Wordsmithie Toolbox

Strategy

Content Marketing

Move away from “brand speak”.

Never assume that your clients, customers, and followers know how to decipher niche-specific terminology.

To increase connection with your audience, make a move toward conversational language with words your customers actually use.

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Strategy

Email

Stick to one CTA per email.

Avoid featuring more than one or two CTAs per email (“Learn more”, “Register now” or “Download here”).

Users could get confused about what exactly it is you want them to do.

If you want your subscribers to take multiple actions or share multiple assets, add them in a follow-up email.

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Strategy

Content Marketing

Being flawless isn’t what’s going to build trust.

Don’t omit unflattering data. Consider what communication perceived as “opaque” says about a company.

Being transparent is a huge trust-building factor.

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Strategy

Content Marketing

Talk to me.

Turn customers into brand ambassadors by treating them like insiders. Sure, creative and bold messages can get you noticed, but connecting authentically and personally is what will cut through advertising chaos.

Keep it real to seal the deal.

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Strategy

Content Marketing

Templates for the win!

When it comes to marketing strategy, no need to reinvent the wheel when personalizing assets like blogs, emails, and direct mailers.

Instead, do what graffiti artists have been doing for decades: leverage the power of the template.

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Strategy

branding

Talk to me.

Turn customers into brand ambassadors by treating them like insiders. Sure, creative and bold messages can get you noticed, but connecting authentically and personally is what will cut through advertising chaos.

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Strategy

Brainstorming

Use the “Pass it On” technique.

To help shy brainstorm contributors feel more comfortable and also limit over-sharers from commandeering time and attention, give everyone 30 seconds to write an idea on a sheet of paper. Pass the idea to the next person, who adds to it. Keep the idea sheet going around the room until everyone has added their thoughts.

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Strategy

Brainstorming

Break the ice.

Help everyone in a brainstorming session find their voice by starting with an icebreaker, like “Tell us something about you that might surprise people.” Warm up the room and forge quick bonds as you create a safe, welcoming environment.

Make it a group effort!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Strategy

Content Marketing

Re-run your best content.

Reposting content like blog posts, infographics, and videos is a great way to give an energy boost to your content marketing strategy. And even better, it takes almost no production time.

Play it again, Sam!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Strategy

Thanks for your contribution, Meghan G. Have a Toolbox Tip of your own? Submit your idea here, and we may just put your name up in lights!

Brainstorming,Content Marketing

Get crafty during your brainstorm.

Instead of using words, have your team draw or shape their ideas out of art supplies, toys (Play-Doh® is a good one), or found objects—then snap photos to capture the moment.

Keep those creative juices flowing!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Editorial

Thanks for your contribution, Heidi L. Have a Toolbox Tip of your own? Submit your idea here, and we may just put your name up in lights!

Copywriting

Get ’em interested enough to read on

The first paragraph of your press release should include the whos, whats, whens, wheres, and hows of your announcement. Then take a deeper dive in the second paragraph.

Just the facts up-front!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Editorial

Copywriting

Use your “mental scissors”

When you finish your next piece, make one more pass. Look for any word over eight letters, and cut it in two. Every time we swap a long word for a short one, we make our message twice as easy for the reader.

Shorter and simpler for the win!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Editorial

Copywriting

Headlines: One rule you should break.

When it comes to headlines, use numerals instead of spelling out numbers. This better grabs the reader’s attention, even though it makes your 7th-grade English teacher wince if the number is under 11.

Digits for the win!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Editorial

Copywriting

Bullets: Aim for consistency.

When crafting a bulleted list, make sure your items follow the same structure, such as starting each with a (different) verb or making each item a question.

The goal? Clean, consistent, and clear!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Editorial

Content Marketing

Be a thoughtful guest.

When pitching guest blogs to other websites, they probably won’t be interested in more of the same stuff that their own writers produce. Aim to give them unique-but-related expertise that’s also within their editorial standards.

Balance blending in and standing out!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Editorial

Content Marketing

Question me an answer.

When crafting content for your product or service, think about the questions your customers might be asking, and make sure your value props answer them. Search engines will also reward you with better results.

Keep it conversational!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Editorial

Copywriting

Make it personal.

Draw your audience in by sharing personal accounts and anecdotes. When readers personally identify with content, it can actually lead to better site traffic and higher engagement. And If your platform permits it, encourage readers to share their own experiences.

Creating a sense of community goes a long way to fostering loyalty to your organization or brand.

