1. Introduce Yourself and Establish Your Expertise
2. Get Gigs While You Sleep
3. Obtain Feedback From Prospects or Editors
4. Make it easy for your editor to read your queries
5. Use your site to sell your book
6. Get paid through your site
7. Your website will allow you to showcase your talent
8. Resell your articles
9. Enhance Marketing Effectiveness
10. Improve Your Branding

Creating a website: where do you start?

● Purchase your domain name now
● Research your competition
● Develop your image and target audience

Establishing your goals

● What is your writing goal, and how will the website help you?
● Is your goal to sell more articles to magazines?
● To sell more copies of your book?
● To interact with your readership?
● To educate and inform readers or editors?
● To become more involved in the writing community?

Not sure where to start? Contact me today, and start reaping the rewards of online visibility: 514. 998. 8200 

But do you know your business well enough to develop your marketing materials?

I get lots of calls from clients with great business ideas but who sometimes aren’t sure of what they want. If you’re not well-prepared, you may find yourself spending money on a project that hasn’t been fully flushed out and you could lose money, energy and clients.

This is where a copywriter comes in.Together, we find the answers to the most important questions about your marketing communications project:

These five simple questionsare critical to your partnership with a copywriter and to the success of your project.

Getting clear on the scope of your project is the most important step. Do you already have your creative brief or do you need your copywriter to help you formulate your strategy?

● To get the best possible results from a copywriter, you should know what you’re trying to achieve. Are you looking for more visibility? More sales? Do you want to establish credibility or showcase a particular product?

● Make sure you differentiate between your objectives, which are operational and measurable, and your goals, which are larger statements about what you’d like to accomplish.

● How will you measure the success of your project. Will it be through increased user satisfaction, acceptance by a Board, increased sales?

Figuring out the specifics of what you want to do is the heart of the project. Once we know where we need to get to, we can start creating an appropriate strategy to get those results.

So you have your marketing materials ready to go, but do you know who will be reading them?

Your target audience will determine your content, style and marketing approaches, so it’s important to hit the nail on the head. You could even discover an audience that you hadn’t thought of yet.

● Think about what typically appeals to your target audience. Put yourself in their shoes. What are their expectations? What motivates them? What objections could they have, and how can we overcome this? Answer questions they haven’t yet thought of asking.

● Getting a copywriter to help you refine your audience is a great step in the right direction. Copywriters are excellent researchers. We have access to tools and tips to help you adapt and target your message to the right audience.

Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is vital to a business. How does your company differentiate itself from competitors? What can you offer that they don’t?

● If you haven’t already articulated your USP, now is a great time to get started. Your USP is one of the most important aspects of your business – and your marketing material!

● Think about whether or not your target market recognizes how you’re different. If they don’t, you need to have a strong message and more convincing marketing material.

● How you’d like to be perceived by your target market? What kind of emotional response do you want your customers to have when they experience your brand?

● List adjectives that you’d like people to associate to your business (like prestigious, friendly, corporate, trustworthy, fun, forward-thinking, innovative, crisp, colourful, traditional, etc.). What kind of style and tone of voice should be used in your materials (formal, friendly, knowledgeable, cute, entertaining, quirky, snappy to-the-point, etc)?

A professional copywriter can help you effectively communicate your USP and integrate it into your messaging and marketing material.



This can be an easy question to ask but the answers can be complicated.

Most people want things done yesterday. It’s normal when we have a great idea to want to move on it right away. And so it should be. But first, we need to make sure we have the right strategy in place.

We often have to deliver quickly if we want our businesses to be successful. How much time will you need? Well, that depends a lot on the project.

● When we have short deadlines ahead, I always implement best practices (the tried and tested!), choose an approach that corresponds to the amount of time we have, and look at the big picture.

● This helps us break the project down into bite-sized pieces – to split it into separate mini-projects – that we can deliver one-by-one, launching the most important ones first.

● A true professional will help you manage your project and plan the stages appropriately given the time, resources, financials and tools available.

