Copywriting – Page 8 – Express Writers

10 Non-Excusable Reasons Why You Need a Writer

December 31, 2020June 28, 2016 by Adam Oakley

As a writing team, we’re constantly hired to fill in for a missing talent: the art of writing. We put our unique writing ability and style to good use to help companies grow organically. Good copy enables them to improve their communication with their targeted audiences, sell faster and better, and achieve bold marketing goals – that they didn’t even know they had in mind. Yes: written content can do all of that. What’s your superpower? Need a Writer? Two Solutions: Become an Overnight Creative Superhero, or Find One Maybe you consider yourself fairly decent with words. Let’s go further. Maybe you’re among the few wonders of the world who can solve a Rubix cube in the blink of an eye. You feel like you can count on your above-average analytical skills to deliver the best answers to your customers’ questions, challenges and concerns. But what if you can’t string one sentence together that can convert a reader? Turn someone visiting your site into a buyer? Activate their brain as they scan your content, so they automatically (and instantly) want to know more about you and buy whatever you’re selling? Those “activation” words, my friend, are the product of a true artist – a writer with the compound power of creative thinking and creative writing, at their disposal. I’ll be honest here: as a writer, you can’t just “be creative.” You have to be able to turn your creativity into a flow of words. A well-developed vocabulary helps. Online writing skills are a big help if you want Google to read your words, too. But you can’t try too hard, because it must come naturally. Thus, the best content is written. Easy as pie–if you have a natural, talented expert writer at your disposal. 10 Clear-Cut Reasons Why You (And Everyone Else) Truly Does Need a Writer Intrigued on what makes a writer so hire-able? Here are some of the biggest reasons we’re hired daily (and why you need a writer). 1. You Need Better-Than-Average Copy to Win with Google Today It’s funny my first point references a “robotic algorithm,” right? Well, they’ve actually come to a point of reading content like a real human–so they look for great writing in the copy. Useful stuff, that people will actually want to click on and read. (I’m serious. Google’s that advanced these days.) And they recently released their rulebook, aka Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines, which I’ve already discussed (read: dissected) in a previous blog here. In a nutshell, E.A.T is Google’s new name listing all the three key components that a page needs to meet its standards: A High Level of Expertise (E), Authoritativeness (A), and Trustworthiness (T). And then there’s Y.M.Y.L., which refers to the expert level content required for those high level industries (your money or your life – great rapper style, Google). If you think that your writing isn’t focused on expertise, authoritativeness, or trust: stop right now and rewrite everything until you come up with Google (and people)-friendlier versions, or put the pen down and let an experienced writer take charge. 2. You Don’t Want that Typo To Bring You Down OK: let’s say you have copy already written and you like it. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt here. No matter what your content is about, a professional writer or copyeditor is your best bet to ensure your copy is error-free and solid. You don’t want to be the unintentional butt of that one humorous grammatical joke. I’m a professional copywriter, and I’ve been there: now, I always involve multiple people from our team in my own copy creation. Your answer: Nah, I’ve got this. I can proofread. #1: We’re all human, even the best of us. You’re going to miss an error at some point. #2: And have you ever proofread a ton of content? Because as your business and needs grow and you create more and more content, being your own editor gets a little…tedious. Refer to the below. Also, another short note on this point. An expert copywriter or is the best person to consult if you’re considering launching a tagline, slogan, or some other small bit of copy that will bring serious exposure. A writer can help you bring even more direct ROI from that little conversion phrase if they catch something, or perhaps save your business a ton of dough you’d lose if it wasn’t as good as it could be. Example: let’s say you’re starting a hashtag campaign. A professional writer can tell you if you’re falling in the danger of #SusAnalBumParty (a hashtag fail at trying to create a hashtag for Susan’s Album Party, for Susan Boyle, a few years ago). So, are we all looking forward to Susan Boyle’s #susanalbumparty? pic.twitter.com/AGZicIJq — ZOO Magazine (@ZOO) November 22, 2012 3. Your Brand Needs Great Content to Stay Relevant & Maintain A Competitive Edge Very few business owners have the creativity and analytical skills required to craft different types of web content that a brand requires to maintain an active presence both online and offline in today’s market. I’m not putting anyone down–there’s actually a lot of content types now you need to be creating to succeed online. And various types of content demand differing writing skills and knowledge. For instance, social media content is friendly, warm, and requires some marketing and conversational skills. On the other hand, web copy revolves around content SEO optimization knowledge, the ability to write targeted taglines and engage/direct your reader to ROI. For great blog content you have to know how to research certain topic well, and put it all together in a highly useful, informative, storified piece. Take an infographic–you have to know how to research, dig deep, and present it in an actionable, short, useful way. In all honesty, knowing how to mold your writing voice to each isn’t easy! You will need various writers for each type of web content that you’re planning on delivering. We have a social media manager, web copywriters, and blog copywriters who create our EW content. Our company counts on a team of specialized writers with experts … Read more

What Is Copywriting? (& How It Creates Successful Online Brands)

