An End to Fungal Nail Infection? Nothing to do with Copywriting, but...

This latest post is nothing to do with being a copywriter or even hiring one, but it might be of interest to somebody...

For about 7 years, I have tried to get rid of a fungal nail infection in my toe. When I first noticed it, I wasn't even sure what it was, but the itching was driving me crazy. Right at the base of the nail, it would itch really bad and get hot. Then, after a while, my nail became yellowed and thicker. When I cut my nail, it was crumbly, almost like old cheese (though thankfully it didn't smell!). It didn't continue to itch, but every couple of months or so, it would irritate me and now and again, the skin at the bottom of the nail would become sore and inflamed, and would eventually form a blister.

I put up with this for a long time, but then decided to try and treat it (I didn't want to take the liver busting drugs the doctor suggested). The first 'cure' I came across was virgin coconut oil. I ordered some from abroad and applied it to the nail directly for a period of 2-3 months. While the nail did improve slightly, I could never seem to get rid of the fungus at the base and it would continue to flare up.

Next, I tried smothering the toenail daily in Vicks vaporub. This had absolutely no effect.

By this time, the nail was getting worse and was now thick and crumbly right across the top of the toenail. I decided to cut it away and see if applying the vaporub to the exposed nail bed would help. It didn't - the manky nail kept growing back just as infected as before.

The next treatment I tried was paraffin. Yes, paraffin, the type you can buy in B&Q for heaters. I painted this onto the nail every day for three weeks and it started to have an effect - the fungus definitely started to fade and the condition of the nail improved a little.

Then I read about another treatment - combining tea tree oil with Vaseline. So I tried this to see if it would finish off the job that the paraffin had started. For a week, I applied tea tree oil and Vaseline to the toenail once a day. After a few days, the nail started to change colour, with solid white/yellow patches appearing. As one of these was at the top of the nail, I tried to cut it - it broke away very easily.

I continued using the tea tree and Vaseline and larger sections of the nail changed colour. Again, I cut it away with ease, until the top half of the nail was gone completely! I continued with the tea tree oil and Vaseline, and suddenly the skin at the base of the nail became looser, detached from the nail. Then the skin flaked and started to break away, almost like sun burned skin. I carefully peeled it away and carried on with the tea tree oil and Vaseline, trying to get as much of it onto the nail bed and down the base of the nail as possible.

Three weeks later, and the nail is growing back normally! The yellow patches at the base of the nail are gone, and although the toenail is slightly darker than it used to be, it looks healthy. There's been no more itching and the skin at the base of the nail seems to be in much better condition too.

So it looks like the tea tree and Vaseline cure worked for me. If you have a fungal nail infection, maybe it will work for you too (be careful when cutting the nail away though).

What is SEO Copywriting?

When you enter a search term into Google, Bing, or any of the other search engines, they perform a complex algorithm to determine which pages are most relevant to your search. As part of their calculation, the search engines consider the amount of times your search terms appear on web pages (in the main copy and in headings), in URLs, and in hyperlinks - the pages with the most keywords, score the best ratings. This is simplifying the process somewhat, but the fact remains that if you have a high density of carefully chosen keywords in your web pages, you have a better chance of being rated highly.

Search Engine Optimisation (or Search Engine Optimization if you use the American spelling, which seems to becoming the standard), is the careful construction of your web page code, links and copy so that your web pages score highly in searches. So SEO copywriting is the art of writing copy that is keyword rich.


One of the problems with SEO copywriting is that the need to repeat certain key phrases and terms can make sentence structure awkward and unwieldy for human eyes. Although you want your web pages to achieve high rankings, ultimately, it is a human being that will read them, not a search engine. Having a page 1 result is of little use if your copy is inaccessible and off-putting.

So when you are looking for an SEO copywriter, it is important that you choose a writer who can skilfully insert keywords without disrupting the flow of the copy. Good SEO copywriting should barely be noticeable - if the keywords are jumping out at you and making sentences 'clunky', the copy isn't working - it may appeal to Google, but it is already starting to grate with you. And so it will annoy your customers too.

Having worked as a freelance copywriter and SEO copywriter for several years, I have developed a knack of structuring sentences so that keywords are included with subtelty. Sure, sometimes it is difficult to avoid keywords sticking out like a sore thumb, but with a bit of perseverence and a little knowledge of how Google treats punctuation, it is usually possible to create SEO copy that appeals to humans and search engines alike.

