But there are some common mistakes that writers make. And if you know what those mistakes are, it makes it much easier to avoid them and write better copy.

So here’s a big mistake to avoid: an over-reliance on nouns and adjectives.

You know, talking about things (nouns), and then telling your readers what those things look, feel and sound like (adjectives).

Don’t get me wrong, those things might be important. I’m not saying get rid of them altogether.

What I am saying is that nouns and adjectives lack energy. They’re static.

If you want people to ‘do’ something, you need to give your copy more energy.

Write more verbs and fewer adjectives

One of the best ways to engage your readers, and get them to act on what you’ve written, is to use more verbs in your writing. This has always been true in storytelling, as Damon Suede makes clear in his excellent book ‘Verbalize’ (affiliate link).

To elicit emotion, you’re going to need readers to engage with your story and its characters, and that means Action is paramount.

 

Verbalize, by Damon Suede

This applies to copywriting as much as it applies to fiction.

The following bit of research by Hubspot makes this clear. Verbs are the clear leader in terms of ‘getting people to do things’, in this case sharing.

I love this about good copywriting. Basically, what and how you write, and the types of words you use, can affect how someone behaves when reading it.

Cool, right?

Below are some sentences (borrowed from branded social media posts) that are made more energetic by using verbs more prominently.

On the left are the noun- and adjective-heavy phrases. They do use verbs, but they’re weak verbs like ‘is’ and ‘has’. They’re dominated by nouns (winter collection, supplements range, blend) and adjectives (amazing, new, high-quality).

On the right are sentences that start with a verb: ‘Beat’, ‘Support’, ‘Kick off’. This is called the ‘imperative voice’. It’s like an order or a command. It’s the voice we use for all calls to action: ‘Download this’, ‘Sign up here’.

Not all your sentences should be written in the imperative mode. But if you err towards action, your readers will respond.

Summary

Use more verbs and your copy will be more engaging for your readers.

It will also encourage action, which is beneficial for you and for them.

The post 1 simple way to add energy to your copy: write more verbs! appeared first on Tim Tucker.

You’ve probably seen all of the content marketing ‘2018 trends’ posts that were flying around before Christmas 2017.

I’ve read most of them, and I have to say I think they’re mostly premature. Many of the things we think are about to change take much longer to get into the mainstream.

So here are 3 content marketing trends you might be hearing about that aren’t ready for prime time just yet.

1. Artificial Intelligence

There’s a lot of fear-mongering when talking about AI and its impact on jobs. That makes for engaging news stories.

But the resistance to AI for most organisations is huge. Businesses and consumers aren’t ready for it.

That’s why organisations will find a lot of internal resistance to AI.

Make 2018 the year you explore the options for AI. See how it could help or hinder your business.

But don’t expect it take off before 2019-2020.

2. The Internet of Things

Yes, there have been some advances in home systems, voice services, sensors and device pairing. This year’s CES was all about connected devices.

But the majority of your customers are a long way from using these in earnest.

Expect to wait at least another 2 years for this one to really set in.

3. Content marketing strategy

You’ve seen the surveys. Most businesses are failing to take a strategic approach to content marketing. And you’ve also heard how that’s about to change.

I don’t buy it.

I spend a lot of time consulting and training brands in content marketing approaches. My impression is that strategic thinking is the exception rather than the rule.

The signs are more encouraging here though.

I work as a consultant and trainer with large corporations right through to small startups. The majority are starting to think hard about strategy in the near future.

2019 could be the year we see content marketing becoming a strategic process more than a tactical one.

Summary

Don’t get me wrong.

Big things are going to happen in content marketing during the next 12 – 18 months. But they won’t be the seemingly obvious ones.

And they won’t be the things most people are predicting.

This year I am hosting a number of Digital Breakfasts for the Content Marketing Association. We’ll host experienced content marketers to present their views on what’s most important for content marketers in 2018.

Contact me if you want to join us at any of these events.

The post 3 content marketing trends that won’t happen in 2018 appeared first on Tim Tucker.

