Missed an issue? Catch up here | |
 | Focus on the findings in survey stories Don’t lead with study— or the methodology The results are in: The best survey results press releases and blog posts focus on the results, not on the survey itself. Jan. 21, 2021 |
 | Measure readability with STORYToolz Get 33 metrics about your clarity The right readability tool for the job: Input a chunk of copy, click “Check Readability,” and STORYtoolz will run 7 readability tests on your message. Jan. 15, 2021 |
 | 3 email newsletter formats that work Lists, headlines & blurbs, single stories most valuable Format for attention: Choose an email newsletter format that’s short and focused, and stick with it issue after issue. Jan. 07, 2021 |
 | Ring in the New Year with these approaches Want to write better? Start with these top 8 tips. Dec. 31, 2020 |
 | 8 of my favorite writing quotes Enjoy these on your holiday break Here are eight other favorite quotes about writing. I hope you enjoy them with your cocoa and kugel this holiday season. Dec. 24, 2020 |
 | How to structure an email invitation [Example!] Sensus goes to the science museum Midnight at the museum: Focus on what people will be able to do at your event, not on the event itself. Dec. 17, 2020 |
 | Why write relevant email blasts, newsletters? Irrelevant content No. 1 reason readers unsubscribe You’ve got mail: In the battle for attention in the inbox, only the most relevant, valuable email newsletters and promotions will survive. Dec. 10, 2020 |
 | How to write clever email subject lines 72% share email because it’s entertaining Try a little cleverness: Entertainment is the No. 1 reason people share email, according to Chadwick Martin Bailey. “To get a laugh” is No. 2. Dec. 03, 2020 |
 | How to write a case study [example] Zimmer Inc. uses the P-S-R format What’s the problem? Use this story template to make your next case study, testimonial or narrative more dramatic and powerful. Nov. 25, 2020 |
 | How to write copy that’s an inch wide, a mile deep Short and sweet: One way to write short content is to polish your message. Nov. 19, 2020 |
 | Recipients have too much to read, no time to read it Some 306.4 billion emails are sent and received each day. Nov. 12, 2020 |
 | Get opened, get read — and get home early — with these techniques As we plan our upcoming Master Classes, I’ve been creating a lot of new slides. Here’s a sneak peek at some of my favorites: Nov. 05, 2020 |
 | Reach three types of web visitors Get the word out to lookers, skimmers & readers Reach all of your web visitors, whether they’ve come to your web page for a bite, meal or snack. Oct. 29, 2020 |
 | Try snappy synthesis, stakeholder benefits and more Write web leads that lead readers into your message The opening paragraph of your web page should lead readers into your piece. Oct. 22, 2020 |
 | And where is the fold, anyway? Above the fold: People spend most of their time on the first screen of a web page — in a newspaper. So put your most important content where their eyes are. Oct. 15, 2020 |
 | Overcome the obstacles of reading on mobile Reach readers on the small screen: People spend half the time with your message on a smartphone than they do with a laptop or desktop. Oct. 08, 2020 |
 | Enough already with the ‘at XX, we …’ construction It’s not about you: Can we agree to drop the ‘At xx, we …’ construction? Oct. 01, 2020 |
 | Can your message cut through the clutter? Americans receive the data equivalent of 174 newspapers a day — ads included. Sept. 24, 2020 |
 | Catch Your Readers with benefit headlines 5 ways to draw people in Heads up on benefit headlines: To write a benefit head, seduce your readers by showing how your product, service or idea will make their life better. Sept. 17, 2020 |
 | (Yes, even your audience) Thumbs up: Even highly literate people read messages faster, understand them better and enjoy them more when they’re readable, according to this Nielsen Norman Group study. Sept. 10, 2020 |
 | 5 ways to avoid flabby middles Build a better body for your content Strengthen your core: Avoid ‘the muddle in the middle’ when you create a solid structure for the body of your feature article. Sept. 03, 2020 |
 | What’s the ideal press release length? Can you get your story across in 1 minute or less? Gone in 60 seconds: If your release is longer than 200 words, seven out of 10 journalists won’t finish it. Aug. 27, 2020 |
 | Write to and about your reader Are you trying to reach your reader by writing about us and our stuff? Aug. 20, 2020 |
 | Six press release leads to avoid How many of these have found their way into your releases? Lead the way: Write press release leads that engage readers, instead of these PR 101 approaches. Aug. 13, 2020 |
 | Avoid marketing fluff and ‘pouffle dust’ 5 reasons to cut the hype from your copy Minimize modifiers: They make journalists cry ‘hype’ & more. Aug. 06, 2020 |
 | How long should your PR headline be? Keep news release headlines short PR pros: Your head is too big: Want to influence editors and journalists? Why not model your headlines after theirs? July 30, 2020 |
 | Reporters hate PR quotes; here’s what to do about it Say it ain’t so: If it doesn’t sound conversational and substantive, don’t expect journalists to pick it up. July 23, 2020 |
 | Put the reader first in news releases Lead with the reader The reader is always the topic: The best way to write attention-grabbing news release leads? Write about the reader. July 16, 2020 |
 | Get words on paper — better, easier and faster Go for the flow with freewriting Creative explosion: Fill the page with better copy faster with freewriting. July 09, 2020 |
 | 4 quick steps to Writing Better, Easier & Faster It’s all about focus: Want to spend less time on your next writing project? Start by finding your focus. July 02, 2020 |
 | How to get the job done — even during the pandemic Write right: The right writing process can help you Write Better, Easier & Faster — even during the pandemic. June 25, 2020 |
 | Steal tips from this before-and-after Financial writer reimagines — YAWN! — annuities article Blow me away: How can you write like Marcie Kemper? June 18, 2020 |
 | And 5 more tips for writing right now When it comes to creativity, the further afield you seek inspiration, the bigger your ideas will be. June 11, 2020 |
 | And 6 more tips for writing right now Here are 7 more tips on writing during the pandemic — or any time. June 04, 2020 |
 | The award for best Covid-19 writing goes to … And 6 more tips for writing during the pandemic Here are 7 more tips on writing during the Covid-19 pandemic — or any crisis. May 29, 2020 |
 | And 6 more tips for writing during the pandemic Here are 7 more tips on writing during the Covid-19 pandemic — or any crisis. May 21, 2020 |
 | 7 more tips for writing during the pandemic Here are 7 more tips on writing during the Covid-19 pandemic — or any crisis. May 12, 2020 |
 | Report human-interest stories like The New York Times And 7 more tips for writing during the pandemic Here are 7 more tips on writing during the Covid-19 pandemic — or any other crisis. May 05, 2020 |
 | Are you power nesting? Pimping the office? 7 more tips for writing during the pandemic Here are 7 more tips on writing during the Covid-19 pandemic — or any other crisis. April 28, 2020 |
 | Don’t We-We on your readers & more 7 more ways to write during the pandemic Here are 7 more tips on writing during the Covid-19 pandemic — or any other crisis communications. April 21, 2020 |
 | 7 more ways to write during the pandemic Free webinar on demand, find the right tone & more Here are 7 more tips on writing during the Covid-19 pandemic. April 15, 2020 |
 | Tipsheets, webinar & 4 other ways to communicate during the pandemic Here are 7 more tips for writing during the coronavirus pandemic. April 06, 2020 |
 | How to communicate during the pandemic 7 ways to write better — and stay connected — in tough times Here are 7 tips for communicating — and keeping it together — during the COVID-19 pandemic March 31, 2020 |
 | Measure ART, or average reading time How many minutes will it take them to read? How long is too long? Readers measure the length of your message in time, not space. If you’re smart, you will too. March 25, 2020 |
 | How long should a sentence be? Short sentences are easier to understand Add a word, reduce comprehension: Shorter sentences are easier to understand than long, complex sentences. But how short? March 19, 2020 |
 | 4 ways to avoid Option Overload Think in decision layers, make risks vivid & more Overwhelmed by choice: From jars of jam to 401(k) plans, when you give readers too many choices, they often give up. March 10, 2020 |
 | Concrete images boost understanding Researchers find a 1:1 correlation between vivid descriptions and comprehension Turn ideas into things: Researchers found an almost one-to-one correlation between how concrete a passage was and how easy it was to understand. March 03, 2020 |
