Articles by Portent Staff

One of the most common misconceptions about a copywriting career is that all you need is good writing skills. This is hardly the case. There are many great writers in the world who would either not enjoy copywriting, or who would not excel at it. But there are definitely certain qualities that predispose people to [...]

If you were a creative writing or English major, you may think your job prospects include pouring coffee in a cafe while scrawling poems on napkins, burying yourself in manuscripts as an editorial assistant in a publishing house, working as a journalist for a local publication, or of course writing the Great American Novel. But [...]

It’s the tiredest of icebreakers. And yet, at lease once a month, someone asks me what I do. After I say I’m a copywriter, I am usually treated to one of three sparkling remarks: “So, you just copy what other people write?” “So, you make copies of other people’s writing?” “So, you make copyrights?” Har, [...]

The economy is rocky. Resources are tight. It's the perfect time to run out and hire a creative services firm to do your Internet marketing, right? Right! While resources must be considered carefully in a rocky economy, I am here to explain why investing in professional creative development is one of the soundest business decisions [...]

When someone orders iced tea, don’t serve them maple syrup It’s no secret that pouring it on too thick will make consumers suspicious and distrusting of your advertising. It’s no secret that advertisers continue to do it anyway. But there is a quiet uprising occurring, an anti-movement springing up in the form of sites like [...]

  An interface only a shoemonger could love I am looking at a site so cluttered and ugly, it connotes every $1 table yard sale you’ve ever seen. I am looking at a site with such a dizzying array of calls to action, you feel like you are on a street corner in Tijuana. I [...]

The Divine Comedy of Cubicle Life You’re about to graduate college, so in no time at all you’ll be a master in the post-grad basics. You’ll learn to dress up for interviews, even though you may wear flip flops for the rest of your career. You’ll learn that in the roshambo of the real world, [...]

I know something you don’t. A marketing secret. It’s really, really interesting. Not amazing, but learning it can expedite your marketing career quite nicely. Luckily, It doesn’t require a fancy degree or months of monk-like dedication in a cave to master. It’s less of a learned technique and more of a psychological sleight-of-hand, but not [...]

The day didn’t grow darker, exactly. But the light shifted in a way that was almost imperceptible, the day that Mediocrity rode into town. It rode a limping horse with a second-hand saddle on which it balanced precariously. Behind it rode its army: Whining, Ambivalence, and Lame Excuses. Taking a deep swig from its flask [...]

When it comes to marketing, it’s always peanut butter and jelly time. No, this isn’t some lame joke about how lunchtime is the best part of an internet marketing gig, nor is it some vaguely incestuous reference to the necessary blend between technology and creative. Actually, this is a story about my fourth grade teacher, [...]