If you read an article, get ideas, rephrase a few lines and use them to write your own, do you consider it your original work? How about if you "borrow" a few exact phrases and include it in your final piece, is it safe to claim it as your own?

I recently learned about the term "accidental plagiarism". This made me stop and think about all the pieces I've written over a year and a half of work as a copywriter. Whenever I was given a topic to write about which I'm not very familiar with, I'd usually read articles about it first, list down ideas that appeal to me and start my own draft. If I've used some terms or phrases of the author (for the sole reason that he or she phrased it best and I don't think I can say it any better) am I guilty of plagiarism?

First of all, let's take a look at the definition of plagiarism as defined in Plagiarism.Org:

1. to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own
2. to use (another's production) without crediting the source
3. to commit literary theft
4. to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.

Plagiarism, as we all know, is a serious offense as it violates intellectual property laws. Of course the safest way not to be accused of being a plagiarizer is to quote or cite the author or source. However, Plagiarism.Org states that "Changing the words of an original source is not sufficient to prevent plagiarism. If you have retained the essential idea of an original source, and have not cited it, then no matter how drastically you may have altered its context or presentation, you have still plagiarized."

Any thoughts?

Heard of Copyscape ?

The brains behind it help you find sites that have copied your content, provide information on plagiarism and help you enjoy your right to your original content by offering a selection of "do not copy" banners that you can post on your site. This should warn content stealers to get their hands (or mouses) off your work.

For maximum protection against being plagiarized, check out Copyscape Premium and Copysentry.

If you have questions or concerns about plagiarism or if you have been a victim, you can join the discussion in the Copyscape Forum.

Nowadays, it's not safe anymore to assume that what you see or read is original. Get out there and use Copyscape to find out who's copied from you or someone you know. You'll be amazed at the results.

One of the marketing materials that has been most effective in generating leads is the email copy. Whether you're selling a product or a service, soliciting for charity or simply want to share valuable information, a well-written email copy gets you positive results.

So, how do you write effective email copies? How do you capture your reader's attention and move them to respond?

Let's take a look at the anatomy of an email copy for soliciting business. The challenge is to send out emails to total strangers and the goal is to get inquiries that would eventually lead to a closed sale.

THE SUBJECT LINE

This is the single, most important phrase or sentence in your email. Whether your email gets opened or not depends on how relevant your subject line is. A few things to remember:

Keep it short but focused. It should give them an idea of your offer, but you should leave room for them to want to find out more. Decide on a style for your subject lines. Where I work, the rule is simple: direct and concise. We usually put the company name and the service or product offered. Remember that the subject line is your bait, so don't pack it in with too many words.

EXAMPLES:

Appointment Setting Services from ABC Company
ABC Company: Brochure Design Services
ABC Company: Qualified leads for your Cleaning Business
Add an Events Calendar to your website
Marketing Materials that sell

THE BODY OF THE EMAIL

Address your readers by their names. You don't want your email to look and sound like you sent it randomly to a bunch of people (although you did) so it's best to keep it personalized. There are email programs that combine a database and an email message to create customized email messages. This helps keep your tone warm, modest, conversational yet professional at the same time.

EXAMPLE 1:

Hi Miranda,

I recently learned about ABC Company and would like to know if you utilize email marketing to promote your business. Our partner, XYZ Company, can mail out for you and track the results of your campaign. Emailing services include list optimization, mailing and reporting, as well as layout and design of email templates.

If you're interested, please let me know when I can give you a call.

Regards,
[email signature]

EXAMPLE 2:

Hi Miranda,

I'd like to know if ABC Company can use some help with cold calling prospects and setting appointments for your salespeople. We perform such services and if you're available this week, I'd like to give you a call to discuss the possibility of working together. Let me know your preferred date and time.

For more information about our work with the Information Technology and Software industry, please visit http://www.abccomp.com. Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
[email signature]

Note that the tone of your email should suit your reader so always make an effort to understand your market, what appeals to them and the kind of messages they respond to.

Email copies can be tricky. You can send out test mails and see if it gets good responses. If not, you can always edit or change your style and content. Sometimes, all it takes to get better responses is to replace a word or phrase.

THE EMAIL SIGNATURE

Provide basic contact information. Ideally, your email signature should have your name, title or position, company name, phone number, email address and company website. If you don't want to put everything in, then decide whether you want to include only your phone number or your email address. Most importantly, make sure they work. Check that your inbox isn't full and that you answer emails or return calls promptly because surely, you would not want to miss opportunities. If your reader wants more information from you right away, you should be reachable.

EXAMPLE:

Miranda Squid
President
The Squid Company
Phone: 123.456.7890
Email: msquid@thesquidco.com
http://www.thesquidco.com

You may be skeptical about sending mails to people who probably have never heard about you or maybe you fear that your mail will just end up in the trash folder. However, with great content and the right list of people (we'll talk about the importance of the list in my next post) you will definitely get positive results. Even if a prospect politely declines your offer (due to time or budget constraints) they would usually keep you on file and you can follow up at a later time.

I love writing email copies.

It took me a while to learn how to write them effectively, (it was a trial and error process) but ever since I started getting very positive replies, I now look forward to creating them.

I write them not only because it is essentially a part of my job..I write them because I'd like to get more replies like this:

Wow! Hi,First I'd like to commend you on an approach that I would classify as one of the best I have ever seen. I despise overbearing hype and hard sales approaches. Yours is simple modest and concise. I was not looking for a marketing campaign until I read your email. Times are looking for a marketing campaign until I read your email. Times are hard right now and I don't know about taking on a new cost of advertising right now. I'd have to take a serious look at the costs before I could really decide whether it is for me or not. I'd be happy to talk with you about this and promise not to string you along.

This is the best reply I have received so far. It got me smiling from ear to ear that I even forgot about my lower back pain. I've written many email copies for different types of businesses and yes, a brief and sincere email copy DOES work. When you're targeting business to business, brevity and sincerity are best in a world where inboxes are full and email messages are all wanting the same thing: the reader's attention. Stand out with an interesting subject, short yet useful information in your copy , and watch those responses flood in.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a new email copy to write.