June 19, 2024June 20, 2016 by Adam Oakley

If you work in online marketing or even set foot near the industry, you’ve likely heard the term “copywriting.” It’s everywhere right now. Copywriting this, copywriting that. There’s no escaping it. As popular as the term is, though, many people still don’t know the answer to the question, “what is copywriting?” When strangers meet someone who introduces herself as a copywriter, they often nod enthusiastically and then say without a hint of comprehension, “And what does that mean?” Or, they think it means you copyright legal songs for pay. Some people still conjure up images of journalists on a typewriter, or a reporter — while others think of tech or IT specialists. Unfortunately, none of these hit the nail on the head. So what is copywriting? And why is it such a big deal today? Read on to learn more. What is Copywriting? Copywriting is the art and science of strategically crafting and publishing targeted, reader-focused words (“copy”) online that get people to take some form of action. We took some inspiration from the classic copywriting resource, CopyBlogger, for this. “Copywriting” is a hard thing to pin down. Obviously – or everyone would understand it right off the bat! Luckily, it doesn’t have to be this obscure forever. Brands that work with copywriters hire these skilled professionals to create everything from blog and article copy to social media content and product descriptions — depending upon what they need at a given moment. Right now, the field of copywriting is exploding as more and more brands migrate to e-commerce and the development of an online presence. Because having a website also creates an immediate and pressing need for quality content, brands around the country and the world are hiring professional copywriters at shocking rates. [bctt tweet=”According to CopyBlogger, ‘Copywriting is the art and science of strategically delivering words (whether written or spoken) that get people to take some form of action.’ Read more on @JuliaEMcCoy’s post about #copywriting ✍️” username=”ExpWriters”] Why Does Copywriting Matter? Now that we’ve answered the question of “what is copywriting?”, let’s focus on why companies are flocking to it in droves. Right now, more than 27 million pieces of content are shared across the web every single day. That’s a big number, and it’s clear that it’s difficult to stand out when so much content is present at all times. Because of this, brands are increasingly turning to professionals to help them rank well in Google, attract more customers, and develop a stronger and unique brand voice. At its core, copywriting is a form of inbound marketing. Instead of going out and pursuing readers (although it’s not unheard of for copywriters to write PPC advertisements and similar outbound content), copywriting generally focuses on creating things like blogs, articles, and infographics, which are designed to pull readers in and provide relevant and valuable content. [bctt tweet=”Why does ‘copywriting’ matter? Today, 61% of internet users around the world head to search engines to research on products they want to buy before buying! ?” username=”ExpWriters”] Why is this important, you ask? Great question. Today, 61% of the internet users around the world head to search engines to research products they want to buy, before they take the financial leap and make a purchasing decision. Internet users currently conduct more than 12 billion searches each month – despite this, though, the click-through rate of paid advertisements is only about 2%. With this in mind, it’s easy to see why brands have been turning to copywriting. In addition to populating a site with quality content, copywriting efforts are also more effective than outbound advertising methods. By creating unique, relevant, and high-quality content on a webpage, blog, or social media account, a company with an on-staff copywriter can easily build an audience and develop a solid reputation quickly and easily. Copywriting Statistics You Need to Know By now, you know that copywriting is important, but do you know just how important? These statistics prove just how relevant copywriting is to brands. These can help you understand the big push for copywriters that have sprung up in recent years. 1. The top 3 results in Google earn 60% of all organic clicks. The top few places on Google’s SERPs are coveted. Ranking here ensures visibility for a brand and can significantly increase the number of leads and the amount of traffic that a brand receives in a given month. Unfortunately, many brands don’t understand how to get here. Luckily, professional copywriting can help. Through high-quality content creation, SEO optimization, unique topics, and a bulletproof content strategy, a professional copywriter can develop a plan for ranking well for a given set of keywords or topics – a skill that many companies need to grow their followings. [bctt tweet=”Do you know? The top 3 results in Google earn 60% of all organic clicks. ?️ Know more about the importance of #copywriting in @JuliaEMcCoy’s blog post.” username=”ExpWriters”] 2. 50% of all mobile searches are local. For brands with a local presence, copywriting may be a life-or-death matter. While the majority of mobile users are searching for local brands, most local brands don’t understand how to reach mobile users. This, in turn, results in a confusing and stressful experience for mobile searchers and lost revenue for local companies. Enter a professional copywriter. Professional copywriters are well-versed in local SEO and can help businesses make the changes they need to ensure that their content ranks well for and meets the needs of local searchers. This, in turn, can result in more traffic for the local business, and a more satisfying search experience for mobile users. [bctt tweet=”Do you know? 50% of all mobile searches are local. ? Know more about the importance of #copywriting in @JuliaEMcCoy’s blog post.” username=”ExpWriters”] 3. Leads gained from SEO have a 14.6% close rate. Leads that come to a company via means of SEO close at a much higher rate than those obtained through outbound methods like direct mail. This is one of the main incentives for businesses to hire copywriters. In … Read more

