Word Wise Blog: Content Writing Made Easy

Apr 25, 2025

Get started writing devotionals in less than an hour

Use this mini-course, Getting Started Writing Devotionals, and in less than an hour you’ll be writing your own devotional.

And you can enroll in this mini-course for FREE...

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Apr 24, 2025

Blogging basics

Blogs (“web logs”) first emerged in the 1990s as online public journals. They have since grown to be known as informational web pages. A blog can be a standalone website or part of a larger one. They may be written by an individual or a team.

Each blog entry, or post, typically focuses on a specific topic. Blog posts are usually arranged in reverse chronological order so that the most recent appears at the top of the page. Topics are categorized when posted so that readers can surf past blog entries on a specific topic...

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Apr 23, 2025

Speed up your editing with these 2 editing tips

Self-editing is an important skill to learn in order to be a good writer. But maybe you quake in your boots (or shake at your keyboard) at the idea of editing our own work.

The fact is that editing your writing isn’t all that mysterious.

Here’s a simple way to look at it …

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Apr 22, 2025

How to write an article in 12 steps

My first “official” writing course taught me how to write an article and break into print. Back then, the internet was still fairly new. Magazines were one of the main avenues to accumulating clips and experience. Many a freelance writer got their start by writing feature articles for trade and consumer publications – myself included.

Plus, learning how to write an article yielded more than bylines. I’ve been able to apply those skills as I write other kinds of content. Some project-specific details vary, but the principles are the same.

For instance, when I ...

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Apr 21, 2025

How web writing is different from print

Online writing is any kind of text that you read on a digital device – on a computer, tablet, or smartphone.

It’s also called digital writing.

Writing online can take different formats – websites, blogs, sales pages, social media posts, eBooks – even text messages.

But good digital writing is not a simple cut-and-paste job from print matter into the back end of a web page or onto a social media post.

Instead, each online format has a unique structure...

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Apr 20, 2025

How word choice can turn a "No" to Yes"

Science affirms what writers have known for decades: word choice matters.

British psychologist and mediation consultant Elizabeth Stokoe has analyzed hundreds of phone calls between mediators and potential clients. She has discovered one word that makes a difference for a resistant prospect to agree to mediation: "willing."

When asked if they would be "willing" to mediate rather than "interested" in mediation, even the most resistant prospect...

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Apr 19, 2025

How one small typo had big consequences

A typo is a small mistake in published content.

One of the most well-known typos dates back to 1631. A single, 3-letter word was omitted from the second printing of the King James Bible – a word that should have been carefully placed smack in the middle of The Ten Commandments.

The correct version of the seventh commandment states, “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14).

But the typo left out the word “not,” causing the verse to read ...

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Apr 18, 2025

How to start (or restart) your blog and make it a success

Less than 10% of blogs succeed. But yours can!

This toolkit is for writers who are starting a blog, restarting a lapsed one, or simply want to manage their blogs more efficiently...

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Apr 17, 2025

10 words to use when writing headlines

It’s no secret that writing headlines is an important skill for any writer.

And I’m talking about headlines of all kinds: the title of an article, the subject line of an email, the teaser on an envelope, the header on a web page, the post title to a blog – even the caption to an image.

Each of these functions as a headline – that is, text that introduces.

A strong headline is important because ...

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Apr 16, 2025

How to find your writing niche: take the quiz!

Want to know how to find your niche in writing? You’ve been told it’s important to have a niche to succeed as a content writer. But you are uncertain how to go about zeroing in on a writing specialty.

And since specialization is today’s business currency, you want to know how to find a niche where you can thrive. A specialized writing niche lets you ...

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Apr 15, 2025

What's the ideal length for an email campaign?

What’s the ideal email length?

I’m not talking about the email that you send to your boss about next week’s schedule. And I’m not talking about email that you send to a client with a list of questions for the project that’s due in two weeks … or an email in which you reach out to a vendor for information … or a quick “thank you” email to your sister for the care package she sent you…

I’m talking about the email marketing messages you send to your own email list ...

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Apr 14, 2025

When do question headlines work?

Question headlines can be a powerful way to pull in readers.

A question raises curiosity about your reader’s problem. Your question headline — whether it’s for an article, blog post, social media caption, book title or subtitle, web page heading, or email subject line — implies there’s a solution in the content. And readers want answers...