 | People perform better with short-form vs. long-form content Less is more: Long form content is typically a good choice for Google. But what about humans? People make better decisions with less information. February 25, 2020 |
 | How to write a great email newsletter Steal these tricks from theSkimm Make ’em smile, make ’em think, make ’em Skimm. Boost your open rates and click-through rates when you steal these 3 tricks from theSkimm. (Great for mobile devices!) February 18, 2020 |
 | Don’t do a data dump when writing statistics Don’t make your readers’ eyes glaze over Avoid statistics soup: Use only the numbers that are necessary for the reader’s understanding. February 11, 2020 |
 | Why creative content writing is important Grab attention, keep it longer, communicate better & more EnLightening: Creative material enhances credibility, gets shared, gets people to read longer — even slashes communicator’s burnout and improves performance. February 04, 2020 |
 | What’s the best email subject line length? Do shorter subject lines really get higher open rates? Measure up: What’s the optimal subject line length? 60 characters? 40? 25 to 30? More? Less? January 28, 2020 |
 | They suck the energy out of your copy Reverbify noun phrases: Noun phrases muddy your words, lengthen your phrases and bore your readers. Turn anemic noun phrases into strong verbs. January 21, 2020 |
 | Get clicked with good link text 7 superpowers — and 4 potential pitfalls — of link writing Click here: Good link text increases click through rates, helps search engines find your page and helps screen readers understand your message. January 14, 2020 |
 | How to write emails that get read on mobile Overcome the obstacles of reaching readers on smartphones Get clicked: When reading emails on mobile, recipients click 40% less often, find it 48% harder to understand content and are more likely to unsubscribe. Now what? January 07, 2020 |
 | 8 tips to improve your writing for 2020 Here’s to better writing in the New Year Cheers! Here are some of my favorite quotes on writing. What new writing techniques can you pick up from these masters? December 31, 2019 |
 | How to engage an audience on social media Give readers helpful, how-to information Give the people what they want: Information I can use to live my life better travels farther and faster on social media. December 17, 2019 |
 | What readability level makes sense for your audience? Even rocket scientists and brain surgeons don’t want it to be harder Who’s in your audience? Whether you’re writing to rocket scientists, brain surgeons or top executives, this research will help you figure out what readability level to target. December 10, 2019 |
 | How to write an engaging blog post Use the Awwwww Factor to make content marketing pieces go viral Put on a happy face: How can write blog content that gets readers to read your posts? Make messages positive and emotional. December 03, 2019 |
 | 8 writing tips I’m thankful for These techniques have really helped me out this year Write messages that stand out … Get writing tips for story structure, blog posts, the writing process and more. Boost your writing skills and improve your writing with this writing advice. November 26, 2019 |
 | Plus: What’s the best hashtag length, word length and reading grade level for Twitter? Tweet this! What’s the most effective length of a tweet that Twitter users will retweet? The best character limit for a hashtag? The best character count for a word on Twitter? November 19, 2019 |
 | Write a great list with this listicle template 6 tips for crafting list articles, blog posts Step 1 — List lists: Before you write your next listicle, check out this list of six tips for crafting readable, scannable lists. November 12, 2019 |
 | Write about people doing things To cut your syllable count, make subjects characters Just do it: Take these tips for making your message active from the Little Red Schoolhouse. November 05, 2019 |
 | ‘Fluent’ words more trustworthy, believable Choose short, simple, easy-to-pronounce terms Trust me: ‘Fluent’ words — those that are short, simple, and easy to pronounce — are seen as less dangerous. October 29, 2019 |
 | Tell readers what you’re going to tell ’em Put the kernel of your story into a nutshell. That’s your nut graph. October 22, 2019 |
 | How to organize a how-to story 5 steps to a stellar service story Step by step to a service story: Tip sheets, aka how-to or service stories, work for everything from content marketing to social media to news releases. Here’s how to write a terrific tip sheet. October 15, 2019 |