11 Ways An Expert Copywriter Can Help You Explode Your Online Content Reach

December 31, 2020May 24, 2016 by Adam Oakley

You’ve read all the how-to blogs when it comes to writing compelling content, but you know that time is precious and you aren’t sure you can dedicate the necessary time to your content. You’re smart. You know that an epic content strategy is vital when you want to grow and maintain your audience. Just what can you do to really get somewhere in the foundational key of all good content: the written content itself? Hire a copywriter—and not just anyone. Here’s the golden tip: hire an expert copywriter in your industry. Let’s take a look at why an expert copywriter is essential to your content strategy and just how they can help bring in new readers and customers. An Expert Copywriter Brings Knowledge to Your Blogging Michael Brumitt from HubSpot refers to copywriters as subject matter experts. And that sums up the following: your key that unlocks the door of great content, and why you need an expert copywriter. An expert or professional will know your industry, helping you create excellent content pieces that you can share with all of your clients. And, according to Google’s massive search quality standards, an expert author voice is now what they look for online. Everyone who’s serious should be getting that expert voice to write all their content. This isn’t just in the form of blogs, but can be done in ways such as ebooks, sales copy, and social media copy. Creating great content isn’t as overwhelming as it may seem. You may not have time to dedicate to content, but copywriting experts can help. What Industries Can Benefit from an Industry Expert Copywriter? I know what you’re thinking; you’re wondering if a copywriter can actually help with your business. It might look like a copywriter can only write on broad topics, missing your incredibly niche industry. However, when you work with industry copywriters, you will be able to have professionals who not only know the writing world but also understand your industry. No matter what your business is, a copywriter can and will be able to write amazing content. Are you a legal business that needs someone that understands legal jargon? An industry copywriter can help with that. What about a tech industry that requires people to know the specs of the latest device or advancement? Again, an industry copywriter can help. No matter your industry, you will definitely benefit from hiring copywriting professionals. 11 Awesome Ways a Copywriting Expert Can Grow Your Audience Let’s take a look at some of the awesome ways an industry copywriter will benefit your business, helping you grow your audience. 1. Niche expert copywriters know what you’re selling Finding niche copywriters also means that you will have an expert writer who knows what you’re selling and knows how to write excellent copy for it. And that, my friends, is how you write vertical-friendly copy that will convert down the road. No matter how niche your industry is, finding the trained copywriter that just doesn’t know writing, but knows your industry and niche, is the key to creating online content that converts and brings in new readers. 2.Your blog voice will be refined Having a strong online voice is vital to bringing in and maintaining clients and readers. As Ralph Grayden from Antelope Media says, a copywriter can help you find that voice, as well as maintain it across all content. This will provide amazing consistency and give your brand a great, individual personality. Provide cohesiveness across all aspects of your content to bring in new readers, and convince them to become customers. In fact, having a consistent, distinct blog voice can also help you stand out from your competition. 3. Your message is clarified When writing compelling content, you want to make sure it is always simple and to the point–to maintain the clarity of what you’re trying to say. This is extremely hard to maintain, for a non-writer. But, this is a key of how to help your clients read through your content, gleaning lots of information while knowing exactly what you are saying. Hiring a copywriter can help with this significantly, giving you great, simple, and concise content that generates clicks and encourages new readers to stick around. 4. Compelling, on-point content According to Gail Goodman from Entrepreneur, one of the copywriting commandments is the necessity for compelling headlines. Compelling content is also an important aspect, which makes hiring a copywriter vital for your content. They will be able to write expert content that engages readers, as well as creating headlines to all pieces of content that convinces people to click the link and read the article. When you hire a copywriter, your fears of writing excellent headlines can just fly out of the window, giving you the freedom to relax and think about your business. 5. An expert copywriter can create ALL your content types Having a wide range of content types, as well as different content lengths can really help grow your audience. This will give people different mediums in which to consume your content. A professional copywriter can help with this, providing unique content in multiple formats to provide readers with content they want in the type they want to consume. You can have a copywriter write a long content piece or ebook and then have them create different content types from it. This means that you can have a long piece that you cut into small sections, turn into a blog series, or turn it into an infographic. 6. You get audience-friendly content Staying in tune with your content is absolutely important when you are seeking to grow your audience. You don’t need to focus all your energy into knowing the current trends because when you hire a copywriting professional, he or she will know all of the latest trends. This will help the person create great copy that will bring people in, growing your audience, and keeping them on your site. 7. Expert writers have grammar and online writing skills It’s a simple point: but it’s worth saying. Fathi Arfaoui from Grammarly says that grammar and proper spelling are vital to SEO, … Read more

Your Quick & Dirty Internet Grammar Guide: 12 Important Rules to Start Using

January 5, 2021May 19, 2016 by Adam Oakley

Everybody seems to be multitasking these days. While you’re composing work emails, cruising social media, and tapping out blog posts, you’re also sipping coffee, listening to podcasts, and reading the news. But here’s the thing: Since you’re trying to do it all at once, you’re probably accomplishing the most basic versions of these tasks. Because of this, your grammar is suffering. Worse than that, it seems we’re throwing grammar to the wind. Our emails and texts have no punctuation, no upper cases – everything seems to flow in one run-on sentence peppered with acronyms such as SML, LOL, and OMG. Social networking and digital communication lack grammar, but they’re not the only culprits. Many popular blogs and websites also throw grammar out the window. However, just because poor grammar is used more frequently doesn’t mean it’s right. In fact, bad grammar can negatively affect the performance of your content: Failing to take the time to create great – grammatically great – content shows you’re not bothered about quality. If you don’t care whether your website’s grammar is spotless, visitors may assume you take the same lackluster approach to your product or service. Poorly used grammar hinders a website visitor’s ability to understand what you’re trying to say or sell. The result: Visitors can’t decipher your message, which leaves them confused and annoyed. What happens next? Those readers will cut their losses and head off to a website that makes more sense. That’s not good for you – or your brand. In other words, grammar matters. That’s why this 12-step online grammar guide is here for you. Your 12-Step, Quick and Dirty Internet Grammar Guide If your content looks like it was written by your hamster scurrying across the keyboard, you’re going to struggle to get real traction. Here are 12 hard and fast rules to web content writing, punctuation, and grammar that will help tighten up your skills. [bctt tweet=”Bad grammar can negatively affect the performance of your content, leaving your audience confused and annoyed. Get it out of the way ASAP with @JuliaEMcCoy’s 12-step internet grammar guide. ?” username=”ExpWriters”] Let’s get right into internet grammar nitty-gritty! 1. Semicolons According to author Kurt Vonnegut, the first rule in creative writing is to not use semicolons. They ‘represent nothing,’ he says. That’s a pretty strong opinion. However, blogs just don’t need them. They alienate readers and make you, the writer, look pretentious. (Why didn’t you just write two sentences, or use “and”?) [bctt tweet=”According to author Kurt Vonnegut, the first rule in creative writing is to not use semicolons. They ‘represent nothing,’ Blogs don’t need them. Instead of using it, just write two sentences or use ‘and.’ @JuliaEMcCoy on #internetgrammar” username=”ExpWriters”] 2. Exclamation Points Overuse of exclamation points makes writers look cheesy. Stay away from them. If you absolutely feel the urge to use them (and please, please keep it to one at a time), never put an exclamation point at the end of one paragraph and then the beginning of another. In fact, here’s a new challenge: Limit yourself to no more than two per page. [bctt tweet=”Overuse of exclamation points makes writers look cheesy. Stay away from them. If needed, try to limit yourself to no more than two per page. – @JuliaEMcCoy on #internetgrammar” username=”ExpWriters”] 3. Quotation Marks “Always put punctuation inside quotation marks,” she said. That’s the rule of thumb in American English. “Leaving punctuation outside quotation marks, like this”, is inappropriate in most cases. Exceptions exist in British English, but those only apply to your writing if you’re actually a Brit. Image: Language Editing [bctt tweet=”Always put punctuations (periods and commas) inside quotation marks. That’s the rule of thumb in American English. – @JuliaEMcCoy shares her 12 #internetgrammar rules to start using.” username=”ExpWriters”] 4. Parentheses If you’re writing a sentence and feel the need to use parentheses (usually to make a comment or aside), the punctuation goes on the outside of the closing parenthesis. If your parentheses will end the sentence, the punctuation still goes on the outside (just like this). Don’t use too many parentheses, either. [bctt tweet=”If you’re writing a sentence and feel the need to use parentheses, the punctuation goes on the outside of the closing parenthesis. The same rule applies when your parentheses will end the sentence. – @JuliaEMcCoy on the 12 #internetgrammar rules” username=”ExpWriters”] 5. Hyperlinks Hyperlinks have nothing to do with grammar, but any discussion of internet grammar has to include them. If you write a blog and talk about a certain website, blog or business, hyperlink to them. Always, always hyperlink to your sources. [bctt tweet=”Not really related to grammar but remember: Always, always hyperlink to your sources. – @JuliaEMcCoy on the 12 #internetgrammar rules.” username=”ExpWriters”] 6. Hyphenation I touched on this earlier, but let me reiterate. If you’re not sure whether to hyphenate a word, take a second to Google it. You’ll usually get the answer pretty fast. Always do this fast double-check before you hyphenate – eventually, your Google-sourced knowledge will become second nature. [bctt tweet=”Tip: If you’re not sure whether to hyphenate a word, take a second to Google it. You’ll usually get the answer pretty fast. – @JuliaEMcCoy on the 12 #internetgrammar rules.” username=”ExpWriters”] 7. Capitalization Grr, this is a pet peeve of mine. Do not capitalize insignificant words (and, of, the) in titles and subheadings unless they’re the first word in the phrase. While I’m on this point, there’s no need to capitalize the main keywords in your content, either. DON’T do it, people. For instance, if you’re trying to use the target keyword “social media management,” you don’t need to capitalize it. It’s just awkward. Look at this sentence: “These ten Social Media Management tips can get your Internet campaign soaring.” See how it draws attention to the fact you’re keyword stuffing? It’s totally unnecessary. [bctt tweet=”Do not capitalize insignificant words (and, of, the) in titles and subheadings unless they’re the first word in the phrase. Don’t capitalize the main keywords, either! … Read more

