Author: Neil Wheatley

Copywriter since 2008, specialist in IT, software and video game marketing, dad to Wolfie and Rock.

5 reasons video can’t erase the written web page

I know what you’re thinking: “Aah, he’s a web copywriter. Of course he wants us to think web copy is better than web video. He’s scared! Look at the chicken copywriter who’s afriad of what video might do to his business! Buuu-ck buck buck!”

Well, you can stop your taunts. I like video and I’ve written quite a few voiceover scripts.

I was actually inspired to write this post by something I saw on Google+. It was an advice video, made by Google, on what to do if your site is underperforming in search.

It sounded pretty interesting, but it didn’t get my click. I didn’t want to watch a video you see, I wanted to read about it instead. Then I started thinking about why I wanted to read instead of watch. And I got a surprise: there are lots of reasons I still prefer written web pages over video. Continue reading “5 reasons video can’t erase the written web page”

“Just one thing” is the secret to better email marketing copy

Curly from City Slickers, you enigmatic old wrangler. You made such an intimidating first impression, but wisdom lay within. You knew how to deliver a calf. How to protect a lady from drunken varmints. You knew the meaning of life itself, goddammit.

As it happens, Curly even understood the secret of writing a successful email marketing message – despite having died around five years before such a thing existed.

That’s right. Because the best email marketing copy, like a fulfilling life, is about just one thing. Continue reading ““Just one thing” is the secret to better email marketing copy”

5 ways to get the better of Grammar Nazis

People who call themselves ‘Grammar Nazis’. Have you ever met these people? They’re the worst.

I meet them too often. Because I’m a copywriter, they expect to find in me a kindred spirit. Someone who shares their passion for the pernickety. It’s a bit awkward, because as a professional I do care about correct language and style. But I also believe the English language is a fluid and flexible thing.

I think writing is more about ideas and communication than proper comma usage. And many of the best writers cannot explain the technicalities of the latter.

One self-professed Grammar Nazi I know flat refuses to interact with people who don’t use proper sentence case and punctuation. On Facebook. Continue reading “5 ways to get the better of Grammar Nazis”

Apple Jack 2, an Xbox 360 game I helped out on, is out today!

I’d love to write more for video game companies. I think their industry is the most creative and exciting in the world at the moment.

So when I played a game called Apple Jack on the Xbox Live Indie Games service a couple of years ago, I decided to contact the developer My Owl Software.

My offer was to write press releases for My Owl’s next game, to help the developer get the publicity they deserved. Because this is no ordinary game company. It’s just one man with a ‘zero budget’. Somehow along the way, I ended up doing the illustrations for the game’s intro as well. Continue reading “Apple Jack 2, an Xbox 360 game I helped out on, is out today!”

I’ve got the WordPress community to thank for this smart new website

Welcome to the new Wheatley Copywriting website!

There are snazzy new things here, which I hope will help people find what they want to know about my services more easily. There’s a new portfolio with testimonials, descriptions and excerpts for each entry. There’s a new and better-designed blog. And there’s a dynamic home page that brings everything together in one place.

I’m proud to say that I ‘made’ this website myself. But I could never have done it without the amazing support of the WordPress community. Continue reading “I’ve got the WordPress community to thank for this smart new website”