Category: writing

subheadings, titles, writing, writing advice, writing better, writing well, writing with clarity

5 Ways to Hook Readers With Your Subheadings

1. Move from the general to the specific. As one whiskey maker put it, “Don’t be vague — ask for Haig.”

Example: Scenarios for Changing Trusts
Revised: How to Divide Trust Assets Fairly

Another way to clarify your subheadings (and improve SEO) is to use questions people ask from Google’s Instant or Answer box or Answer the Public.

Example: When Should You Decant a Trust?

Several subheadings in a long article can form a table of contents.

2. Keep count – In a study of 100 million article headlines by digital marketing experts BuzzSumo, the top two most engaging headlines began with a number.

Example: 7 Ways NOT to Win an Argument

Numbers in headings can also help your SEO. For instance, many top-ranked pages have numbers in the titles and subheadings. They’re timeless attention-getters in ads and on magazine covers.

3. Add benefits – Think of subheadings as part of the content that helps promote your piece throughout. Feature a different benefit in each subsection.

Example: Sharpening Your Subheads to Build Engagement

4. Get active – Through action verbs and persuasive wording, subheads can lead into a call-to-action.

Example: “Listen to music ad-free and offline, free until December 6, 2022. Cancel anytime.” (Spotify)

5. Use moderation – Explain, but not too much. Leave some mystery with simplicity.

Example: How Sears Keeps its Promise

 

Interested in repurposing or re-posting your existing content? Consider a makeover to help increase impressions.

BOOST YOUR ENGAGEMENT

 

How have you used subheadings effectively? Feel free to comment further below.

Quotes

“Subheadings are like signposts for your readers.” ~ Cinden Lester

“Write subheads that reveal, rather than conceal, your contents.” ~ Ann Wylie, Wylie Communications

Comments? Suggestions? Need help with your communications? Contact me.

writing, writing advice, writing better

5 Ways to Personalize Your Writing

1. Use pronouns – “I” or “you” can personalize your writing. In marketing, the age-old advice is to write less about yourself and more about your reader and their “pain points.” In some cases, the word “me” can resonate more as it comes from the reader’s perspective (like a call-to-action that says, “Tell me more”). But, that doesn’t apply if you’re writing about a personal experience. Choose pronouns appropriate for the material.

2. Speak naturally – Resist any urges to lapse into jargon or use “big” words that sound pompous. The best writing speaks to people like you’re having a conversation with them. Write how you talk. If it helps you feel more comfortable and less self-conscious, record yourself and transcribe the results.

3. Add personality – When appropriate, show some personality. You don’t have to give too much information, but telling people how you feel about something can build rapport. Your personality is essentially your brand and makes you and your business or organization stand out.

4. Try humor – Depending on your audience and subject matter, a funny and tasteful comment, whether it’s one you made up or a classic quote or meme, can make a positive impact.

5. Be yourself – Don’t lean too heavily on “swipe” files or templates. Write in your own words, with your own examples; in writing about your views, don’t shy away from offering advice that differs from others in your industry. Your own words and experiences are more powerful, distinct, and personal than something repeated often elsewhere.

How do you personalize your writing? Feel free to comment below.

Not sure how to connect with your customers or donors? Contact me to fix the flow and sound like a pro.

Quotes

“Actually talk to your customers. Use the language that they use. Talk about the things they talk about. Never feed salad to a lion.” ~ Jay Acunzo

“If you can take your personality and inject it into the message you share, you’ll be one step ahead in the content marketing game.” ~ Jason Miller

Comments? Suggestions? Need help with your communications? Contact me.

writing, writing advice, writing coaching, writing consultation, writing well

How Writing Coaching Works

I recently started offering writing coaching. If you write B2B and consumer content in the healthcare, nonprofit, and professional services realms, here’s how it works:

I offer virtual coaching sessions via a phone call or a video conference (FaceTime, Google Docs, Google Meets, Zoom, Skype) tailored to your individual needs and goals; we’ll discuss the best ways to improve your writing and to reach those goals. This can include reviewing your own documents. Any documents I review will be kept confidential, and I’m willing to sign non-disclosure agreements.

