When hiring a writer, keep an eye out for hat-head
Wearing a hat can make a bad impression on your hair. But when you’re a writer, many hats are a must. Because writing that motivates the wealthy to splurge on a club for family vacations is nothing like copy that dissects the science behind an immunotherapy breakthrough to oncologists. The voice and vibe of an advertorial to entrepreneurs? It sounds nothing like an online course catalog for a $50K-a-year acting school.
Your brand voice, audience — and the environment where they meet — all dictate the hat your writer has to wear. Sometimes, at a moment’s notice. If you have content you think only an insider can write, try me. If I haven’t done it already, it may be because I haven’t had the chance. Here are just a few examples of writing that shows off my epic case of hat-head:
In The French Culinary Institute’s course catalogs for amateurs and professionals, I whipped up the course descriptions that got enrollments sizzling
“Ever have sinful fantasies involving chocolate? We know your type — and designed Essentials of Pastry specifically for you…”
“In La Technique, you’ll learn from the same Chef Instructors who teach our career students. They’ll excite, inspire, challenge and guide you, as you learn more than you ever imagined, in less time than you ever thought possible. By the end of the course you’ll be able to create sophisticated, multi-course menus, recognize and evaluate classic food pairings, correctly assess seasonings and flavors…”
My approach for Havens Destination Club was to craft poetic, emotional, visually rich copy to motivate ultra-wealthy parents to invest in vacation memories with their kids, and exotic experiences for themselves…
“Reflecting from her eyes, you’ll see the beautiful truth taking shape. The developing snapshot of the perfect memory. An indelible scene of pure joy that she’ll quietly carry forever.”
“Perhaps it’s the echoes of centuries gone by, riding on the gentle breeze. Or the rooster’s call bouncing off that first morning sun. There is just something about the countryside and its quaint towns that ignites the fires of our innermost passions. Enjoy lunch on the shady veranda overlooking the sun-soaked vineyard. Tear off a piece of hot bread, dab the olive oil and sip fine wine…”
This recent Advertorial in Entrepreneur Magazine opened with a cautionary tale about selecting the right franchise — then led aspiring business owners to the timeless merits of opening a Kumon Math and Reading franchise…
One of my many pieces that boiled down the rationale behind upstart WisdomTree’s new common sense financial approach…
“The vast majority of today’s ETFs are market cap-weighted. So they hold more of a company’s stock as its price is going up, and less as it’s going down. This can lead to overweighting in overvalued stocks, and underweighting in undervalued stocks — exposing investors to potentially higher risks, and lower returns. We think that’s illogical. So we created a better way.”
In a fund-raising campaign for Roswell Park, I translated sophisticated immunotherapy breakthroughs to motivate a non-medical audience…
“An immunotherapy treatment called adoptive cellular therapy uses living cells instead of drugs to control or destroy cancer cells. Roswell Park collects cancer-killing T-cells from the patient’s blood, re-engineers and multiplies them in the lab, and returns them to the patient to kickstart their immune system’s attack against the disease.”
Here I sold everyday American families on the long-term value of joining Disney Vacation Club…
“Whether you have young kids, older kids or you’re just a big kid at heart, Disney Vacation Club is impossible to outgrow. Because you go on the vacations you want, when you want. Visit an incredible Disney Resort or enjoy a Disney cruise. Take a history-filled trip to Washington D.C. or hike the Smoky Mountains. Maybe plan a beach getaway just for Mom and Dad. Only the magic of Disney can bring you a vacation ownership program that’s surprisingly affordable, and lets you plan vacations that fit your busy life.”
And now for something completely different…unless you’re fluent in securities exchanges and clearing and settlement services, this will read like somebody’s dictionary exploded. But that’s the point. Learning and mastering new content is just one of the exciting parts of this job…
“DTCC is the world’s first company to integrate ISO 20022 messaging, and the advantages over existing DTC CCF formats are substantial. From day one your dividend distributions, redemptions, reorganizations and proxy events use the same ISO taxonomy. So you can create a single, streamlined process around all incoming data from DTC. It’s a refreshing difference you’ll appreciate. Because eliminating the need to manage multiple systems and formats means an immediate reduction in costs, and risk.”