Guaranteed quality in English copy?

Whatever your needs – advertising copy, webtexts, blogs, social media texts, press releases, technical writing, editing or proofreading – I can meet them.

After studying History and Economics at Oxford University, I moved to Germany in the 1970s and now have more than 35 years of experience as a copywriter and trade journalist writing English-language copy, webtexts, press releases, trade magazine articles, blogs and social media texts as well as proofreading and editing English texts and holding “How to write better English” workshops.

My clients come from a wide range of industries, such as agro-chemicals, financial services, lighting & LED technology, mechanical engineering & machine tools, medical technology, microelectronics, oil & gas, plastics, polymers & coatings, ports & harbours, printing & office systems, renewables, shipping, sustainability reporting/non-financial reports, tourism and transport.

Click on “References” to find out more about my clients.

Cross-cultural communication

If you’re looking for a more effective and economical way of producing English advertising copy from a German-speaking country, you’ve reached the right site. As an English copywriter with over 35 years of job experience in Germany, Andrew Craston knows how to avoid the pitfalls of cross-cultural communication and remove the “cultural filter” from advertising copy.

Effective English copy

Language is a means of communicating content or a specific message. But if the content is inappropriate or the message wrong, even the best-written copy will be ineffective. Experience shows that cross-cultural communication frequently lacks a suitable, internationally oriented concept. Which is why Andrew Craston offers customised copy & concept packages. Are you sure your content is coming across? If not, just get in touch.

Webtexts, blogs, social media

Besides “traditional” advertising channels such as print ads and brochures advertising today is increasingly focused on websites, blog and social media. Here, too, I can point to years of experience in writing target group-oriented copy. Whatever your needs – webtexts, blog, LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter texts – this kind of copy can only be effective if it follows the KISS principle: “Keep It Short & Simple”. That is my forte.

Clear content

Since English press releases are often targeted at non-native speakers, the content has to be communicated in a clear and readily understandable manner. This is particularly true of press releases for technically complex products or services. Clarity in language, content and structure is a prerequisite for successful PR work. Another is that a text reads well.

Good writing

Today’s information overkill means that press releases will be binned if they don’t make an instant impact. The art of good writing is to communicate technically complex subject matter in such a way that the reader not only understands but also enjoys what he is reading. I can call on skills that have been finely honed in many years of writing press releases for international companies from a wide range of industries.

When will your corporate communications start profiting from my expertise and experience?

Sound research and bright ideas

Articles for the trade press and customer or in-house magazines, case studies and corporate publications: if you appreciate carefully researched content and clarity in technical writing, you’ve arrived at the right address. After all, the secret of successful writing is not just in-depth research, but also the bright idea that instantly arouses the reader’s attention.

Several international companies have also entrusted me with overall editorial responsibility for customer magazines published in up to six European languages. And if you require an article on a German firm or any aspect of German life for an English-language publication, my in-depth knowledge of the country will prove invaluable.

When will your publications start benefiting from my expertise and experience?

Ready-for-press texts

Mistakes, bad style or literal translations mean much of what is translated from German into English is anything but ready-for-press. I specialise in knocking poor translations into shape or editing English texts ready for printing or publication.

Editing that pays

If I rework an English translation, you can be sure the text will make an impact. That way, you profit from his many years of experience and discover the dividends that professional editing brings dividends.

When will you have your English texts knocked into shape?

Playing it safe

Poor English translations, careless mistakes, webtexts full of errors: who proofreads your English texts? The money you spend on professional proofreading is a sensible investment because mistakes cost you money and are bad for your company’s image.

Proofreading, as the name says, means carefully checking the final proof. Since that usually involves tight deadlines, you need a proofreader who works with great care and at high speed. I can not only point to language skills fine-tuned in teaching school, college and university English, but will also readily admit to being a perfectionist – beneficial qualities in a proofreader.

When will you start playing it safe?

How to write better English

Spoken English: excellent. Written English: well, could be better. In many German-speaking companies there is a considerable gap between the high standard of spoken English and the frequent mistakes in written English. Unfortunately, whereas a spoken word is quickly forgotten, a written document – emails, quotes, cost estimates and the like – has a much, much longer working life. The aim of my “How to write better English” workshops is to identify and eliminate the deficits in the attendees’ written English. The outcome is a significant improvement in the overall standard. Based on decades of experience of the typical mistakes made in written English by German natives, I offer extremely practice-oriented, interactive workshops – either at your premises or online. You will be surprised and delighted how fast your written English improves! Just get in touch for more details.

In our virtual world clients, copywriters, journalists and indeed all those involved in the communication business are often hundreds of miles apart. Maybe you’d like to see what my main home office looks like in one of Schleswig-Holstein’s prettiest villages – or my other home office in the Andalusian town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda …