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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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Jun 03, 2025
3 tips for getting freelance writing gigs
These three tips in getting freelance writing gigs have little to do with creative genius or brilliant word smithing and a whole lot to do with cultivating a particular character trait.
That trait? Dependability.
Please don’t misunderstand – of course, it’s important to ...
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Jun 02, 2025
Want to persuade? Write to a real person
That’s because writing persuasive copy is a lot like talking on paper.
Which is why one of the most persuasive writing tips you can embrace is this: write to a real person.
The more you write with that reader in mind, the more persuasive your copy will be...
Jun 01, 2025
Writing an article: success is in how you slant it
“There are no new article topics,” explained the writing instructor.
Other students, like me, shifted uncomfortably in their chairs. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who wondered why I was in an article writing workshop if there was nothing new to write about.
“However,” the instructor continued...
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May 31, 2025
You don't need to always obey the Paragraph Police
Do you follow traditional rules when writing paragraphs?
For instance, your language arts teacher insisted that you communicate one idea per paragraph, preferably in a topic sentence. Additional sentences develop or support that idea. You close the paragraph with a transitional sentence that leads to the next paragraph.
Speaking of sentences ...
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May 30, 2025
How to make a personalized plan to get your book done in 2025
“I want to write a book.”
You’ve said that more than once. In fact, your book idea has been floating around in your head for some time.
You may have jotted down some notes or you’ve got a file folder with clippings and facts and anecdotes. Maybe you even have an outline. But an actual manuscript? You haven’t made much headway on that, if any ...
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May 29, 2025
4 writing styles - and when to use each one
I admit it: when I first started writing, the idea of different writing styles not only confused me but intimidated me.
“I’m barely learning the craft,” I thought to myself. From where I sat, I could not envision developing my own style.
Then I learned that there are two ways to look at styles...
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May 28, 2025
Free social media checklist for freelancers and small biz owners
Social media is essential to building your biz. For one thing, it’s free – which is a plenty good reason to use it.
Along with that is the power of social proof. People like hearing what ...
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May 27, 2025
Free - your guide to Getting Started Writing a Book
Leaders, pastors, entrepreneurs, writers, and those who want to be writers ...
You’re getting started writing a book. What do you want to know?
Use this free, e-book writing guide, Write Your Book Now: A Step-By-Step Guide to Writing a Book and Getting It to Publication to get started and answer all your first questions.
This 28-page guide takes you through eight steps you need to take to write your book. It's a great jumpstart that I wish I'd had when I wrote my first book.
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May 26, 2025
12 tips to help you ALWAYS be writing productively
"What are you working on now?"
“Not much. I need some tips for staying busy writing.”
I hear this a lot from newbies, part-time, and freelance writers who may not have a lot of assignments or deadlines.
I've been there. And early on in my writing life, I adopted a mantra ...
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May 25, 2025
Your subject line's special mission
Your email subject line has a special mission: its job is to get your reader to open the email.
Why do so many subject lines fail at this?
Maybe I could get some answers from my own inbox...
May 24, 2025
How to be the middleman and earn big (with little to no work)
In the online world, an affiliate is a middleman.
An affiliate is a publisher who operates a website, blog, social media page, or podcast. Vendors partner with the publisher to promote products or services on the publisher’s site.
That puts you, the affiliate publisher, in the middle between...
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May 23, 2025
How to create a content writing strategy you can stick with
If you’re a writer or freelancer or solopreneur or small biz owner, you need a content strategy. No, it needn’t be complicated. But you must have one if you want to make the best use of your time and build a following.
Don’t get put off by the marketing experts that summarize a content strategy as “the high-level planning, execution, governance, and ongoing management of the content lifecycle to sustain key business initiatives, drive traffic, increase engagement, multiply sales, and strengthen other business outcomes through content.” Or some other such high-level jargon.
What's that gobbledegook mean, anyway? You need clear ...
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May 22, 2025
One simple phrase that creates more powerful content
“In other words.” I love this simple phrase for writing more powerful content.
