer packaged goods and promotions, but I know what MTBF stands for. I also know how to set up and administer a web server, be it Windows/IIS or Linux/Apache based (Ubuntu, preferably). Couple my technology experience with my writing background and you've got a geek translator. Literally.
If you need a seasoned technology writer, drop me a line -- I'd love to discuss your project!