I spent  two days at BrightonSEO this year. It was a blast, as always, and a great help in understanding how copywriting needs to shift with the demand of SEO.

I held a content marketing workshop on day one with some creative and inspiring people. On day two I attended some of the expert presentations that BrightonSEO has to offer.

Over the course of the two days I had discussions, answered questions, and generally got involved in conversations about the state of the SEO industry.

Here are some of the things that I picked up there, that will inform my work as a copywriter and content marketer.

Technical SEO is a massive deal

Christoph Cemper gave an excellent overview of how broken links can really harm your SEO. Fixing this issue led to over 500% increase in traffic to the website.

Action: Do a proper link audit. If you don’t have anyone on it, hire an agency or a freelance expert.

Update your top performing blog posts

Jo Turnball and Daniel Furch showed how updating your best content can lead to better SEO opportunities. This is not only a more efficient way to create content, but gives you better bang for your buck.

Action: Use your web analytics to find your best performing content, and re-publish it with updated material.

Make Mobile your number 1 priority for content

Duane Forrester of Yext gave us a massive wake up call on mobile. This will be the most important factor in Google’s index next year.

It’s also where your audience is spending most of its time. Stunning stat: Over 50% of our mobile time is spent on apps, not the web browser.

Action: Review your most important content from a mobile perspective. How does it look on mobile devices? Can readers read it/scan it well?

Audience engagement is getting more immersive

Jes Scholz of Ringier Emerging Markets showed us how audience engagement is on a journey. From photos, to video, to 360 video and now Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality.

AR and VR is going to open up huge opportunities for marketers to engage in ever more powerful ways, with the launch of iPhone 8 / iPhone X and Samsung’s latest models fuelling progress.

Action: Experiment with AR and VR features in your content. Soak up what’s happening and consider what your brand can do with these new tools.

Google cares about quality content more than ever

Gary Illyes of Google told us that every update Google makes to its algorithms is about the quality of a site and its content. And there are 2 or 3 updates to Google a day.

This is a reminder that we should stay focused on the audience, and not Google. If it’s changing this quickly, we’re better off focusing on the end game – the value our content has for our audience.

We knew this, didn’t we? But still, it’s always worth reminding ourselves – the audience comes first.

Action: Make ‘content value for the audience’ a key factor in how you assess your content’s quality.

Summary

SEO is a fast changing sector, but the fundamentals remain.

I missed many of the other great presentations, but you can find most of them on the SiteVisibility website.

I’ll be running another content marketing course at BrightonSEO in April 2018, so let me know if you’re going.

The post What BrightonSEO 2017 told me about good copywriting appeared first on Tim Tucker.

I run regular 2-day copywriting courses, and we cover a lot of ground in that time. But people often ask me: ‘How can I remember and implement all of this advice?’ So below I’ve listed three copywriting apps that have helped me, and many other writers, to avoid common mistakes and create consistently good copy.

The links below are to web apps, which are available online through your standard web browser. They’re all free, so check them out for yourself and see if they work for you (some ask for personal data before you can use them).

Please note – I don’t get any commercial benefit form you using these copywriting apps. These are objective and unbiassed recommendations.

1. Hemingway app

Use it: www.hemingwayapp.com

It’s easy to slip into bad copywriting style, such as:

• Passive voice
• Long complex sentences
• Unnecessarily long words

Good writing style is a habit that’s formed with practice. The Hemingway app speeds up this process by showing where you might be going wrong.

Paste your copy into the app and it will highlight passages that have potential issues. It’s an awesome time-saver and a handy reminder of what to look out for in your copy.

2. Coschedule headline analyzer

Use it: coschedule.com/headline-analyzer

Headlines are essential. A good headline will turn a browser into a reader.

I’m a little wary of an algorithm telling me what works, but I find this tool gives you some useful feedback on how to improve what you’ve written, including:

• Common words
• Uncommon words
• Power words
• Emotional impact
• SEO benefits

As with all copywriting apps, I wouldn’t slavishly follow every piece of advice it gives. Use it to get ideas for improving what you’ve written.

