Real estate was something I got into by accident. I had to write some SEO material for a real estate agent in Florida. From there came a couple of queries from other agents and has built up from there. I work with a Florida-based ex-real estate agent to produce high quality real estate content for blogs, agent sites, newsletters and much more.

Real estate is a huge market and one ripe for exploitation. We were in the perfect position to enter this niche, with my writing and marketing and the knowledge of someone who used to be in real estate, we were on to a winner. Now, between us we produce up to 30 articles per week, including market news and analysis, hot properties and local market information. I also have a couple of clients whose industry is renovation and home maintenance. I produce more DIY orientated copy for them with a real estate twist.

I did a project in late 2009 which involved writing product copy for a large chain of adult toy stores and one a little earlier which involved writing reviews for adult DVDs. It's something different, and a subject matter that has to be approached professionally and maturely.

The adult toy client provided me with product descriptions from which I had to write sales copy for their website. Sales is about benefits, as customers buy the benefits not features of a product, so it was interesting indeed writing for that project. The adult DVD vendor was very similar. Each DVD has it's own landing page and catalogue copy which had to be written professionally, but appeal to the audience. It also had to comply with the rules of copywriting for sales. The project was a challenge, as was the follow up. After the initial success of the project, I was tasked to write further copy for a wider audience. The copy had to talk about adult products, but in a manner that would offend nobody. A challenge indeed, but one I relished.

I'm no doctor, but even medical companies have to advertise and market their products and services. Subjects like this are no different than any other professional study. Research, research, research..

The project was to create site copy, then a number of SEO articles for offsite SEO. With any subject I'm not familiar with, research is the key. I find out as much as possible about the subject and learned as much as I could. It has been said that copywriters are "instant experts" and this is true to a degree. We have to write about such a range of subjects we do have to learn a lot in a little time.

We don't get paid for research time, we get paid for results. But, having said that, part of the results is accuracy. With many projects, the editor or client is an authority on the subject who either can't write or is too busy to write the copy themselves. Medical copywriting is more factual unless is promotional copy. A balance has to be struck between informing the audience and lecturing them. I prefer to have a conversation with my readers, to talk to them not at them.

Food and recipe copywriting was always a goal of mine once I got established. I completed a bakery appreniticeship when I first left school, and had the working hours, and pay been better, I might even still be doing it right now.

Writing about food and wine is a passion of mine, and one I love to exercise whenever I have the chance. So far though I have only been able to write as a ghost writer. Unfortunately, this is an extensive and ongoing project which would look great in my portfolio but I don't have permission to share it. What I do have is a link to the recipe website I run called Ravishing Recipes.