 | Reach readers by leading with the benefits, substantiating with the features It’s not about your product, program or promotion If you’re giving away a trip to Las Vegas, that’s your headline. Oct. 08, 2019 |
 | Don’t repeat the headline in the deck Instead, telegraph a secondary angle in this key piece of display copy Scrub the decks: Don’t repeat the headline in the deck. (Or, if you’re a rockstar like The New York Times, the kicker.) September 24, 2019 |
 | When it comes to paragraphs, shorter’s better How long is too long? If you want people to read your message, take a tip from The New York Times, and keep paragraphs short. September 17, 2019 |
 | Concrete leads are the price of entry for feature articles Show, don’t tell: Turn ideas into things in your feature story leads. September 10, 2019 |
 | To draw readers in, tell them a story Anecdotes make great feature leads Tell a tale: When writing features stories rather than breaking news, set the tone with anecdotal leads. September 03, 2019 |
 | Make your sound bite sound like a real person is talking He said, she said: How do you make that quote from your VP sound like a real person said it? August 27, 2019 |
 | Stop quoting every VP Don’t quote every VP: To avoid overquoting, put a quota on quotes, paraphrase, curate quotes — even leave them out altogether. August 20, 2019 |
 | Your job is to change behavior, not to report news Breaking news: Your job isn’t to report news; it’s to change behavior. So why are you running a newsroom? August 13, 2019 |
 | How to persuade like Dale Carnegie Steal writing tips from the author of How to Win Friends and Influence People The art of persuasion: Dale Carnegie taught hundreds of thousands of folks — from the highest executive to the lowest car salesman — the psychology of persuasion. August 06, 2019 |
 | Write to length — first time, every time — with story structure Map out a plan: Spend a few minutes upfront organizing your piece, and you’ll save hours later agonizing over it. July 30, 2019 |
 | The reader is always the topic The best way to write attention-grabbing press release leads? Forget summary lead paragraphs and inverted pyramids. July 23, 2019 |
 | How to research for article, blog post writing Research project: How do you find relevant material for blog posts, web pages, intranet articles and e-zines? July 16, 2019 |
 | Steal tricks from the world’s best online headlines BBC’s heads are short, clear, front-loaded and context-free The world at a glance: The BBC’s headlines encapsulate the world’s news in an average of 34 characters each. July 09, 2019 |
 | How to overcome writer’s block Work with, not against, your brain Feel stuck? Maybe you need a better writing routine. July 02, 2019 |
 | They don’t; so make web pages scannable How do people read online? They don’t read; they skim. So write skimmable web copy. June 25, 2019 |
 | How to be relevant on social media Write about the reader, not about us and our stuff Avoid crumpled-paper syndrome: Freewriting helps you get words on the page. June 11, 2019 |
 | What is freewriting? It gets words on paper, fast Let it flow in Step 2 of the writing process Avoid crumpled-paper syndrome: Freewriting helps you get words on the page. June 04, 2019 |
 | Email marketing by the numbers Understand the reach and power of the No. 1 marketing channel on the planet The right stuff: Email gets a 4300% ROI, according to the DMA. How are you using this power tool in your marketing campaigns? May 28, 2019 |
 | The first step of the writing process is prewriting Game plan: Spend less time worrying about grammar, spelling and punctuation. Start the writing process with prewriting instead. May 21, 2019 |
 | Mobile writing by the numbers | Slideshare Reach smartphone users by understanding these stats Which of these statistics surprised you most? How do you plan to overcome this obstacle when writing for the web? May 07, 2019 |
 | Benchmark readability against The Huffington Post Make your message as readable as this popular news site Read all over: How does your readability stand up against the third most popular online news site? Benchmark your message to find out. April 30, 2019 |
 | 3 steps to writing better, easier & faster The writing process, step by step: To write better, easier and faster, break your work into three stages of the writing process: pre writing, free writing and rewriting. April 23, 2019 |
 | To tighten your story, tighten your story angle Sharp focus: Here’s an idea: Have a point! April 16, 2019 |