(Grammar hounds beware – they’ve misspelt the word ‘its’ on this website. I’ve forgiven them.)

3. Answer the public

Use it: http://answerthepublic.com

It’s tough to constantly think up new ideas for content. I love Answer the Public because it gives you plenty of inspiration.

The app draws on data from Google search suggestions and other keyword tools to give insights into what people are searching for. You can use this to create content based on search demand.

Enter your content topic into Answer the Public and you’ll get dozens of ideas for things to write about. And best of all, you know it will be interesting to an audience because they have searched for it.

Summary

These three tools are just the start. There are many more copywriting apps and web tools out there.

I’ll update this blog with more recommendations soon, but in the meantime if you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments.

The post 3 killer copywriting apps that will actually improve your writing appeared first on Tim Tucker.

I’m a one-man band, a lone wolf, a high plains drifter.

Which is all just to say, I’m a busy freelancer.

I don’t have any staff, so every bit of work – I need to do it myself. There’s a long list of things that my work involves, but let’s just say that it goes from selling myself to doing the admin.

Ugh, the admin.

So… I’ve spent 8 years as a freelancer now, and I want to share some things that have helped me to become more productive and more efficient.

I wouldn’t say that I’m a freelance ninja just yet, but all this has helped me make a start. And stopped me going insane.

1. Book keeping

I still remember the days and nights I spent scrambling through 12 months’ worth of receipts and listing them in a spreadhsheet.

I’ll never get those hours back.

Fortunately a fellow freelancer showed me Receipt Bank.

Now I scan the receipts when I get them and Receipt Bank automatically uploads them into its online platform.

Cue a chorus singing ‘Hallelujah’ accompanied by visuals of unicorns dancing under rainbows.

At this time of writing Receipt Bank costs me £9.99 a month. That’s much less than I’d pay for a book keeper.

And it leaves me to do the work that I enjoy (hint – it’s not book keeping).

2. Invoicing

Another massive time-saver. If you send a lot of invoices, use Free Agent.

Don’t ask why, just do it.

Alright, here’s why. It makes the process of sending and tracking your income and outgoings so much easier.

It takes feeds from Receipt Bank (see above) so you get a real-time view of revenue, costs and profit.

3. Staying organised

Here’s where I get geeky.

I love tracking my time. I just do.

I realise that not everyone shares this passion, but there’s a few things that made a difference for me.

The Pomodoro technique

Such a simple idea, but such a life-changer in terms of getting work done and being focused. You can read all about the Pomodoro technique here, or read this brilliant book.

Essentially it’s about focusing on one thing in 25 minute blocks of time, without any interruptions and without straying from the task. Then take short breaks in between to re-evaluate your priorities.

Try it. You won’t look back.

To ensure I work strictly to the pomodoro technique I use the focus app on my MacBook Pro and iPhone, but there are plenty of alternatives out there.

Tracking work time

How much time are you spending on each project? What proportion of your working day do you spend on admin?

I was alarmed and intrigued by data that suggested that people spend up to 28% of their work time on email. And don’t get me started on social media.

I decided to consciously measure my time throughout the working day. I use a wonderful app called Office Time to do this.

There are a few key benefits to this:

1. I can see where I’m wasting my time.

What I found is that I can often spend too much time on the less useful stuff. The stuff that feels important but really isn’t.

Like reading emails. Or doing admin.

2. I can prioritise my most important work.

Thanks to the reporting tool on Office Time, I can now instantly see how my time prioritisation is going.

And it’s worked. After analysing my time I have now changed the way I work, and put more into my higher priority work.

Summary

So there it is. Three things I do that have made my freelancing career more productive.

I am a total geek about this stuff, so please let me know if you have any tips, recommended apps or general advice about organising your working life. Email me or leave them in the comments below, I’d love to hear them.

The post 3 simple steps to becoming an insanely efficient freelancer appeared first on Tim Tucker.

Do you find it hard to keep up with your social media? All those feeds to scan, all those posts to share, those Snapchat streaks to maintain?