Copywriting Rule #1 - Write for the Target Market

I've been busy lately, writing copy for a design studio, a car scrappage firm, and a plumbing company. I'll be honest, I've found the work unusually difficult. At first, I put it down to writer's block, but when the problems persisted, even that old chestnut wasn't going to justify my reduced output.

After a sleepless weekend, the cause of my problems suddenly dawned on me - I was trying to apply the same writing style and techniques to all three jobs. I had stopped writing for the target market.

Starting with the design studio copy, I reconsidered who the target market are. Who uses design studios and what are they looking for? Design studios have all sorts of clients, from small businesses to large corporations, but one thing they all expect is creativity. So it was vital that the copy illustrated their ability to think differently and present things in a different way. That's where I was going wrong - I was putting too much emphasis on benefits and clarity and not enough on creativity. Using my last few remaining 'Good Husband House Points', I talked to my wife about it, and within a few minutes, I was coming up with different approaches for each page. Sometimes all you need is a muse!

In a couple of days, I produced creative copy for all of the design studio's web pages. Each page was unique, engaging and used a different approach without being inconsistent. They were very happy with the result and now have me pencilled in to work on a wedding day site - making that one stand out from the crowd could be tough!

Flowing with creativity, I moved on to the plumbing project. Like a fool, I broke the rule again - I was still trying to write in the same creative way as on the design studio project. Again, I failed because I didn't think of the target market. Luckily, I realised the problem immediately and so didn't spend hours stressing this time - people who want plumbers want plain simple facts, afterall, some of them might be trying to stop leaks at the same time!

So when it came to the car scrappage copy, I knew exactly what to do from the get-go - write for the target market!

Is it Ever Right to Work For Free?

My Grandad used to say "You'll never be out of work if you work for free." But there are times when doing a small amount of work for no charge can really be beneficial in the long run - the trick is to make sure that other people are not taking advantage of your abilities. For example, a couple of years ago, a Ukrainian company asked me if I would help them with their English language website in return for graphic design services rather than payment. Now, I don't have a lot of use for graphic design (I already have good designers who help me out), but I accepted their offer because of the unusual projects it would add to my portfolio. Two years later and I still proof their English news items and occassionally provide some copywriting nous to their web pages. While I don't receive any payment for this, I am able to promote my services on their website, use the work as portfolio pieces of 'English fixing', and make contacts that I would never be able to make just working in the UK.

Having said that, I do limit my involvement to no more than one to two hours per month. You have to know where to draw the line with favours!

So if you get the chance to work on a non-paying project that might boost your portfolio, don't dismiss it out of hand. Act like a good copywriter and spot the benefits first!

How do you tell a client they are wrong?

A few weeks ago, I was sat in the dentist's waiting room browsing the magazines when I noticed a business magazine. As I had just taken on a business ad project, I thought I would take a look at the ads it featured. Skimming through the pages, I saw numerous bland photos of spectacled men and women in business attire (why is it that executives are often depicted as wearing spectacles? Does thriving in the rat race affect your eyesight?). Out of all of the ads, only one stood out, and that was a large picutre of a lime green lemon squeezer. The ad was promoting a company that claimed to be able to help your finances if you are feeling the squeeze of the recession, and I thought it did it's job well...afterall, it was the only ad that caught my attention.

When it came to dealing with my client, I mentioned my concern about the lack of creativity in the business ads I had seen. I explained that by sticking to established and conventional corporate imagery, the ads were failing to have any impact. My client took my comments on board. The ideas the graphic designer and myself came up with were very varied and covered all bases, from safe (and boring) business style ads to more adventurous and risky concepts. We put them to the client and again reiterated the need to stand out from the crowd. After a few days, rather predictably, the client chose a safe option.

Which brings me to the point of this article - how do you tell a client they are wrong? It's a tricky situation. If you have a good rapport with your client, you can (as we did) try and explain to them that their idea just isn't going to deliver the results they need. You can try mentioning that they won't get a good return on their investment in your copy/design and that conforming to the established style of existing ads means their ad becomes ineffective. If that fails, you can try making a mock-up of your preferred concepts and explain the pros of that over their chosen idea - sometimes, seeing drafts side by side can convince them of the merit in your argument. Of course, making mock-ups may mean extra work for you, something that may not be in your best interest, especially if the budget is low.

If the client still won't be swayed, you have two options - provide them with the advert they want or bail out of the project. Your choice really depends on your situation - Are you able to take the money and produce work that is professional but uninspiring? Or are you only interested in work that excites you and is going to improve your portfolio? Is your reputation going to be on the line? There's a lot to be said for maintaining your integrity and only working on projects you have complete faith in, but personal preferences don't pay the bills!