Copywriting Blog

Someone Profiles The Hired Pens for a Change

True story: A few weeks ago, I mentioned to Anna that given all the interviews we conduct for work, it would be nice if someone interviewed us. The next day, someone emailed me about being profiled for Boston Voyager Magazine. I’ll be honest; I wasn’t yet familiar with Boston Voyager. But this was an opportunity […]

Millennial Say What? How to Talk Young When You’re Old.

In preparation for TEDFest in New York City a couple weeks ago, I did a little research: where to eat, what to see, how not to sound old to the majority-millennial crowd … I’d be embarrassed for anyone to see my search history today, but I’ll put that aside to share this gem of an […]

Meet Our Newest Pen, Betty Egan

Hey everyone, it’s time again to play “Meet a Pen”! Today we’re chatting with Betty Egan, who left her big agency life at Arnold Advertising for a home in the wilds of New Hampshire. Luckily for us, she’s game for the occasional long drive to visit clients in Greater Boston. So let’s get to our […]

A Belated Postmortem on the Super Bowl LII Commercials

Doing an annual roundup of the Super Bowl commercials is practically a job requirement in our line of work. But after my beloved Patriots lost to the Eagles, I didn’t want to relive anything about the game. Besides, the consensus in many quarters was that this year’s spots were disappointing or derivative. Why add to […]

Party City’s New Commercial Makes Local Mom Cry

Scene: Two 30-something women stand behind a table of party food, in a Party City commercial. And … action! Mom 1: This is incredible! Mom 2: Right. Mom 1: Yes! Mom 2: What is that? (pointing to a lone plate of crackers a few feet away) Mom 1: Those are some gluten-free options. Mom 2: […]

Case Study: Writing Website Copy for Newfire Partners

Outsourced software development gets a bad rap in many circles, and justifiably so. A big part of the problem is those firms that underpay their talent and don’t care enough about the quality of the code they crank out. Stephen S. Hau, a long-time technology executive and entrepreneur, believes there’s a better way to do […]

Blockchain 101: A Primer on the Technology Behind Bitcoin

Time for a guest post! Here, our friend John MacKenna explains something I’ve been wondering about lately: What the heck is blockchain anyway? Take it away, John … Blockchain is seen by cognoscenti as the next great technology disruptor, but if you don’t understand it — or haven’t even heard of it — don’t worry. […]

The Hired Pens Plays ‘Rate the Spam’

Who loves getting spam? Not me. But it’s inevitable that the occasional spam will slip through the filter, so why not have a little fun with it? In that spirit, let’s take a look at some actual spam I’ve received this month. I’ll give each an Awfulness Score between 1 and 10 (with 10 being […]

If We Can’t Eliminate Homework, Can We at Least Rebrand It?

Do I even need to say it? Do I even need to talk about all the research that suggests homework — especially on the elementary-school level — doesn’t “extend learning,” but just stresses out our already stressed-out kids even more? Is there anyone who wants to argue that a stopwatch and a math worksheet count […]

Plagiarism? Come on, You’re Better Than That.

What do Joe Biden, Melania Trump, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and countless disgraced journalists have in common? They’ve all been accused of plagiarism. With the Internet at our disposal, stealing someone else’s words has never been easier. If you don’t have any moral qualms about doing that, I can’t help you. But plenty of people […]