No-Nos — and OKs — for Content Writers

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Earlier this week in my Say It For You blog, I showed how Mark Byrnes’ cautionary advice to financial advisors applies to creating content for blog posts, newsletters, and even emails. Today’s post represents my reaction to a list of common grammar rules Words Trivia thinks we content writers should actually break. 

The way the Words Trivia editors see things, overly strict grammar rules “leave writers constrained and limited in their expression”.  As a content writer and trainer, I agree – but only when it comes to some of those rules the editors claim are made-to-be-broken. I’d say “yes”, for example, to starting sentences with “and” or “but” to connect ideas and add flow, and “yes” to splitting the occasional infinitive.

  1. I most definitely concur with breaking the rule about maintaining consistent sentence structure and length throughout a piece. As the editors correctly point out, mixing short and long sentences can create a rhythm, emphasize certain ideas, and prevent monotony.
  2. Frankly, my feelings are mixed when it comes to embracing the “singular they“.  “They” may have been accepted in modern writing (going along with society’s respect for those who do not identify within the binary gender system).  However, rather than the highly awkward “Every nurse should take care of his/her own uniform and cover the expense him/herself”,  or “Every nurse should take care of their own uniforms…” (which still grates on my ear), I’d write simply, “Nurses should take care of their own uniforms, covering the expense themselves.” By being gender-neutral, we writers can avoid being either awkward or gender-insensitive. 
  3. In terms of using double negatives to emphasize contradiction, saying “I can’t get no satisfaction” may be fine for Rodney Dangerfield, but (sorry to disagree), not for marketing content writers.  Sure, as Forbes points out, humor is attention-grabbing and can serve to make business owners more relatable, but it can also cheapen ideas and even be offensive.

Yes, I know the online crowd likes to be informal, and yes, blog posts are supposed to be less formal and more personal in tone than traditional websites. But when content of any type appears in the name of your business (or in the case of our Say It For You writers, in the name of the business owned by one of our clients, the brand is being “put out there” for all to see.

My advice on content writing “no-nos” and “OKs” – Find the fine line between letting rules constrain your creativity and getting a grip on your grammar!

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Interview Blogging

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“Subject matter experts are your key to organizational survival,” writes Peggy Salvatore in Working With SMEs, suggesting best questions to pose when interviewing sources. Writer’s Digest Don Vaughn agrees, seeing interviews as a vital aspect of nonfiction writing. The interview format, we’ve found at Say It For You, can be an efficient way to create compelling content that:

  1. inspires readers based on the success of the interviewee
  2. offers useful tips and tactics the interviewee has used

In a recent Indianapolis Business Journal interview, Albert Chen was asked  a)what he’s focusing on  b) what he’s listening to  and  c) his toughest challenge. In an interview described in Start Your Own Business Magazine, interviewees were asked “What’s on your walls?” and “What do you do for lunch?” One very clever interview format is “Buy, Hold, Sell” , asking  a) Which new business choices are “buying into” now? b) What tactics have served you well that you plan to continue? c) Which are you finding no longer work in today’s environment? After your interviewee has answered the question, Peggy Salvatore advises interviewers, find a nugget in their answer that you find interesting and ask more about it.

Just last week in this Say It For You blog, I quoted a remark by digital marketing advisor Jeff Bullas to the effect that blogging is a platform for self-development. Since it’s so often the founder of a business or practice whom we’re interviewing, what I call “the training benefit” comes into play. The very interview process “forces” entrepreneurs to learn ways of effectively expressing their passion and defining the business lessons they’ve learned.

“Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently?” is an excellent question, with the answer serving to “humanize” the subject while offering valuable tips to readers. “What routines do you follow each day?” is a question that can introduce a post containing valuable “how to” tips for readers, Zoe Maggert of Perfectly Planned Content teaches. Usin your blog to interview a leader in a different industry is like having a guest lecturer enliven a college class session. Interviews inspire human connection, Maggert adds.

Every so often, to add vim and vigor to your content marketing efforts, include an interview blog post!

 

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Blogging to Pitch, Query, and Propose

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Reading Amy Jones’ fascinating article “Pitch vs. Query vs. Proposal” in Writer’s Digest reminded me of the sales function of blog marketing. Just as writers need to capture the attention of editors, we aim to convert our clients’ website visitors into buyers. Not to strain a synonym or wax overly philosophical, book writers need to first capture the attention and interest of the editors, with the ultimate goal to reach readers. To capture the attention of potential buyers, business owners and professional practitioners need to capture the attention of an appropriate segment of web surfers, going through the “filter” of a search engine. ….