Let’s face it, social media is great, but it can burn you out and get you down if you’re not careful.

That’s why every few months I take time out to review my usage of social media, both for personal and business reasons (I work for myself so often the two are entwined).

When I review my social networks, I want to determine:

• Am I getting value from the networks I use?
• Do I provide value for my followers and friends?
• Is this a good use of my resources (mainly time)?

The results of my social media audit are interesting (at least to me)…

Here’s a snapshot of my social media usage

I use seven social networks at least daily or weekly:

• Facebook – mainly with friends and family
• Facebook messenger – more intimate conversations
• Twitter – mainly for business
• Linkedin – 100% for business networking
• Instagram – a bit of fun
• Snapchat – experimentation – I like to see how new channels ‘work’ (it’s relatively new for me this one)
• WhatsApp – exclusively for use with my tennis club pals, organising matches and get togethers

On a more random basis (say a couple of times a month) I’ll look at the following:

• Goodreads – I’m an avid reader of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. I like to share what I’m reading and find out what others are reading too.
• Pinterest – when I get time (not often) I’ll take a look at my feeds and update my boards. I mainly use this for inspiration.

There are a bunch of apps I use that have ‘social components’. I don’t normally think of these as social media, but they do provide great community benefit, for example:

• MyFitnessPal – inspiration from others on maintaining healthy habits
• Flipboard – keeping up to date with news and insights from recommended sources
• YouTube – I tend to use this for looking up bass guitar videos (as bass player I’m addicted to Scotts Bass Lessons at the moment) and movie trailers

What have I learned from reviewing my social media usage?

Taking time to review this gave me a few insights:

• If you’d have asked me off the top of my head, I probably would have said that my limit was three or four social media channels. It’s much more.
• Each social channel fulfils a very specific need for me. If I can’t easily see how it fits into my life it gets dropped.
• My ‘experimentation’ channels are the place where I try to define what purpose the channel has for me. I dropped Path after it filled no need in my life.
• Twitter is the channel that I consume the least. It’s become much more of a one-way channel for me, although I do have some exclusive connections on there that I value. And it’s great for covering events and occassions– it’s how I’m keeping up with the Australian Open tennis at the moment, for example.
• Many of my most used apps have some kind of ‘social component’ that radically improves the experience (MyFitnessPal, Flipboard, etc).

So that’s me right now. I’ll probably do this again in six months to see what’s changed.

I’d love to hear what you think. Which social channels do you use? Which are the most important to your life and work?

Please feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments below.

The post How much social media is too much social media? appeared first on Tim Tucker.

That’s what a fellow content marketer asked after Facebook announced that it’s fighting back against bogus headlines with its new anti-clickbait algorithm.

The answer is ‘no’. The list article is here to stay, and here’s why…

Readers love list articles

Far from being a recent digital phenomenon, the listicle has long thrived in specialist and general interest magazines, as well as longer formats like books (think Seven Habits of Highly Effective People).

There are various theories as to why list posts work so well, but it boils down to this: ‘[a list] promises upfront to condense any subject into a manageable number of discrete facts, or at least factoids.’

In other words, there’s a strong editorial benefit for the reader. You’re making it easier for your audience to read your content.

That said, if you want to stay on the right side of Facebook’s algorithm, you’ll need to do it well. I want to focus here on the three types of list article that you can write, with a few thoughts on best practice for each.

1. The ‘top tips’ approach

A short list of tips is a great way to offer benefit-driven content for readers in a hurry.

Abreena Tompkins, instruction specialist at Surry Community College, researched over 300 articles and discovered that: ‘The brain can process no more than nine items in a sequence, and it actually does this much more efficiently with three or five.’

For this reason, I suggest that tips articles are best restricted to 3, 5, 7 or 9 in number. Although you can go higher to generate curiosity about your topic (just don’t expect people to remember them).

2. The ‘curiosity’ approach

When you want to pique curiosity, it seems that unusual numbers get more attention. Gilad Lotan has written a fascinating post on Medium sharing his insights into why odd numbered lists perform significantly better on Buzzfeed than even numbered lists.