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Editorial

Content Marketing

Establish credibility.

Did you ever see someone pull out big numbers and make bold statements without showing anything to back up their claims? Taking that extra time to cite your sources or add a hyperlink can mean the difference between being perceived as a thought leader and a sweet talker.

All information comes from somewhere—say where. It’s a simple practice that pays dividends.

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Editorial

Content Marketing

“This is the second blog in our series…”

Okay, but where is the first part?! Readers won’t bother going out of their way to try and find it – they expect you to lead them to it.

If a blog post is part of a series, link it to the prior piece and note when the next part will launch.

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Editorial

SEO

Your snippet can make or break your content.

The number of “no-click” searches is on the rise. Although we’re all tempted to be quirky with our headlines and meta descriptions, sometimes keeping it simple drives more engagement.

It’s important to ensure your featured snippet is concise, yet highly descriptive. Use more long-tail keywords to target specific “How do I” questions, and let users know they can find the answer on your website.

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Editorial

Thanks for your contribution, Heidi L. Have a Toolbox Tip of your own? Submit your idea here, and we may just put your name up in lights!

Copywriting

Get ’em interested enough to read on

The first paragraph of your press release should include the whos, whats, whens, wheres, and hows of your announcement. Then take a deeper dive in the second paragraph.

Just the facts up-front!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Editorial

Copywriting

Use your “mental scissors”

When you finish your next piece, make one more pass. Look for any word over eight letters, and cut it in two. Every time we swap a long word for a short one, we make our message twice as easy for the reader.

Shorter and simpler for the win!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Strategy

branding

Revisit your brand every once in awhile

Keep your brand up-to-date by staying in touch with what’s happening in your field — the latest technologies, techniques, trends, and styles.

Keep it fresh!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Strategy

branding

You’re a storyteller. Sing it!

You don’t have to tell your whole life story to the world, but if you were to describe your public persona as a character, what would she or he be like? Resonate with others.

Get a little personal!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Editorial

Copywriting

Headlines: One rule you should break.

When it comes to headlines, use numerals instead of spelling out numbers. This better grabs the reader’s attention, even though it makes your 7th-grade English teacher wince if the number is under 11.

Digits for the win!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Editorial

Copywriting

Bullets: Aim for consistency.

When crafting a bulleted list, make sure your items follow the same structure, such as starting each with a (different) verb or making each item a question.

The goal? Clean, consistent, and clear!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Editorial

Content Marketing

Be a thoughtful guest.

When pitching guest blogs to other websites, they probably won’t be interested in more of the same stuff that their own writers produce. Aim to give them unique-but-related expertise that’s also within their editorial standards.

Balance blending in and standing out!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Editorial

Content Marketing

Question me an answer.

When crafting content for your product or service, think about the questions your customers might be asking, and make sure your value props answer them. Search engines will also reward you with better results.

Keep it conversational!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Strategy

Content Marketing

The ears have it.

More searches, shopping, and content consumption are happening with voice commands over car and home smart speakers, smart phones, and earbuds. Make sure your content is voice-ready by doing things like writing your FAQ pages in conversational language or structuring your SEO content to answer the who, what, where, or how that people want to know.

Make your content heard!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Gettings Things Done

Email

Change the subject.

Ever started searching frantically through your email inbox to find that critical message as your client waits on the other end of the line? The longer an email thread becomes, the easier it is to lose important emails in the vortex. If the content changes as the conversation thread gets longer, go ahead and change the subject before you hit “Reply”.

If want to keep a key message on top of your mountain of emails, give it a new subject line!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Editorial

Thanks for your contribution, Heidi L. Have a Toolbox Tip of your own? Submit your idea here, and we may just put your name up in lights!

Copywriting

Get ’em interested enough to read on

The first paragraph of your press release should include the whos, whats, whens, wheres, and hows of your announcement. Then take a deeper dive in the second paragraph.

Just the facts up-front!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Editorial

Copywriting

Use your “mental scissors”

When you finish your next piece, make one more pass. Look for any word over eight letters, and cut it in two. Every time we swap a long word for a short one, we make our message twice as easy for the reader.

Shorter and simpler for the win!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Strategy

branding

Revisit your brand every once in awhile

Keep your brand up-to-date by staying in touch with what’s happening in your field — the latest technologies, techniques, trends, and styles.

Keep it fresh!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Strategy

branding

You’re a storyteller. Sing it!

You don’t have to tell your whole life story to the world, but if you were to describe your public persona as a character, what would she or he be like? Resonate with others.

