TORONTO—There's more to grabbing the attention of a consumer than pretty design and logos.

Good ol' plain words are also a big part of communicating a company's message, and last night three experts on copywriting shared their insight during a Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC) session hosted by its Toronto chapter.



The panel included Kara Kuryllowicz, Marjo Johne and Anne Ptasznik, who have many years of combined experience in scribing case studies, speeches, brochures, taglines, even Christmas cards and department names in stores. Johne, who says she makes six figures as a freelance copywriter with clients including Microsoft, HP Canada, and Scotiabank, said the key to copywriting success is that she "learned the concept of branding and marketing. Branding is not just about a logo and tagline, it's a whole system of what a [company] stands for."

She said sometimes copywriters can make the mistake of trying to be too clever, or writing material that contradicts the client's brand. "Clever is only part of good copywriting," she said. "You have to stay on message."

Kuryllowicz, who heads Bizwrite.ca, said when gathering material to write case studies intended to sell the products of her clients, she asks many questions, even what concerns the customers of her clients have. "You're making a business study, but it still needs a face," she said.

But writing short, punchy one-liners can be more challenging than longer pieces like case studies, they agreed. "It takes time to come up with a tagline," said Johne. "I can charge two hours for that, but in reality I'm thinking about it all the time." While getting hired to come up with short messages can pay well, it can also work against a freelance copywriter when it takes a long time to come up with a message on a flat rate, added Kuryllowicz.

For freelance copywriters looking to choose a niche market, Ptasznik of writing/communications firm Creative Fusion suggests asking themselves simple questions, including, "what do you get excited about that your friends wish you wouldn't?" while Johne said a good, clean website is the best tool in marketing oneself. That being said, here's her website, which she says is great.