● If you have a fixed deadline (a PR launch, a tradeshow, an annual report, etc), plan to meet it earlier and work backwards. Don’t plan a timescale that is overly ambitious. Anticipate the possibility that it may not all go as planned.

● Give yourself (and your copywriter) the time that’s needed to get a solid marketing strategy in place at the start and deliver a quality product at the end.

This can be the trickiest question for many clients.

Do you have a specific budget range already established for your marketing materials?

If not, you may start by checking out typical copywriting rates and doing some research on the internet. Or you could simply call me to discuss your project and get an idea of the costs involved, and we’ll go from there.

If you don’t have a huge budget, start small. Divide your project into smaller phases that can be launched one-by-one.

● A professional copywriter brings years of experience to your project, resulting in higher quality products and increased sales and visibility.

● Hiring a professional copywriter will cut costs and free you to focus on the big picture – your business as a whole!
A copywriter can also bring a very specific marketing perspective to your business.

● Sure, you may know your business well, but do you know how to bring out your best assets? It’s a copywriter’s business to connect with people and develop persuasive materials, no matter what the product. We help you keep up with the latest trends and shifts in consumer demand.

● Remember that the investment you make in a professional writer will be paid for many times over through the leads and sales you’ll generate with the marketing materials they develop.

The cost of your project will depend on its scope and complexity, but ultimately, what’s important to remember is that you truly do get what you pay for.


For more advice on your marketing materials or professional copywriting, contact me today. It’ll be my pleasure to work with you on developing your marketing materials.

McGill University Career Panel

I’ll be participating in McGill University’s career panel for English Literature graduates this Monday, April 26th at 5 p.m. The panel will be held at Thomson House (3650 McTavish) on McGill’s downtown campus.

I’ll be speaking about my experience transitioning away from the traditional academic route, job searching and networking tools. I’m looking forward to meeting the students and sharing experiences.

Official Bio

Carole Zabbal is a communications professional and the founder of SilvertreeMedia.ca, a web and graphic design company that complements her copywriting services. With nearly 10 years of professional writing and communications experience, she works with individuals, small businesses and non-profit organizations on a versatile array of projects.

Her writing has been featured in lifestyle and fashion magazines, academic journals, corporate communications, fiction anthologies, environmental newsletters, nature magazines, newspapers and international news services.

She previously worked as the deputy editor of a national wildlife magazine, an e-learning editor at Thomson NetG, and a teacher of English as a second language.

Carole holds an M.Phil (Middle English Literature) from University of Oxford, a B.A. (English Literature) from McGill University and a diploma (Graphic Design) from Concordia University.

Websites : www.carolezabbal.com, www.silvertreemedia.ca

The copy for this website needed to exude luxury, intimacy and elegance. Narcisse has an intimate and inviting atmosphere with a distinctive French flair, and the web copy needed to reflect this in a very succinct way.

Templeton Properties: Web copy for newly redesigned website

This well-crafted, web-friendly text captures the attention and adds a very creative, personal touch to the site. The text is infused with a touch of luxury, elegance and sophistication… just like the client’s rental properties. The About Us section described the ‘lineage’ of this family-owned business, in keeping with the theme of this site.

ACVIM Forum: Web copy for annual conference

ACVIM Forum required sharp, engaging content that is perfectly aligned with their marketing strategy. The friendly, dynamic tone is engaging and includes strong headlines and a very noticeable call to action on each page.

Beyond Vacations Eco Travel Site

Beyond Vacations targets the eco-conscious traveller. The website copy was specifically designed and directed at this demographic, emphasizing the company’s eco-tours, innovative engagement in the community and charitable status.

Mon Village Restaurant

Mon Village has interesting roots and is located in a stunningly beautiful area of Montreal. The copywriting for the website needed to paint a picture of its rustic décor and inviting atmosphere. A bit more descriptive than typical web copy, this technique worked well for the target clientele and highlights the unique charm of the restaurant.

CTC is the largest court technology conference in the world. The campaign, and these emails in particular, needed to highlight the valuable role court technology can play for learning, training and networking and showcase the ways the latest advances in court technology can help improve court operations and better serve the public.

