editing tips - Express Writers

#ContentWritingChat Recap: How to Create Influential Content & Become a Strong Editor with Stephanie Stahl

June 19, 2024June 7, 2019 by Rachel Moffett

Want to learn how you can create influential online content? Wondering how you can strengthen your editing skills and polish everything you write before hitting publish? Well, you’re in the right place! In this month’s #ContentWritingChat, we talked all about becoming a better writer and editor. Let’s dive into the recap! #ContentWritingChat Recap: How to Create Influential Content & Become a Strong Editor with Stephanie Stahl Welcome to #ContentWritingChat! ?? Our guest host for today’s chat is @EditorStahl. Stephanie is the General Manager for our friends over at @CMIContent. She’s joining us to share her tips on creating influential content and strengthening our editing skills. ??‍? pic.twitter.com/py84AgF6Vb — Express Writers | Your Content Writing Team (@ExpWriters) June 4, 2019 Our guest host for this chat was Stephanie Stahl. She’s the General Manager for our friends over at Content Marketing Institute. And we were so thrilled to have her joining us to share some of her top content creation and editing tips with us! Q1: What qualities make a piece of content influential? We all want to create influential content that resonates with our target audience, right? But you might be wondering what exactly makes a piece of content influential and which qualities you should embody. Here’s what you need to know: A1: Everyone wants to create content that people want to share. But to make it contagious, it needs three things: credibility, creativity, and emotion. #ContentWritingChat — Stephanie Stahl (@EditorStahl) June 4, 2019 Stephanie feels influential content contains three key qualities: credibility, creativity, and emotion. Does your content have these things? A1 What qualities make a piece of content influential? ??A solid understanding of your audience! You need to understand their -needs -wants -habits -interests -behaviors in order to create content that is: -compelling -relevant -creative -of value#ContentWritingChat — Bentley University (@bentleyu) June 4, 2019 For Gaby, it’s all about having a solid understanding of who your audience is. You simply cannot create the content they’re searching for if you don’t take the time to get to know them! A1a) 4 words -> Invoking an EMOTIONAL reaction. People are drawn to content they connect with. That’s why the word “resonate” is tossed around so much. If your content does not touch an emotional connection with the user, they’ll ignore it.#ContentWritingChat — Jason Schemmel – Speaker & Podcaster #GSDChat?️? (@JasonSchemmel) June 4, 2019 Jason feels influential content should trigger an emotional response in your reader. This is a huge part of establishing a connection with your audience. A1 #ContentWritingChat Is it well written, well researched, and show deep insight? Is it from an author who has developed trust and shown expertise in previous pieces? Are people talking about it within professional circles? If yes to all the above, that is a good sign! https://t.co/EcwlDK7c2H — Gene Petrov – Ultra Human Leadership Coach (@GenePetrovLMC) June 4, 2019 According to Gene, influential content should be well-written, well-researched, and show deep insight. A1: Influential content requires authority. That can come from experience, but is also shown through research and opinions. Studies have shown having an opinion or research is what makes your content the most linkable (yay #backlinks and #SEO!) #ContentWritingChat https://t.co/dSN3jijPae — Kristen McCabe (@AusmericanGirl) June 4, 2019 Authority is a must for influential content! Kristen feels you can show your authority through your own experiences, but also through research and opinions. A1. I find content influential when the writer has an authoritative voice over the subject matter + projects it in their content. Also, I tend to stay away from content that’s meant to be informative, but is littered with opinion-based statements or anecdotes. #ContentWritingChat — Rebecca Reynoso (@G2Rebecca) June 4, 2019 Rebecca also feels that influential content should have an authoritative voice. A1: Content is influential when it makes you think and act. It also provides you with new information in an organized fashion. #ContentWritingChat — Netvantage Marketing (@netvantage) June 4, 2019 Lexie said that content is influential when it makes you think and act. Is your content inspiring your readers to take action? A1: Content should be engaging. Instead of creating and sharing content that’s redundant, offer your audience something useful like a downloadable asset, an informative video, or a stunning graphic. #ContentWritingChat — Alexa Drake (@G2Alexa) June 4, 2019 Alexa’s advice is to make sure your content is engaging. She also said you should provide something useful to your audience, not something redundant. Q2: How can you be sure you’re creating content that resonates with your target audience? It’s important that our content is written with our target audience in mind, but is there a way to make sure it’ll resonate before hitting publish? Check out this advice: A2: Treat your audience like your best friend. Get to know what they like, what they don’t. What makes them want to hug you? Study your content performance data, talk to subscribers – really TALK to them. Don’t just make assumptions about their content needs. #ContentWritingChat — Stephanie Stahl (@EditorStahl) June 4, 2019 As Stephanie said, you need to treat your audience like your best friend. Get to know what they like and what they don’t so you can create the content that’s most appealing. A2: Research, research. If you don’t know what will resonate with your audience, you aren’t ready to start writing yet. #contentwritingchat — Kylee Grace Schmuck (@KyleeSchmuck) June 4, 2019 Kylee knows that you can’t start writing unless you’ve done your research about who your target audience is. A2: Until you get to know your audience, it will be hard to create content that resonates with them. Build a relationship with your target audience so you can ask for feedback and learn what they really want. #ContentWritingChat pic.twitter.com/YnsidSvqGt — Netvantage Marketing (@netvantage) June 4, 2019 Lexie agrees that it’s all about getting to know your audience first. Talk to them and build a relationship first so you can understand their needs. A2. How can you be sure that you are creating content that resonates with your … Read more

