20 Easy Ways to Write Better for Business: Bits of wisdom from a copywriter — now available instantly on Kindle!

Scott Flood

Why humor in marketing can be anything but funny

raise taxes

Humans love to laugh. Whether it’s a favorite sitcom, the latest wacky movie, the joke making the rounds of the office, or the meme we’re reposting on our social, we all appreciate things that make us smile and giggle. So it’s no surprise that when we’re developing advertising and other communications materials for our businesses, … Read more

Your opinion isn’t necessarily knowledge

wrong people

Technology has been a great workplace equalizer, allowing everyone to perform tasks that once required specialized skills, and flattening organizational charts as companies reduce headcount.  But added responsibility doesn’t automatically equate knowledge or expertise. I mention that because a side effect of that change is a growing misconception that anyone capable of forming an opinion … Read more

How to deliver good news in writing

delivering good news

Nobody likes to deliver bad news, but it can be just as challenging to share something good … when you have to do it in writing. To understand what makes it difficult, you have to consider the role that your written words will play. They essentially take your place when you can’t deliver the message … Read more

Leveraging Educational White Papers as a Powerful Marketing Strategy

working on educational white papers

If your company is pioneering innovative products or services, you might find yourself at a disadvantage that educational white papers can address. Prospective customers are less inclined to choose something they don’t fully understand. While the benefits and superiority of your new approach might be clear to you, they might not be as evident to … Read more

Don’t allow angry people to drive your marketing decisions

wrong people

There’s an awful lot of anger in today’s world. From the presidential campaign, to professional sports coverage, to long lines at the neighborhood java joint, people are quicker than ever to raise their voices and snap at people. They often aim that anger at companies — maybe even yours. You’ll see evidence of it everywhere, … Read more

Seven strategies for making your case studies more compelling

group creating case studies

Case studies are one of today’s most effective marketing tools. In simple terms, a case study spells out what your company did (or how someone used your product or service to do something), how it worked, and the results that proved its value. The approach succeeds because case studies are factual, depending upon real-world performance … Read more

Why you should use “service” and many other words more carefully

upset by schools

By the Oxford English Dictionary’s best guess, the English language contains more than a quarter of a million words. And, while scholars and researchers disagree wildly, most concede that the average intelligent person knows somewhere between 10,000 and 50,000 of them. Of course, there’s a difference between knowing 10,000 words and knowing the precise shades … Read more

Best Secrets for Generating Leads from White Papers

In the competitive landscape of modern marketing, generating high-quality leads is paramount. White papers have emerged as a powerful tool, offering an in-depth, authoritative resource that can attract and convert potential customers. Let’s explore how to use white papers effectively to generate leads, detailing the steps from creation to promotion and follow-up. What Are White … Read more

How to write so you sound every bit as smart as you are

writing to sound smarter

I recently handled a project for an organization full of extraordinarily smart people, something you might not recognize if you read the copy they wrote. Their words were so unfamiliar, their sentence structure so complex only their peers could grasp what they tried to convey … and their peers weren’t the audience. You were. No, … Read more