25 Reasons Every Business Needs a Go-To SEO Copywriter

June 19, 2024May 17, 2016 by Adam Oakley

You know those SEO copy-written guides and articles you click on and read that exist all over the web? It could be the next tip to DIY your life, a guide on grooming your poodle, or even detangling a toddler’s hair. (Seriously, there are guides for everything.) Here’s a question. Who creates all that? Not a machine. Not a bot. Not a system. A real, live, breathing person who loves to write. Content: it’s everywhere. We’re living in the era of content marketing: and today, everyone everywhere needs quality content for their online marketing. From blog posts to tutorials to custom visuals, the demand for content is intense, and there’s a whole team of people lined up to meet it. These people are called copywriters, and they’re experts in everything—from content to SEO. [bctt tweet=”The demand for great content is increasing. Read @JuliaEMcCoy’s 25 reasons why every business needs a go-to #SEOcopywriter” username=”ExpWriters”] 25 Great Reasons to Hire an Online SEO Copywriter Since the demand for content is so huge, it’s not surprising that everyday people like business owners and managers get overwhelmed by the responsibility of creating content. Unfortunately, content is critical and companies who don’t have the time to create it will fall behind in both rankings and traffic. And you can’t do it yourself, you need a copywriter who knows how to write! If you’re wondering why it’s a good to idea to hire an SEO copywriter and keep him or her on standby for all of your content needs, read on. Here are 25 reasons to invest in an SEO copywriter for your business marketing material. 1. Time savings Content creation is a hugely time-consuming process. If you’re any kind of content marketer, you’ve probably discovered this already. And it’s dependent on time, because the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it. Unfortunately, that can become a work and time hole if you don’t have help. As your business grows, it’s not unrealistic to assume that you’ll spend hours each week creating content, updating social media, reading and responding to user comments, and promoting your material. Unless you already have hours to spare each week (doubtful), this demand is bound to put you at a deficit and make it difficult for you to handle all the other aspects of your business. Since copywriters are content experts who specialize only in content and SEO, hiring a professional copywriter is a great way to free up your time while also ensuring that your company winds up with professional, creative, high-quality copy that supports the goals and aspirations of your business. 2. An accurate representation of your services Sometimes, it’s difficult for a business owner to describe a company’s services accurately. While this may seem odd, business owners spend so much time in their businesses that it can sometimes be helpful to have an external third-party come in to write about what the company does. Many copywriters specialize in specific industries, so it’s easy to find a copywriter who understands your business and knows how to speak directly to your consumers. When you find a copywriter who truly understands the nature and value of your business, you can ensure engaging and informative copy every single time. 3. On-trend pieces that sync with your industry One of the primary challenges of being a business owner is finding the time to stay up to date with current happenings and developments in your industry. Did you know? A copywriter might know, better than you, what to write for your audience! *GASP* To remain relevant and exciting, brands need to consistently create content that demonstrates that they understand their current industry environment and can function within it. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done for many CEOs and owners. When you hire a copywriter, however, you’ll never have to worry about how to handle current trends or keep yourself on the bleeding edge of your niche. A copywriter can simply synthesize happenings in your industry and use all the current news and events in your niche to create relevant, informed, and valuable content for your clients. 4. Correct grammar and spelling Let’s face it: writing is a learned skill. Because business owners are so busy with so many other things, many of them simply don’t have the time to worry about things like spelling, punctuation, and whether or not “internet” is spelled with a capital “I.” Luckily for you, a copywriter LOVES to figure out all that stuff. We find absolute joy in the (corrected) nuances of grammar and delight in beautiful wording. Let me put it straight. Publishing online content that’s riddled with grammar and spelling errors can hurt your company. People just won’t take you as seriously. Don’t do it; hire a copywriter who can turn out quality, error-free copy for all of your online content. 5. Persuasive content You know what’s great about your company and why people should choose you over the competition, but can you communicate that to readers? Writing compelling content is a learned skill, and it’s something that copywriters are incredibly good at. For any business looking to put their best face forward or promote growth and engagement with customers, hiring a copywriter is a great way to ensure your content is persuasive and effective. 6. Perspective While it may seem unlikely at first that a copywriter could add something unique to your company’s value proposition, copywriters are often very helpful when it comes to adding perspective to your business. Copywriters are objective, third-party people who can help you understand your business on a higher and more functional level and then transmit that message to your customers. 7. Variation One of the most important factors in content creation is variation. While you as a business owner might not know how to create marketing videos, infographics, images, and text content, a copywriter does, which can give your content strategy a dramatic boost. In addition to helping you create different content types, a copywriter will also know how to … Read more

