Daphne Gray-Grant
How to develop (and capture) ideas for your blog
First and foremost, remember that the subject matter should serve your readers. With that in mind, we present a batch of sources to mine for engaging topics.
Writing & Editing
Casey Prentice
Why and how you should vary formatting for your online content
The user experience is a crucial aspect of landing your message and keeping your audience coming back for more. Here are variations to attract a wider range of readers.
Rob Reinalda
Ditch these superfluous lead-in phrases
Needless introductory verbiage just wastes time—the reader’s and your own. Save yourself the keystrokes, and say what you mean to say.
Ted Kitterman
10 inspiring quotations from Toni Morrison
The Nobel Prize-winning novelist died Monday. Over her long and prolific career, she offered many timeless gems to encourage writers who want to affect the heart.
Josh Bernoff
For clearer writing, ditch ‘etc.,’ ‘i.e.’ and ‘e.g.’
These Latin abbreviations don’t impress, they confuse. Here’s what to write instead.
Robby Brumberg
4 social media pitfalls for communicators
Don’t let Twitter litter, Instagram envy or Facebook bile bog you down or sour your outlook.
Eddie Shleyner
Use this 3-step copywriting formula to overcome writer’s block
This simple but effective approach will unclog your synapses and get the ideas flowing again.
Ali Hale
How Alexa Skills can improve your writing and stoke your motivation
The Amazon Echo software offers an array of prompts, inspirational thoughts and linguistic course corrections for casual scribes and professional communicators alike.
Rob Reinalda
How to grab readers with a compelling opening line
Journalists use a powerful first sentence to pique interest. Use that same technique to engage your audience—internal or external—and keep them scrolling, all the way to your call to action.
Russell Working
Strunk and White: Parentheses and misused phrases
Wrapping up our series on the influential writing gurus’ centennial, we delve into punctuation and the perplexing persistence of purple prose.
Robby Brumberg
4 offbeat ways to improve your editing
Consider these inventive tips to help tighten, brighten and enlighten whatever prose is under your nose.
Robby Brumberg
Infographic: A slew of saucy phrases that trigger online action
Replace those weak, wimpy words with terms that imply exclusivity, scarcity and safety.
Robby Brumberg
A selection of adjectives you can probably delete
Descriptive language can bring your prose to life—but a preponderance of trite words can make an editor’s eye twitch.
Gini Dietrich
Why ‘thought leadership’ is a buzzword PR pros should retire
The term is meaningless without the true leadership behind it. Here are some tactics PR pros should use to build their clients’ reputations.
Laura Hale Brockway
Do you know these obscure words?
Even the most erudite communicator can be bamboozled by arcane and rare words. Test your knowledge with this list.
