Even if you feel a need to make your favorite magic words more important, don’t capitalize them in running text. It makes prose look uneven — and makes you look like an eighteenth-century pamphleteer. Do you write to impress? I edit a lot of prose intended for that purpose — including “thought leadership” blogs, business…
There are a million editors out there. If you aspire to make a living as one, you can’t just be “an editor” — because only those who specialize will be paid what they’re worth. (Author’s note — I’ll now resume posting mostly about writing, editing, and books. Thanks for your tolerance of my political posts…
I get one or two emails a day from Trump or one of his friends. They are clearly designed for people who don’t use their brains on a regular basis. Take a look at the example below. I got on this list because I answered a “survey,” and I stayed on it because I’m curious…
In the three weeks since I posted the notice on my site about link building, I’ve received lots of link solicitations. Now it’s time to give them what they want. First: why do I classify emails asking for links or a contributed article to be spam? Because: You’ve paid no attention to what is on…
I am writing a lot of marketing copy lately. I’ve noticed some things you might find helpful. Here’s what I’m currently writing and editing: Marketing description for a book on management. Marketing description for a book on the future of transportation. Articles about corporate AI strategy for an author. Blog posts announcing an AI-focused startup….
We keep getting emails and pitches from everyone we’ve ever done business with. And they all start the same way . . . “In these unprecedented times . . . “ “I hope you are well . . . “ We can do better. I can do better. So, in the interests of variety, I’m…
A new analytical voice has appeared on Twitter. Here’s a little of what they shared yesterday: just gonna come out and say it: vulnerable people are always the most susceptible to propaganda, misinformation, and conspiracy, especially in times of cultural anxiety, and if there is a way to help them out of these traps, targeted…
Coronavirus has frozen your business in place. Nobody’s buying. Nobody’s even able to buy. What should you do? Be generous. Give stuff away to your customers. It’s simple. The only real asset you still have is customer relationships. You also have workers — unless you’ve let them go — and those workers are used to…
It’s hard to think long-term right now, with everything changing rapidly. But you don’t have to react — and communicate — as if your time horizon is measured in hours. Think a few weeks ahead, and your messaging will look a lot smarter. I thought of this because of the string of messages I got…