Among the projects I can help you with:

  • blog posts to build customers and get leads
  • articles for local magazines and trade journals to enhance your reputation and your business
  • email newsletters or campaigns – I can suggest ways to write short, snappy copy and headlines that will literally “click” with readers

With my advice, you can save time and better lead your team, and as a result, build a solid reputation as a trusted leader.

Pricing

One 60-minute coaching or consulting session is $100, but I can provide discounts for sessions bought as part of a package. Packages are available as five to 10 one-hour sessions — or more — the number of sessions is up to you.

I’m currently only accepting U.S.-based coaching and consulting clients.

Need some one-on-one advice? Feel free to contact me for a free 30-minute business writing coaching or writing consultation today.

What do you think? What would you look for in a writing coach?

writing, writing advice

Five Articles That Are Easy to Create

These types of articles can be short enough to make your writing life easier, especially if you need inspiration just before a deadline.

1. Lists – Like this one! Sometimes referred to as “listicles,” you need at least three to five items for a decent list.

2. “How To” – Again, this type of article is usually specific, which often means your piece won’t be overlong (“How to Kill Fungus Gnats,” “How to Save $10 a Day”). And, you can make it into a list to reduce the word count.

3. Infographics – Aptly named, interesting information presented as an illustration looks appealing, and suits social media and blog posts, however, these can work well in print articles, too. You can easily convert a “how-to” into this format.

Example: How Does Rent to Own Work?  Facts and statistics on a topic also work well within this framework, as do histories and timelines. You don’t need to be a designer, but some sense of design helps, however, you can use an infographic generator instead.

4. Essays/Opinions/Blog Posts – They’re often based on personal experiences, which require little to no research. I usually feature this type of blog post, but this one is different. 🙂

5. Q&As – Question and answer format articles, such as FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) and interviews are good examples of this style, which makes them easy to compile.

Example: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

These are among the easiest types of content to create quickly. Have more suggestions? Feel free to post.

And if you find creating content tough and lack time, read my free ebook, 14 Ways to Write More in Less Time.

editing, editing your writing, Uncategorized, weak writing, writing, writing advice, writing better

How to Strengthen Your Sentences

Do you like reading writing that rambles like a senator filibustering to block a vote? If you need some NoDoz before you read a work, it’s obviously a little weak.

“Punchy” writing gets people’s attention, however, it can, but doesn’t necessarily need to clobber them. It keeps them reading, an important aspect of selling ideas, products, or services. (For more information on this topic, read my e-newsletter.) But, it’s easy to get lazy and not want to put the effort in, however, a lack of effort can show. Here’s an example of weak writing, followed by a stronger counterpart:

“Off-base Solutions, LLC is a multi-disciplined real estate consulting firm serving a variety of industries and project types. Since its inception in 1986, Off-base has been committed to offering best-in-class consulting services to contractors, owners and financial institutions. Specializing but not limited to construction, loss mitigation and site acquisition consulting, Off-base’s philosophy is to strategically assess and report the facts of each project and to consult clients with informative information. We assist our clients by providing impartiality and a deeper industry understanding resulting in real solutions to complicated real estate related problems.”

Major reasons why it’s weak:

  • cliches (best-in-class)
  • overuse of big words (assist, strategically, etc.)
  • too many unnecessary words (informative)
  • lack of specific words

A stronger approach:

“Since 1996, Off-base Solutions, LLC has been committed to delivering best-in-class real estate consulting services to contractors, property owners, and financial institutions.

Specializing in — but not limited to — site clean-up, construction, loss mitigation, and acquisition consulting, Off-base assesses facts fairly based on evidence and experience. The results give our clients a deeper understanding of their problems and reveal solutions for improving their operations and increasing their revenue.” (And a link to testimonials or case studies of successful client transactions would provide evidence to back up these claims.)

It doesn’t take much to add a dash of sass to your copy to bring it more to life. If you lack time or the skills, I’m ready to help, so don’t hesitate to contact me for a free consultation.

What do you think? Which one is better? How would you change this passage?