Posts by Jim Leeke
How to Be ‘Googley’ for Every Audience
“The Google Shopping team offers a constant stream of engaging case studies from different types of retailers all around the world. Wordsmithie helped Google craft the interview questions to capture retail stories, and then wrote and designed the case studies for brands such as Nine West, which uses Google Shopping and digital product ads to…
Read MoreWorking with Your Wordsmithie Creative Team
Wordsmithie has been a wonderful partner, working alongside us on everything from content planning and strategy to white-paper, case-study and tip-sheet writing. They really ‘get’ us, and know how to shape and share information that resonates with event organizers. – Megan Buell, manager, lead generation, Eventbrite Your direct connection to top talent Some agencies create…
Read MoreVoice and Tone
Start work with an agency or copywriter, and you’ll soon be asked about your organization’s “voice and tone.” What language do you speak? By that, we mean the language we’ll use in creating your website, case study or blogpost. Every client should have a distinctive voice and tone, as identifiable in its own way as…
Read MoreAlign Your Mallards…
You’ve heard the expression “getting your ducks in a row.” It probably never had anything to do with colorful waterfowl. More likely, it sprang from sports or shipbuilding (you could look it up). Whatever its origins, getting your ducks in a row means being organized, and adequately prepared for a project or undertaking. Why you…
Read MoreBooks Authored by Wordsmithie Team Members
Most journalists, copywriters and editors believe they have at least one good book in them. This is certainly true here at Wordsmithie. But, unlike many others, we actually manage to write them and see them into print. Take Alexandra Kenin, as just one example. In addition to being an excellent studio director for our Google…
Read MoreWhat’s a Copywriter, and Why Your Business Needs One
You hire a content agency like Wordsmithie to create a brochure, datasheet or website. The agency promptly assigns you a copywriter. Who is this person, and what should you expect when working with him or her? (Here’s an interesting post on the origins of the word copywriter.) The background of a copywriter Often, your copywriter…
Read MoreHere’s the Thing…
Any experienced copywriter will tell you, usually with a sad shake of the head, that most clients think they can write, and that nearly all of them are wrong. Oh, sure, they got through college or university okay. And they can bang out a decent marketing report. But writing for professors or colleagues isn’t the…
Read MoreWrite What They Mean…
As you prepare to write a case study, white paper or data sheet, you’ll gather as much information and background material as you can. Next, you’ll probably record an interview with one or more of the stakeholders. It’s always useful, too, to have transcripts of your interviews, especially if you plan to quote people directly.…
Read MoreStep Away from the Keyboard
I’ve been looking back over various lists of copywriting tips published online over the past several years. They provide lots of good advice. Write a great headline Gail Goodwin advised in Entrepreneur Focus on “you,” not “we” Susan Gunelius wrote in 2009, also for Entrepreneur Pick one message and one message only Kimberly McCall recommended…
Read MoreSeparated by a Common Language
We do quite a bit of cross-cultural work here at Wordsmithie, especially with the UK. As George Bernard Shaw rightly observed, “England and America are two countries separated by a common language.” The same is true—perhaps even more so—for Australia, New Zealand and English-speaking Canada and India. It’s always wise to keep our many linguistic…
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