Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

The long and winding sentence: How some bad writing habits could be repelling your readers

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Are you publishing new content consistently but not getting any comments, referrals or inquiries? It’s possible that something about the way you write is turning readers away instead of attracting them.

I’ve put together my list of the top three reader-repelling habits to watch for in your writing, and I’m going to present them in a free call on Wednesday, September 8, 2010.

Today’s preview gives you a chance to do some detective work and start searching your writing for the first habit.

Reader-repelling habit #1: The long and winding sentence

My sister Ruth was editing for me recently and she tactfully pointed out that I hadn’t practiced what I teach. The culprit? A very long run-on sentence. Ooops. That’s why we ALL need help with our writing.

You probably already know if this is one of your habits. A sure-fire way to spot it is to read your work out loud.

  • Do you run out of breath before you finish any of your sentences?
  • By the end of the sentence, do you forget what the beginning of the sentence was about?

How the long and winding sentence repels your readers: Relationships are built on feelings. If a long and winding sentence leaves your reader feeling confused or disoriented, they will associate those feelings with you the next time they see your name.

Free Call: The Top 3 Reader-Repelling Habits to Watch for in Your Writing

Date: Wednesday, September 8, 2010 Time: 9:30 a.m. Eastern

You’ll learn:

  • How to reign in your run-on sentences
  • The other two reader-repelling writing habits and how to address them
  • What a coach for pastors can teach you about web content writing
  • And more!
  • You can also join the Club and devote the whole day to your writing!

As part of the call, we’ll have a webinar segment where you can see examples of these reader-repelling habits, and how I reverse them to improve the final product.

Content Mastery Guide joins Alltop.com

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Alltop, confirmation that I kick ass

On Friday, August 27, 2010, Content Mastery Guide was added to the Content Marketing page at Alltop.com.

Alltop.com is like an online magazine rack, where you can browse "the best of the best" blogs and websites about hundreds of specialized topics. Here is a great visual from Dan Roam that explains perfectly how Alltop.com works as a search tool.

I'm thrilled to be in the company of folks like Jeff, Anne, Patsi, Brian, Jason, Seth, Joe and the other content marketing experts on this page (all of whom I look forward to getting to know).

Thanks to the folks at Alltop.com for this important recognition of my work. (What do you know, Alyssa, I'm getting noticed, too!)

Linda, leave my tweets alone!

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Here’s something I’ve wondered about from time to time on my Twitter travels.

When and how is it okay to edit a tweet (something that has been posted on Twitter – example) that you are retweeting (forwarding to your followers – example)?

I should probably leave your tweets alone – Word Woman or not, when people see that something is a retweet, they should safely assume that the original message is intact and unaltered.

But here’s where things get tricky:

  1. I see a typo or other error. Since I edit for a living, I do my best to make sure my own content is free from errors. When I retweet, it feels like I’m responsible for that content. Even though a retweet is really a quote of someone else’s words, that’s not always obvious. Especially because everyone handles retweets differently (I tend to follow Scott Stratten‘s advice and add my commentary to the beginning of a tweet).
  2. The message is too long. I actually LOVE the challenge of trying to pare down someone’s tweet while keeping their voice and message intact. It’s a lot like what I do when I edit web content for my clients. By the way, you can make your tweets easier to retweet with this calculator. But does editing for length give me free reign to correct errors as well?
  3. The person has used shorthand (e.g., “ur” instead of “you are”). For my own posts, I tend to agree with Grammar Girl, who says that if she can’t say it properly in 140 characters, she needs to consider whether she should post it at all. (She even published a Twitter Style Guide called Strunk and Twite.) Similar to #1, I see everything I post on Twitter as an extension of my brand and a reflection of the quality of my work.

But that’s about MY stuff, not yours. So while I’ve been viewing my unsolicited Twitter editing as a way to take a stand for the quality of your content, it IS unsolicited and I should probably cut it out.

What do you think? Please leave your comments below, or talk to me on Twitter. 

Update – November 18, 2012: I’ve since learned that the proper Twitter etiquette when changing the content of a tweet is to use MT instead of RT. MT stands for “modified tweet.”

The three Rs of content marketing

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As I'm getting ready for the big move from Toronto to Barrie, one of the tasks on my list is to sign up for a "peak saver" program with the electricity company. I want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to reduce my energy footprint (as well as save costs!).

That got me thinking about the "three Rs" and how they relate to content marketing.

Reduce – You can practice this concept in a couple of ways. First of all, make sure you reduce the number of ideas in an article or blog post so that you're left with ONE main topic and some supporting points.

Next, reduce your personal energy output by batching your tasks for maximum efficiency. For example, if it's "brainstorming time," and you're in the flow of new ideas and creativity, stay with that instead of trying to switch back and forth to other types of tasks.

Reuse – Revisit topics you've covered before, by updating them, combining them with links to other relevant posts, or demonstrating the ideas with a story from your own experience or your client work.

Recycle – Recycle your content into a new format. For example, tweet about your blog post or expand it into a longer article for your newsletter. Or take your email newsletter and turn it into a printed handout you can bring to a face-to-face networking event.

How do you reduce, reuse or recycle your content? Which of these ideas would you like to try? Please leave a comment below.

Busy time ahead? Don’t lose momentum on your content marketing

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The topic of last week's Small Business Buzz Twitter chat was Vacation Strategies.

While it's not a vacation, I AM looking ahead towards some down time from my business. That's because the Content Mastery Guide is relocating to beautiful Barrie, Ontario. That's right, Patch and I are moving!

Adding to the excitement (and a bit of stress) is that it's all happening relatively quickly towards the end of September. And there's a lot to do between now and then!

I knew that if I was going to keep up with my regular content marketing goals AND keep telling you about the new content writing solutions I'm putting together for you, I had better plan ahead.

First, I used Charlie Gilkey's blog post planner to plot out the categories I want to focus on over the next few months, and I filled in a few article ideas I'm already brewing for each category.

Then, I used his blog post calendar to put together a content strategy that laid out precisely which pieces of content will go out on which date. This document went beyond an editorial calendar, and helped me look at:

  • The types of content I want to be sharing, both in this blog and with the members of the Content Mastery Action Club
  • The best timing for each type of content, based on what's happening in my business
  • The different resources and services that I offer, and how to weave my content strategy through all of these solutions so that the right people hear about them   

The real bonus is that I'll be able to replicate this strategy long after I'm settled in Barrie.

How do you plan ahead when you know you'll be away from your business? Please comment below.