I was speaking to a prospective client a few weeks ago.

He had created a new web app for plumbers and electricians that looked really cool. It would save them many hours finding jobs, and it had loads of useful features like project management, invoicing, etc.

It sounded great.

He was planning a cold email campaign to reach out to prospects. When I asked him about his plan, he explained how he would initially send out cold emails to plumbers telling them all about his new app and its free trial.

So far, so good.

While I tend to focus more on newsletters and marketing emails, I've enjoyed a lot of success with cold campaigns, so I was interested.

Here's a brief version of how the conversation went:

The problem is a common one: a shopper arrives on your website and browses your products, they see something they like, they add it to their basket …

… and then they disappear, never to return.

The phenomenon of cart abandonment is one you will be well aware of if you operate an online store.

In fact, 68.81% of shopping carts are abandoned online.

It happens because:

• the shopper becomes distracted
• they are comparing prices in another store
• they are put off by something in the purchase process, like the shipping fees
• they never had any intention of buying in the first place

But while you won't know why they abandoned their carts, you can definitely do something about it.

This is where the cart abandonment email comes in.

​There's no doubt that emails are one of the most effective ways to keep in touch with your customers (and potential customers) and encourage them to return to your website more often.

But sometimes subscribers lose interest. Sometimes they start ignoring your emails and deleting them without opening them.

It's frustrating, but they may have just had enough. They may not be interested in what you have to offer any more.

And that's fine.

If so, there's little point in keeping them on your list.

But what if you could tempt them back? What if you could encourage them to open a final email and turn them back and into an active member of your list?

Re-engagement emails are designed for that purpose. Here's how to write a good one.

​With copywriting, less is often more. Choosing the right words usually means using one word instead of four.

And it's that practice of seeking out the right word that is so infuriating yet also so satisfying when you get it right.

Much easier is getting rid of words that have no place being there in the first place.

These are often short and simple words you use every time you write. They sneak their way into your copy because they are so natural.

First drafts are full of them.

But they don't belong there. They fatten the copy and bloat it. They are often called 'fluff' or 'fog' words, and they can reduce the impact of your landing pages and emails.

Over the years, I have built up a long list of words that can often be eradicated in my copy, and I'd like to share a few of them with you today.

Cutting these words out (where it makes sense to do so) is one of the quickest ways to improve any piece of writing.

​There is one major problem when it comes to selling your skills as a freelance copywriter: everyone else is a writer too.

People hire a plumber because they don’t have the first idea about how to stop the pipe from leaking.

They hire a web designer because they don't have a clue about HTML or coding.

But writing is different.

After all, everyone learns how to write in school. It’s one of those basic life skills like riding a bike.