Amanda Zantal-Wiener says, “Even after years of education, there are some things that some people still mess up. For me, it’s algebra. For others, it’s the laws of physics. And for many, it’s grammar. It’s not easy. Words and phrases that sound fine in your head can look like gibberish when written down — that is, if you even realize you made a mistake in the first place. It’s easy for little grammar mistakes to slip by, especially when you’re self-editing. But how do you prevent grammatical errors if you’re not even aware you’re making... [...]

Kyle Fiehler says, “Engineers and other technical experts take to the web to educate themselves on their options now more than ever before. When sifting through online content, engineers and other experts in their fields want facts, not a hard sell. They’re conducting serious research. In fact, according to a study by CEB in partnership with Google, 57 percent of the B2B purchasing process has been completed by the time someone contacts a salesperson. So, as content marketers, we need to give them the information they need to make smart purchasing decisions. But engineers have already... [...]

Craig Simpson says, “Whether you’re doing the writing yourself or you’ve decided to hire a writer, see if you can glean some valuable insights from the following list of 17 methods. 1. Use present tense, second person. When we read any kind of promotional copy, our favorite word is “you.” When we see “you,” it means the writer is talking directly to us. It encourages us to picture ourselves with the product. There may be times when it’s appropriate to use the third person — for example when talking about “those people” who don’t have the finer taste or understanding... [...]

Sean D’Souza says, “That is global health and data expert Hans Rosling’s opening line of a 2010 TED Talk, as he stands on stage with a bundle of laundry and a washing machine. Rosling does what the best presenters in the world excel at; in a matter of seconds, they get and keep your attention. When you write content, your job is similar to someone standing on stage. Your readers are distracted and you have mere seconds to get their attention. To grab and keep your audience’s attention, it’s best to use at least one attention-grabbing method that yanks your readers into your articles... [...]

Beth Hayden says, “When you’re writing sales copy for your business, showing a little personality is a good thing. It’s also a good idea to use natural language whenever possible, so people know you’re a real person who is genuinely interested in helping your prospects and customers. I write conversationally when I write copy, and so do a lot of other folks I trust and admire. However, there are limits to how far you should take that advice”. How to Ruthlessly Cut Worthless Words from Your Sales Copy Copyblogger  [...]

Kelton Reid says, “Before kicking off the next season of the show, we wanted to share with you some highlights from our previous seasons. I don’t want to shortchange the most recent interviews with inspiring guests including Jay McInerney (’80s defining author of Bright Lights, Big City), Stephanie Danler (the bestselling author of Sweetbitter), the co-founder of Wired magazineKevin Kelly, or How Neuroscientist Michael Grybko Defined Writer’s Block for us. But I do want to dig into the archives with you and pull out a few of my favorites from a handful of the other 40 authors The Writer... [...]

Puranjay Singh says, “Almost every company has a Facebook page these days. Most of them also have a good number of fans but a lot of them struggle in engaging their fans with their Facebook posts. If you have 100,000-page likes and on average your posts are getting one to 10 likes, something is clearly wrong. Your posts are not capturing user’s attention. In this post, we will have a look at what kind of copywriting tricks successful brands use to get millions of fans and great engagement rate. 1. Short and Catchy Writing Remember Apple’s “Think Different” tagline? Or perhaps Subway’s... [...]

Pamela Wilson says, “You’ve heard the whispers, haven’t you? “The internet has too much content already. You can’t get anyone’s attention with content marketing anymore.” I beg to differ. Sure, the internet is a vast sea of content. And the water level rises every day. But so does the discernment level of the average content consumer (read: all of us). We’re not satisfied with slapdash information anymore. We won’t waste our time reading if your page looks uninviting. You won’t get our clicks if your headline promises nothing in exchange. We’re not satisfied with junk... [...]

Henneke says, “With a deep sigh, Helen Fields switches on her PC. Another Monday. Another article to write about leadership. Hasn’t everything been written already? Helen checks her Twitter stream and answers a few emails. She doesn’t feel like writing. Not yet. She googles the word “leadership.” 756 million articles. Ouch. But still … Helen knows she can help, encourage, and inspire her readers. While sipping her green tea, she leafs through her notebook with article ideas. Nothing feels right. Everything feels bland. She doesn’t want to write a humdrum article. She doesn’t... [...]

Sean D’souza says, “Most of us ask for testimonials. And if we follow up and pester our customers enough, we receive testimonials. There’s only one problem. These testimonials have no power. Testimonials are stories. And stories potentially have power and grace, flow and rhythm. Look around you and you’ll see none of that in most testimonials. Limp testimonials are a fact of life because clients don’t always know how to give testimonials and we often don’t have a clue about how to ask for testimonials. We’re going to fix that today by examining six key questions you can use... [...]