If we look the bar chart by audience score we see… odd number length listicles (highlighted in red below) tend to have a higher audience score on average, where in our dataset, the number 29 tends to have an advantage over the rest.

3. The ‘best of…’ approach

Use this when you’re rounding up products or events that you want to highlight. For example:

• The 30 Best hip-hop albums ever
• The 10 best smartphones we’ve tested

The best numbers for this approach are round numbers ending in ‘0’. According to a Forbes article, there is a reason for this:

Recently, marketing scholars Mathew S. Isaac of Seattle University and Robert M. Schindler of Rutgers University conducted a simple little test of this web norm. They searched the term “top [number]” in Google using all numbers 1 through 100. Those ending in zero dominated, followed closely by those ending in five.

Summary

Nothing beats a good list article for gaining attention and engagement. But bear in mind that there are plenty of good listicles out there competing for attention, so yours has to stand out.

If you follow the formats above you’re more likely to hook your reader and get them to read on.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, so if you’ve got any advice for people writing listicles, please leave it in the comments below.

The post 3 ways to write list posts for higher engagement appeared first on Tim Tucker.

I got my Apple Watch back in June. On Father’s Day to be precise.

It was a bit of a whim really. Well, let’s say, an increasing professional interest crescendoing in an impulse purchase (egged on by my gadget-loving kids).

My limbic system craved the shiny new Apple thing.

My prefrontal cortex persuaded me that it was necessary for work (which is partly true, as I am hosting a session on Wearables for the Content Marketing Association so, you know, I need one).

I was intrigued by the post on Mashable this morning, where Marc Newson is reported responding to critics of the Watch who say it’s been a fail on Apple’s part:

As far as I’m aware, it’s been enormously successful however you gauge it. The point is, it’s the beginning of something. I think people, consumers or analysts, whoever, are so impatient. Everyone wants immediate, instant recognition, instant understanding.

He’s right. It’s far too early days for people to writing off an entire product category. It may not be the instant success that the iPod, iPhone or iPad created, but my experience with the watch has shown me that the wearables category has huge potential.

Here’s an unstructured brain blurt on what I’ve found so far being an Apple Watch user. (Note of caution – I am an Apple fanboy, but I’ve really tried to be objective here).

1. It’s not (yet) a must-have

I got an iPod in 2002 and told everyone and anyone that would listen that they needed an iPod.

I got an iPhone 2009 and told everyone I could that they needed an iPhone.

I got an iPad in 2010 and told everyone they needed an iPad.

This is the first Apple device that I’m not hell-bent on recommending. I mean, I like it, a lot. But it’s not a gotta-have-one-coz-it-will-change-your-life type of device. Not yet anyway.

Having said that, I did persuade two of my friends to buy one. To be fair, they didn’t need much persuading, as they both work in media and technology. It was a nudge not a shove. (I’m still waiting for my commission from Apple).

2. It has changed my behaviour

I find myself spending increasingly less time with my phone and more time with my watch.

This is especially true for light interactions, such as glances and notifications. I had to set these up, as I don’t want notifications for everything (it can  be overwhelming), but the most useful nudges include:

• Text messages
• WhatsApp alerts (myself and my pals at the tennis club use this to inform each other of who’s playing on what evening)
• Activity prompts (exercise, standing, etc)
• Sports news and results (Wimbledon app, Bleacher Report app)
• Social media direct messages (Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin)
• Alerts for TV shows (On Air app)

This may seem trivial, but it’s enhanced my life. Who knows, it may signal the end of the mobile device’s affront on our natural conversation.

3. It’s not (yet) a content device

I guess this is a no-brainer, considering the size of the screen. I have only experimented with a few content applications, such as the BBC News app and Flipboard, but it is really only useful for giving you a headline.

That said, it does a good job of handing you back to the iPhone for the full article if you want to read more after the headline and intro. I’m excited to see what content producers do for this kind of wearable device (and we’ll be learning more about that at the CMA Digital Breakfast next week – tickets are still available).

