PEN Ultimate

BEFORE & AFTER

2008-02-26T09:54:00.002+02:00

This is a mini showcase of my work to show how I can take a document from dull to dazzling.

BEFORE

Welcome to Crown River Safaris
About Crown River Safari
Proud Crown Eagle has nested on the property for 20 years, while Fish Eagles call hauntingly over the River below. Kingfishers and numerous waterfowl patrol the river banks, only some of the bird species you will encounter on the property. The majestic Kudu stands tall, surveying the bushveld, while Zebra graze lazily on the open plains. Mystically, Nyala and Bushbuck appear from the lengthening shadows and Largemouth Bass glide below in rock crevices as the crimson sunset gives way to a shimmering moon reflected on the water.

Located in the Malaria free Eastern Cape, Grahamstown remains one of the most historic towns of South Africa. Established in 1812. the area known as Frontier country is the confluence of various cultures which survived off the area’s natural bounty.

Seven floral biomes support an incredible range of Fauna and Flora attracting a large variety of game and bird species which are prevalent in the area today, and include a number of species brought back from the brink of extinction through careful environmental management.

Crown River Safari and Wild Life Reserve borders the Thomas Baines Nature Reserve, situated in the main water catchment zone of Grahamstown. This area encompasses the convergence of two rivers forming a crown, with the dominant Kariega River flowing 40km further to meet the Indian Ocean at Kenton-on-Sea. (don’t understand crown reference: is the shape a crown?)

Perfectly balanced, the property is a Nature lover’s paradise with dense ravine thickets, scattered thorn trees and open areas making this a destination without comparison.

Crown River Safari prides itself to deliver to the outdoor enthusiast experiences to treasure.
Your hosts:
Hennie and Anneke Le Roux
After achieving victory in the Rugby World cup in 1995, Hennie invested in this little jewel of a property to follow his passion and love for nature.

Graeme Hjul
Avid Nature lover and outdoor enthusiast has years of experience in the industry.

Accommodation & Rates

Savannah lodge sleeps six, 3 double bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. A typical farm house situated on the game farm’s warmer upper plain, zebra and various antelope come up from the thickets in the afternoons to drink at the water hole 60 meters away. The Zuurberg Mountain range forms the backdrop to the view from the porch, from where one can enjoy a welcome sunset refreshment.

River lodge sleeps six, 2 bedrooms 2 bathrooms and 3 beds in the attic. Situated on the waters edge, you have views of the river and direct access to the water for sunset- and river-cruisers and canoeing. Antelope and warthogs regularly drink at the water’s edge, delighting guests at the lodge.
Tours & Activities
Activities
Fishing:
Fresh water Fishing is available on the 5km river front around the lodge. The Bushmans and Kariega rivers offer tidal river Fishing. Rock and Surf Fishing is available along the pristine beaches and Deep Sea Fishing is also offered from Port Alfred a 45 minute drive away.

Web copy
Crown River Safaris
Home
About Crown River Safari
A rich landscape, abundant in fauna and flora, Crown River Safari and Wildlife Reserve is home to the Crown Eagle, Fish Eagles and Kingfishers - just some of the kaleidoscope of bird species nesting in habitation along the river banks.

Kudu majestically roam the bushveld while Zebra graze lazily on the open plains. Nyala and Bushbuck appear from the lengthening shadows and Largemouth Bass glide below in rock crevices as the crimson sunset gives way to a shimmering moon reflected on the water. Several other species brought back from the brink of extinction enjoy the ecological harmony.

The Reserve borders the Thomas Baines Nature Reserve, situated in the main water catchment area of Grahamstown at the confluence of two rivers – the dominant Kariega River flowing 40km further to meet the Indian Ocean at Kenton-on-Sea. Malaria-free, the area is known as Frontier Country embracing a variety of cultures, from existing tribes and others establishing themselves as early as 1812.

Perfectly balanced, Crown River is a nature lover’s paradise with dense ravine thickets, scattered thorn trees and open areas making this an idyllic outdoor experience. The Crown River philosophy is driven by making quality and lasting friendships, bringing guests closer to nature, ensuring that they experience enduring memories.

networking tip

2007-06-19T11:52:00.000+02:00

your thoughts fellow networkers?