Get a little personal!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Editorial

Copywriting

Headlines: One rule you should break.

When it comes to headlines, use numerals instead of spelling out numbers. This better grabs the reader’s attention, even though it makes your 7th-grade English teacher wince if the number is under 11.

Digits for the win!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Editorial

Copywriting

Bullets: Aim for consistency.

When crafting a bulleted list, make sure your items follow the same structure, such as starting each with a (different) verb or making each item a question.

The goal? Clean, consistent, and clear!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Editorial

Content Marketing

Be a thoughtful guest.

When pitching guest blogs to other websites, they probably won’t be interested in more of the same stuff that their own writers produce. Aim to give them unique-but-related expertise that’s also within their editorial standards.

Balance blending in and standing out!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Editorial

Content Marketing

Question me an answer.

When crafting content for your product or service, think about the questions your customers might be asking, and make sure your value props answer them. Search engines will also reward you with better results.

Keep it conversational!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Strategy

Content Marketing

The ears have it.

More searches, shopping, and content consumption are happening with voice commands over car and home smart speakers, smart phones, and earbuds. Make sure your content is voice-ready by doing things like writing your FAQ pages in conversational language or structuring your SEO content to answer the who, what, where, or how that people want to know.

Make your content heard!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Gettings Things Done

Email

Change the subject.

Ever started searching frantically through your email inbox to find that critical message as your client waits on the other end of the line? The longer an email thread becomes, the easier it is to lose important emails in the vortex. If the content changes as the conversation thread gets longer, go ahead and change the subject before you hit “Reply”.

If want to keep a key message on top of your mountain of emails, give it a new subject line!

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Lindsay Dilworth

UX Content Strategist

Lindsay started her writing journey in 2010 in San Luis Obispo at the small tech startup Mindbody. After 7 years, she moved to San Francisco for new adventures and accepted a UX writing position at Google, where she led content strategy for their B2B shopping tools. She excels at developing voice principles, facilitating terminology research, and crafting content that supports user needs and business goals. Ready for a new challenge, Lindsay left Google in February 2022 for the flexible freelance lifestyle. With her newfound freedom she has started an online Pilates coaching business, and keeps her UX skills sharp through her work with Wordsmithie. Lindsay enjoys physical activities like running and dancing. She also writes poetry and dreams of publishing a chapbook. Her happy place is anywhere in nature, ideally with good friends and music.

Michael Gaylord

Chief Creative Officer

Prior to moving to Madrid in 2011 (from where he also manages Wordsmithie’s European team), Michael served as Vice President, Digital for MTV Networks’ cable brands Nick at Nite and TV Land. He began his career in the digital shops of downtown Manhattan, and has extensive experience in creative direction, user experience, convergent programming, integrated marketing, and web analytics. Michael accepted an Emmy Award for enhanced television on behalf of his former TV Land team, and has had the fortune of interviewing many of his childhood idols, including all six Brady Bunch kids. An “avgeek” since childhood, his happy place is above the clouds in the latest commercial jetliner.

Tom Lane

Senior Writer

Tom’s expansive career has encompassed film, the web, and publishing. After earning a doctorate in Comparative Literature at Yale, he moved to Hollywood which garnered him a bit of culture shock and a job as head of content for a pioneering eHealth platform. More recently, Tom has been focusing on writing and editing for publication, including extensive ghostwriting for Austin-based Scribe Media. Certified as a teacher of mindfulness meditation by Spirit Rock Meditation Center, he and his wife owned and operated a hatha yoga studio for many years. When it comes to happy places, Tom particularly loves the little-known, hidden Taft Botanical Gardens in his hometown of Ojai, California.

Sonia Acosta

Senior Writer

With a dynamic and bilingual (English and Spanish) background in non-profit and tech, Sonia joined Wordsmithie after holding notable B2B and B2C positions at Girl Scouts of the USA (where she served as the cookie content lead – yum!) and Shopify. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, she is a proud, first-generation Cuban-American and Florida Gator alum. After stints in Chicago (Go, Ramblers!) and NYC, Sonia returned to the Sunshine State and settled in Miami Beach, just a few blocks from the ocean (her happy place!) with her two beloved chihuahuas, Ginger and Pepper. She loves afternoons at the dog park, beach days, travel, and making people laugh.

