Sara Barton

And Here…we…Go

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by

Sara Barton
in , ,

I’m back on the freelance trail…this time, as a freelance writer for another agency. The back story on this is simple: a friend quit her position as a copywriter at this agency and she very graciously suggested me as a replacement. So far, things are going great – I’m really busy (always a bonus for contract workers as everything we do has to be billable or else we get shown the door) and the vibe seems pretty good. Of course,I’m still learning the office culture, but I feel like I could be really happy here. My contract, at this point, only goes through next Friday, so stay tuned.




Why Can’t I be Like Carrie Bradshaw?
Life as a freelance writer is not as glamorous as I had hoped it would be. I remember watching Sex and the City and thinking about how much fun it could be to be a full-time writer like Carrie Bradshaw – having flexible hours, and making enough money to be able to meet my girlfriends for leisurely lunches at the local hot spots and possibly shop for couture every now and then. Enter reality: freelancing is work. Hard work. In addition to writing, you’re also marketing yourself, doing the books, etc. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Freelancing is especially tough for me because I have to do it with my daughter in tow, provided I’m not working a contract job. Have you ever tried to write a 1,200 word piece with a 4 year old screaming for attention? I double-dog dare ya to try!





i-What???

This week, I was tickled to finally learn the name of Apple’s newest product: the iPad, which is supposed to be a hybrid between the Kindle and the iPod. I’m reserving judgement on the product itself, but I’ll be curious to see what happens with digital advertising on the thing, considering Apple’s inability to produce a mobile device that does justice to Flash.





Super Bowl Preview

Be on the lookout for an integrated Super Bowl promotion from Papa John’s pizza this year. While the chain is mum on the details, it does admit to being in cahoots with the NFL for this one. The “Papa’s in the House” promotion, so far, has gathered fan support and the Big Game promotion is meant to salute NFL fans as well as those behind the scenes at games.

Whatever the buy is, the chain has built up to it with a sweepstakes for two tickets and accommodations for the game, and related special offers, such as the “Super XL IV” (an extra-large pizza with four toppings for $11.99) and the “1st and 10” (any large pizza for $10), plus if you order a large cheese pizza for $9 during the three days after the game, you can get a free topping for every touchdown scored.

Comments

6 responses to “And Here…we…Go”

  1. Robb Landon Avatar
    Robb Landon

    Glad to see you are regular again. 🙂

    Reply
  2. swissknifev Avatar
    swissknifev

    I am a free lance copy writer too. Imagine getting a brief with a 3 hour deadline when you’ve just got up with a hangover from last night’s binge. I call it creative ambush. And you’ve got yo be at your creative best even though the mind is feeling like a zombie.

    Reply
  3. guccigirl99 Avatar
    guccigirl99

    Yike! Thankfully, I’ve never encountered a creative ambush, but I did have a client who wouldn’t give me a brief at all, so I had to guess what they wanted. It turned out alright in the end, but it wasn’t exactly the way I like to work!

    Reply
  4. swissknifev Avatar
    swissknifev

    Hi! So is that your 4 year old daughter who screams for attention when you have a brief to crack? She looks cute. Anyway what’s your style of writing copy? Mine is 1. Brief 2. Then my dissecting the information 3. The key message 4. Concept 5. Copy – what to say 6. Then the crafting – how to say 7. Visual suggestions 8. Mail 9. then Beer 10. Wait for brief NEXT. Life goes on

    Reply
  5. guccigirl99 Avatar
    guccigirl99

    Yep, that’s the one! She’s deceptively cute! 🙂

    Mine is 1.) Brief (or mutter that I don’t have one) 2.) Dissect for critical info – what do they want to convey, what’s the take-home, etc. 3.) Come up with the concept/visual suggestions 4.) Copy 5.) Edit 6.) Send to client 7.) Edit as needed 8.) Glass of merlot to celebrate

    What do you typically write? I mostly do advertising – print, video, digital, plus social and PR.

    Reply
  6. swissknifev Avatar
    swissknifev

    Hey! I think the track of working is more or less the same. And I give two to three conceptual options. That way they’ll have to like one. They can also have the satisfaction of bombing the other two. Clients, like customers, love choice. So I have to give them an option to throw something into the dustbin. I work on print, outdoors, TV script concepts – wow I love them, corporate films and sometimes the work can be as boring as annual reports, calendars, greeting cards for company big shots, planner concepts, radio jingles, sales letter and even designing of visiting cards. The brands also swing from one end to the other – consumer goods to bland industrial products. Given a chance I’d love to do social ads – say wildlife protection ads . But then you can’t complain. I imagine myself in the place of an actor. You simply have to get into the character’s role no matter what your own mood says. Right now this morning, I am working on a sales letter for a sweets shop – a well known brand and later in the day I’ll be sending some concepts for a cement company. They’ve chosen a lion as their brand symbol because they want to position themselves as strong leaders. I work out all my concepts on Saturday and Sunday. While the world is holidaying, I work hard. Then while the world works during the week, I am Beering. And people wonder what kind of work I do. In fact they wonder whether I work at all…!!

    Wow! It’s been great sharing ideas. Coming back to you little daughter – all kids are deceptively cute BUT cute. Unlike adults they do it and say it straight from the heart. I love kids and their innocently straight world. Have a nice day.

    Reply

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