Category: writing well

building trust, web copywriting, writing advice, writing better, writing in plain english, writing more clearly, writing professionalism, writing well, writing with clarity

5 Steps to Trustworthy Website Content

1. Double-check – According to the Nielsen Norman Group (NNG), a trustworthy website has error-free copy. “Fuzzy” facts and spelling, punctuation, and grammatical mistakes can make your business or organization look sloppy.

2. Transparency – Upfront disclosure — giving patrons information they need — helps increase the chances of a sale. This can include listing prices and any taxes or shipping fees or a return policy. You don’t need to go into great detail, but offer enough information to satisfy people’s curiosity.

3. Thoroughness – Like the NNG study, a report by Huff Industrial Marketing, KoMarketing, & BuyerZone reveals visitors want more details about a company or organization. Contact, product, or service info, and an “about” page with team bios can help. Research reports, news releases, and client lists or testimonials may also add to your credibility. Show your full range of products or services to appeal to as many people as possible.

4. Go jargon-free – The Huff study also states that website copy should be free of terms that appeal only to others in your industry (unless they’re your target market). It should be clear and easy to understand.

5. Stay up-to-date – Both studies suggest that trustworthy website copy should be current. Old content can make your business or organization look “out of touch,” like you don’t care enough to update it.

What do you think about building trust through your website? Feel free to comment below.

Need to improve your web pages to increase trustworthiness? Contact me.

Quotes

“What we now consider a ‘quality’ website design looks very different from a reputable website of the past, but what influences the perception of quality has not changed and will not change in the future.” – Aurora Harley, Nielsen Norman Group, “Trustworthiness in Web Design: 4 Credibility Factors”

“State what your company offers — and the challenges you solve — in jargon-free language.” ~ Huff Industrial Marketing, KoMarketing, & BuyerZone, “2015 B2B Web Usability Report”

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

words, writing advice, writing better, writing more clearly, writing professionalism, writing redundancies, writing well, writing with clarity

5 Ways to Make Your Writing More Interesting

1. Variety – We all tend to repeat certain words. Repetition isn’t always bad, but if you use the same terms often and they seem redundant, try different ones. They can make your writing more interesting.

Example: “John’s Nursery and Greenhouse offers everything for your gardening needs in its new heated greenhouse.”
Revised: “John’s Nursery and Greenhouse offers everything for your gardening needs in its new heated store.”

2. Challenge yourself – Mix things up. Move from general to more descriptive terms, such as “German Shepherd” vs. “dog.” Adding minor details can make your writing less generic and more specific.

3. Cut the glut – If you’ve written several passages with the same meaning or that point to obvious information, remove them.

Example: “My conclusions are at the end.”

4. Rehab your vocab – Open a dictionary and point at a page and read about the word you land on. Do crosswords and other brain teasers. A game of Scrabble on your smartphone or with a partner can be fun. Read classic books such as “It Pays to Increase Your Word Power” and “30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary” to expand your verbal horizons.

5. Use more pronouns – When you refer to a person, place, or a thing more than once, use a pronoun (“him,” “her,” “it,” “them,” etc.).

Example: “George kicked the can down the road. George then hopped on his bike to go to the store.”
Revised: “George kicked the can down the road. He then hopped on his bike to go to the store.”

How do you make your writing more interesting? Feel free to comment below.

Do your newsletters, blog posts, and other content have all the ingredients they need to engage readers? If you need to add some “spice” to keep people coming back for seconds, contact me.

Quotes

“The key is using repetition deliberately, consciously, and strategically. If you don’t think it can be effective, imagine if Shakespeare had had Macbeth say: ‘Tomorrow, and the next day, and the one after that, creeps in this petty pace from one twenty-four-hour period to another.'” ~ Ben Yagoda, “How Not to Write Bad: the Most Common Writing Problems and the Best Ways to Avoid Them.”

“Duplicate, sequential words result from fairly common sentence constructions, and repetition is often recognized as a typo.” ~ Writer’s Relief

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

writing advice, writing well

5 Ways to Refresh Your Writing

1. Take a break – A vacation from your typical writing routine, a day off, or just letting a troublesome piece “sleep” overnight can refresh your writing. Time away can ease your thought process to help you find new ways to string words together.

2. Use a different approach – Challenge yourself. Set small writing goals. It could be as simple as starting a new article differently each time. You could choose to open one with an interesting quote, then begin the next one with a question. Play around with the concept and see how minor changes can revamp your work.

3. Look around – See what others have written. For instance, have they come up with innovative social media posts? Looking at different writing styles can teach you a lot about other approaches. Perhaps the competing brand, like Progressive Insurance, uses a distinct style, such as humor, to make waves. A few changes that suit your business or organization and its image can help you redefine your marketing.

4. Try figures of speech – Similes and metaphors use comparisons for more descriptive writing; they help explain concepts. A simile contrasts one thing with something different, while a metaphor states that thing is something else. Each one can make your writing more lively and interesting.

Example of a simile: “The salesman was as slick as a salamander.”
Example of a metaphor: “Icicles are stalactites, hanging with pointed tips from the gutters of my she shed.”

5. Share a story – Anecdotes from your life related to the topic — often humorous ones or those that teach a lesson — make a memorable impression. Those experiences are unique to you, but some of us can relate to them. Joey Havens of CPA and business advisory firm Horne LLP uses storytelling effectively in his beBetter blog posts.

What has helped you refresh your writing? Feel free to comment below.

Need help polishing your prose? Contact me.

Quotes

“To refresh your writing, make time for creativity.” ~ Russell Working, Ragan Communications

“Social media’s like a bakery. You can lose credibility, goodwill, and fans by serving up stale and boring content.” ~ Mike Houdeshell

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?

business communication, business writing, writing well

5 Ways to Write Verbs and Tenses Correctly for Business

1. When you work with verbs and tenses, pay attention to the plural and singular forms of the subjects and objects of your sentences.

Example: Most people have an opinion about religion and politics.
Revised: Many people hold opinions about religion and politics.

“People” refers to more than one person, and in this case, “opinions” is more correctly matched to the plural form of the subject.

2. Don’t mistake the present for the future tense.

Example: We will be collecting litter at Evergreen Park on Saturday.
Revised: We will collect litter at Evergreen Park on Saturday.

The present tense — “we will be collecting” — is incorrect. Remove “be” and change the action verb “collect” to the future tense, which is correct because the event will occur later.

3. Don’t move from the past to the present tense.

Example: I drove to my appointment, watching for falling flurries along the way.
Revised: I drove to my appointment and watched for falling flurries along the way.

The corrected, properly matched verbs and tenses don’t make us wonder if we’re in the past or in the present.

4. Don’t use the present tense when you should use the past tense.

Example: While clawing my way to the top of Mount Everest, I was dodging frostbite as I was suffering from aching muscles.
Revised: As I clawed my way to the top of Mount Everest, I dodged frostbite while my muscles ached.

Again, we avoid the awkwardness of mismatched tenses.

5. Don’t use the wrong verb tense.

Example: Joe’s scrapbook of old photos were memorable.
Revised: Joe’s scrapbook of old photos was memorable.

The first sentence with these verbs and tenses would make more sense if the subject (“scrapbook”) was plural.

Quotes

“A tense trap is not a trap that makes you tense; it’s when you get stuck in past tense when the phenomena you are describing is perpetual or at least valid to the present moment.” ~ Daily Writing Tips

“The past is always tense, the future perfect.” ~ Zadie Smith

Comments? Suggestions? Need help? Feel free to contact me.

Michelle Troutman
classywriting.com