Art Anthony

Senior Writer

Art is a writer and journalist based in the UK who gave up the big city grind to live the country life. With a broad range of expertise that stretches across tech, pop culture, and health and fitness, his portfolio includes work for Inverse, Costco, Fitocracy, Recess, and more. Art also dabbles in photography, design, and video production, racking up thousands of followers for his various architecture and sound design projects. When he’s not writing, you’ll usually find him playing video games, watching American sports, or on a hike. Art has visited half of America’s states and hopes to tick ‘em all off some day. 25 down, 25 to go!

Becca Pratt

Senior Writer

Becca has spent her career chasing human stories and writing for impact while exploring every time zone in the continental U.S. Raised in the coastal town of Ipswich, MA, she earned a degree in environmental studies and creative writing from Middlebury College. Heading west to San Francisco and the wild world of startups, she honed her writing skills as part of Airbnb’s communications team and went on to head communications for sustainable seafood nonprofit The Future of Fish and venture studio West. With an M.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University, Becca launched her own business in 2019 writing and coaching for clients from fifth graders to finance CEOs. Now that she lives amid the sunny foothills of Golden, Colorado, Becca aims to take one outdoor adventure each day with her son in tow and her dog, Banks, leading the way.

Mariah Bailey

Senior Writer

As a mom to a new baby, Mariah is learning how to strike the right balance between work and life. Growing up in Washington State as the daughter of two writers, she attended Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR, where she received a BA in Rhetoric & Media Studies and Gender Studies. Mariah moved back to her birthplace (and happy place) of Montana, where she met her husband and two step-daughters. Always a writer at heart, Mariah committed to the craft full time and is a successful cybersecurity and technology writer and the owner/CEO of Tech Talk Write LLC. In her writing and in her life, Mariah is happiest when she can share stories that empower people to make a difference in the world.

Julie Taraska

Senior Writer

Upon winning a fellowship to study British punk, Julie Taraska moved to London to begin her journalism career. Editorial jobs at music mags gave way to roles at tech start-ups, with stints covering products and emerging technologies on both sides of the Atlantic. Seeing how brands were turning to storytelling, she segued into marketing, leading to some great experiences. Julie has served as a founding editor at e-commerce pioneer Gilt Groupe, a consultant for British trend forecaster Stylus, and a communications writer at design firm Perkins&Will. A longtime New Yorker, Julie now lives in Portland, OR, with her family. Her happy place is amid the sun and cliffs of East Oahu.

Marie Dolcini

Senior Content Specialist

An accomplished writer, editor, and marketing professional across a variety of industries, Marie brings over twenty years of experience to the ongoing battle against superfluous jargon. She’s worked as the global web marketing manager for Hitachi’s data storage division, as well as authored an award-winning coloring book on the history of Napa Valley, CA. When she isn’t wordsmithing, Marie can be found tending her backyard garden or on the tennis court as the head coach at Napa High School. Her happy place is Italy, having previously lived and worked at the American Academy in Rome with her family. A cat lady with a rescue dog and a degree in history from Mount Holyoke, she enjoys collecting musical instruments and can play a decent French waltz on the accordion.

Abby Sinnott

Senior Content Strategist

With over two decades of experience as a writer, editor, and content marketer, Abby combines storytelling and strategy to create content that converts. She has written about a wide range of topics for brands including InVision, Johnson & Johnson, Bayer, Expedia, Pottery Barn, and Visa. Abby was hired straight out of journalism school as a medical writer for the University of California, San Francisco, where she learned the art of translating technical jargon into accessible and compelling content. Following her passion for storytelling, Abby earned an MFA in Creative Writing and penned a novel plus a collection of award-winning short stories. She currently resides with her family and poodle puppy in London, England, a city she loves for its meandering parks and proximity to Continental Europe, which she explores as often as possible in search of her next happy place.

Nichole Bernier

Senior Writer

Nichole started her writing career as an editor at Conde Nast Traveler in New York, and has contributed features to a wide range of sports, lifestyle, and regional magazines. During her diaper decade working from home with five young children, she wrote a novel (The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D, Random House), then discovered that storytelling skills could enrich the corporate world, too. As a content consultant, she works with companies to add clarity and creativity to their messaging. She has shaped assets, blogs, and op-eds in the technology, health care, education, energy, and political sectors, with clients including IBM, Yale School of Epidemiology, UPS, and athenahealth. Nichole’s happy place is raising chickens, fostering orphaned wildlife, and beekeeping.

