Three common ways companies talk about themselves too much You know that person who loves to talk about themselves, but never seems to really listen? Or the college lecturer who doesn’t seem to notice that the class is falling asleep? Well, a lot of companies are like that too. If you’re talking about yourself too [...]
To the pain! (and how it can help you write better copy for your business)
I was helping to write a sales e-mail for a software company recently. I was also writing a thought leadership article, a PR plan for an executive recruiting firm, and an eZine for pharmaceutical reps. And for each one of these clients, I asked the same question: “What’s the pain for the audience? Where does [...]
How to Avoid Information Dump Syndrome
You know when you’re listening to a presentation and your eyes glaze over? Or you see a really dense-looking page full of words that you know is supposed to be helpful, but you just can’t bear to slog through it? It’s not that what you’re seeing needs to be flashier or more entertaining. That would [...]
So What?
That’s what you ask yourself when you read an ad or marketing copy. Why else read it? If the writing is good, you’ll think, “I totally agree!” or “I wish I knew that earlier!” or, best of all, “I need to buy that now!” That’s why “so what?” is such an important question for writers. [...]
Four tools to help you walk in your customers’ shoes before you write
The best kind of marketing writing helps readers solve problems…it says, “how can I help you?” But what if you’re not quite sure what your customers’ problems are…or what they would dream up if they could describe their ideal product? Some of these answers you know just from being in business. But here’s a couple [...]
What Apple can teach you about business writing
I love this Apple iPad 2 tv ad. It’s not only beautiful and emotional, it sells without seeming to sell. How do they DO that? What can you learn from this ad that will help you write for your company? I’m not just talking sales sheets or offer e-mails, I’m talking all the marketing materials [...]