Networking Tip: Schedule One Event a Month... Minimum
*************************************

By Ilise Benun

Think of all the contacts you could make if you networked more often. New customers, potential partners... all sorts of people who can help your business explode.

But how often should you be putting yourself out there?

One networking event per month is the absolute minimum. And if you're serious about growing your business, you should attend at least two - one where you can meet prospects and one where you can meet colleagues (those who do what you do and with whom you can share resources).

New Jersey-based copywriter Mistina Bates, of Market It Write, dramatically ramped up her networking this year. She's been attending two networking events per week, then scheduling up to four one-on-one meetings with the people she meets. As a result, she has more work than she can handle and is already on track to pass the six-figure mark in her third year of business.

[Ed. Note: Networking expert Ilise Benun is the author of Stop Pushing Me Around. Get more networking strategies with Ilise's free e-newsletter, Quick Tips from Marketing Mentor.]

simplify, Simplify, SIMPLIFY ..1 ..2 ..3

2007-05-11T10:17:00.000+02:00

Trevor writes:

From this post - MAD 7. It Only Takes 'HALF-A-DOZEN' Things! (extract below) - I am reminded that it is all to easy to fall into the trap of adding unnecessary complexity to ideas, projects, strategies, et al, that should be as simple as ...1 ..2 ..3

Too many people look to make the simple things in life too complex to understand.

Yes, most often it takes only a few things... 1, 2, or 3 things... just a 'half-a-dozen' things to ensure success in most projects.

I am resolving to simplify every idea, project, strategy I have into a 'simple as ..1 ..2 ..3' graphic presentation.

Regards
Trevor Nel - 011 - 705-2790 - www.innercircleforum.com
trevor@innercircleforum.com

What Do YOU Bring To The Copywriting Table That Others Don’t?

2007-05-06T18:13:00.000+02:00

Found this interesting statement:

'Good writers are everywhere, and (as I’m suddenly aware) many are willing to work cheap. Most want to write copy and ship it. That’s fine. But it offers a client little reason to prefer one writer over another. Unless, of course, one of the writers adds value.'

Find out what the author does to get the business: Enjoying That “New Client” Smell?

Regards
Trevor Nel - 011 - 705-2790 - www.innercircleforum.com
trevor@innercircleforum.com

Writers must get equitable pay

2007-05-02T15:54:00.000+02:00

This is such an important read which explains the value of writing and how we writers have been underpaid for years.

It offers an industry perspective to those who are not well versed in the practice of PR

Saturday Star16 September 2006

How much is a writer worth? If one looks at many magazines, newspapers, print advertisements, PR communications and even TV soaps' sub-titles, you may be forgiven for thinking not much.So then the question would be how much is a good writer worth? That really depends on who is picking up the tab and on his or her ability to distinguish good from mediocre (or worse).It's a funny thing writing - some people can write, others can't. Many who think it's a piece of cake stringing a few words together often don't recognise their own inadequacy. For those of us who make a living out of words and related industries, we are only too aware of clients who have no appreciation of the skill required and who shirk at paying a fee comparable to the job.

I run a writing company which provides expert, freelance writers. I service industries across the board including tourism, business, technology, engineering, events, TV and entertainment. The advantages for the client are that s/he can depend on someone else to manage the job, maintain standards, ensure grammatical and spelling accuracy, meet deadlines and deliver subbed, final copy. My writers are as varied as the commissions and often so are the fees.

I do my utmost to be fair to client and writer alike, although it's often clients who get the better deal. Like actors, most writers would rather eke out a living writing for next to nothing than do something else or be out of work. And yes, one can say that's called the free market. However, for those of us in this industry, it's problematic. Rate per job is often a contentious subject with the "going rate" sorely lagging when compared with other areas of employment. In the magazine industry, for example, the rate per word probably hasn't changed to any real extent since I was a magazine editor in the '80s.

I've learnt that what an IT writer commands is not comparable with the lesser fee a general print writer has to accept to remain in that field. I have writers who slog away for the bottom rate (which can be as little as R1 per word on a big job), and writers who won't get out of bed for under R5 per word - and some clients who wouldn't dream of paying it.Everyone knows that if you call a plumber, an electrician or a handyman you're looking at paying anything from R300 upward just for the call-out fee. And yet when it comes to writers - in my case freelancers often with tertiary qualifications but without medical aid or other perks - it's a constant juggling act to produce budgets my clients find acceptable.

