Alex Jasin says, “A severe case of writer’s block could lead you to rethink how often you publish. But here’s the thing: Publishing regularly gives you a chance to be an authority in your field by consistently providing value to your audience. It gives you a chance to engage them in the comments, social media, and email. Most importantly, it lets you create a relationship with your audience. Instead of battling your writer’s block by publishing less, combat it by finding muses that help you deliver relevant content to your audience. Here are six tips. 1. Look for inspiration in keywords Keywords... [...]

Robert Bruce says, “I’m going to let you in on a little secret. It’s something the immortals — from Aristotle to Ogilvy to Mamet — have known, but few have stated it as directly as I’m about to. By now, many of you know the basics of the craft of copywriting … Know your audience. Know your product cold. Research. Nail the headline. Write plainly, in the language of your audience. Research more. Write great bullets. Craft a great offer. Include a strong call to action. Et cetera. These elements are the standard. They get the job done. But this little truth I’m about to tell... [...]

Ther late Gary Halbert was a celebrated copywriter. His ads were some of the best exsamples of direct marketing in the last 50 years. He wrote for print advertising as well as online advertising. Shortly before he died, Halbert madf an hour-long presentation at the Direct Marketing Secrets Seminar, and a video was captured that was recently uploaded to YouTube. You will learn a lot from watch halbert in action.  [...]

Stefanie Flaxman says, “Whenever someone questions the importance of proofreading, my go-to response is: “Pubic relations is quite different from public relations.” We all sometimes make a typo that omits or changes a letter in a word. A typo like that is difficult to spot when the mistake is still an actual word (or words). Just last week, I wrote “head lice” instead of “headline.” Again, two completely different things. But I have an effective proofreading process that helps me find and correct errors before they are published. (Except, of course, when the error is a joke.) Do... [...]

Kate Taylor Mighty says, “One of the most important, but least considered parts of designing an infographic is typography. After all, picking the right fonts is exceptionally hard. Besides the fact that there are thousands of options, finding the “right” font is actually really subjective. Different designers have different fonts tastes, and any designer could any number of fonts in their designs. Getting good at choosing the fonts for your designs is difficult, but here are a few guidelines to get you started. The Do’s and Don’ts of Infographic Typography DO: Stick to the... [...]

Sonia Simone says, “OK, confession time — when I was a kid, I was a complete Nancy Drew junkie. “Sleuth” sounded like just about the best way ever to spend one’s time. (Of course, that’s before I knew what a Chief Content Officer was …) This week, rather than figuring out Irene Adler’s cell phone password or who stole the missing emeralds, we’re working on “Why isn’t this content working? and “How can I get a whole lot better at what I do?” On Monday, Brian gave us three rhetorical tools that can help build trust with your audience — then asks if you should consider... [...]

Dan Brotzel says, “In a recent piece about content marketing trends for 2017, Joe Pulizzi – the self-styled poster-boy of the content marketing movement – makes the point that ‘writing still counts, perhaps more than ever.’ ‘More than not, marketers are abuzz about social media and video without comprehending that most of our communication is still text- and story-based. And frankly, most marketers are really bad at writing.’ Good writing is about vigilance, among other things. And as marketers, one easy way to improve our writing is to try and weed out some of those... [...]

Robert Bruce says, “Sherlock Holmes was the greatest Consulting Detective in the world. Though merely a fiction — written over a century ago by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle — his methods of logical deduction are without equal. Holmes’s mastery of his craft brought him to the fog-cloaked London doorsteps of the most powerful people of his time. Correction: he was so good, those clients came to him. They ran, desperate, to his Baker Street rooms, begging for his help, willing to pay any amount of money for his services”. Sherlock Holmes and Mastery of the Craft of Writing Copyblogger  [...]

Olivia Dello Buono says, “It’s easy to become obsessed with the latest and greatest “tricks” in email marketing: the formula for creating an effective subject line; the perfect call-to-action copy that will influence more of your subscribers; the ideal way to design an email that will bypass the spam filter. While it’s certainly a good thing to stay on top of the latest email marketing best practices, there is one key to boosting subscriber engagement that is often overlooked. And that’s sending valuable content your subscribers expect and want to receive from you. But how do... [...]

Sonia Simone says, “Oh the drama! No, I’m not talking about the latest political fight you got into on Facebook — I mean this week on Copyblogger has been all about creating dramatic, meaningful content that pulls your audience toward you. On Monday, Brian shared five proven techniques that stir emotions and inspire people to act on your content. And on the Copyblogger FM podcast, I talked about how some of the Super Bowl ads sparked more drama than they intended — with thoughts on what to do when your once-neutral message takes on a political charge. On Tuesday, our friend Sean D’Souza... [...]