Sherry Jones

Senior Writer

Sherry is a seasoned print journalist, an internationally best-selling novelist, and a freelance writer specializing in cybersecurity and technology with a little travel on the side. As CEO of CyberSmart Writing, she has written for some of the world’s leading companies, including Deloitte, PwC, BCG, Adobe, Micron, Kaspersky, and, of course, Wordsmithie. When she’s not writing, she’s studying French, traveling to France, mastering the art of French cooking, or playing the music of French composers on her piano. Paris, anyone? Mais oui!

Cynthia Badiey

Senior Writer

With more than 30 years’ experience in writing, editing, and marketing, Cynthia specializes in distilling complex subjects into succinct messages. In addition to working with Wordsmithie, she is principal of Comma Writer, LLC, where she writes and edits marketing content for clients in a variety of industries, from technology and education to real estate and luxury marketing. When she’s not watching movies or relaxing with a good book, she can be found cheering for Stanford Football and the Oakland Athletics. A third-generation Californian, her happy place is anywhere near the ocean.

Marissa Berenson Yaar

Senior Editor

As a lifelong writer with an early passion for short fiction, Marissa’s first brush with technology writing came as an editor and then corporate communications specialist for International Data Group (IDG). She has spent the last seven years crafting captivating marketing content for startups in adtech, SaaS, and cybersecurity, and supports Wordsmithie with case studies, web copy, articles, and blog posts. A once reluctant transplant to the suburbs, Marissa now happily resides in Needham, MA, with her husband, two young children, and their dog. She is a former design blogger and an avid world traveler, making her happy place anywhere she has never been before.

Ben St. George

Copy Editor

Throughout his undergraduate studies in English at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, Ben put his passion for words to work as a satirist for a campus news magazine and as a writer/publisher for his local newspaper. Since graduation, he has worked as a copy editor for a book publisher and has both written and edited case studies for Wordsmithie. In addition to the occasional weekend getaway to the mountains and lakes of Maine and Vermont, Ben feels there’s no happier place for a die-hard sports fan and history lover to be than Boston.

Zöe Desroches

Senior Content Strategist

A startup marketer turned content strategist and writer, Zöe began her career in venture capital. After accelerating startups for a couple of years, she joined a Bay Area startup, where she launched an employer brand program, revamped the customer marketing program, and wrote countless case studies and blog posts. In early 2019, Zöe moved to Todos Santos, Mexico, to live her dream of soaking up the desert sunshine, basking in rosy sunsets, and enjoying daily surf sessions (and, of course, writing). She specializes in B2B narrative-based content, and when she’s not writing or in the water, you can find her at her potter’s wheel.

Nafeesa Saboor

Senior Writer

Nafeesa is a seasoned fashion content specialist, tastemaker, and blogger with experience creating branded content for emerging companies and established brands such as Harry Winston, Victoria’s Secret, J. Jill, and Club Monaco. She is the founder of Shoes N Booze, an online portal that “pairs” shoes with cocktails, providing readers with fashion, style, and drink advice, tips, and trend coverage. When she’s not creating content, Nafeesa can be found tasting her way around New Orleans, which is currently her happy place.

Alice LaPlante

Editor

Alice grew up in Chicago but escaped to Northern California just in time to catch the birth of the PC era. She was news editor at InfoWorld and covered technology in Silicon Valley during both boom and bust years. After winning a Wallace Stegner Fellowship for fiction at Stanford University, Alice started writing novels while keeping up with the tech world through freelancing. She was then awarded a Jones Lectureship at Stanford, and taught creative writing at Stanford for the next 15 years. Now a New York Times bestselling author, Alice has published four novels and five non-fiction books, as well as a bestselling textbook on creative writing, W.W. Norton’s The Making of a Story. In 2015, she moved with her family to her happy place of Mallorca, Spain. She continues to write novels as well as content for leading tech firms from there, while trying to convince stateside editors that it is possible to be productive in paradise.

Ryan Bahrke

Designer

Ryan has more than 20 years of design experience with clients in a diverse group of fields including higher education, technology, and financial services. In addition to working with Wordsmithie, Ryan leads a design team for a large audit, tax, and consulting firm and is principal of Ausländer Creative in Denver. He is a car guy, a co-host of The Steering Committee automotive podcast, and enjoys watching the movie Rushmore at every opportunity.