ACVIM Forum, Attendance Marketing

Recruiting ambassadors for an event or company can be a tough business. I provided copy for Attendance Marketing’s e-marketing campaigns to find and recruit knowledgeable content leaders to spread the word about the ACVIM Forum through social media, blogs, online networking sites and more.

Concordia’s launch of InConcordia

I created copy for an e-newsletter to introduce Concordia’s ‘inConcordia’ online community for alumni. The email introduced this service and encouraged alumni to connect with members in their city, share experiences and stay engaged with the Concordia community.

To encourage exhibitor attendance at a major national conference, this direct email to potential exhibitors clearly demonstrated the importance of exhibiting at the one event that gathers the entire industry. The email campaign was successful in increasing exhibitor registration at booths and improving the visibility for the event.

More about the client:
Attendance Marketing is an affiliate of AMP Associated Marketing Partners Inc., a full service, paid-on-performance, marketing agency that supports the efforts of associations and not‐for‐profit organizations in the United States, Canada and internationally.

ACVIM Forum campaign

Using Attendance Marketing’s strategy for their client, I created a series of emails for attendees to the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Forum in the US. The conference was held in San Antonio, Texas, and the email used the theme of Discovery and the Wild West to drive the recipients to take action and register.

The client received very positive reviews from a brochure that was both informative and inspiring. The text was also used on their website.

Simply You: Photography Brochure

Photographer Kharim Hogan wanted to promote her new photographic service, Simply You, to current and potential clients. I created the copy for the brochure in an informal, friendly tone that clearly outlined the benefits of these individualized photography sessions.

Groupe Antonopoulos Hotels and Restaurants

I worked on a series of promotional items for web and print for the Antonopoulos Group, which owns exclusive venues such as Hotel Place d’Armes, Hotel Nelligan, Auberge du Vieux-Port, Narcisse Bar & Bistro, Suite 701 and more.

Concordia CUAA Alumni Brochure

This informational brochure targets graduating students and alumni of the university and lets them know about all the perks and advantages of belonging to an alumni society. The copy style was very user-friendly, easily browsed and in a very conversational tone.

National Circus School Fundraising Campaign

The National Circus School is a very special place that promotes academic success and artistic excellence. I wrote solicitation letters and brochure/web copy for the annual campaign for the internal community.

Hermes Tours: “Cross Boundaries”

As a gay and Lesbian tour operator, Hermes Tours needed a slogan that clearly spoke to their target market and presented a clear advantage in the travel industry for their clients. I created a slogan and headline that captures both these needs.

Austrian Vacations: “You have vacation dreams. We have dream vacations.”
Austrian Vacation’s slogan does their luxury tours justice and immediately identifies their target market and USP.

A strong headline or lead is essential, as is brevity, to getting solid results from an ad.

TriStar Printing: Ad concept
Eye-catching ad with a touch of humour that is flexible, reusable, and meaningful. The headline,”Our First Impression is Brilliant” captures their unique selling proposition (high quality, even with first proof) but also refers back to connotations of the TriStar logo, a diamond. I delivered the copy and creative concept for the ad (design by Black Ink).

Concordia’s Alumni Travel Programme

I created this ad concept as a series for Concordia University’s travel programme for alumni. The ad series are very direct with a fun, informal feel to suit the audience. The goal was to directly impact a specific demographic by presenting in-your-face travel destinations where the viewer could easily picture themselves in.

Convene Green Alliance: “At your next meeting, take a big step – leave a small footprint. The Convene Green Alliance can show you how.”
This ad appeared in several trade magazines and urged its audience to join the organization by making a big change and go green for their next conference or event. I delivered the copy and creative concept for the ad (design by Attendance Marketing).

Concordia University Planned Giving

Planned Giving is an important element of fundraising. It focuses on specific gift types that can be funded with cash, equity, or property and has an older demographic as target market. These ads worked with the idea that everyone needs a helping hand in their youth to get established and later be in a position to give back to the community.