30 Killer Web Copywriting Tips for The Savvy Online Writer

June 19, 2024May 10, 2016 by Adam Oakley

Great web copywriting isn’t just something nice to have. Exquisite online writing skills are necessary for anyone involved in creating business for an online presence. In addition to attracting visitors, great web copywriting helps strengthen a brand voice, differentiate you from the online crowd, and create a unique and distinct presence on the web. You can’t do any of the above without this fundamental base: words. To put it simply. Words that appeal to your audience, attract their eyeballs, engage with their emotions. It’s the vehicle for standing out online. Rather–it’s how you stand out online. 30 Actionable Copywriting Tips for Online Writers Use these thirty online copywriting tips to boost your copywriting and achieve more online success with better, stronger, far-reaching online copy. 1. Provide context In web copywriting as in journalism, answering questions like who, what, when, where, and why can help strengthen your copy. When you add context for people, places, things, or developments that you’re referencing within your text, you provide more value for your readers and create more balanced, informative content. To make this actionable, offer context on products you mention, recent events you cover, and third-party companies you reference. In addition to helping increase your readers’ understanding of the topic, these simple steps can also make your writing more informative. 2. Write in the active voice Writing in the active voice makes for stronger online content and a clearer message. Writing in active voice means that the subject of your sentence does something rather than having something done to him or her. For example, “Jane kicked the ball” is active voice, while “the ball was kicked by Jane” is passive voice. Using active voice more often in your writing makes for clearer content and a more valuable message. 3. Write clickable (engaging) headlines While 80% of people read headlines, only 20% of people will click through to your body content. In light of this, it’s pivotal to spend the time and energy that it takes to write attention-grabbing headlines. In addition to creating a more well-rounded content strategy, this approach also allows you to capture the attention of your readers and grow your company’s online presence. While writing clickable headlines isn’t something you master in a day, it is something you can learn with some ongoing education. By learning to craft compelling headlines, you can immediately improve your online content and help your business get found online. 4. Break up your content While long-form web copywriting converts better than shorter content, big blocks of text can easily be intimidating to a reader. To ensure that you’re not scaring traffic away from your site with never-ending paragraphs and startlingly dense web pages, break your web content up into small and digestible chunks. Paragraphs, subheads, and bullet points are all an excellent way to make your text easily readable and skim-mable for all of your readers. There are many ways to do this, including adding bold or italic text and creating numbered and bulleted lists. You can also use headings and subheadings to break up your content in an intuitive and easy to understand way. 5. Be as concise as possible Too many writers torpedo their online content by being too long-winded. In online content, brevity is king and businesses who can be concise and informative at the same time are the ones who are likely to win the race. To boost your online content and ensure that you’re not boring your readers or driving them away with wordy material, be as concise as possible. Short sentences, short paragraphs, and targeted messages are ideal for capturing a reader’s attention and keeping it. By being concise throughout your content, you build value for your readers and ensure that they keep coming back to your content. 6. Eliminate jargon Jargon is one of the most damaging things your company can include in online content. By peppering your text with jargon and industry-specific terms, you immediately make it unapproachable for a wide variety of readers. Luckily, it’s easy to get past this by eliminating jargon altogether and making your text approachable to everyone – even people who aren’t experts in your field. Once you’ve eliminated the jargon, take your readability one step further by using short words, cutting out unneeded adverbs, and keeping your text as simple as possible throughout. This can help ensure that your online copywriting is approachable to all readers and that your message doesn’t get bogged down in techy language. 7. Incorporate a sense of urgency Incorporating a sense of urgency into your online content is a great way to grab your readers’ attention and keep it. By doing this, you can encourage your prospects to act quickly and convert in the way that you want them to. Urgency is especially useful when you’re running a promotion, offering an incentive, or providing a “customers only” discount of some type. Incorporate urgency into your online copy by mentioning that there are a limited number of spots for a webinar or that there are only so many products remaining on the shelves. This is a simple yet effective way to improve your online copy and drive your readers to action. 8. Utilize keywords naturally While keywords used to be one of Google’s primary ranking factors, search engines are getting smarter on a daily basis. Today, Google will de-rank content that relies too heavily on keywords, stuffs them into content, or utilizes them in an unnatural way. In light of this, be sure that you’re writing your web copy for people first and search engines second. If you’re planning on targeting keywords throughout your content, they should be incorporated in a natural way throughout. This can help ensure your company isn’t inadvertently damaging your SEO by writing keyword-stuffed keyword that’s chunky to read and worthless to customers. 9. Write in positive voice Just like active voice, positive voice is a powerful writing tool. Positive voice helps your readers feel more trusting and optimistic toward your product, good, or service. The reason for this is that online copywriting that uses negative voice leaves readers with negative feelings. Because of this, it’s important to alter the text to use positive rather than negative voice. For … Read more

