Not everyone is an obsessive grammarian; that would be an absurd expectation. But we all have to write to communicate, and no one wants to look dumb, especially if you’re writing for work or self-promotion.
Some common habits in writing for social media, email, corporate communications, blog posts, and marketing materials can make you look like an amateur—even if they’re not technically incorrect.
Few readers are combing through your work for typos, misspelling, or forgotten commas. But most will notice traits that just make your voice feel off.
As an editor, I recognize these habits as non-writers’ efforts to write professionally—and I empathize. Readers, however, won’t think that far into it. They’ll take weak writing at its face and assume the ideas behind it—your ideas—are weak as well.
Here are some common issues I see in everyday content that make writers seem out of touch—and what to do instead to elevate your written communication.
Continue reading
Writing for a business seems simple … at first.
You hit publish and then, you wait. And you wait.
And then, you wait a little more.
Weeks go by without any response, until eventually you hit “delete” and start again.
It is shocking how little engagement we business owners get from all the hard work we put in when we don’t get it right.
Articles and experts advise that we outsource the work to professional copywriters; however, it’s an extra expense most small businesses want to avoid, if possible.
While hiring a professional to write copy for your site is proven in most cases to lead to more sales, you don’t have to break the bank in order to get good copy.
The good news is, you can avoid the expense of hiring someone altogether by writing it yourself.
In this post, I’ll share with you all the things I learned through my personal experience with writing for my business: what worked, what didn’t.
I’ll give you concrete tips on how to be authentic and persuasive and get tangible results from your efforts.
Continue reading
As a writer, you probably ask yourself all sorts of questions, but now ask this:
Are you making mistakes that can hurt your eyes while using computers and other digital devices?
Admit it, you spend most of your daily working hours gazing at a desktop or laptop screen, writing and checking your emails at regular intervals. To relax after work, you play games on your computer, tablet, or phone, read books on your e-reader, or watch your favorite movie or television program for hours.
But you know what?
You can hurt your eyes and develop symptoms of digital eye strain when you make certain mistakes while staring at all those devices.
Continue reading
Some say you should write when you feel inspired. Others believe you should write every day of the week, whether you feel like it or not. Some prefer morning pages while others work best at night.
There are a lot of arguments on the best time to write.
I count myself as an early-bird writer. I do most of my writing in the morning, right after having breakfast. It’s when I find myself least distracted and come up with the best ideas. Once in a while, I still write at night when I can’t help putting the words down. But the result is never as good as the morning pages.
Continue reading