Big Ideas

A fantastic guide to writing copy for marketers. I loved this book because it was unpretentious, tactical and written for people who are not necessarily professional writers but are looking to improve their written work. The book is structured as a list of rules but the biggest takeaways for me were:

• Write for a specific person representative of your audience
• Write with empathy as much as possible, think from the perspective of that reader
• Content that will resonate with your audience is uniquely yours, honest and human
• Your choice of language and content structure should make it easy for the reader to understand you, keep it simple
• The best content is drafted and then edited. Make a shamelessly ugly first draft and then refine, refine, refine

Notes

Intro

• "Are you telling your story from your unique perspective, with a voice and style that's clearly all you?"
• Good writing is:
• ~"The foundation of a good content ..."
• ~"A mirror of good, clear, thinking ..."
• ~"The key to a customer-centric, intuitive, empathic point of view."
• Why does this matter?
• ~"We have become a planet of publishers" via the internet and socials
• ~"Brevity and clarity matter more than ever."
• ~"What matters now isn't storytelling; what matters is telling a true story well."
  

Utility x Inspiration x Empathy = Quality Content

Part I: Writing Rules: How to

1. Everybody Writes

2. Writing Is a Habit, Not an Art

• Set aside time each day when you're freshest
• Don't write a lot. Just write often.

3. Shed High School Rules - there is no one way to write

4. Regard Publishing as a Privilege

• "Every bit of content you create should be to please the customer or prospect - not  your boss or client."
• "Start with empathy. Continue with utility. Improve with analysis. Optimize with love" - Jonathon Colman

5. Place the Most Important Words (and Ideas) at the Beginning of Each Sentence

• "The first words of every sentence should make a friendly first impression to encourage the reader to keep going."
• Phrases to avoid:
• ~According to ...
• ~There is a ...
• ~It is [important, critical, advised, suggested, and so on] ...
• ~In my opinion ...
• ~The purpose of this [email, post, article] is ...
• ~I think [believe] that ...

6. Follow a Writing GPS

• Goal - "What is your business goal? What are you trying to achieve?"
• Reframe: put your reader into it. "Reframe the idea to relate it to your readers. Why does it matter to them? What's in it for them? Why should they care? What's the clear lesson or message you want them to take away? What value do you offer them? What questions might they have? What advice or help can you provide?"
• Seek out the data and examples.
• Organize - "What structure helps communicate your point?"
• Write to one person.
• Produce The Ugly First Draft
• Walk away.
• Rewrite
• Give it a great headline or title
• Have someone edit
• One final look for readability
• Publish, but not without answering one more reader question: what now? - "What do you want them to do next?"

7. The More the Think, the Easier the Ink

• "The more you think about what you want to say, and plan for it, the easier it is to say"
• "Before you begin the writing, be sure you know the purpose or mission or objective of every piece of content that you write. What are you trying to achieve? What information, exactly are you trying to communicate? And why should your audience care?"

8. Organize. Relax, You've Got This

• Use some mechanism to organize your content i.e. a list, outline etc.

9. Embrace The Ugly First Draft

• "TUFD isn't a pass you give yourself to produce substandard work. But it is a necessary part of the process of creating above standard work."
• Timeline
• ~Barf Up TUFD
• ~Walk away
• ~Rewrite

10. Swap Places with Your Reader

• "Good writing serves the reader, not the writer. It isn't self-indulgent. Good writing anticipates the questions that readers might have as they're reading a piece and it answers them."
• "Relentlessly, unremittingly, obstinately focus on the reader."
• ~"What experience is this creating for the reader?
• ~"What questions might they have?"
• ~"Am I making them work too hard to figure out what I'm trying to say?"

