Word Wise Blog: Content Writing Made Easy
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Word Wise is for busy people who want to write more (or need to), but don't have a lot of time.
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Sep 23, 2021
The Power of "Because"
The power of because: this seemingly innocuous word is the poster child for persuasive writing.
You may mistakenly think that “because” is forceful or pushy. Or it is too simple to make much of a difference. Not so!
The word “because” is so powerful for one simple reason. It explains why.
Why does giving a reason make a difference in ...
Sep 22, 2021
Create a Call To Action With Just 2 Little Words
Readers expect to be told what to do. But writing an Ask can feel awkward – like you’re being bossy or salesy.
When you have some call to action examples to use as a template, you can have the confidence to ask with clarity.
You know how it is: your reader has a need. You’ve addressed that need in an engaging letter … email … landing page … blog post. Then you reach that point in your writing when you’ve got an icky feeling.
You need to ...
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Sep 21, 2021
5 Easy Tips to Help You Write Cleaner
"Write cleaner." You hear that all the time from writing coaches.
In order to hook your reader and keep him, you’ve got to grab his attention with enticing content – facts, anecdotes, statistics, angles, ideas. But it’s clean writing that will make or break you. Because your reader will only stick with a piece if it’s easy to read.
“Clean” content flows. It holds your interest. You’re not writing to impress your 10th grade English teacher … you’re writing to engage your reader ...
Sep 20, 2021
Writing Powerful Key Phrases Is Easy With This One Word
There’s one word that makes writing powerful key phrases easy.
It’s “easy.” And it’s one of my favorite power words.
Power words are terms that arouse a reader’s feelings and ...
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Sep 19, 2021
Make It Easy for Readers to Contact You
Is it easy for readers or prospects to message you to get more information about your services and products?
Think about what John the Baptist had to do to get a message to Jesus.
John had been ...
Sep 18, 2021
Data Is More Than Just Numbers
“Jesus loved data.” That statement by writer Abby Perry gave me pause.
But it’s true. Data is more than numbers and statistics. It’s also facts and information, which Jesus gathered regularly.
Look at just a few ways He collected different kinds of information and what He did with it ...
Sep 17, 2021
Try This Great Opening Line in Your Next Letter
We writers push back from using this opening line in letters. Isn’t the wording overused? Won’t the reader consider this approach too ordinary or trite? Isn’t persuasive writing purposely vague rather than direct, as suggested by this line?
No. No. And no ...
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Sep 16, 2021
5 Story Formats to Use in Content
“Have you read this story?” my husband asked, wiping his eyes with one hand and waving the morning newspaper in the other.
5 story formats for appeals and other content with Word Wise at Nonprofit Copywriter55SaveI shook my head.
He passed me the section containing a profile about a courageous ALS victim.
“Check it out,” he went on, “but only when you have a few minutes to cry and recover.” He left the room to blow his nose ...
Sep 15, 2021
Avoid These 6 Throwaway Opening Lines
Throwaway opening lines don’t work. They don’t work in email, in pitches, and in business letters.
No, I haven’t used them lately. I’ve received them ...
Sep 14, 2021
Where to Get the Best Images for Your Newsletter - for Free
Where are the best places get images for newsletters from your nonprofit?
You. Your clients. Your projects. Your work.
Think about it: which would impact you most: a touched-up image of a child holding a neat, clipped lamb, or a ...
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Sep 13, 2021
Selling Your Services: 6 Steps for Starting Out as a Freelancer
I put together this list of 6 writing tips for starting out as a freelancer for a very practical reason: to strike down the fear of selling your services.
This fear nearly debilitated me at the beginning of my writing journey. In fact, I still experience flare-ups. I had no idea where to begin to get clients …
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Sep 12, 2021
Avoid This Nonprofit Writing Blooper
I was trying help a client avoid one of the biggest nonprofit fundraising mistakes: talking about his ministry procedures.
He waxed eloquent about adopting a new database, switching around his organizational chart, and tweaking his bylaws ...
Sep 11, 2021
Superlatives: The Lazy Writer's Way Out
A superlative is an exaggerated expression. It’s huge, amazing, phenomenal, outstanding, awesome – or any other term that overstates and inflates.
When used excessively, a superlative is clickbait, designed to sensationalize and get attention rather than offer a substantive comparison to other high-quality items.
But when a superlative is used truthfully, it makes a point ...
Sep 10, 2021
How Keywords Work
When you know how keywords work, you can write better web pages, blogs, and social media posts.
Keywords are terms and phrases that define a piece of content.
They’re useful in any copywriting or content, but especially important when ...
Sep 09, 2021
How to Avoid the Most Common Appeal Letter Trap
“This appeal letter doesn’t get to the point until the fourth paragraph,” said the development director.
Oops … she was right.
Your first few sentences rank up there as one of the most important elements of an appeal ...
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Sep 07, 2021
21 Ways to Repurpose One Piece of Content
For a writer, repurposing content is the ultimate recycling program.
You start with one piece of content (such as your monthly or quarterly newsletter) and adapt it to fit different delivery platforms and formats (such as your blog, social media, appeal letters, email campaigns, and website.)
Repurposing your content seems so simple that you may feel it’s a cop-out.
It’s not ...
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Sep 06, 2021
The 4-Letter Word Your Website MUST Have
Your website must have a 4-letter word.
That got your attention, didn’t it?
But please don't think I'm advocating profanity. I’m talking about the little 4-letter word ...
Sep 05, 2021
How to Get Your Reader to Take the Next Step
In digital marketing, a click with a link pulls in your reader to your ad, video, landing page, post, or website.
In your content you have addressed her problem and offered a solution … and she is intrigued. So she clicks on your link to learn more.
The click is the first step you want your reader to ...
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Sep 04, 2021
How Paul Used His Letter Closing to Reinforce His Message
A letter closing, also called a “complimentary close,” is the short phrase you use when you end a letter or email. It comes before your signature.
Best practice dictates that you choose a closing phrase that is suitable for ...
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Sep 03, 2021
FR*EE Mini-Course: Getting Started Writing Devotionals
If you've never written and published a devotional, you may be uncertain where to begin ... and how to write your life lesson in a way that is helpful and inspiring to others.
This free mini-course gives you a blueprint to follow to ...
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Sep 02, 2021
8 Simple Business Email Writing Tips to Make You Look Like a Pro
If only I’d had this checklist of business email writing tips that day before I clicked “Send.”
I noticed my mistake immediately ...
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Sep 01, 2021
How to Write an Email Pitch That Gets a "Yes"
If you’re a freelance writer who wants to get article and blog post bylines, you need to know how to write a pitch.
A pitch is a letter or email you write to an editor or site owner, explaining your story idea for the publication. A successful pitch moves the editor to ...
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Aug 31, 2021
3 Cost-Saving Tips for Writing in a Down Economy
Chances are during uncertain economic times, you’ve had to whittle down your communications budget. Most people expect a “disappearing act" when finances get tight.
Don’t be like everyone else! It’s absolutely urgent that you keep yourself in front of your readers ...
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Aug 30, 2021
TLDR? 3 Simple Tips for Writing Easy-To-Read Content
If you’re like me, you desperately want your content to avoid the TLDR label. I want readers to read what I’ve written, rather than skip it.
TLDR (sometimes TL;DR or tldr) is a popular internet acronym that stands for “Too Long; Didn’t Read.”
It’s an expression that’s become an online fixture – so much so that in 2018, the term was added to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
In most cases, content is TLDR-zoned when ...
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