Jaime Santillán

Senior Designer

Jaime is a brand designer and photographer with over 20 years of experience helping people and organizations put their best face forward. He strives to create work that enriches lives and communities, going beyond aesthetics to drive action, generate results and push for change. Jaime has worked with clients across many verticals from consumer products to pharmaceuticals and tech, including Adobe, Apple, Hewlett-Packard, The Walt Disney Company, 3M, General Mills, Nestle Harman/Kardon, Eli Lilly, Abbott, Pfizer, Sony, and Google, among many others.

Beth Silver

Senior Editor

Beth was born to be a dancer. In college, it became apparent that she had the ankles of a writer, and thus a new path was pursued. Graduating with a degree in Writing for Film and Television, Beth began her career working in political media, soon turning to documentary film, writing and producing for clients such as NBC, AARP, USA on TV, and PBS, where she received two Emmy nominations for a documentary on child and adult literacy programs. She then roamed the internet with fellow wordsmiths at Lycos in the 1990s, got hooked, and has been a copywriter and editor ever since.

Eve Connell

Senior E-learning Specialist

Eve writes, edits, and helps people, businesses, and nonprofits develop and elevate their brands. She turned her super practical degrees in French literature, philosophy, and linguistics into expertise in the field of e-learning, and also offers communication skills and leadership development coaching. A moderately successful cook, gardener, and photographer, Eve can be found hiking through forests, beachcombing shorelines, or paddle-boarding lakes in her spare time. Eve is committed to fighting racism and working for social justice.

Bianca Connolly

Senior Writer

With a combination of strategic creativity and business acumen, Bianca has worked as a senior writer, editor, and content strategist to create successful campaigns and content for several big name brands and agencies including Google, J.Crew, Razorfish, Intermix, Uniqlo, and Moda Operandi. She has also written for publications such as Condé Nast Traveler, Travel & Leisure, and Spirit of St. Barth. An avid traveler and meditator, Bianca loves tea time and visiting Big Sur.

Karen Sulkis

Senior Content Strategist

Karen has been writing for public consumption since the fourth grade. Crusading editorials in the high school newspaper and humor writing at UC Berkeley gave way to magazine research in NYC, multimedia projects in Tel Aviv, and an arts column in Oakland. She’s launched e-commerce sites and written UI copy, campaigns, and concepts for Google Shopping, Levi Strauss & Co., Herman Miller, Yahoo!, and a slew of other tech, fashion, wine, and media companies. Karen has called San Francisco home for the last two decades, where just seeing the Golden Gate lifts her spirits.

Jennie Cohen

Senior Content Strategist

A former Google employee and longtime writer and editor who has worked extensively in the technology sector and beyond, Jennie holds degrees from Harvard University and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She is dedicated to helping brands tell their stories as simply and beautifully as possible. Jennie lives with her family in Maplewood, New Jersey, where she enjoys begging her three young children to get off their screens and nurturing a pandemic-sparked passion for sourdough baking.

Jason Rogers

Senior Writer

A graduate of the College of William & Mary and La Sorbonne in Paris, Jason has worked worldwide in content marketing, including serving as Director of Digital Marketing for the Chinese Language Institute in Guilin, China. Based in Washington, D.C., Jason covers the National Hockey League as a credentialed reporter and television analyst and has wordsmithed for high-visibility institutions and companies from the United States Congress to Google. He loves hockey, hip-hop, and original hyperbole.

Meghan Goder

Senior Editor

With degrees in German literature and history, Meghan moved into the content marketing world from academia, where she has taught, written, and edited in both German and English. She collaborates with teams across Wordsmithie on projects ranging from education and business case studies to video scripts and social media blogs. After moving around the world as a military spouse, Meghan settled outside of Boston with her husband and well-traveled dog. Meghan cites Mount Monadnock in Jaffrey, NH as her happy place. Not only did she often climb this “most climbed mountain in the world” while growing up, Meghan got engaged and married in view of the mountain and still tries to scale it at least once a year.

Fritz Holznagel

Senior Editor

Fritz Holznagel is a veteran writer who likes to turn high-tech talk into clear, friendly words. He has written for Google, full-time and as a vendor, since 2004, as well as for clients like Ensono, Eventbrite, Kronos, GiveDirectly, and Intuit. Fritz’s special joy is rewriting to get rid of big words and jargon, and he leads corporate workshops on the topic. In a past life, Fritz won the 1995 Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions, represented the USA in the 1996 Jeopardy! Olympic Tournament, and won an Emmy for scripting the CBS special A Claymation Easter Celebration.