25 Editing Tips For The Modern Copywriter: How to Go Beyond Typos & Edit for Gold

December 31, 2020February 22, 2017 by Adam Oakley

Today, being a great copywriter also means being a great editor. Gone are the days of simply tapping out a piece and sending it off to an editor somewhere, who will clean it up, polish it, and make it ready for publication. Not only will this approach make your editors want to pull their hair out, but it also won’t do anything to help you grow your skills! Instead, it’s critical for today’s working copywriters to hone their editing skills, so they can improve and strengthen their content as they write it, rather than simply doing a post-mortem when it comes back covered in red ink. 25 Editing Must-Dos for Smart Copywriters To overhaul your editing game and write the best content of your life in 2017, follow these 25 smart editing tips: 1. Pay Attention While You Write Great editing has its foundation in great writing. The more tuned-in and attentive you are as you write a piece, the easier it will be to edit later. With that in mind, start your editing process as you’re writing. Instead of writing with the television on, or in a loud area where you’re distracted by neighboring conversations, do yourself the courtesy of focusing entirely on the task at hand. If you can work in a quiet office, that’s your best bet. If not, put on some headphones with some instrumental music that won’t damage your focus. Pay attention to every sentence you type and write like you’re going to go back and edit later. While you can’t expect your first draft to be Harvard Business Review-ready, you also aren’t doing anyone any favors by phoning it in. 2. Walk Away From All Your Content Before You Edit It Want a recipe for terrible editing? Edit your content immediately after you’ve written it. Writing is hard work, and forcing yourself to dive back into something with a fine-tooth comb after you’ve just wrapped up the writing process isn’t smart. Instead, write your piece and then walk away for a few hours (at least), or a day. This serves two important purposes: It gives your brain a chance to let go of the content and view it with a fresh perspective later. Secondly, it allows you to think about what you’ve written, and catch your own typos, misspellings, and grammar mistakes, which can be tough to identify when you dive right back in. 3. Read for Flow “Flow” is an intangible thing that all great writing has to have. If you read through your content and find that it’s jolty, confusing, or broken, you’ve got a problem. One great way to identify flow issues is to read your content out loud. Since you’re the person who wrote the material, and thus the one who is most familiar with it, reading it out loud should be a piece of cake for you. If you stumble over words or get stuck, though, you can bet the flow needs some adjustment. Read all your material for flow, before you even evaluate it for grammar or structure. 4. Strive for Powerful Intros Content without a powerful intro is like a cake without frosting: boring, dry, and unappealing. To make your content exciting for both your editors and your readers, it’s essential to pay some additional attention to your intro. Ideally, your introduction should “grab” the reader, and make him or her intensely interested in what comes next. Again, this is a component of editing that requires you to walk away from your content for a while. When you come back to it and read the first line, are you interested? Do you feel compelled? If you have a hard time making this judgement call yourself, ask a friend to read the material for you and give you their opinion. Since strong intros are so essential to the overall readability of your material, putting in the time and effort to get them right will help overhaul your material, in the long run. 5. Use Tools to Grade Your Headlines Today, crafting a great headline doesn’t require you to rely solely on your own creativity. Tools like the Advanced Marketing Institute headline analyzer can evaluate your headline and “grade” it according to its concentration of intellectual, empathetic, and spiritual words, as well as metrics like length and keyword inclusion. 40%+ is a great grade to aim for. Instead of just rattling off a headline and calling it good, plug your next title into one of these machines and see what comes up. If your headline isn’t as strong as it should be, spend the time to fix it. Remember: 80% of people read your headline, while only 20% read body copy, so investing in your headline is a smart decision. 6. Use Several Grammar Checkers In the modern world, Microsoft Word’s spelling and grammar checker won’t cut it. To make sure your content is web ready, run it through a few different checkers, such as Grammarly and the one on your word processor, to catch any mistakes you didn’t see with the naked eye. 7. Use Hemingway to Simplify Your Content Hemingway is an app that helps make your writing “bold and clear.” When you plug a content segment into the app, it highlights sentences that are difficult to read, proposes simpler words, and highlights passive voice. Ideal for anyone who writes for the web on a regular basis, this app is a great way to lower the reading level of your content and make it more appealing for multiple audiences. 8. Clean Up Your Language As a copywriter, it pays to know the difference between casual voice and being unprofessional. While it’s one thing to seem warm and approachable, it’s another to alienate readers or editors with sloppy language. What’s more, the latter can actually cost your clients business. With this in mind, read through your content for any language that can be enhanced and made more professional. 9. Avoid Self-Aware Statements Editors hate reading statements like this one: … Read more

