Henneke says, “In this overcrowded online world, do you ever wonder why people would listen to your advice? I used to feel the same way. I didn’t understand why people would read my writing tips when the web is awash with writing advice from people more experienced, more knowledgeable, and more authoritative than me. Why would anyone listen to me? I’ve learned that mindset was flawed. When I learned how to write well, a new world opened up. I connected with people across the world. I built a thriving blog. People started listening to my advice — and more importantly, they acted on it”. How... [...]

Lane Shefter Bishop says, “Business proposals can be frustrating. The people sifting through numerous campaigns and pitches have usually seen 100 just like yours before their morning coffee. So how can you grab their attention? Will your work stand out in a painfully crowded marketplace? As a book-to-screen producer, I’ve learned that whether for film, marketing or real estate, the answer is surprisingly simple: Carefully craft a powerful logline as your opening sentence. Notice I wrote simple — not easy. Most people have heard of a one-liner, or even an elevator pitch, but three... [...]

Brian Clark says, “One of the most repeated rules of writing compelling copy is to stress benefits, not features. In other words, identify the underlying benefit that each feature of a product or service provides to the prospect, because that’s what will prompt the purchase. This is one rule that always applies, except when it doesn’t. We’ll look at the exceptions in a bit. Fake benefits The idea of highlighting benefits over features seems simple. But it’s often tough to do in practice. Writers often end up with fake benefits instead”. Does Your Copy Pass the ‘Forehead Slap’... [...]

Sami Rusani says, “Selling is an essential skill I believe every entrepreneur should possess. You could have the best product or service in the world, but if you don’t know how to sell it, no one will buy it. Most people learn how to sell person-to-person, which is a must, but few learn the art of copywriting; salesmanship in print. Have you ever been enticed to click on one of the “recommended links,” below an article you just read? Have you ever bought a course, a product or a service online, because the words felt like they described every problem have experience and a solution you... [...]

David Ly Khim says, “Any good salesperson knows that the key to email is personalization. Don’t send generic emails to huge email lists — it’s a waste of your time and won’t get you any results. Heather Morgan, the founder of sales copywriting agency SalesFolk, knows this fact all too well. Morgan has written and optimized over 10,000 cold emails for over 200 companies over the last decade. She’s taken email response rates from 3% to 31% — a 10X increase — and helped sign hundreds of new customers by personalizing email templates for her clients, who include Lyft,... [...]

Lindsay Kolowich says, “You all know the Old Spice guy, right? The years-old “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” campaign was memorable for many reasons, but one of them was that it gave Old Spice a voice — voice that came through in every video, commercial, tagline, Facebook update, tweet … you name it. And do you know who is behind all of that marketing collateral? Copywriters. The ability to find the exact right words to tell your company’s story isn’t an easy feat, and it’s even harder to do so consistently. New Call-to-action So when we come... [...]

Kelly Exeter says, “Halfway through the writing course, our instructor — not known for being one to sugar-coat — threw out a challenge: “Send me a favorite piece of your writing and I’ll critique it; I’ll tell you whether or not it’s any good. The only catch is, I’ll be critiquing it in front of the entire class.” A surprising number of us (bristling with hope and hubris I suppose) took up the offer. The ensuing session was, to date, the most illuminating experience I’ve had as a writer. The key message we all took away? Not that we needed to self-edit more tightly or have... [...]

Kerry O’Shea Gorgone says, “As an attorney, I regularly get asked legal questions by my friends. Of particular concern among marketers and PR professionals are copyright and fair use, because those concepts apply to content marketing strategy. I get asked some variation of the same 10 questions on a regular basis, so I’m going to answer them here. 1. Can I use someone else’s content (text, image, video, music) on my website if I give them credit? Not unless they’ve given you written permission to use their material, OR you’re willing to spend the money to present... [...]

Eddie Shleyner says, “In Chicago, there’s a famous restaurant called Alinea. It’s one of only a handful of restaurants in America that have earned the coveted 3-star Michelin rating, making it one of the best restaurants in the world. But if you ask people who’ve dined there what makes it unique, most will tell you that, somehow, it’s not just the food. Alinea is an experience. The food, artistic and delicious as it is, wouldn’t garner its full effect if each course (there are about 20 in all) didn’t arrive just in time, perfectly ordered, with each dish complementing the one... [...]

Beth Hayden says, “I have fallen in love with a travel website. It’s called CheeseWeb, and it’s a blog dedicated to “slow travel.” Slow travel is staying in one place for longer periods of time while you’re on the road and having full experiences in each place you stay. When I stumbled upon it, the incredible photos and gorgeous design of the site made my mouth water. As an armchair traveler, it has now become one of my favorite travel sites. One of the reasons why the site appealed to me during my first visit was CheeseWeb’s amazing “Start Here” page. The page told me: –... [...]