Heidi J. LaFleche

Senior Editor

Heidi launched her writing career as a newspaper and magazine journalist, most notably as a Boston correspondent for People magazine. She transitioned into marketing communications for business, helping clients find the right words to engage their audiences. Heidi writes within a range of industries including technology, healthcare, financial services, legal services, education, and nonprofits. Her greatest satisfaction comes from revealing the “human element” in every story, helping clients and their customers shine a light on the good work they do in the world. Heidi considers taking walks in the park with her Boston Terrier mix, Cooper, her happy place.

Khaleelah Jones

SEO and Social Media Lead

WIth a PhD in Emerging Media, Khaleelah has more than ten years experience in the marketing industry, working with a variety of clients from early-stage startups to multinational corporations. The winner of the 2018 Next Women Pitch Competition and a shortlisted candidate for the 2020 WeAreTechWomen 100 Awards, Khaleelah was head of marketing at Welltok, Inc., where she was part of a team that doubled the user base in six months and closed $18m in Series B funding. Khaleelah hosts the podcast Dark Feminine, focusing on topics important to minority female entrepreneurs and business owners. Her happy place is Primrose Hill in London, where you can find her on sunny days on a bench enjoying the view of central London.

Katina Johnson

Studio Director

Katina started her career as a journalist, moving to the San Francisco Bay Area and taking a position with the San Jose Mercury News during the late 90s dot-com boom. From there she landed in tech as a writer, project manager, social media manager, and jack-of-all-trades at Yahoo!, Google, and Stripe. Like almost everyone at Wordsmithie, Katina is working on a novel and looking forward to the day when she can join the ranks of the novelists on the team. Her happy place is watching waves and waterfowl while smelling the salt breezes on the cliffs above Stinson Beach.

Scott Loganbill

Studio Director

Scott has been called a writer, content manager, journalist, photographer, musician, outdoorsman, and program manager—in addition to several colorful names over his lifetime. These days he’s a proud Wordsmithie Studio Director and content writer. Scott started out at Google in the early 2000s, supporting its early advertising endeavors before moving on as a technical writer for Analytics and AdWords products. After a stint at WIRED, he wrote the earliest versions of the help center and API documentation for Dropbox. Another tour of duty at Google had him writing and managing end-user learning experience curriculums for its experimental projects. Now he spends time where he’s needed most as a dad to two daughters. His happy place is off on a travel adventure, soaking in the local atmosphere over a beverage, and maybe getting a little lost on purpose.

Diana Charkalis

Studio Director
Diana started her career in journalism in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., writing obituaries and making friends with morticians. From there she went on to write and edit lifestyle and entertainment content for USA Today and lead the features section for the Los Angeles Newspaper Group.

Since moving to Los Angeles, she has held editorial leadership roles at Disney Interactive, Demand Media, and Warner Bros., specializing in content development and strategy, branding, and editorial management. As a consultant, her clients include Fandango, Edmunds, Hearst Corp., and FTD Companies. When she’s not managing content projects for Wordsmithie, Diana teaches meditation and is continuing her studies as an ayurvedic health counselor. She loves to travel and hopes to one day revisit the Beatles’ ashram in Rishikesh, India.

Hasan Ali

Studio Director

Hasan honed his skills in technology marketing over the past decade with stints at J2 Global, Feedzai, and Google. Now as a Studio Director at Wordsmithie, he continues to work with tech clients on marketing communications projects ranging from case studies and white papers to blogs, press releases, and more. Hasan has a master’s degree in communications from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Bentley University. Hasan’s happy place is exploring cities near and far, from Hong Kong and London to Dublin and Istanbul.

Alyssa May

Studio Director

Alyssa joined the Wordsmithie team in 2019 as a Project Manager. She has extensive experience in higher education, having served in a variety of marketing and communication roles, at the University of San Diego and MIT. Alyssa earned an MBA from the University of San Diego and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Merrimack College. She resides in Acton, Massachusetts with her husband, two beautiful daughters and two pups. She enjoys spending time entertaining friends, renovating her home, and heading to the beach. Her happy place is in San Diego, California, which will always hold a special place in her heart!

Stephen Kent

Managing Editor

After traveling the world in his 20s, Stephen moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to jump into the 90s dot-com frenzy, working with five startups in 10 years. He subsequently made the sensible decision to join a non-profit that had a business plan, and later set up his own eponymous shop of editorial tricks and treats. Through more than 20 years of editing for publishers, magazines, search engines, angel investors, educational research agencies, magazines—and now Wordsmithie—Stephen has learned one very important lesson: Commas Save Lives! Outside of Wordsmithie, you’ll find him working on his book, tentatively titled Amateur Dad (Why? Because everyone else at Wordsmithie has written a book!), or chasing his two young sons down the snowy peaks in his happy place of the Sierra Nevada.