To illustrate this point: a potential client recently approached me with a short story written, she said, by a 12-year-old. She explained that the American publisher had requested that the story be "Harry Potterised" by an adult writer for an international young audience. Furthermore, it was likely that the book would evolve into a television project. I handpicked a writer for the project and sent her the manuscript. The 'short story' was 30 000 words - the length of a short novel - and my writer's view was that it needed to be written from scratch to achieve anything approximating JK Rowling. A time consuming exercise by any stretch of the imagination. The terms and conditions from the client's side were that my writer would receive no credit for the job and no acknowledgement or royalties from the possible TV spin-off. How much would that be worth? One might as well ask how long is a piece of string. My experienced writer with a good book or two to her name was both reasonable and flexible - but we could not meet the client's expectation of R15 000 for the job.

It's probably worth mentioning that a by-line goes a long way towards making up for poor pay. So why is there such a gulf between what clients will pay and what writers expect to be paid? It's not straightforward but I believe that in part, it's because most people think they can do it themselves. And far too often, they do. One needs only read the plethora of incomprehensible media and press releases distributed in the name of promotion and marketing which we all delete or dump in the waste paper basket every day.
SUZANNE BRENNER

Coaching is a whole new ball game

2007-04-18T10:30:00.000+02:00

Another successful blog. Yipppee!!! Not to mention the blood, sweat and tears to get it posted!!!

To all life coaches and and prospetive coaching clients - you may be interested to read my article in the April issue of the O(prah) Magazine for a balanced view on the industry!!!

I'd appreciate your thoughts.

2007-04-18T10:29:00.000+02:00

Freelancing Means Freedom

By Iza Goldwasser

Frustrated for many years by being the brains behind the boss, and never getting the credit for it, I had fleeting thoughts about what it would be like to run my own PR company. Then after a long sojourn in the industry I decided PR was for the birds – endless phone calls spent trying to get hold of the media and more wasted energy attempting to convince them of the value of your story.

In my last formal job as a writer, serving all the company’s clients, I remained the primary source of intellectual property, acknowledged for my copious contributions, only once a year and for the rest, subject to abuse and ill treatment. Once the boss realized I was challenging her integrity, she set about an elaborate plan to get rid of me, which resulted in some significant trauma at the time.

So finding myself ‘out on the street’ I decided to do what I know best. I offer my skills to the industry (mainly PR and Advertising) and find that I have enough work to keep me going from one month to the next. I earn no less than my last salary, enjoying all the benefits of freedom and have none of the stresses of over compensating for an insecure boss.

If you want to be independent, don’t wait to get thrown out, walk out and step up to the challenge of freelance writing.

20 more writing mistakes that make you look stupid

2007-04-11T15:29:00.000+02:00

Think this might stimulate some thought ! ;-) (From ZDNet)

When we ran an article titled 10 flagrant grammar mistakes that make you look stupid, we were hoping to lend a little help to IT types who are often (wrongly in our view) stereotyped as being poor communicators.

Read the full article here - 20 more writing mistakes

Test

2007-04-11T10:09:00.000+02:00

Test blog hurrah!

Stay Clear Of ALL CAPS In Your Headlines

2007-04-03T06:31:00.000+02:00

Trevor writes:

Some early tricks I learnt in writing copy was to do with headlines, white space and bullet points - they all play an important part in creating an effective copy layout.

STAY CLEAR OF ALL CAPS IN HEADLINES. Why? Because it is just a little too unnatural to read. You will not find a book written in All Caps. Even emails written in All Caps are considered to be 'shouting' or 'rude'. And, it restricts the effect you can create by highlighting some keywords in your headline by astute use of Caps (see this posts headline).
Leave as much white space as you can. Just makes it easier on the eye to read through key points of the copy. Even this enforced layout does not have enough white space for me. I would prefer one line of white space between each bulleted paragraph in this copy.
Use bullet points to highlight your key points. They're a simple way to draw attention to the most important points you want people to read. Most busy people scan copy looking for bulleted points for this very reason.