ACVIM – Heroes in Medicine

ACVIM is a veterinary internal medicine association that promotes and fosters scientific and professional activities to improve the lives of animals and humans. They launched through Attendance Marketing a campaign called ‘Heroes in Medicine’ to highlight the remarkable work being done by their members throughout the country. I wrote the copy for the first ad that introduced the campaign, which is still ongoing.

Mentor Programme – Flyer

The Alumni Department of Concordia University needed copy for their promotional flyer as part of a campaign to recruit new mentors and mentees for their Student Mentorship Programme. The University Marketing Department created the design based on the concept and copy I suggested.

I created the copy and design of a visually engaging and informative press release that directly highlighted the benefits and advantages of participating in the workshop. I also emphasized that this was a the unique opportunity of hearing Miriam MacGillis, an international speaker and founder of the learning center of Earth Studies Genesis Farm.
The press release was transmitted by email, direct mail, and print postings to members and the general public.

Press release: Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce

This press release was created for the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce’s annual fundraising evening to develop healthy communities in Montreal and South Asian for the South Asian Women’s Community Centre (SAWCC) and the Montreal Children’s Hospital. The main act was comedian Sugar Sammy, who was lending his humour and talent to the Gala evening.

Press release: Vision Montreal

I was hired on contract by the communications team of Vision Montreal during the municipal elections to help them craft their press releases, web content and brochure text. I edited, revised and wrote content for their official party site and candidates, along with the Head of Communications who provided the strategic direction for the pieces.

Press release: ForestLeadership

This press release was part of a series of media releases to announce the inaugural ForestLeadership Conference, a new initiative in the field of sustainable forestry certification. The press releases featured this client’s high-profile event and unique niche market, ensuring a successful turnout for the conference.

Press release: Kaba Lodging Systems

Kaba’s clients include many of Montreal’s top-destination hotels. This press release was crafted to promote their visibility for a new product that was installed in one of their clients’ downtown hotels and demonstrate the usability of their high-quality and reliable products.

Press release: Concordia University

Working with Concordia’s Advancement and Alumni Relations Department, I had to create a number of press releases and backgrounders for various events and donations. These press releases were reviewed and transmitted by the University’s Media Relations.

Always a lover of the arts, I was able to write and sell an article to In Magazine on the origins of Cirque Nouveau in Montreal. This article traced the early medieval roots of the troubadours to the modern-age circus troupes like Cirque du Soleil and the training of the next generation at TOHU and the National Circus School.

Journalism: Reuters: news coverage

I covered a number of special events and news stories for Reuters in Montreal that were distributed throughout their international network.

This type of reporting requires extensive background research, confidence, interviewing skills and particular attention to deadlines, as some of these stories had significant impact on stock markets and investments.

Journalism: Chomedey News – Laval news

For nearly two years, I worked as a freelance journalist for Chomedey News – Laval News, one of the only remaining independent community newspapers in Quebec. In addition to interviewing key political figures, I research and reported on issues that directly influenced and affected everyday people in the Laval and Montreal areas.

Feature writing: Master Woodcrafstmen of Time and Space

This article was an in-depth feature on Louis Laprise, a now-famous Montreal furniture designer with unique style, and André Landry, an artist who creates stunning and unique clocks made entirely out of solid wood, with powerful aesthetics and delicate details. With vastly different and inimitable styles, they are two exceptional Quebecois artisans: a breed unto themselves, working raw materials into objects of beauty and transforming the way we interact with our space and the way we view time.

Feature writing: Peter Morentzos
This article for In Magazine focused on the creator of over 50 restaurants in and near the Montreal area, Peter Morentzos, and his unique concepts for his restaurants. While his style has evolved, the central theme has remained; there’s a distinctive style that you can spot a mile away: this article described how he brings his initial idea to the final product, giving its name, designing the concept, choosing the cuisine and creating the presentation.

Forest Certification Watch

I wrote a series of news articles for web and print for Forest Certification Watch, an initiative that focused on sustainable forestry news. These articles required interviews with featured CEOs and market movers, extensive background research and analytical news reporting.

Feature articles: Lifestyle

My freelance feature articles have appeared in local and national magazines. I write on lifestyle, environment, and business features.