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Word Wise Blog: Content Writing Made Easy
Award-winning writer Kathy Widenhouse has helped hundreds of nonprofits and writers produce successful content , with 750K+ views for her writing tutorials. She is the author of 9 books. See more of Kathy’s content here.
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Oct 30, 2025
Top tip for writing an Ask
There’s no way to dance around the "fundraising ask" in an effective fundraising appeal.
You must ask readers to relinquish their hard-earned dollars to your cause in a way that makes them thrilled to do so.
First, in terms of technique, the fundraising ask always includes some important elements ...
Oct 29, 2025
What's your email marketing strategy? FAQs
What's your email marketing strategy?
Whether you’re a solopreneuer or small biz or nonprofit organization, consider the numbers alone. Email marketing delivers an average ROI of $35-$40 for every $1 spent.
But if you've not yet dipped your toe into sending email campaigns -- or if you've got a lot of questions -- read on ...
Continue reading "What's your email marketing strategy? FAQs"
Oct 28, 2025
4 tips to help you write persuasively
When you need to write persuasively, use the 4 Ps.
It is a writing formula – a series of four writing tasks that you complete in your copy or your content as a way to persuade your reader to understand your point of view.
Each task begins with the letter "P"...
Oct 27, 2025
How to get to know your reader before you write one word
Who is your audience? You must answer that question before you write.
A client had just invested considerable resources in developing a package for one segment of his mailing list – his advertisers. The piece was gorgeous: a full color, glossy magazine, with excellent content directed at people who provide services to teenagers.
“Let’s send it to our whole mailing list!” he said excitedly. “It’s so impressive!”
Unfortunately, the other ...
Continue reading "How to get to know your reader before you write one word"
Oct 26, 2025
Which writing rules should you follow - and which can you break?
Your language arts teacher taught writing rules so that you’d learn to communicate clearly on paper. Rules like:
"Each sentence needs a verb. Especially one-liners..."
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Oct 25, 2025
Are sequels dead?
A sequel is the next installment of a story.
In literature, J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Hobbit (1937) launched The Lord of the Rings sequels. During the 1960s and 1970s, film sequels became popular in James Bond movies, the Jaws series, and The Godfather franchise.
A successful sequel ...
Oct 24, 2025
Great gift idea for the girls you know
If you've got a young girl in your life, you know how much she may struggle with making friends ... keeping friends .. being a good friend.
Enter this book ...
Oct 23, 2025
5 opening lines for powerful fundraising letters
Getting started can be awkward. Especially when writing fundraising messages. It doesn’t matter if you’re writing a formal letter asking for donations or typing out a simple fundraising text. How do you politely ask for donations?
If you feel uncomfortable putting together fundraising messages, then try a different approach. You needn’t even ask for a financial gift or a donation. Put money out of your mind.
Instead, just ...
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Oct 22, 2025
How to write adn use 3-sentence stories
3-sentence stories: they're one of the most helpful tools in your writing arsenal. And once you learn this hidden formula, you can sprinkle powerful stories throughout your content.
But writers aren’t widely taught storytelling under the 3-sentence label. You master character profiles, dialogue, point of view …
Oct 21, 2025
Try these templates for writing takeaways
Writers use formulas and templates because they work. So why not use templates for takeaways?
The devotional’s takeaway, also called the “application,“ is the third element in the 3-part structure. (A devotional’s 3-part structure explained.) The takeaway gives the reader an action step she can take in order to apply the devotional point.
If you aren’t sure how to go about writing this element, try using a writing template to ...
Continue reading "Try these templates for writing takeaways"
Oct 20, 2025
How to write a paragraph (it's not what you think)
Your earliest language arts teacher drilled into your head how to write a paragraph. She had clear steps for writing a good paragraph that she insisted you follow. The goal? A clear, organized presentation.
Always start, she said, with a topic sentence. Then add a sentence or two or three to explain your main point further...
Continue reading "How to write a paragraph (it's not what you think)"
Oct 19, 2025
Why do readers opt in ... and STAY subscribed?
Why do you opt in to a mailing list?
Years ago, when I first started writing, my mentors encouraged me to launch an online newsletter – a type of formatted group email, they explained.
I balked. Sending mass emails felt impersonal. I didn’t like the idea of throwing a lot of content into cyberspace to see what stuck...
Continue reading "Why do readers opt in ... and STAY subscribed?"
Oct 18, 2025
Why content creation STILL works long term
My first informational website, www.tomatodirt.com, taught me why content writing is not a quick fix but works for the long game.
