Boy, were we happy to read “How Hiring a Journalist Can Improve Your Content Marketing” by Robert McGuire (March 31, 2015) on the Content Marketing Institute website. We’ve been advocating the use of professional journalism techniques in content marketing since at least 2013 and it is wonderful validation to read this recommendation on a well-respected
Improve your writing structure: fixing the muddle in the middle In 2006, I needed to start writing optimized blog posts for a client in the car sales industry. I wanted to write something better than what currently existed in that online space, so I looked for blogs from competitors and: There wasn’t much out there.
Subject matter experts: how to find and choose expert sources Talk about a story that gives you the shivers . . . in 2012, Forbes shared the tale of Ryan Holiday, a “self-styled ‘media manipulator’” who was quoted numerous times in print and online publications. Here’s the problem: “He is not an expert in barefoot
Ethics in writing: where is the line in the sand? Isaac, a high school senior, was dying of leukemia. He wished, with all of his heart, to survive long enough to graduate. I learned about Isaac when my newspaper editor called me and said that I needed to be at the football field where his
Deadly sin of over-confidence: managing your ego Now, I usually don’t brag. I really don’t. But, in this post, I’m going to do so, openly and without shame. Through my entire elementary school career, I was the spelling bee champion. Yes, I was. Without question. I didn’t just win some of the weekly spelling bees.
How to critique writing effectively Last week, our blog post on critiquing focused on: finding the right critique partner(s) for your writing helping you to eliminate feelings of defensiveness to get the most out of the feedback provided This week, we’re turning the topic upside down and sharing tips on how to provide quality feedback
How to be open to receiving quality writing critiques In 2008, I had an opportunity to pitch a script for an historical fiction play that highlighted the role that people in northern Ohio played during the pre-Civil War years. A small percentage of Ohioans, mostly during the years between 1830 and 1860, helped slaves to
Celebrating writing mentors Recently, the head of the Cleveland Job Bank, Kelly Blazek, made the news – at first locally and then nationally and then internationally – for writing harsh responses to younger job seekers. The story has even apparently qualified as Hollywood gossip; been dubbed “BlazekGate”; risen to the level of a top trending
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