writing

So, how about that Roanoke Writer’s Conference?

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Y’all, the Roanoke Writers’ Conference was so great. This was their fourth year, and I can only imagine the total global domination they’re heading for. Get in there next year so you can be all hipster and say, “Yeah, I was going there way back in 2019 before it blew up and sold out.”

I met some fantastic people, reconnected with others, and got asked some very clever questions by folks looking to up their marketing game. As promised, here’s a link to the deck and my notes for their reading pleasure. But first, a couple of the resources I mentioned. Continue reading →

So, how’s your proofreading?

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Proofread or GTFO

Check your copy before you wreck your copy.

If you’ve followed my #HireACopywriter tagging on Twitter, you know I have Strong Feelings™ about getting content right. The various steps involved — research, concepting, writing, editing — are all important. But your content can be bangin’ and still bite it hard if it is riddled with typos.

Enter the magic of proofreading!

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So, Steph, what are you digging now? #2

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If you’ll forgive me, I’m going to diverge from strictly marketing-related mojo and share just a little bit of the independent artistic greatness around DFW. Why? Well, I have a theory.

Seems to me that if you want to write well, you have to feel your soul as well as your brain. Data is crucial to successful marketing! You’ll never hear me say otherwise. But that’s a necessary condition, not a sufficient condition. There’s more to marketing than data. There’s inspiration. There’s lateral thinking. There’s making connections between unrelated ideas in order to create something new.

So, want to wake up those synapses? Get you some art in you.

What I'm Digging Now: Marketing Miscellanea & Assorted Whatnot

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So, you should write video scripts.

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Companies and marketers are spending more on online video. Which makes sense. Motion attracts attention. Part of our lizard hindbrain perks up and says, “Hey. That thing. It’s moving. Can it eat me? Oh! Can I eat it?” Instincts like that make for receptivity, if only at first.

The key is “at first.” Even with that advantage, you have to keep viewers engaged. And let’s be honest, y’all — a lot of videos suck.

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So you wanna set the mood, baby? Part 3

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Have you done something different with your hair? It looks nice. Touchable. And that color really brings out your eyes. Here, let me top off your drink, darlin’. Time to talk about mood again.

Mood happens. Whether you are conscious of it or not. So it makes sense to be aware of it, mm? So you don’t, say, write a really chipper blog post about cremation, or melancholy web copy for a party planner. And we establish mood with setting, diction, and now tone.

Setting was pretty straightforward, diction a little less so, and tone is the most elusive. We’ve sort of been building up to the biggie.

“But Steph,” you say, because you are a smart little tomato, “Isn’t tone the same thing as mood?” Kinda. But no. But yeah. But not really.   Continue reading →

So, let’s talk about content.

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Storytelling for Success

Content marketing. You’ve seen the phrase around. I know you have. Unless you’re a hermit living in one of those astonishing caves in Cappadocia. In which case, welcome to the internet and thanks for stopping by my blog! Here is a link to the most important stuff online.

For the rest of us, especially those of us involved in any sort of writing or marketing or general internettery, the term is well nigh ubiquitous. But I’ve noticed a lot of folks aren’t exactly sure what it means. So let’s clear that up, mm?  Continue reading →