After painstaking topic and keyword research, I built the first ten pages of the website.
Each week, I added a page. After six months, I eased into adding ...
Continue reading "Why content creation STILL works long term"
Oct 17, 2025
Target Audience Finder
Do you know your target audience when you write?
Know your reader ahead of time, and you can ...
Oct 16, 2025
Simple (and free) fundraising letter template
If you’re a copywriter, ministry writer, or content writer (or want to be one), then writing appeal letters can be part of your bread and butter.
Even if you’re a general freelancer, then there’s a good chance you’ve been asked (or will be asked) to write a fundraising letter, whether for a client or for an organization that you support.
Naturally, you want to write a good one...
Continue reading "Simple (and free) fundraising letter template"
Oct 15, 2025
How to write your strategic plan: a quick tutorial
A strategic plan is an important tool to use to grow your nonprofit or your small biz.
It's a map that helps you make decisions for your organization.
Your plan answers these 3 key questions ....
Continue reading "How to write your strategic plan: a quick tutorial"
Oct 14, 2025
25 easy-to-achieve writing goals (choose and complete 1 right now)
The secret to writing success?
Set a writing goal. Then, working backwards from that goal, list smaller steps to take to achieve that goal.
And simply work the steps.
Isaac Asimov (1920-1992), one of the world’s most prolific writers, demonstrated this approach in his writing habits...
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Oct 13, 2025
Blogging for money still works if you use these 3 tips
Potential bloggers, new bloggers, and seasoned bloggers alike want to know how to make money from blogging.
The short answer is this: write quality content. Add it regularly to your site. Build traffic. Then choose options from three different big-picture ways to make money from blogging. Implement those income streams and start making money from your blog.
Repeat.
But here’s a surprise for many who want to solve the Big Money-Making Blog Mystery: bloggers don’t make money from writing posts. Bloggers make money by ...
Continue reading "Blogging for money still works if you use these 3 tips"
Oct 12, 2025
The bottom line about the writing life
“One of the things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time,” says Pulitzer Prize winning author Annie Dillard in her memoir, The Writing Life (1989). “Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now.”
Annie’s sentiment points out a hidden truth in the writing life: the temptation to hold back.
Which is easier – to reveal ...
Oct 11, 2025
Need a theme for your book? Here are 66 examples
In writing, a theme is a work’s underlying principle or message.
Each book of the Bible, for instance, has a theme. In Exodus it is deliverance. The book of Ruth’s theme? Redemption. Philippians’ underlying message is joy, while 1 Peter speaks to godly suffering.
Yet God does not use a book of the Bible to merely discuss a topic in academic terms or even to ...
Continue reading "Need a theme for your book? Here are 66 examples"
Oct 10, 2025
Fun, interactive book for girls ages 6-9
When my editor asked me to write a book of fun children's 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 Jesus by using the special lessons Jesus taught His friends, the disciples. That’s why I build the devotionals around the ...
Oct 09, 2025
{Free Download] Simple Fundraising Letter Template
If you’re a copywriter, ministry writer, or content writer (or want to be one), then writing appeal letters can be part of your bread and butter.
Even if you’re a general freelancer, then there’s a good chance you’ve been asked (or will be asked) to write a fundraising letter, whether for a client or for an organization that you support.
Naturally, you want to write a good one...
Continue reading "{Free Download] Simple Fundraising Letter Template"
Oct 08, 2025
5 forgettable first lines
Walk with me through your reader’s article feed. Scroll, scroll, scroll. Then, a headline captures his eye. He clicks to read more.
Congratulations! Your article has moved past the initial hurdle. But will Robert Reader keep reading your masterpiece?
That’s up to the first lines of your article.
Those opening words have just 10 seconds to convince Robert to stay. Will they be memorable and interesting?
I’ve seen too many writers launch an article with a stumble, grasping at cliches. Don’t let that be you...
Oct 07, 2025
How long should my blog post be?
Researchers who are immersed in blog data can give you all kinds of analytics about how many words to write, what kinds of words to use, and even where to place those words in your blog post. That information is useful.What is the ideal blog post length?
To be honest, the jury is out.
But if you’re like me, you want to get past all the explanations ASAP and learn the quick and dirty answers about blog post length so you can get on with writing...
Oct 06, 2025
Everyone talks about "content," but what is it?
Good content writing drives your communications.
But what exactly is “content”? You hear that word used a lot, whether you’re a business owner, leader, staffer, and even more so if you’re a writer.
When I first started writing, the term “content” puzzled me. Was it ...
Continue reading "Everyone talks about "content," but what is it?"
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