11. Humor Comes on the Rewrite

12. Develop Pathological Empathy

• "Empathy for the customer experience should be at the root of all your content, because having a sense of people you are writing for and deep understanding of their problems is key to honing your skill."
• "Spend time with your customers or prospects"
• "Understand their habitat"
• "Be a natural skeptic"
• "Ask why they do it"
• "Share story, not just stats"
• "Use a customer-centric POV"

13. Cross Out the Wrong Words

• Developmental editing - big picture, edit with a chainsaw (cut out big chunks and move things around)
• ~State your key idea
• ~Slash anything extraneous
• ~Make every paragraph earn it's keep
• ~Make every sentence earn its keep
• ~Move things around
• ~Sentences should compliment each other, not repeat or talk over each other
• Line editing - editing by surgical tools, paragraph and sentence flow, word choice usage etc.
• ~Time the bloat and fat
• ~Shed the obvious
• ~Lose frankewords, additives, cliches
• ~Ditch adverbs
• ~Ditch weakling verbs
• ~Create good paragraph transitions

14. Start with Dear Mom ...

• Helps with making a blank page not blank anymore

15. If You Take a Running Start, Cover Your Tracks

• "At the beginning of a piece, many of us take too long to delve into the topic. We offer too much setup and background."

16. Notice Where Words Appear in relation to Others around Then

• "Misplaced modifiers and odd word order are among the most common errors I see made by marketers - and by most writers."

17. A Good Lede Invites You to the Party and a Good Kicker Makes You Wish You Could Stay Longer

• "Give special love to the first and last sentences of your piece."

18. Show, Don't Tell

• "Specific details make content vibrant, and they add a necessary human element that makes your content more relatable."

19. Use Familiar Yet Surprising Analogies

• "An analogy is a comparison that frames the unknown with the known ... that helps explain a complex process or concept with familiar, relatable specifics. In other words, it helps make the abstract more concrete."

20. Approach Writing Like Teaching

• "Good, pathologically empathic writing strives to explain, to make things a little bit clearer."

21. Keep it Simple -- but Not Simplistic

• "Good content deconstructs the complex to make it easily understood: It sheds the corporate Frankenspeak."

22. Find a Writing Buddy

23. Avoid Writing by Committee

24. Hire a Great Editor

25. Be Rabid about Readability

• Shorter paragraphs
• Shorter sentences
• Straightforward words
• Use bulleted or numbered lists
• Subheadings to break up text
• Add visual elements
• Lots of white space

26. End [a writing session] on an I-can't-wait-to-get-back-to-it Note

27. Set a Goal Based on Word count (not time)

28. Deadlines are the WD-40 of Writing

Part II: Writing Rules: Grammar

1. Use Real Words
2. Avoid Frankenwords, Obese Words, and Words Pretending to Be Something They're Not
3. Don't Use Weblish
4. Know the Difference between Active and Passive Voice
5. Ditch Weakling Verbs
6. Ditch Adverbs, Except When They Adjust the Meaning
7. Use Cliches Only Once in a Blue Moon
8. Avoid Common Mistakes (see original text)
9. Break Some Grammar Rules (see original text)
10. Learn Words You're Probably Misusing or Confusing with Other Words (see original text)
11. Limit Moralizing

Part III: Story Rules

"A compelling brand story is a kind of gift that gives your audience a way to connect with you as one person to another, and to view your business as what it is: a living, breathing entity run by real people offering real value."

1. Tell how you'll change the world

• It's True  "Make truth the cornerstone of anything you create."
• It's Human "Focus on how your products or services touch the lives of actual people."
• It's Original  "Your story should offer a fresh perspective."
• It serves the customer  "Your story might be about you, but it should always be told in the context of your customer's life."
• It tells a bigger story that's aligned with a long term business strategy.‍

2. Tell the Story Only You Can Tell

3. Voice and Tone - Don't Get Hung Up on Whether Something's Been Said Before --- Just Say it Better

4. Look to Analogy instead of Example

Part IV: Publishing Rules

1. Wait. What's Brand Journalism?

• "A brand journalist or corporate reporter works inside the company, writing and producing videos, blog posts, photos, webinars, charts, graphs, e-books, podcasts and other information that delivers value to your market."
• "Such content creators convey your company's true story in a compelling way by uncovering the stories about your brand and the way your customers are using your products and services."
• How it works:
• ~Generate brand awareness
• ~Produce industry news
• ~Creating and sponsoring
• ~Generating leads

2. Tell the Truth

• "Creating content on behalf of brands requires you to be scrupulously trustworthy. You need to be honest with your readers."
• "Telling the truth means featuring real people, real situations, genuine emotions, and actual facts."

