How a Unique Selling Proposition for Our Content Marketing Doubled Revenue

They say it takes 6-12 months for content marketing and SEO to “start working.” Does that seem like a long time for you? It does to me… John Bonini and his team at Litmus took six months before his traffic started to climb: Marcus Sheridan was blogging on RiverPoolsandSpas.com and saw a traffic increase in six months.  ...

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COVID Memes: Why we’re using laughter to get us through a pandemic

Timing. One of the cornerstones of humor.  Nobody knows this better than Professor Sophie Scott, Director of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London.  Scott and I were recently talking about her work on laughter and humor, when she muted her microphone to not cough in my ear. Seems like everyone needs to justify...

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Speaking the Language of Coronavirus: An analysis of the words and phrases that spread viral content

Between March 10 and April 23 there was an approximately 1478% increase in engagement with coronavirus-related content: So – aside from the obvious – why are we obsessively consuming this content? Why, when your area may not even have cases of coronavirus yet, do you find yourself reading and thinking about it constantly? And can we – as marketers...

May 2020

The post appeared first on Copywriting for startups and marketers.

The post appeared first on Copywriting for startups and marketers.

May 2020

How to Survive Your First Recession (or Any Other Disaster) as a Freelance Copywriter

While the world at large is discovering Zoom and hoarding toilet paper, I am celebrating a milestone in my freelance copywriting business. No, it wasn’t hitting the six-figure mark. And no, I didn’t score an interview on an episode of MarieTV. At least yet. It’s that I received the following email from a client in response to the COVID-19 outbreak...

Apr 2020

How to spot bad headlines before they make your visitors bounce – an intro to easy copy validation

User testing tools aren’t just for user testing experts. In fact, five-second tests offer a quick, easy and (relatively) cheap way for copywriters and digital marketers to run quick checks on their copy (“copy validation”). Most of us know we need to use data to help us know what to write. But you should also use data to help you spot if you hit or...

Feb 2020

Breakthrough-or-bust emails

Best practices create mediocrity. That’s my take, at least. It’s also Dilbert’s take, I’ve just discovered: Something performs well a thousand years ago or twelve days ago, and it becomes a better practice. The repeated use of it turns it into a best practice – folks start to see it everywhere and think, Well, that’s gotta be...

Jan 2020

The ‘Complete-Nobody’ Guide to Guest Posting Fame and Fortune (By the Guy Who Built a Career Out of It)

Once upon a time, I was a nobody… A little over five years ago, I found myself unemployed and unemployable. That’s not hyperbole. Before launching into guest posting and content marketing, my first dream – if you can believe it – was to be a pastor. I earned my undergraduate degree in English and went on to graduate school for a...

Nov 2019

3 Customer Interview Techniques to Get Rich Customer Data

When customer interviews go badly, with one-word answers or poor engagement, try these three things: vocalize pauses, repeat back responses and “name their claim.” One question into your interview, the worst is clear: Your customer is not a talker.  Managing the customer interview and drawing out valuable customer data is, of...

Nov 2019

What Is a Swipe File? And Why Does Every Copywriter Need One?

A swipe file is a collection of memorable content you can use for copywriting ideas. Save emails, pages, ads, etc. in your “swipe file.” And refer to your swipes for inspiration (and in place of templates) when you start writing. Do you look at the blank screen and feel unprepared to write copy? Then you should add an organized swipe file...

Nov 2019