Just some thoughts from someone who produces a lot of copy.

Regards
Trevor Nel - 011 - 705-2790 - www.innercircleforum.com
trevor@innercircleforum.com

Copy That JUST Got Canned

2007-02-05T10:30:00.000+02:00

Write Trevor:

How contentious can copy get... well, below is FNB's adscript copy that just got canned at the eleventh hour.

To get the full story see my comment piece: Prescience On FNB Communications Debacle

Here's the 30-second add copy:

(Set to music of SA National Anthem)

Dear President Mbeki
Last year 420 154 citizens were victims of violent crime.
But all 47 million of us were affected.
We are doing everything we can to help build the Nation.
We were founding partners of SA the Good News.
We helped the South Africans learn the National Anthem.
We've sponsored the Heartlines Initiative.
We helped create The Homecoming Revolution.
And we're investing over R300 million in the FIFA 2010 World Cup.
Like you Mr. President, we believe in our South Africa.
But all will come to nothing
Unless you make crime our Nations Number 1 priority
Please
Don't let crime destroy our hopes
for a peaceful and prosperous future.

Why did it get canned? Well, for me it is all part of the games that people are playing in South Africa and someone recognised that this copy was building one entity (FNB) by breaking down another (the President & Government).

Maybe the copy could have gone down the road of: '..here's how FNB is making crime our national No.1 priority.' Than after the announcements of what they will do, proclaim: 'Anyone wanna join us?'

Regards
Trevor Nel - 011 - 705-2790 - www.innercircleforum.com
trevor@innercircleforum.com

Who Are The GREAT Copywriters & Why?

2007-01-29T10:09:00.000+02:00

Writes Trevor:

I have been primarily influenced by 3 KEY Direct Marketing / Copywriting specialists:

1. The doyen: David Ogilvy - Ogilvy on Advertising

And two others... as 'mad as march hares'... but you have to be off-the-wall, a little pompous, and irreverent to write great copy... :-)

2. Dan Kennedy - the No. B.S. marketing guru

3. Gary Halbert - the Gary Halbert Letter

And... why? Well, all of them advocate the importance of 'Test & Measure, Test & Measure, Test & Measure' and they all came up with brilliantly innovative campaigns that changed the way people did things.

Regards
Trevor Nel - www.innercircleforum.com

About Iza Goldwasser

2007-01-24T11:04:00.000+02:00

Writes Iza:

An accomplished writer, I have created and ‘packaged’ text for a variety of media ranging from print to direct mail, email teasers brochures, newsletters and the ever-popular 30” radio spot.

Initially my press releases emerged from a golf-ball typewriter, a process that could take all day. With the help of Bill Gates’ Microsoft miracle, my speed and skill have increased exponentially, ensuring both accuracy and quick turn around.

Pursuing the greater goal of copywriting, I tread the path of advertising, (Y&R, McCann Erickson, Heeley Bates) marketing, communications and journalism. An award for ‘Enterprising Journalism’ confirmed my talent as a journalist.

During my employ at various communications companies I have written on subjects ranging from homeopathic treatments to logistics management, topical medical aid and financial sector issues, as well as recruitment, training and seta activities.

To increase the depth of understanding of business principles I completed the Wits MAP (Management Advancement Programme) which also prompted entrepreneurial thinking.

My business, Enterpriza, offers a professional writing service which includes researching and writing articles for specific media, compilation of newsletters, brochure and advertising copy, video scripts, web content, editing, proofreading and speech writing.

Current clients include 94.7 Highveld Stereo, Livewired, Indigo Marketing, Chillibush, Pro-Active, Quality Life Company, Success Solutions, MGM Advertising, TransUnion ITC, Turquoise PR & Marketing and Onyx Marketing Communications (Soul City and Soulbuddyz).

Previous clients include Gold Reef City Casinos, SAA Cargo, SA Tourism, Rohlig-Grindrod, TBWA\ Gavin \ Reddy, Imperial Car Rental, Dr Reckeweg, Fedhealth, Pharos, PPS, Herbalife, ATM Solutions.

Iza Goldwasser
izag@telkomsa.net
cel: 072 873 6061