25 Errors in Your Online Writing that Could Be Costing You Money

December 31, 2020April 28, 2016 by Adam Oakley

When it comes to your online writing, there are a few mistakes you just don’t want to make. From disorganized structure to spelling and grammar mistakes, some things will sink your copy faster than the Titanic. Online copywriting is a learned skill; that’s why you should know what not to avoid just as much as what you should do. And some critical errors WILL cost you money—whether that’s conversion, visitor amounts, or higher bounce rates. Here’s our key list. 25 Horrible, No-Good Errors to Avoid Making in Online Writing That Will Cost You Money Avoid these 25 major content errors in order to create online copy you’ll be proud of. 1. An unclear objective Imagine trying to drive to Florida if you didn’t even know which side of the country it was on. You’d likely wander around aimlessly until you (or your fellow passengers) got frustrated and gave up. In life as in writing, it’s impossible to wind up where you want to be if you don’t know where you’re going. With this in mind, it’s imperative to define an objective for your writing and ensure that each word of each sentence of each post is working to achieve it. This provides a quality experience for your readers and helps you create a valuable piece of content for your brand. 2. No defined target audiences Just like it’s impossible to figure out where you’re going without a clear end address, it’s impossible to write valuable, productive content to a particular group if you don’t know who you’re speaking to. Defining a target audience is one of the most important aspects of online content creation. In addition to allowing you to hone your voice and come up with interesting and valuable topics, your target audience also helps inform your writing and allows you to gauge your success therein. 3. Online writing without a purpose What do you want this piece of article/blog post/Facebook update to do? Is it mean to educate your audience? Drive them to purchase something? Drive them to click on something? Remember WHERE (platform) it’s for, and WHO (audience type) it’s for. (For a guide on content lengths, check out our infographic.) No matter what the purpose of your writing may be, it’s important to move toward it with a single-minded focus throughout your writing. In addition to helping you structure your content, ensuring that you’re writing with the goal you want your readers to take in mind can help you ensure you’re getting the conversions you deserve. 4. Unclear organization (burying the lead) If your readers can’t determine what’s important and what’s not within your copy, you’re sunk. Because of this, it’s imperative to ensure that the biggest ideas, topics, or takeaways in your content get a front-and-center seat. Be sure to break these thoughts up and outline them further with headings, subheadings, lists, and bullet points. 5. Lengthy, unbroken body content While long-form content is all well and good, one continuous stream of content (Jack Kerouac’s On the Road style) isn’t. While stream-of-consciousness writing may have worked for some literary gurus, it doesn’t work for web copy. When you overwhelm people with too much information and not enough punctuation, paragraph breaks, or subheaders, they’re likely to stop reading immediately. Avoid this by breaking your body content into small chunks. This makes it easier to read, which has the potential to increase your conversions and traffic hugely. 6. Jargon Nobody likes jargon. Unless you’re speaking to a very high-level audience (writing a medical paper, for example) stick to using language that everyone can understand. Jargon is alienating, and not a great way to get people engaged with your content. Avoid it for higher conversions and more interest in your online copywriting. 7. Lack of credibility If you’re going to make a significant claim in your online writing, back it up. Readers are smart, and there are more than enough ways that they can out your phony claims or ill-researched topics. Avoid destroying your credibility and your reputation in one fell swoop by taking the time to research everything and fact check it before you publish your content. Doing this can help you avoid credibility missteps and ensure that you’re always providing quality, valuable content to your readers. 8. Distracting links While link building is an important trick of the trade, there are ways to use links incorrectly that often detract from your online writing. One of the most common mistakes people make with links is to use too many of them in content, creating a distracting environment that doesn’t allow readers to focus on your writing or ideas. Avoid this by using links sparingly and embedding links to sources and relevant ideas in anchor text. This provides value for the reader without becoming overwhelming. 9.Too many bells and whistles Just like too many links can distract your readers, so can too many images, ads, popups, or social sharing buttons. Avoid frustrating your readers and killing your page’s load time by paring your site and content down to only what is actually needed. This ensures a good user experience and keeps your site streamlined and functional, which allows the attention to funnel naturally to your content. 10.Relying too much on short and sweet While short content has its place in the world of online writing, multiple sources have found that long-form content converts better. This is particularly the case in cases of involved topics or in-depth discussions about niche news or developments. While long-form content (often defined as content longer than 1,000 words) typically takes more time and thought to create, it can help you build your presence online and establish yourself as a leader in your industry. 11. Being too casual While you want to incorporate a certain level of approachability into your writing, getting too relaxed can quickly turn readers off. There’s a fine line between friendly and approachable and downright unprofessional and crossing the latter will land you in hot water with your readers. To avoid this, be conversational … Read more

So You Think You Can Write? The Definitive Guide to Online Writing is out today!

September 5, 2022April 19, 2016 by Adam Oakley

I’m really excited to share (more like ecstatic-gone-crazy) that one of my biggest passions and lifelong dreams is HAPPENING, today. A book, written by yours truly, is now widely available for sale in print and Kindle on Amazon: So You Think You Can Write? The Definitive Guide to Successful Online Writing. (Click here to get on Amazon.) So You Think You Can Write? is a guidebook I’ve been working endlessly on the entire past year. After this year of writing and completing my first book, you bet I have a newfound respect for authors…you bet. Many 2 a.m. nights, an unhealthy sacrifice of social life, and an uncomfortably far-too-close-relationship with English grammar after rounds and re-rounds of editing, has resulted from the writing of said book. (By the way. Modifying compound adjectives, oh how I hate thee!) But, it was all worth it, because I’m thrilled to launch So You Think You Can Write today. This book sums up everything I’ve learned to become a successful online content creator. (Not every single lesson; that would be a 10-volume series. More like the essential foundations that make up successful online writing.) [clickToTweet tweet=”So You Think You Can Write? book by @JuliaEMcCoy: www.bit.ly/juliamccoy” quote=”Share ‘So You Think You Can Write?’ book link with all your friends!”] Who I Wrote So You Think You Can Write? For My ultimate goal in sharing this book is to offer a complete, one-stop guidebook that teaches any brand, business or creator how to write great web content, from the foundations of SEO to the factors that make up engaging, evergreen content; and, it’s for the writer that wants to take their skills from offline to online AND make money (see my bonus chapter on how to market yourself), and for the business owner that wants to successfully create and publish great online content. Still… Why Buy My Book? ^That may help. Still wondering why buy? I’ll give you three good reasons right now: #1. You’ll come back with better writing skills. No matter WHO you are, I would bet money right now you will learn something you didn’t know about how to write online content. Whether that’s how to pick out your keywords, a new, awesome content tool from my Appendix and Resources lists, or an unusual way of marketing yourself online—you name it, I bet you’ll walk away with something to take away and use right now in your online writing. And if not, tell me what’s missing! I’d love to know, because I’m working on my next books. #2. Learning the foundational skills of great online content writing now just arrived in one place. OK, I’m not claiming to be the only one teaching all of this. I’m not claiming to even be the top expert. And this is by no means the only information you should read. (This is just one book out of several I plan to write on this subject, too, FYI.) But what I am saying is that all the foundations of good SEO writing, that I’ve learned to become successful and which took me years to teach myself, are now in one place in So You Think You Can Write. Wouldn’t you rather have one book in hand than hundreds of articles and downloadables to read? #3. You’ll learn that there is a career in online writing, and you’ll know the foundations of how to make your own. There’s a HUGE need for good writers today. I’m very passionate about sharing this need and teaching creative people how to take their writing skills online, so writers earn work, brands and websites get filled with great copy, more people are inspired…cycle repeats, getting better each time as writers hone their trade. A serious need for creative online writers is happening this year more than ever. The past few months, we’ve seen a lack of writers available. (To note here: we’re in the middle of our biggest re-brand and new development launch that goes live this summer, which will include an internal pay raise for all of our core writers. I’m excited to be able to reward good talent better coming up very soon.) As we hire, we’ve always had to employ writers that were already experienced and knowledgeable in the skills of online writing. We have a thorough online writing test that rules out anyone not capable of writing for our level of clients. We’re so fast-paced, we simply can’t stop and “teach” someone. (Granted, we have done that a few times, but very rarely, with extremely adept learners.) So, I’ve always wanted to give every single capable writer that wanted to apply—or even just go make a career for themselves out of independent freelance clients, like I did—a way to learn the necessary skills in one place. And now, it’s happening, with So You Think You Can Write? I couldn’t be more thrilled to share what I know. BONUS #4: It’s out, it’s fully illustrated (fun things to look at), and it’s pretty. My toddler was actually entertained with the drawings I have inside that represent the seven forms of online content. Here she is–and FYI, it’s super hard to get a picture of her, she moves so fast: Buy it for your toddler, or yourself, if you like cute illustrations. Go buy it here. How I’ve Gotten Here So You Think You Can Write has been a journey—both in learning these life skills, using them in a self-made career, and writing this book to share my knowledge with others. I like to think this career path chose me. Not to be cliché—young budding writer makes it big—but really, the path started way back. The earliest memory I have of a genuine love for writing was when I was 9. I was sitting in the back of my mom’s Grand Caravan and a plot, a character name, and an entire fictional world was in my head. Just there. I could not wait till we finished shopping and I could get home to write it down. That day, I started saving the document on a … Read more

