Blog
Plain language writing tips
Plain language is all about reaching more of your customers or clients by creating content your user understands quickly, easily, and completely.
Managing stakeholders on complex content projects [Interview]
When you’re responsible for delivering the content part of a massive web project, getting the input and sign-off you need is consistently one of the hardest parts.
How do you get senior executives engaged and focussed? How do you get their feedback in the timeframes you need? And how you earn their trust?
The Thank You Question: how to decide what content to create
Do you ever ask yourself, ‘why am I doing this’?
Working with subject matter experts: Part 1
When you’re delivering content, how do you work with subject matter experts to arrive at content that’s technically accurate — and is clear for your users?
Working with subject matter experts: Part 2 – collaborating
You’re working on a massive content project in full swing. You’ve got the briefing, you’ve laid the groundwork and you’ve written a draft. Now it’s time to collaborate with subject matter experts (SMEs) to get the content reviewed and cleared.
How we manage content scope
When you’re embarking on a large content project, getting the scope right is vital. In earlier posts, we’ve talked about the factors that affect content scope, and different costing models. Now we’ll get into the nitty-gritty of how we actually manage scope on complex projects.
Why measuring comms matters
It’s a strange state of affairs — when two parties want to understand the value of comms, but struggle to get there.
Communications teams want to demonstrate their value: to show the contribution that they make to the organisation as a whole — and the impact for the audience.
Your content dashboard explained
In August 2020, I was lucky enough to present a workshop on ‘Mastering Content’ at the Social Media in Government Conference. My mission with this one was to help people see their content more clearly: what’s working and what isn’t?
Are FAQ pages right for your site?
FAQ pages are everywhere on the web, but are they actually the best way to answer questions?
Editing your own work: what is ‘good enough?’
How do we set standards for the quality of our writing? And how do we apply them so they work for us, not against us?
How to get ideas for your blog
You’ve decided that you need a blog. It’s all beautifully designed. And there’s nothing in it.
Instead of waiting for inspiration to arrive out of the blue, use these questions to help get the ideas flowing.
Long content: don’t get caught by the volume trap
With the recent rise of content marketing, there’s a lot of pressure to produce. “Your business will succeed if you churn out content,” the advice goes. The more the better. One article I read recently states that longer articles are more likely to go viral. The research just doesn’t support this advice.
Why your digital agency needs a content partner
You’ve seen it so many times: your agency invests skills and time in designing and building a website, but it’s missing good content.