7 Surefire Ways To Improve Any Piece Of Online Content You Create

December 31, 2020October 10, 2016 by Adam Oakley

Ever written something, and walked away from it? If not, you should try it—today. Coming back to the same piece after an hour or a full day gives you a whole new lease on your content. Typos, grammatical whoopsies, and flow issues are a few things you’ll spot in a literal second after you give your eyes (and fingers) a break from the keyboard. In today’s content world, delivery is critical. It could mean the difference of someone reading your content, or not. So, whether you’re a seasoned writer or a novice, it’s important to know where you need to improve — all without wasting too much of your time. Self-editing is your key. This not only catches those pesky grammar errors and typos, but it could dramatically improve the delivery—and ROI—of your copy. Learn 7 quick edits that will make your copy fun, engaging, authoritative, and 100% better than the first time you drafted it. Save this and next time you craft up new content, come back to our list. Self-Editing Is A Must No Matter What Online Content You’re Writing It doesn’t matter what you’re writing. Landing pages, web content, blogs, or your email responses to your bestie. Taking the time to edit and make small (but necessary) changes will make a dramatic difference in how your copy is received. WordStream highly recommends self-editing. In fact, they recommend editing your work ruthlessly and as if you are your harshest critic. Why? Everyone else will read over your copy with just as much scrutiny. If you do so first, you can catch the errors and potential lackluster statements that will turn readers away. 7 Genius Edits That Make You A Copywriting Superstar Readers today are hard to grasp. So, you need to get their attention (and do so quickly). Once engaged, you have them at your fingertips. Of course, all it takes is a single error or loss in flow to lose their attention for good. To avoid this very hazard, here’s what we suggest: 1. Go With The Flow Have you ever visited a website only to see a wall of text and tap the “back” button as quickly as possible? Most internet readers will do the same when they see such a wordy travesty. The idea of sifting through such a massacre of words isn’t appealing to even those with tons of free time on their hands. So, don’t bombard your readers. Instead, give them what they crave. What is that? Readers today crave organization, easy-to-digest sentences, and small tidbits. They want it all to soak in slowly. Nothing kills it for a reader more than improper flow, and improper flow wastes an excellent article to boot. When you’re self-editing, purposely press that “Enter” key every few sentences. Aim for one to three sentences per paragraph max. Your grade school teacher may groan, but she’s not writing online for today’s reader; and, you’re not trying to get an “A” in English Literature 101. A few ways to improve your flow: Vary your sentence lengths. Avoid choppy, awkward sentences. Get rid of fluff or needless words. Utilize the power of transitional words and phrases. 2. Open With Something Relatable And Oh-So-Yes-Worthy Have you ever read an opening paragraph that made you nod in agreement? That’s your goal here. Open up with something relatable to the reader. They found your article or blog, but now you need to remind them what they were looking for. Touch on emotional value here, but be honest and sincere. Susan Gunelius at Forbes wrote an excellent piece on creating brand stories with high emotional value. In her words, stories are the perfect catalyst to building brand loyalty and brand value.” 3. Break It Up — But Keep It Organized The more you break up the content, the easier it is to digest. By that we mean, use sub headers. Organize your thoughts into main advantages and topics, then use those key advantages for creating sub headers. Bold them too. Bolding points out to the reader what they need to know and what they will learn if they stick around to read what you’ve written. 4. Don’t Be Shy With The Bullet Points Bullet points are magical for copywriting. They break up walls of text and make them easier to take in. Even better, they let you jet out your ideas while keeping the reader focused. When making bullet points, think of an outline. You’re not writing a novel here. Organize the text and make it scannable. You can bold key points and then add tidbits after that to highlight what you’ve just said. Copyblogger’s Robert Bruce wrote an excellent blog on creating bullet points people want to read. He recommends bullet points because they keep people reading and provide a clear benefit to the reader. 5. Avoid The Clichés and Buzzwords Clichés are used so often that they can lose their impact. The same goes for buzzwords. Buzzwords are overused and may irritate some readers; forcing them to leave the page. Avoid distracting people with unnecessary wording and just stick to the facts. Sure, you can add in your own personality, but if you see a cliché or buzzword in your writing, remove it immediately. Get extra guidance on what words to use (and which to edit out) from Oxford Dictionaries Top Tips for Word Choice. 6. Convert The Passive To The Active Passive phrases are pesky — and we’re all guilty of using them. Sometimes you can’t help it. But, passive voice (or the overuse of it) can kill your content. Purdue’s Online Writing Lab defines passive voice as the subject that is “being acted upon.” You can quickly identify a passive phrase by looking for forms of “be.” Note passive voice isn’t a grammatical error; it is a style choice. An active voice provides brevity, clarity, and assigns responsibility. So, when active voice makes sense, use it. 7. Use Second Person Instead Of The Third Person The third person is robotic and … Read more