Doris and Bertie Ltd
Training and coaching Copywriting Podcast Blog Contact
Search Subscribe login
Training and coachingCopywritingPodcastBlogContact
Doris and Bertie Ltd
Words People Trust
SearchSubscribelogin

Good Copy, Bad Copy

Doris and Bertie’s blog dedicated to helping you find and keep your business writing mojo!

New series: the blogs you really should be reading if you care about copy
New series: the blogs you really should be reading if you care about copy

We’re going to help you pare down your RSS feed to the handful of (other) blogs you really need to look at if you work with words.

Read More
How to writeClare LynchSeptember 17, 2014 Comments
You're going to love this priceless bit of management consultancy-speak
You're going to love this priceless bit of management consultancy-speak

This is what passes for “insight” at “the trusted advisor to the world's leading businesses, governments, 
and institutions”

Read More
How not to writeClare LynchApril 15, 2014 Comments
How to say sorry: the one word you must never use
How to say sorry: the one word you must never use

Remember: an apology’s about the other person, not you.

Read More
How not to writeClare LynchApril 10, 2014apologising Comments
How not to break bad news
How not to break bad news

The first rule of breaking bad news?

Read More
How not to writeClare LynchMarch 5, 2014 Comments
I'd be tempted to apply for this job if I could work out what it involved
I'd be tempted to apply for this job if I could work out what it involved

Are you good at shaping new initiatives in the front of funnel?

Read More
How not to writeClare LynchFebruary 27, 2014job adverts Comments
A great university deserves better marketing than this
A great university deserves better marketing than this

Want to know what’s the worst thing about this new “market place” for education?

Read More
How not to writeClare LynchJanuary 17, 2014 Comments
Easily structure your writing with this 5-minute technique
Easily structure your writing with this 5-minute technique

So. You’ve got to write a long, detailed report, containing lots of complex ideas. Where do you start?

Read More
How to write, PopularClare LynchJanuary 7, 2014 Comments
HR-speak at its worst
HR-speak at its worst

A reader forwarded me this wonderfully bad piece of HR-speak, which had landed in his inbox:

Read More
How not to writeClare LynchNovember 27, 2013job adverts Comments
What were these writers thinking?
What were these writers thinking?

For your amusement - some bits and bobs that entertained us while we were out and about.

Read More
How not to write, Grammar and punctuationClare LynchNovember 20, 2013 Comments
13 arguments to try next time someone accuses you of dumbing down (and 1 you should avoid)
13 arguments to try next time someone accuses you of dumbing down (and 1 you should avoid)

No one will ever complain that writing’s too easy to read.

Read More
How to writeClare LynchNovember 12, 2013 Comments
Readability: it's not just about sentence length
Readability: it's not just about sentence length

The difference in readability isn’t just about sentence length.

Read More
How to writeClare LynchNovember 5, 2013 Comments
Employee engagement: if you’re not asking this one question, you’re not really getting it
Employee engagement: if you’re not asking this one question, you’re not really getting it

If it's your job to "engage" your employees read on.

Read More
How to writeClare LynchOctober 29, 2013 Comment
Communicators, is this why you're not getting "buy-in" for your work?
Communicators, is this why you're not getting "buy-in" for your work?

So, have you ever developed a message map?

Read More
How to writeClare LynchOctober 23, 2013 Comments
The sobering truth about how your "readers" really see you
The sobering truth about how your "readers" really see you

The phrase “direct mail”, Andy pointed out, reflects an incredibly writer-centric view of the world.

Read More
How to writeClare LynchOctober 16, 2013 Comments
Six vital things you missed in your last comms audit (part 2 of 2)
Six vital things you missed in your last comms audit (part 2 of 2)

When did you last measure how all those bits of communication get produced?

Read More
How to writeClare LynchOctober 9, 2013 Comments
There’s a massive hole in your corporate communications audit – and we'll show you how to fix it (part 1 of 2)
There’s a massive hole in your corporate communications audit – and we'll show you how to fix it (part 1 of 2)

Any smart comms specialist will have given some thought to doing a communications audit at some point.

Read More
How to writeClare LynchOctober 2, 2013 Comments
Your attempts to be courteous can actually offend
Your attempts to be courteous can actually offend

Expressing yourself clearly in a foreign language is hard enough, but how about expressing yourself clearly while also not offending anyone

Read More
How not to write, Editor, PopularClare LynchSeptember 11, 2013polite, english Comments
A great example of why corporate tone of voice guidelines are usually pointless
A great example of why corporate tone of voice guidelines are usually pointless

Most large organisations have at least one set of guidelines for writers.

Read More
How not to writeClare LynchJuly 1, 2013tone of voice Comments
Huh?
Huh?

I particularly like that first sentence. It's 100 words long and the verbal equivalent of a Möbius strip.

Read More
How not to writeClare LynchJune 3, 2013 Comments
Targeted to mislead?
Targeted to mislead?

If anything, the rename has increased the chances of mis-selling.

Read More
How not to writeClare LynchMarch 7, 2013 Comments
Newer Older
 
PrivacyAboutContact

Doris and Bertie Ltd