But, do blog posts lead to purchases? Pamela Bump of Hubspot cites the firm’s 2021 executive Marketing Leadership Survey: Asked “Have you ever purchased something from a company after reading a blog post from them?”, 56% sais “Yes”; 20% of marketing leaders described blogs as “one of their most important channels for hitting goals.

the Pitch
In the pitch, Jones advises writers, tell the editor or publisher why you are the best person to write about a particular topic for of that publication. In other words, show at you and that publication would be a good match. The parallel in blog marketing? Make it easy for search engines to understand what you do, and where you fit. No, Pat Ahern of inter-growth.co, says, people searching the web aren’t ready to pull out their wallets, but answering a question of our target audience can be the first step in them checking out our blog.

the Query
A query, Jones goes on to tell writers, say, takes the form of a letter to an agent or editor accompanied by a sample or excerpt from the novel or article. “If you’re a plumber, remind readers when and how to winterize,” Marc Prosser of SCORE advises business owners. In other words, establish your authority in your field. By sharing your expertise, you’re building customer loyalty and demonstrating a “match” with common search terms.

the Proposal
Having stimulated some show of initial interest in your article or book, Jones now tells writers, you are ready to create an actual proposal, detailing the “product”, showing evidence of need for need for a new approach to the topic, and some actual “specs” of your manuscript. Blog content writers can share valuable information about both the features and benefits of their products and services, adding testimonials from former and existing clients.

Blog to pitch, query, and propose!

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Blogging What You Are Not

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“I photograph weddings, but I am not a wedding photographer.,” asserts Marty Moran, owner of Whitehot Headshot. “I photograph headshots, but I am not in the headshot business,” he adds. “I am a relationship builder, strengthening my tribe as I help others strengthen theirs. Give them quality and support, and they will make return visits,” Moran believes.

My networking colleague Ron Mannon often needs to explain that his company, Combustion & Systems, Inc., an industry leader in powder coating systems, does not actually do powder coating or paint finishing. Instead, they provide the equipment and training so that their customers can do their own finishing rather than farming out that part of the manufacturing process.

At Say It For You, we create SEO-conscious content, but do not focus on the science of Search Engine Optimization, believing that blogging is about much more than back-links and “authority”. What do you want to say to your customers today? What will get them excited enough to choose you over the competition? How will you keep them coming back for more information in the future?

In the Harvard Business Review, Madelaine Rauch and Sarah Stanske write about “the power of defining what your company isn’t”. There are times when having an “anti-identity” can be useful in communicating with customers, employees, and investors,” they explain. “We suspect,” the authors say, that companies might experiment with an anti-identity approach, analyzing who they really are and what that implies about what they are not. “No business – particularly a small one – can be all things to all people. The more narrowly you can define your target market, the better,” the staff of Entrepreneur Media, Inc. say.

Of the top 10 mistakes new business owners make, Gene Marks of the Hartford says, #1 is trying to do things you’re not good at. Translating that very sage advice into the field of blog content creation, that means defining in your blog not only the successes and strengths of the business or practice, but defining precisely which products and services you provide – and which you don’t. After all, Since exceeding customer expectations is such a worthy goal, clarifying those expectations and aligning them with reality is a key part of the marketing process. “It is vital,” smartkarrot.com advises, “to put parameters upfront, so that you can honor them time and again.”

Blogging, in short, clarifies what you are, but it is equally important to clarify what you are not!

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Blog to Generate Feelings of Familiarity and Liking

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An experimental psychologist in the US asked a group of people to view various Chinese characters that were displayed on a screen. The volunteers were asked to return a few days later to look at a further batch. Some of the characters they viewed this time around were those they’d been shown the week before; others were new to them. Asked which ones they recognized from the week before, the subjects had absolutely no idea.

In a second experiment using a different group of volunteers, participants were not asked which characters they recognized from the week before. Instead, they were asked which images they liked best. The “mind-boggling fact’, relates John Cleese in his book Creativity, is that the ones the participants said they liked best were those show to them the week before! In the unconscious mind, familiarity generated a feeling of liking. 

Cleese wasn’t talking about blog marketing, but there’s a very important connection here. Precisely because blogs are not one-time articles, but conveyers of messages over long periods of time, they serve as unique tools for building a sense of familiarity (and ultimately trust) in readers. As Hubspot’s Corey Wainwright puts it, “If you consistently create valuable content or articles for your target audience, it’ll establish you as an industry leader or authority in their eyes”

 

A second point Cleese stressed is that “the language of the unconscious is not verbal. Instead, it shows you images. There’s no question that visuals are one of the three “legs” of the business blog “stool”, along with information and perspective or “slant”. Social marketing maven Jeff Bullas lists at least two rather startling statistics to demonstrate the reason images and photos need to be part of any business’ marketing tactics:

  • Articles with images get 94% more total views.
  • 60% of consumers are more likely to consider or contact a business when an image shows up in local search results.

Just as marketing professor Demetra Adam explained, increasing the number of “cues” increases prospects’ perception of their own knowledge, making it easier for them to buy (see our post of Feb. 22). Combining verbal and visual “cues” in a blog post increases that feeling of familiarity and “liking”.

Blog to generate familiarity!

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