You know how Dan and Anna are always going on and on about writing copy that’s conversational and doesn’t sound like it was written by a robot (or someone really boring)? I saw this ad in a magazine and loved it so much that I sent a pic to Anna. (Dan doesn’t share our enthusiasm […]
At The Hired Pens, a good chunk of our work comes from design, interactive and advertising agencies. They call on us when their internal team can’t handle a project due to scope or subject. Or they don’t actually have copywriters on staff, so we serve as their go-to copywriting agency. We’re happy to oblige. And […]
If you care at all about the NFL Draft, then you know Mel Kiper, Jr. If you don’t care at all about the NFL Draft, here’s all you have to know about Mel Kiper, Jr.: 1) He’s probably the world’s most famous expert on the NFL Draft. 2) He’s almost equally well-known for his freakish, […]
What are you planning to do Wednesday night? That’s right, nothing. Until now. On behalf of our friends at Metropolis Creative, we invite you to attend the fourth annual Boston Extreme Website Makeover. This cool event takes place from 6-9 p.m. on Wednesday at The Charlesmark Lounge (655 Boylston St., Boston). Admission is free. What’s […]
Last year, The Hired Pens became the pro-bono copywriting agency for Cradles to Crayons. This means we help them write all sort of things, from fundraising letters to fun copy for their 2012 calendar. It also means I have been much more attuned to offers I get from other nonprofits. Who moves me and makes […]
At the tender age of ten, I published a pair of linked poems in the esteemed literary journal, The Buffalo News. Ready? Sure? Okay, here you go. In the City at Night In the city at night The lights shine bright Stray cats meow And dogs say “Bow wow” In the city at night. Clearly, […]
At The Hired Pens, we write a lot of catalog copy — for PUMA, Zappos, Hasbro, Stride Rite, Timberland … the list goes on. So to stay up on things, I always read new catalogs that arrive in the mail. The one that landed today has a really cool name: Sweaty Betty. It’s filled with […]
Right before I went on maternity leave, I was interviewed by Janelle Harris at Media Bistro, a website for writers and new media professionals. She wanted to know how I waste time. My response should have been, “How much time to you have?” But I am not that quick on my feet. Especially not at nine-months pregnant. So […]
With Anna out on maternity leave, guest writer Susan Johnston was kind enough to contribute this post. You can check her out at her website or her blog, The Urban Muse. Thanks, Susan! I recently received a direct mail piece that opened with this cheerful gem (unnecessary capitalization copied from original): “Happy Holidays! Did you […]
I am about to have a baby. In fact, by the time you read this, I will probably already have had the baby. So like all new moms, I have been spending a lot of time shopping, both online and in stores for all the things a baby needs. (They need a lot of things.) […]