30 Amazing, Obsolete Words in the English Dictionary We Should Bring Back to Life

January 9, 2024March 24, 2016 by Adam Oakley

Just like life, facts and even chocolate, words in the English language have a life-span. Some that we use today are actually thousands of years old, and originate from a time before English even existed. Others have since changed, been replaced, or completely ditched. Here are 30 obsolete or uncommon words that we think have gone before their time. Have fun in your next conversation and try a few! 30 Amazing, Intriguing, Obsolete Words We Should Absolutely Start Using Again 1. Crapulous – we know what you’re thinking; you’re thinking this has something to do with feeling crappy, right? Well, you’re not entirely wrong. It means to feel ill from excessive eating or drinking, like feeling crapulous the morning after your cake-binge-worthy birthday celebration. 2. Grumpish – this one dates back to the 1720s and it makes us pretty grumpish to realize it’s no longer used. It’s an alternative to sullen or grumpy. 3. Groak – while the origin of this word is unknown, it means to watch someone silently as they eat, in the hope that you will be invited to join them. For instance, how am I supposed to enjoy my sushi while that guy is groaking me the entire time? Whoa, that sounds similar to something else…maybe let’s not revive that one… 4. Pismire – literally, a word that’s derived from small insect and piss. Defined as an ant. “Hey look, there goes another pismire!” Em gee. Let’s bring that back, shall we? 5. Snowbrowth – dating all the way back to the 1590s, snowbrowth refers to freshly melted snow, as in “this morning there was a perfect carpet of white on the lawn, but now it’s merely snowbrowth.” 6. Excogigate – To plot, plan, devise, with Latin roots that mean to bring out by thinking. Also, NOT used in relation to writing lists. “Oh my, what is George excogigating over there?” (Yikes, that almost sounds bad – like George is choking to death or something.) 7. Apricity – you know when it’s a cold winter’s day but the sun is just gloriously warm? That’s “apricity” and the word dates back to the 1620s. 8. Twattle – this sounds like garbage that you’d tweet, doesn’t it? What it really means is to gossip, as in stop twattling and get back to work! 9. Elflock – if you have wavy hair and you wake up with it tangled and mangled, that’s elflock, as though the elves have tied it into knots during the night. For instance, Geesh, have you seen the state of my elflocks today? 10. Gorgonize – from the early 17th century, this lovely word means to have a mesmerizing effect on someone, as in, “I was gorgonized by his charisma as he spoke to me.” 11. Cockalorum – coming straight out of the 1710s, this word refers to a little man who has a high opinion, as in that guy has short-man syndrome, he’s a total cockalorum. 12. Snoutfair – No, it doesn’t refer to a festival of cute pigs with lovely looking snouts. It actually refers to a good-looking person and comes from the 1500s. Today we’d use it as, the girl who plays Super Girl? Total snoutfair! 13. Jollux – even in the 1780s they had slang and “jollux” was a term to refer to a fat person. 14. Curglaff – you know when you plunge into that cold ocean water and want to scream? That shock is curglaff! It’s a Scottish term from the 1800s. 15. Brabble – remember when you heard that mom and daughter having a rather loud argument in the grocery store? They were brabbling over something inconsequential. 16. Twitter-light – no, this doesn’t refer to the backlight on your phone as you’re scrolling through Twitter, believe it or not. It’s actually a 1600s alternative to the time of day we call twilight. 17. Lunting – in the 1820s gentlemen would enjoy a post-meal lunt. That means they would go for a walk and smoke a pipe. 18. Beef-witted – some of today’s reality shows are totally beef-witted! The 1590’s word refers to something stupid. 19. Monsterful – out of the 1810s, this word refers to something rather extraordinary and wonderful. The Dead Pool movie was every bit as monsterful as the trailer promised. 20. Callipygian – this word is something the likes of J-Lo and Beyoncé own. While it was used in the 1640s, it means to have a beautifully shaped buttocks. 21. Fuzzle – now here’s what probably happened to you on your stag night. In the 1910s friend would gather and get fuzzled to have a good time – drunk or intoxicated. 22. Quockerwodger – from the 1850s, this funny-sounding English term referred to a wooden puppet that was controlled by strings. She can’t think for herself, she’s such a quockerwodger! 23. Resistentialism – a little more “recent” (as in 1940’s), this phrase refers to malevolent behavior that would be displayed by inanimate objects, such as, that statue looks a little vicious, I think it exhibits resistentialism. 24. Lethophobia – do you fear oblivion at all? You may well be lethophobic! 25. Sluberdegullion – did you spend the weekend sprawled on the sofa with no intentions of moving? In the 1600s you’d be known as a sluberdegullion, as is slovenly. 26. Curmuring – remember that day you had an important meeting and no time to grab a bite to eat beforehand? And then just at the moment the director got up to speak your stomach gave a proper, loud rumbling? That’s curmuring! 27. Lumming – in the 1900s it could come lumming down on rainy days. 28. California widow – did you marry a man who goes off to work in other parts of the state for long periods of time? You’re an 1889 California widow. 29. Zenzizenzizenzic – yes, I might have saved the best two for last two. You’ve been rewarded, reader that stuck with me! This wondrous word means to the power of eight. In the 16th century, when people explained it to one another, they’d say: … Read more