It’s an expression lets you subtly repeat your point. And it gives you an excuse to explain your point another way ...
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May 21, 2025
Do you write about too many topics?
When I started my website in 2004, I focused on sharing writing tips and tutorials for nonprofit leaders. In truth, I wanted to generate leads, so they’d hire me.
I focused on three key content pillars.
And the strategy worked! I got plenty of ...
May 20, 2025
Need a title for your book? Try this
You knew writing a book would be an all-consuming project, but the title? No one prepares you for the angst. Even if you have a working title for your book, you may wonder if you’re on the right track.
As in writing headlines, writing a book title is ...
May 19, 2025
Send email or newsletters? How to make sure yours gets read
Newsletters and emails can be one of the most effective ways to stay in front of your readers. They are also potentially deadly.
One newsletter pulls in readers, increases sales or gifts, and boosts involvement. Another newsletter is a perfect substitute for sleeping pills. It gets trashed or deleted immediately. Even worse than not getting read is the message that gets sent with a lackluster newsletter: “We’re uninspiring.”
The difference? Your content and ...
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May 18, 2025
Web writing top tip (quick one)
The web content writer understands that readers consume content differently online and print. In print, readers read word for word. Online, users skim.
Sure, some readers soak in every word. But on average, online users have time to read just 28% of the words on a web page during a typical visit. So says web usability guru Jakob Nielsen.
In other words, writing for the web is not ...
May 17, 2025
Paul's 4 tips for persuasive writing
A copywriter writes to persuade. Often, that means convincing a reader to buy a product or service.
A copywriter is proficient in writing all kinds of media that are used in sales, such as advertising … sales materials … landing pages.
But if you’re a copywriter, don’t limit yourself to sales writing. All kinds of content call for persuasive writing...
May 16, 2025
Fun for the girls you know
Any pre-teen girls in your life? Get them a copy of A Christian Girl's Guide to Friendship to help them navigate making friends and being a great friend for ...
May 15, 2025
How to write a cover letter: FAQs
“I only need to know how to write a cover letter when I’m job hunting.” That’s a common misconception.
I write cover letters for clients almost every week – cover letters that introduce an offer, accompany a grant application, or summarize an information packet.
I also write cover letters to clients that accompany a ...
May 14, 2025
Need ideas? Try these 7 brainstorming tips for writers
Advertising executive Alex F. Osborn was the first to invent formal brainstorming techniques. He became frustrated by his team’s ability to generate creative ideas for their campaigns.
He launched group creativity sessions that allowed team members to suggest spontaneous new ideas without criticism. Participants “used the brain to storm a problem,” and dubbed their gatherings as “brainstorming sessions.”
That was in 1939.
Since then, brainstorming has become a standard part of the creative process both ...
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May 13, 2025
Struggle to write conversationally? Try these 19 tips
Why all the fuss about conversational writing? Words are words. Or so I thought until my copywriting instructor gave me a piece to write in a conversational tone.
After I submitted the assignment, she read it aloud to me — and giggled. I think it was when she got to the sentence that said ...
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May 12, 2025
3 tips for writing your homepage content
Writing homepage content is different than writing content for other pages on a site.
A lower-level page has one simple job to do: provide information.
A homepage, too, provides information. But it has two additional jobs to do ...
May 11, 2025
How to find out what prospects need
A successful pitch to freelance writing clients includes a reply device. Also called a response device or a bounce-back, a reply device gives a prospect a way to respond to your inquiry, offering your freelance writing services.
It can be a postcard, online link, questionnaire, survey, order form, registration form, spec sheet, insert, or tear-out card ...
May 10, 2025
Why addressing a reader's objections is so persuasive
One powerful persuasive writing technique you can use is to raise objections.
That is, anticipate why your reader may protest, question, doubt, or embrace skepticism about your point.
Then, in your copy or content, address those objections head-on and refute the objection with evidence.
That is what ...
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