Weekly Round Up #83
Your once-a-week digest filled with copy tips/tricks/hacks, must-read articles, and some pretty cool copy examples.
Welcome to the 83rd edition of the Weekly Round-Up — your once-a-week digest filled with copy tips/tricks/hacks, must-read articles, pretty cool copy examples, and much more!
In this week’s issue:
Copy Tip: Do the prep work to produce great work
Empathetic Email Marketing During Uncertainty (via Klaviyo)
Humanizing Your Brand with Behind-the-Scenes Content (via Smaily)
The Sleep-Creativity Cycle (via Ness Labs)
Hand Copying to Learn Writing Skills (Podcast Pick)
Copy Examples for Your Swipe File
Job Openings
Copy Tip of the Week
Do the prep work to produce great work.
Look, writing isn't some romantic act of spontaneous genius.
It's prep work, just like in a professional kitchen.
The best chefs in the world don't wing it—they spend hours chopping, measuring, and arranging before cooking a damn thing.
Want to write something worth reading?
Do the unglamorous work first.
Research until your eyes blur, gather your facts, know your audience better than they know themselves.
Only then—when your mental “mise en place” is impeccably arranged—should you start actually writing.
Amateurs stare at blank screens waiting for inspiration.
Professionals know the truth: preparation isn't just part of the process—it IS the process.
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Must-Read Articles
Empathetic Email Marketing During Uncertainty (via Klaviyo)
Why I recommend it 👉 Tariffs suck. In the last week, I've received countless emails from brands announcing price increases alongside transparent communications about how tariffs are impacting their business (and their employee's livelihoods). This article provides essential guidance on how brands can stay true to themselves while being sensitive to global events. In today's unpredictable market, these principles can help you build stronger customer relationships that withstand external pressures.
Humanizing Your Brand with Behind-the-Scenes Content (via Smaily)
Why I recommend it 👉 Behind-the-scenes (BTS) content helps humanize your brand by showcasing the people and processes that create your products. Sharing authentic moments, values, and employee stories can strengthen connections with your audience and foster brand loyalty. And right now, it can be super important for cultivating brand trust (see above article).
The Sleep-Creativity Cycle (via Ness Labs)
Why I recommend it 👉 Sometimes we spend too much time trying to find the right "hack" to be more creative when all we really need is something more simple. Sleep is essential for creativity and cognitive function, especially for knowledge workers. It helps process information, consolidate memories, and improve decision-making. So how can you do that? Read this article.
You Might Also Like:
"It's just emails and text messages."
There's a vibe I've come to recognize over the years — a weighty, frantic energy that settles in after staring at an Asana board too long.
The Copywriter Club Podcast
Hand Copying to Learn Writing Skills with Derek Johanson
Listen on iTunes | Listen on Spotify
Why I recommend it 👉 If you’ve been in the direct response copywriting world for a while, then you’ve undoubtedly heard about the practice of handwriting sales letters as a way of getting better at writing direct response copy.
Turns out, there’s science behind that approach.
Derek Johnson runs CopyHour, a community that popularized this approach about a decade or more ago. He explains why this can be a beneficial practice for copywriters everywhere.
Pro Tip: Start at the 26’ mark.
🔓 Want access to my entire swipe file database?
Subscribe here to unlock the magic link.Pretty Fly Copy
NADS
Format: Email
Why I like it 👉 Tariffs suck, transparency doesn’t. This brand did a great job communicating why they’re raising their prices without compromising on their values. I liked their approach.
PATH PROJECTS
Format: Email
Why I like it 👉 I love a good angle. This one’s built around how Path’s products make low temperatures a non-issue for runners. Love how the social proof layered on the lifestyle imagery supported the angle too.
UPROOT
Format: Email
Why I like it 👉 Tariffs (still) suck. But once again, here’s another fine example of a brand being transparent AF. Gets your attention here because Uproot is rarely (if ever) serious.
IKEA
Format: Ad
Why I like it 👉 Saw this the same week the season 2 finale of Severance hit. Well-timed, IKEA. Well-timed.
Career Opportunities
These remote opportunities are updated every week with copywriting and marketing roles ambitious job-seekers should definitely apply for.
Copy Director at Tata Harper Skincare
📍Remote ℹ DTC 💸 $140,000 - $160,000 USD
Direct Response Copywriter at Prosana
📍Remote ℹ DTC 💸 Salary undisclosed
Web Copywriter & Content Strategist at Plaid
📍Remote ℹ Finance 💸 $102,000 - $141,000 USD
Junior Copywriter at Bluemercury
📍Remote ℹ DTC 💸 $65,000 - $109,000 USD
Copywriter at Missionwired
📍Remote (US) ℹ Nonprofit 💸 $64,000 - $73,000 USD
That’s it for this week! If you have questions or comments — drop a note below.
✌️
Matt
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