15 Ways to Commit Writing Suicide (The Don’ts of Online Writing)

August 25, 2022March 17, 2016 by Adam Oakley

In online writing, as in everything all other careers, there are several sure-fire ways to dig your own grave. From plagiarism to sloppy content, completely avoidable mistakes can spell death for the copywriter. Even for the best Grammar Nazi-slash-word-nerd among us, without an extra eye and the time investment of careful proofreading, your best blog can go from wow to yuck just because of one or two glaring misspells. But it’s not just misspells. What’s more: being unaware of the right online writing practices, or how to talk to your audience, among many other key foundations, could spell death for your audience (or, if you’re new at this: future/potential audience). 15 Ways to Dig Yourself a Writing Grave: The Don’ts of Online Writing Fortunately, you can route around these things by being aware of them and knowing how to avoid them. Here are the top fifteen mistakes web copywriters can make. Avoid digging yourself a grave: instead, be aware and practice the right online writing skills so you can start growing your presence, rankings and readership immediately. 1. Poor SEO You can err on two sides here: not caring at all about SEO, and thus not working to bring in your audience with your online audience; or overstuffing your keywords in your content. For all writers creating any form of online writing, SEO is the foundation from which everything else springs. In addition to providing the structure needed to rank in Google and other search engines, SEO also makes it easier for readers to find and navigate your content. When an online copywriter doesn’t fully understand SEO or know how to integrate it into their content, it’s almost guaranteed that the content won’t perform as well as it could. Because of this, it’s wise to get familiar with common SEO techniques like keyword optimization and link building as quickly as possible. This will prevent you from making easily avoidable mistakes and will help ensure that your content has the “bones” it needs to succeed. 2. Poor content structure Imagine this: you write a flawless 5,000-word article and post it on two sites. On one site, the article is posted as a continuous block of text. On the other, it is broken neatly into heading, subheadings, bullet points, and links. Which one is going to get more clicks and reads? If you guessed the second article, you’re right. Even though the text is exactly the same, the way it is structured makes a huge difference. All online copy should be easy to read and structured in a way that creates a flawless user experience. This means small blocks of text, subheaders, bulleted lists, and plenty of links throughout. 3. Ineffective tone and voice Who are you writing to? If you can’t answer that question quickly and effortlessly, you’re in trouble. Conducting research on your target audience is one of the first steps you need to make as an online copywriter. This allows you to speak directly to the group that will purchase your products and to address their questions, concerns, and fears succinctly and efficiently. If you miss the mark on this, you’re going to wind up speaking to the web at large and failing to find your niche or develop a devoted group of followers. 4. Boring content We’ve all been here, and you know what I’m talking about. It doesn’t matter if you’re writing about cleaning supplies or outer space – all content can and should be exciting. Boring content is often a symptom of a writer’s lack of knowledge or engagement and it’s not content that readers are going to want to interact with on any lasting level. To avoid this, ensure that you’re spending enough time with your content to understand what makes your topic special and how you can approach it in a way that will grab the attention of your target audience. Remember – there are no boring topics, only boring writers. 5. Spammy content This should go without saying, but I still see it lurking around in the dark corners of the Internet. Spammy content is a deadly sin in today’s content marketing environment. In addition to getting you penalized by Google, content that is keyword-stuffed or riddled with intrusive or irrelevant ads will earn you plentiful and speedy back-clicks from your readers. To avoid this, be sure that you’re incorporating keywords naturally throughout your online writing and that any ads placed on your site abide by best practices. This means a limited number of ads “above the fold” and relevant, valuable ads that actually have something to do with your company or target market. 6. Irregular publishing schedule Companies that publish more than 16 blogs each month earn 3.5x as much traffic as companies that publish only 0-4 monthly posts. Because of this, it’s clear that blogging often and on a regular basis is a pivotal part of becoming a successful online copywriter. Too many bloggers and copywriters don’t post content regularly, which leads to stagnant blogs, losing the audience they started to build, and lowering traffic on social media pages and websites. These things are alienating for readers and can cost you your traffic and your rankings. Avoid nose-diving rankings by creating a content schedule and sticking to it. 7. Plagiarized or duplicate content This should go without saying, but it often doesn’t. In addition to earning you severe Google penalties, posting plagiarized or duplicated content is a great way to lose readers and bury your career faster than you can say “Bad online writing practices.” To preserve your credibility, keep your readership intact, and avoid Google’s evil eye, ensure that everything you post is high-quality and, most of all, original. If you’ve got any doubts about the authenticity of your content or simply want to ensure that you’re not flirting too closely with any of the sources you use in your material, run your copy through a plagiarism-checking service like Copyscape. 8. Being generally unhelpful Writing web content that doesn’t offer actionable solutions to some type of problem … Read more