4. Battery life is okay

It’s not that bad having to charge your watch overnight. And it easily lasts a full day – sometimes a day and a half.

The bigger issue is the drain on the iPhone battery, as the bluetooth connection puts a strain on that. But after intensive use for the first few weeks I’ve now managed to settle into regular usage and I get a full day’s battery life for both devices.

5. Apple Music is awesome

This came together really well for me. The new Apple Music service launched soon after, and although I have a few UX grumbles, I really like the curated content, recommendations and playlists on there.

The watch allows you to play any of the playlists on your iPhone (and sync one playlist if you want to go out for a run without your phone) and so I bought some bluetooth headphones and I have to say this is just great.

It may not sound like much, but controlling your pause, play and shuffle modes from your watch is so much easier than getting the phone out each time.

6. Siri has got better

I use Siri occasionally on my iPhone, but I’m using it all the time on the watch. Because screen space is limited, typing is difficult, it makes perfect sense to speak into it to compose texts and so on.

Add to that the fact that Siri has improved by a remarkable degree, in both speed, responsiveness and accuracy.

I thought this might be just me but another UK user I know has had the exact same experience. Clearly Apple have planned this as a crucial aspect of the Apple Watch experience and have done some serious upgrading to the Siri service.

Summary

Here’s the thing that iPhones taught us – a smart thing is better than a non-smart thing. The idea of going back to a Nokia brick just makes me shudder (we gave one to my 11-year-old daughter as a first phone, and it’s reminded me what a miserable experience pre-smart phones were).

I didn’t wear a watch for years until now, but now I’ve worn a smart watch, the idea of a dumb one seems absurd. Seriously, why wear a watch that only tells the time, when a smart watch can give you so much more?

The Apple Watch seems to be the far and away market leader in terms of sales, so I feel I’ve made the right decision. And even if it wasn’t the market leader, it fits so well into my Apple ecosystem of music, messages, and so on, that it’s the natural choice for me.

I guess the major issue is the price. I swallowed the £350-odd I spent on it, but that was because I (persuaded myself) it was necessary for my work.

It’s not going to hit the mainstream, though, until it comes down significantly from that price level.

And when it gets that inevitable killer app, just watch it fly.

The post Loving the Apple Watch appeared first on Tim Tucker.

It was a packed house at TCO London in Shoreditch. For the first time we had standing room at the back to accommodate all who wanted to attend.

This shows a high level of interest right now in the phenomenon of self-starting YouTubers and other social media stars who have built their own audiences. Many have deeply engaged subscribers in their thousands and even millions.

Online video is huge and growing huger

Clearly video is already a massive medium online. As Siobhan Freegard, Founder of Netmums and Channel Mum, pointed out, there’s over 500 years of video watched on Facebook every day (gasp). And what’s more startling is that 79% of internet traffic is forecast to be video content by 2018.

So-called millennials love the medium, and many turn to YouTube first for their information and inspiration. James Stafford VP of Europe at Stylehaul believes that a big part of this is about ‘super-serving the under-served’. How many great fashion shows do you see on TV? On YouTube there is a lot of great content in this and many other niches, from people with a passion for their subject.

Personal connections rule

A big part of the appeal for audiences is not aspiration but the personal connection.

Nic Yeeles, previously Brand Director at Simon Cowells’ You Generation (The UK’s largest YouTube channel) and now founder of Peg.co, says that the platforms in this world are not the traditional ‘media channels’, but the personalities themselves. He advised any brands that want to work with vloggers to avoid trying to dictate to them, and instead approach them as collaborators.

One of the things that came through most clearly was that people often think in terms of reach, but in this world it’s relevance and engagement that’s more important. Nic Yeeles advises focusing less on subscriber numbers and more on consistency of video views when looking at vloggers to work with.

For more snippets, check out the hashtag #cmadigital on Twitter.

Next month we’ll be looking at the state of search engine marketing and where it’s going next. If you’re interested in attending, please download the booking form at the bottom of this page: CMA Digital Breakfasts.

The post Vloggers offer huge content marketing opportunities appeared first on Tim Tucker.