Write Now Editing

Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller (book review)

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Donald Miller’s StoryBrand process is a proven solution to the struggle business leaders face when talking about their businesses. This revolutionary method for connecting with customers provides readers with the ultimate competitive advantage, revealing the secret for helping their customers understand the compelling benefits of using their products, ideas, or services. Building a StoryBrand does this by teaching readers the seven universal story points all humans respond to; the real reason customers make purchases; how to simplify a brand message so people understand it; and how to create the most effective messaging for websites, brochures, and social media.

Whether you are the marketing director of a multibillion dollar company, the owner of a small business, a politician running for office, or the lead singer of a rock band, Building a StoryBrand will forever transform the way you talk about who you are, what you do, and the unique value you bring to your customers.

I’ve studied copy writing before, so I know the benefits of using a story in your marketing copy. This book, however, dives deep into the story to show you how to tell it well and maximize your efforts. Then it goes a step forward with some suggestions on how to implement your story in your website, promotional materials, newsletter, etc.

I love the book. The explanations are clear and easy to replicate, and the examples are easy to understand. I’ve been brand-less for a while. Now I’m excited to apply what I’ve learned and to see what I can do with the information I’ve gleaned form this book.

Pick up your own copy here!

10 Steps to Effective Copywriting (via Entrepreneur)

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If you’ve ever read a piece of junk mail, turned on the television, or opened a newspaper, you’re sure to have seen these sales techniques. Flashy fonts and proclamations sometimes work, but what really sets an ad campaign (or website) apart is its content: now what the words look like, but how you tell your story.

Susan Gunelius, a VIP contributor to Entrepreneur, nails it when she says:

Copywriting is about more than writing the hard sell sales letter that many short copywriting courses offer…Well-crafted copywriting doesn’t need to beat a person over the head. It doesn’t have to drown in bold typeface and capitalization. The message should stand on its own without an overabundance of heavy-handed sales language and design embellishments.

But how can you – an inexperienced copywriter – write that kind of content? Gunelius breaks it into ten easy-to-understand steps:

  1. Exploit your product’s benefits
  2. Exploit your competition’s weaknesses
  3. Know your audience
  4. Communicate W.I.I.F.M. (What’s In It For Me?)
  5. Focus on “you,” not “we”
  6. Understand your medium
  7. Avoid T.M.I. (Too Much Information)
  8. Include a call to action
  9. Y.A. (Cover Your Ass)
  10. Proofread

Even though she wrote this article in 2009, the same principles apply (and work!) today.

I encourage you to click on over and check it out. Even if you’re pretty sure you know what she’s referring to in each step, give it a read and refresh your memory – it’ll at least help you strengthen your copywriting foundation. At best, you’ll walk away with ten new tools to help you with your content-writing needs.

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Tips for Editing Web Content (via Custom Fit Online)

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Passing college writing classes does not mean you have the tools to write effective web content. Fear not! That doesn’t mean you can’t pick up those tools, you just need to know where to find them.

One such place is Custom Fit Online, where writer Erica Osburn shared a blog post about writing and editing website content. Not business content, website content. Why? Because people who read blogs are not necessarily the same people who read brochures, so you need to know how to reach those people.

As Osburn puts it, “Editing your content for the web requires acknowledging, first and foremost, that people use and read web content for different reasons than print. Once you understand that basic difference, you can edit your content (and, ideally, compose your content) with a focused approach.”

After she helps you identify your audience, her post includes some of the writing tips you (hopefully) learned in school (such as writing actively – don’t let the report be read by Jane), but it also includes online-specific writing tips, including:

  • Chunk It Up
  • Use the Inverted Pyramid
  • Be a Perfectionist … And Give it a Rest

I am, of course, more than happy to help organizations and businesses with their content if this is too overwhelming or you’re not sure if you have the time to learn how to use your new tools properly. Applying Osburn’s tips, however, should help you create quality content that works.

For more advice from Osburn, click here to read “Tips for Editing Web Content.” Or contact me directly to see how I can help you create website content that attracts and keeps your readers’ attention.

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ABOUT ME

Editor. Teacher. Novelist.
A passionate lover of fiction, Karin doesn't just write novels, she helps others write their best stories! A certified substantive editor with the Christian Editor Connection, her goal is to help authors to put her out of business by equipping them with the tools they need to become better writers.

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Karin understood my advertising and marketing writing needs and accomplished the project in record time. She asked all the right questions up front to equip herself with enough … [more]

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Substantive Fiction Editing: A substantive edit looks at the big picture. Start here to tackle the big issues before moving on to the nit-picky details. Substantive edits not only point out … [more]

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Lover of all things fiction, I also love University of Michigan football, the Detroit Lions, Tigers, and Red Wings, kayaking, gluten-free cupcakes, and my husband.

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Fiction: Substantive Editing Classes Substantive Editing for Fiction 101 In Substantive Fiction Editing 101, we’ll look at the basics of a well-written novel and learn how to help our … [more]