No luck with hiring a new copywriter

Unfortunately I've not managed to hire the person I was looking for in the recent recruitment frenzy. The person I really wanted has decided to go on a five month world tour instead of plunging straight back into the world of work.

Many of the other applicants were good, but not quite in the same league as this person. And I'm simply not willing to compromise on what will be the most important hiring decision I ever make.

So here are my options:

1. Carry on as before - as a one-person company (I'd rather not... it's too busy)
2. Change the shape of the business (I'd refocus on a particular sector or service)
3. Hire a graduate (with all the ensuing investment in training)
4. Hire someone really experienced (probably through a recruitment consultancy)
5. Bring a partner into the business (obviously a very experienced copywriter)

If you're an experienced copywriter working in an agency - or a freelancer who feels a bit lonely - drop me a line at work@blackad.co.uk

You never know, it could be the most important email you ever send.

To optimise, or not to optimise?

I'm just finishing off some web copy for a luxury gift retailer. The problem is with the optimisation: generic terms (like, er, 'luxury gifts) aren't going to give us much success against the competition. Instead, I'm focusing on the individual items, some of which are made by very well-known names.

The idea is simple: rather than an unsophisticated blanket approach, this is optimisation as it should be - targeted. However, we're still going to have a crack at using some of those generic term (as well as optimising for the site name). When the site goes live in August, I'll let you know how well it worked.