 | What’s the right web page length? Clicking vs. scrolling for the mobile web Index cards or toilet paper? What’s the right web page length? Should you write more shorter pages for clickers? Or fewer longer pages for scrollers? April 09, 2019 |
 | U.S., global literacy rates terrible and falling Light reading: Researchers in the world’s largest adult literacy study have dropped the top level of literacy. Why? Because too few people in the world can read at the 11th grade level to count. April 02, 2019 |
 | What’s the best font for email? 4 ways to make your e-zine type letter-perfect But can they read it? Of all the aspects of email design, choosing the right font might be the most important. You don’t have to be a type designer to choose a font designed to speed reading, increase persuasion — even reduce irritation. March 26, 2019 |
 | Don’t get eaten alive by the approval process Dun dun … dun dun: Of all the business processes in your organization, the approval process is most likely to be broken. Here are three ways to fix it. March 19, 2019 |
 | Write about people doing things Use the active voice in writing I like to move it, move it: It’s one of the best writing tips I know. In any kind of business writing, write about people doing things. March 12, 2019 |
 | Avoid losing readers in these hot spots They can’t heeear you: Arousing fear can backfire if you don’t offer a simple solution for controlling risk. This four-part persuasive message model motivates behavior by overcoming that obstacle. March 05, 2019 |
 | Rivet readers with this blog post structure Credit union communicator nails the feature structure Blog writing structure simplified: Take these steps to organize a more attention-getting blog post. February 26, 2019 |
 | Measure clarity with readability formulas How to use Flesch-Kincaid, Gunning Fog indexes Measure up: Use readability formulas like the Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level and Gunning Fog Index to reach more readers. February 19, 2019 |
 | Don’t be afraid of fear appeals Why accentuate the negative? Better sorry than safe? Arousing fear can be more effective than promising rewards at moving people to act. February 12, 2019 |
 | Find your character’s ‘I wish’ song Motivation a key element of storytelling Make a wish: If your story were a musical, what would your protagonist’s ‘I wish’ song be? That wish is what launches the action of every great story. February 05, 2019 |
 | Top 2 ways to improve your readability score Sentence length, word length make messages more readable It takes 2: Want to dramatically improve readability? Focus on the top 2 drivers of reading ease: sentence length and word length. January 29, 2019 |
 | Use chronology for storytelling structure 3 steps to a great narrative arc Tick-tock: How do you organize a good story? With time. January 22, 2019 |
 | Don’t just slap the topic on top of the story Warning: label: Label headlines communicate the topic — but nothing else — about the story. January 15, 2019 |
 | 3 ways to identify the narrative line Find the moment of truth: For compelling corporate storytelling, find the desk-pounding, or aha! moment. January 08, 2019 |
 | 6 writing resolutions to improve your copy in 2019 Here’s to your 2019 writing career: Kick off 2019 right when you ring in the New Year with these writing tips. January 01, 2019 |
 | City communicator increases Flesch Reading Ease by 38.8% Raise your own readability score: Craft readable text easily with our 5 tips. December 18, 2018 |
 | Leave a lasting impression with these 2 key elements Tell ’em what you told ’em: End with a bang by writing a good conclusion that includes a wrapup and kicker. December 11, 2018 |
 | ‘How we make it’ and four other ways to spot a good story Why did my husband switch cognacs? Brand storytelling made him do it. December 06, 2018 |
 | Improve readability scores with these 4 free tools Measure, monitor, manage and report readability Hit the target: Test your clarity with these cool digital tools. November 27, 2018 |
 | 4 persuasive writing techniques to try ‘Make ’em sick, make ’em well’ & 3 other ways to move people to act Lead the pack: Stand out from the crowd and align readers with your point of view with these persuasive-writing techniques. November 20, 2018 |
![Why is storytelling important? [Research!]](https://k9q2t373cgk1khigf2x5iktz-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/why-is-storytelling-important-research-150.png) | Why is storytelling important? [Research!] ‘Whoever tells the best story wins’ Why storytelling? Storytelling makes your messages more engaging, easier to understand, easier to believe and more. November 13, 2018 |