3. See Content Moments Everywhere

4. Post News That's Really News

5. Biased and Balanced - Seek Out Opposing Viewpoints

6. Non-obvious Interview Tips

• "Embrace your ignorance and admit what you don't know"
• "Be an advocate for your audience"
• "Go for one-on-one conversation"
• "Get the spiel out of the way first"
• "Converse, don't interview"
• "Superlatives can make for great interview fodder."
• "Shut up already."

7. Fact-Check

8. Approach Content with 'Mind Like Water' - there's always a story or something interesting there

9. Seek Out the Best Sources

10. Be Aware of Hidden Agendas

11. Cite as You Write

12. Curate Ethically

13. Seek Permission, Not Forgiveness

14. Understand the Basics of Copyright, Fair Use and For Attribution

15. Ground Content in Data

Part V: 13 Things Marketers Write

1. Writing for Twitter - Dialogue, Not Monologue

• Establish who you are
• Tell your bigger story
• Share the why and who, not just the what
• Don't pitch slap
• Personalized, not personal
• Be cautious with automation
• Use Twitter as a spawning pool for other content
• Use a clear call to action
• Don't sacrifice grammar and spelling or use abbreviations
• Use Bitly to shorten links
• Keep your posts below the 120 character level

2. Writing with Hashtags (Or, Don't be a hash-hole)

3. Writing for Facebook

• Connect with existing communities of potential buyers
• Target by niche, not numbers
• Unite an audience with rallying cries
• Post when your audience is online
• Post with images / video to get best engagement

4. Writing for LinkedIn - Always Be Helping

• An optimized profile
• A robust company page
• A habit to curate useful news or insights via company pages
• Content Creation / Curation Tips
• ~"Optimize introductions and headlines and add your point of view"
• ~"Use concise intros and snappy headlines"
• ~"Include a clear all to action"
• ~Include an image or some type of rich media
• ~Align your members needs and interests
• ~Make your content snackable and valuable
• ~Manage your updates by measuring engagement and following up on comments

5. Writing Your LinkedIn Profile

1. Use active language, citing tangible outcomes
2. Mirror the language of the companies you want to work for

6. Writing for Email

• What would you open?
• Use short subject lines
• Let your free flag fly
• Use recipients first name
• Keep email copy short
• Be a real person

7. Writing Landing Pages - Less is So Often More

• Match the message to the promise
• Deliver awesome
• Avoid TMI
• Keep your headline benefit-driven
• Subheads and copy. Be brief (mostly)
• Use second person plus active verbs
• Be blindingly obvious
• Show, don't tell
• Keep things simple
• Use trust indicators and social proof to reduce anxiety
• Test

8. Writing Headlines

• "Your goal is to help the people you are trying to reach and create value for them, to create content so useful they'll thank you for it, to build audience and relationships."
• Create a curiosity gap, but with moderation
• Promise what you're going to deliver
• Place your reader directly into the headline
• Be economical, and test
• Use numbers
• Use lively words

9. Writing a Home Page - We Get You

• Speak to your audience
• They like me! They really like me! - "know what motivates them [your customers]"
• Keep it stupid simple
• Use words your audience uses
• Use "you" promiscuously
• Now what? - have a clear call to action
• Convey trust

10. Writing the About Us Page - When it's not really about you

• "The best About Us pages aren't really about the company; instead, they focus on relaying who they are in relation to the visitor"
• Show a human accessible side
• Show your people as real people
• Include an Easter Egg
• Bring your customers into the story

11. Writing Infographics

• Utility
• Data
• Story
• Logical Sequence
• Great Design
• Quality Control
• Promotion

12. Writing Better Blog Posts

• Keep headlines tight
• Add blog bling (large graphic or embedded video)
• Time it well
• Use bullets and numbered lists
• Provide sharing and subscriber options
• Keep them short. Ish.
• Use an interesting approach
• Show up - consistently publish
• Build scale
• Experiment

13. Writing Annual Reports