Document content formats: pros and cons
There are loads of document content formats out there. How do you decide which content format is right for you? Can’t we just do it all in Word? My clients are often unsure about which document format they should use for their content. It’s one of the first things I ask them to think about […]
Social media bad practice
Crappy behaviours to banish from social media. This is a mini rant about bad social media interactions with followers and connections.
How to increase web traffic
Top tips to get more eyeballs on your business website More website traffic often means more interest in your products and services. If you want to boost your business, increasing your website traffic should be one of your goals. But how? This post lists 7 reasons for this growth. See how they can help you […]
LinkedIn ad campaigns: an experiment
Have you ever advertised on LinkedIn? I hadn’t until recently. But I’m an avid user of LinkedIn and thought it was worth a try. This post includes my personal data and thoughts on the process of advertising on LinkedIn. Summary for busy people. In October 2017, I spent $340.22 on LinkedIn ads and got 68 […]
Top tips for event write-ups
Putting on an event takes a lot of effort. You have to book a venue, organise presentations, sell tickets – there are loads of things to think about. One thing a lot of organisers miss out on is investing some effort in writing about the event. This is a valuable activity, because it helps to […]
Writing a first draft: the why, what and how
You’ve decided to write something to promote your business. You’re at a keyboard and there’s a blank page in front of you. You don’t want to produce boring garbage but you just don’t know what to write. It’s an awful feeling and for many people it’s enough to stop them from continuing. But you’re not […]
Pen portraits: real examples
Do you have a pen portrait for your business? That’s a written summary of your ideal customer. I believe that creating one can help you stay on the right track when it comes to producing content for your business. This post contains some real examples of pen portraits, shared by members of my Espresso ☕ community. […]
Payment terms for technical writing
How do technical writers invoice for their work? Do you need to pay a deposit? Are Purchase Orders acceptable? If you’ve never hired a professional writer before, you’ll probably have these things in mind. They’re the same questions my customers have been asking me since the end of 2009, so I thought I’d set out […]
Accepting LinkedIn invitations
21 August 2021: This article is out of date. See How I handle LinkedIn invitations instead. Do you ignore or delete requests to connect on LinkedIn? What if the invitation hasn’t been personalised?
How do I improve my website?
Quick wins and slow burns to make your website look and perform better Is your website a bit tired and in need of a spruce up? I’m going to give you some straight advice on how to improve the performance of your website.
What is technical writing?
Technical writing ≠ technology writing Do you know what technical writing is? It’s not a term most people are familiar with. Summary for busy people – what is technical writing? Technical writing is content that explains how products, services and processes work. Complex source material goes in. Simple content comes out. In short, technical writers […]
What is the best blog image size in WordPress?
Here’s how to get the image sizing right on your website, along with some free tools and resources to help you find and use the right images.
10 business writing tips
Want to improve the quality of your business writing? You should. Good writing gives you the best chance of influencing and educating your customers. Do that and sales and loyalty will follow. This post contains some of the best tips I’ve picked up over the last 20 years of writing web content.
The 30-month mindset
This post is about taking a long-term approach to building a successful business, through the creation of regular content that’s relevant to your audience. Business blogging guide. This is the first part proper of my definitive business blogging guide. At the end of each step, there are previous and next options to help you move […]
How to get freelance work on LinkedIn
I use LinkedIn to find new clients for my technical copywriting business, and I believe the same process should work for any service provider.
4 words to avoid in instructions
When writing instructions, avoid these 4 words: Just Simply Basically Obviously Why? Because none of these words add any value to your instructions. All they do is to make readers feel inadequate.
Capital punishment
When your spellchecker lets you down If you run a spellcheck in Microsoft Word, there’s a good chance that words in ALL CAPS will be ignored, meaning that typos could creep into your writing. This is particularly common in titles and subheadings, so pay special attention to them.
CMA Live 2017 write-up
CMA Live is the Content Marketing Academy’s annual event in Edinburgh. Here’s what happened at #CMALive17 over a jam-packed couple of days in June:
Pen portraits: Tony
You might have heard of pen portraits (or customer avatars or buyer personas), but have you ever seen one? Take a look at my own pen portrait below. What are pen portraits? Pen portraits are written summaries of your ideal customer. They’re the bullseye on the dartboard – the person you most want to reach […]
How to name files
Terry (boss): “Did you submit the bid documents?” Barry (assistant): “Yes, all done.” Terry: “I can’t see the changes.” Barry: “Look in the FINAL 2 file.” Terry: “What? That wasn’t the newest version!” Barry: “Oh. Right. Oh dear. Sorry.” Terry: “…” Trust me, you don’t want to be on either side of that conversation.