 | Irrelevant content No. 1 reason readers unsubscribe You’ve got mail: In the battle for attention in the inbox, only the most relevant, valuable e-zines and email blasts will survive. October 23, 2018 |
 | Give subscribers the scoop, early insights Right on time: Timeliness is one of the things subscribers like best about e-zines. So get the word out to your readers — stat! October 16, 2018 |
 | How to write email that’s easy to skim 3 ways to get the word out to nonreaders Pass the squint test: Squint at your newsletter. Can you see the parts? October 10, 2018 |
 | Expand on, but don’t exceed, the subject line 3 keys to e-zine success: 1) Focus. 2) Focus. 3) Focus. Hew to your subject line: Subscribers don’t want you veering off on different topics. October 02, 2018 |
 | Why write email that’s easy to skim? Because only 19% of e-zines get read thoroughly They skim the surface: Mobile readers skim email newsletters 74% of the time; they fully read just 24% of the time. September 25, 2018 |
![How long should email newsletters be? [Data!]](https://k9q2t373cgk1khigf2x5iktz-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/how-long-should-email-newsletters-be-data-150.jpg) | How long should email newsletters be? [Data!] People average 51 seconds on e-zines What’s the right length? Email newsletters of about 200 words get the greatest click-throughs. So why not write 200-word e-zines? September 18, 2018 |
 | How much time do people spend reading for fun? Americans average 16.5 minutes a day All time low: Americans spend less than 20 minutes a day reading for fun. How much of that time do you think they’re spending on your piece? September 11, 2018 |
 | Check, find & cut long sentences with these Word tools Check it out: Microsoft Word tools let you check sentence length, find long sentences and cut them into short sentences. September 04, 2018 |
 | Customize e-zines, don’t just personalize them Segment lists to nanotarget newsletters, e-blasts Bespoke content: Segment lists, then use meaningful pieces of data — your recipient’s dog’s name, maybe — to nanotarget readers. August 28, 2018 |
 | ‘OK, Google: How do I do SEO for voice search?’ Optimize for Alexa, Siri and other digital assistants Optimize for voice search: Half of all searches will be via voice by 2020, according to comScore. Are your webpages, posts and other pieces optimized for voice? August 21, 2018 |
 | Make Churchill your muse Word from the wise: Some say Winston Churchill saved the Western world with his words. So why not model your executive quotes after his? August 14, 2018 |
 | Is the juice worth the squeeze? Fraction of Selection model shows how readers choose what to read Is it juicy? Good for me? Easy? Increase your chances that readers will read your message with Wilbur Schramm’s Fraction of Selection model. August 07, 2018 |
 | Try compression of details for PR leads Main squeeze: Make it juicy with compression of details. July 31, 2018 |
 | Urgency boosts email engagement It may be the most effective approach Tick tock: A sense of urgency in subject lines increases opens, click-throughs and readership. July 24, 2018 |
 | Keep news release leads to 25 words or less They snooze, you lose: “If the copy doesn’t excite me within 20 words, I won’t read the rest of it,” says one editor. July 17, 2018 |
 | Feature-style story form easy as 1-2-3 Strathcona County masters ‘stack of boxes’ structure Feature-style story structure is simple: Just stack three boxes. July 10, 2018 |
 | ‘They chew gum, don’t they?’ Don’t let irrelevant releases blow up in your face: Journalists’ biggest pet peeve is releases that aren’t relevant to their audiences. July 03, 2018 |
 | Create new terms by merging old ones A whole new word: Freshly minted words like portmanteaus get more attention than tired coinages. June 26, 2018 |
 | 5 ways to activate news release headlines Away we go: A story is a verb, not a noun. Something should be happening here. Use dynamic verbs in press release headlines. June 19, 2018 |
 | Gain color and insight you can’t get any other way Just looking: Firsthand observation brings your message to life. June 12, 2018 |
 | Write better, easier & faster with this 5-step system Brilliant ideas The 5-step creative process helps you work with — not against — your brain to produce dazzling ideas, brighter pieces. June 05, 2018 |