When I talk to people about my work, they often ask how I know what to write when dealing with industries, companies, products, and services I initially know very little about. My response is, “I ask a lot of questions.” The follow-up response is typically, “Yes, but how do you know what questions to ask?”…
Tag Archive: promotional writing
Why I Never Rush a Writing Job (and Neither Should You)
It’s inevitable: If you create content, either as a freelancer or within a company, somewhere along the way, someone is going to come to you with a writing job that needs to be done YESTERDAY!!!!! (My formatting here is intended to indicate the sense of panic with which you will no doubt be approached with…
Features and Benefits 101
In promotional writing, it is important to inform readers what’s great about your products and services, but you also need to let them know how those characteristics will make their lives better. The things that are great about your products and services are generally referred to as features, while how they will make customers’ lives…
Mastering the Art of the Article
You’ve seen them in newspapers, you’ve read them in magazines. They appear on many websites, and sometimes blog posts are even mistaken for them. They are the foundation of trade publications. What am I talking about? Articles! The article is a flexible and effective form that can be used in many ways for business and…
For Better Promotional Writing, Start With a Strong Core Message
Even among really smart people with great businesses, I often hear the lament, “I don’t know how to talk about what I do.” Sometimes you can be so close to your products and services that it’s hard to communicate about them in an understandable way. The solution, and the key to promoting your business clearly…
Effective Research for Business Writing
The advice often given to writers is, “Write what you know.” In business writing, “what you know” may be in the form of personal experience, observation, or good, solid research. To perform the most effective research for business writing, your goal should be to learn enough to feel comfortable explaining the topic to someone else…which…
Tips for Writing a Nonfiction Book
So, you’ve decided to take your writing to the next level with a book. Good for you. A published book can serve as a promotional tool, and advance sales (as well as your perceived expertise). But, writing a book is a big task. Be sure to plan ahead and give some thought to these important…
Writing an E-book to Showcase Your Expertise
E-books can add value to your business in several ways: By establishing your expertise, by drawing viewers to your website, by attracting links to and buzz about your site, and by generating revenue. For best results, your e-book should provide useful, actionable content, and establish trust between you and the reader. Here are some tips…
Ethical Writing – What You Need to Know
Whether or not you believe “the pen is mightier than the sword,” the fact is that words do have power. When you write, you are not only using words to convey a message; you are also implicitly saying, “I can be trusted.” But, that trust can quickly be diminished if your readers discover you are…
Business Writing: When NOT to DIY
Do It Yourself (DIY) is a great strategy for getting things done without spending a lot of money, but sometimes success with a writing project means knowing you need to delegate it to someone else. Not sure if you should DIY for a business writing project? Don’t DIY if…. You can’t afford to spend hours…