Marlene Tam

Design Director

Marlene brings vast experience in visual communications and creative direction that allows Wordsmithie to provide turnkey print and web deliverables to its clients. As Lead Graphic Designer for Google’s Global B2B division, she managed a team of designers and writers, and also led branding efforts for the full range of visual assets including Google Atmosphere, Google’s large-scale CIO summit. Prior to that, Marlene held Senior Art Director positions with Postini and AAA Northern California, Nevada, and Utah. She enjoys the healing practices of kung fu, qigong, tai chi and acupressure. Marlene’s happy place is time spent horseback riding on the beach.

Chuck Mancini

Chief Operations Officer

Chuck joined the Wordsmithie team in 2021 as an Operations Lead and is now serving as Chief Operations Officer. Originally from Boston and currently based in New York City, he brings over 30 years of experience working in various management roles in the telecommunications industry, with a focus on customer program management, client services and sales, and operations support. Chuck loves to travel throughout Europe and beyond (Spain is a particular favorite) and enjoys sharing his homemade desserts and creative cocktails with family and friends.

Alex Kenin

Studio Chief

Alex learned the technology marketing ropes at Google where she was a product marketing manager for almost five years. At Wordsmithie, she’s continued her work with tech clients to craft marketing communications from case studies and whitepapers to blogs and social media. In her capacity as Google Studio Chief, Alex does end-to-end project management, coordinating editorial and design teams to ensure that projects meet deadlines and exceed expectations. Outside of Wordsmithie, Alex runs an urban hiking tour business, Urban Hiker SF, and has written two hiking guidebooks for the Bay Area—Urban Trails: San Francisco and Urban Trails: East Bay.

David Bergheim

Chief Strategy Officer

David joined Wordsmithie in 2014 following a 17-year stint working in marketing and career services at the Yale School of Management, Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, and the University of San Diego. In addition to his work as Wordsmithie’s Chief Strategy Officer, David is a political satirist with more than 50,000 followers on Twitter. His 2015 novel, Greenbeaux, was named one of the best books of the year by Kirkus Review. David has an MBA from Yale and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of Arizona. He lives and works in his happy place of Tucson, Arizona.

Laura Bergheim

Founder & CEO

Laura is both a writer and an agency head, building and managing award-winning editorial and content teams for 25+ years. She has written for global technology, retail, healthcare, travel, and financial industry brands, among others, and is the author/co-author of eight non-fiction books and author of two novels. Prior to founding Wordsmithie in 2010, Laura was Senior Program Manager for Content Strategy at Google, where she created and managed site and customer support content for Google Ads and other monetized products. She also founded two other agencies, served as Creative Director at Resource Interactive (now part of IBM), and managed the 20+ person feature-writing team at Lycos, back when dinosaurs roamed the internet in the late ‘90s. In 2017, Laura moved to her “happy place,” Rockport, Massachusetts, where she lives with her husband and cat a few blocks from the beach.

Words We Love

Reach Out

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Move away from “brand speak”.

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Stick to one CTA per email.

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Being flawless isn’t what’s going to build trust.

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Talk to me.

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Templates for the win!

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Talk to me.

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Use the “Pass it On” technique.

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Break the ice.

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Re-run your best content.

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Get crafty during your brainstorm.

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Get ’em interested enough to read on

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Use your “mental scissors”

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Headlines: One rule you should break.

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Bullets: Aim for consistency.

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Be a thoughtful guest.

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Question me an answer.

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Make it personal.

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Establish credibility.

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“This is the second blog in our series…”

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Your snippet can make or break your content.

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Get ’em interested enough to read on

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Use your “mental scissors”

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Revisit your brand every once in awhile

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You’re a storyteller. Sing it!

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Headlines: One rule you should break.

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Bullets: Aim for consistency.

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Be a thoughtful guest.

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Question me an answer.

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The ears have it.

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Change the subject.

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Get ’em interested enough to read on

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Use your “mental scissors”

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Revisit your brand every once in awhile

Wordsmithie Toolbox

You’re a storyteller. Sing it!

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Headlines: One rule you should break.

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Bullets: Aim for consistency.

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Be a thoughtful guest.

Wordsmithie Toolbox

Question me an answer.

Wordsmithie Toolbox

The ears have it.