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Apr 13, 2025

The Delete Key: Friend or Foe?

One writers' camp views the Delete key as their foe. Another group sees it as their friend.

If the Delete key is your enemy, then you view it as an adversary that will eradicate your creativity ... your ideas … your hard work ...

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Apr 12, 2025

Don't miss this opportunity to connect with your readers

Only one-third of online marketers and writers send a weekly email or email newsletter to readers. Yet more than 4 billion people in the world use email every day.

Does anyone but me see the disconnect? If you don’t publish an email newsletter, you could be missing an opportunity to ...

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Apr 11, 2025

How to test your book idea before you start writing

You’ve got a book idea. You’re gung-ho to get writing. But should you proceed?

Given the potential mine fields to writing a book and getting into the hands of readers, you want to make sure your idea is book-worthy. You’ll invest a significant amount of your time in writing the book. And once you start, you want to finish it rather than let your first pages languish in your uncompleted projects file.

But how can you know that the sweat and tears invested in this book will yield readers? You want to know that there’s an audience for your book idea ...

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Apr 10, 2025

Top 5 web content writing tips

“Content” is the sum of all the information you create and produce. Web content copywriting – providing practical info about your nonprofit cause, but online – has developed its own notoriety, thanks to the rise in social media.

The Nonprofit Communications Trends Report cited the leading types of content which leaders plan to spend the most time producing: email newsletters, Facebook updates, event marketing, articles for websites and email appeals.

Note: none of the leaders reported plans to invest the bulk of their time producing content for print. Every item on the “Top Five” list was for an online medium.

Which tells me that knowing how to write content for the web is a pretty important priority for most businesses and nonprofits ...

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Apr 09, 2025

The 2 best ways to narrow your topic

"A blog post about everything is a blog post about nothing."

It’s a familiar principle that’s applicable not just to blogs, but to writing an article or a book even a headline.

Put another way: the best content zeroes in on one single thing.

Readers want laser-focused content. When you narrow your topic, you stand out. Proof is in the numbers ...

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Apr 08, 2025

How to avoid 5 of the biggest freelance writer mistakes

You're a freelancer - or want to be one. So far, you’ve avoided the usual freelance writer mistakes by getting plenty of advice and reading the plethora of how-to’s that are available.

And you haven’t simply accumulated information. You’ve taken appropriate actions to get started, like ...

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Apr 07, 2025

5 magic words that open doors

These 5 magic words can open doors and get readers to support your cause.

These five words empower your readers to take action. Some copywriters refer to them as the Ask or the Call to Action...

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Apr 06, 2025

What's an evergreen post - and why should I write them?

Like evergreens in my landscape, an evergreen post stays relevant long after it’s been published.

This content addresses topics that are always interesting to my readers, no matter what is going on in the world.

Just as evergreen shrubs provide a foundation in my landscape, evergreen posts act as ...

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Apr 05, 2025

Feature article vs news article: what's the difference?

A feature article is different from a news article. Both report on a topic, person, or event. But a news story sticks to the facts.

A feature article goes further. It offers analysis about the subject. And here’s a twist: two or even three (or more) writers can put together a feature article about the same topic, but ...

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Apr 04, 2025

God & Me! 3: Fun devotionals for girls ages 6-9

When my editor asked me to write a book of fun, children devotionals for girls ages 6-9, I saw a perfect opportunity to help young ladies understand that God is their friend.

They can get close to ...

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Apr 03, 2025

How to write a tagline for your biz or blog

“I need insight on writing a tagline,” wrote a member of my online writing group. “Does my blog really need one?” Great question.

But first, let’s get some clarity. A tagline is a short (5–10 word), descriptive phrase that ...

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Apr 02, 2025

The best formula to use in short content

The PAS copywriting formula, says millionaire-maker and business strategist Dan Kennedy, is “the most reliable sales formula ever invented.”

PAS stands for Problem-Agitate-Solve or Problem-Agitate-Solution.

The PAS framework is straightforward...

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Apr 01, 2025

Find more time to write with these 3 strategies

“How do I find time to write?”

It’s a question I hear all the time from writers and those who want to be one.

I admit it … finding time to write has been one my key struggles in the writing business.

Freelancing and writing to be published involve a whole lot more than actual writing. I have to set aside time to ...

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