Author: Michelle Troutman

Michelle Troutman has spent more than a decade crafting attention-getting newsletters and other content for service providers. She specializes in creating standout e-newsletters for law firms and economic development organizations. Her marketing and business administration background and education enhance clear and persuasive copy that speaks to the right clients. Through features in publications like "Attorney at Work" and "Law Fuel," and her e-newsletter and YouTube channel, she inspires service professionals to create engaging content. She enjoys helping businesses that sell their expertise reach their ideal customers.

writing advice, writing better

5 Ways to Write Transitions Well

1. For flow – As the Little, Brown Handbook suggests, if a series of sentences lack a clear connection in-between, write transitions to link your sentences and paragraphs together.

2. In comparisons – When you compare two similar things or ideas, sometimes a transitional word or phrase can help readers understand the connection between them.

Example: “Onions are root vegetables, as are carrots.”
Revised: “Like onions, carrots are a root vegetable.”

3. To contrast – If you’re describing two different things or ideas, a transition can ease your explanation.

Example: “Carnivores eat meat only. Herbivores follow a plant-based diet.”
Revised: “Carnivores eat meat only, but herbivores follow a plant-based diet.”

4. To explain – Transitions can help you define and clarify a concept.

Example: “A sandwich contains a filler placed between two slices of bread. Popular sandwiches include bologna, peanut butter and jelly, or tuna.”
Revised: “A sandwich contains a filler placed between two slices of bread. For example, peanut butter and jelly is a popular sandwich filler.”

5. To summarize or end gracefully – A transitional word or phrase shows readers they’re near the conclusion of your piece.

Example: “All in all, a cross-country trip can open your eyes to the world around you.”

Need help making your writing easier to understand? Contact me for advice.

How well do you use transitions in your writing? Feel free to comment further below.

Quotes

“Transitions are critically important. I want the reader to turn the page without thinking she’s turning the page. It must flow seamlessly.” ~ Janet Evanovich

“If we encounter ‘thus,’ ‘therefore,’ ‘consequently,’ and the like, we know that the next statement should follow logically from whatever has already been presented. If we see ‘nevertheless,’ ‘still,’ ‘all the same’ or the like, we must be prepared for a statement that reverses direction.” ~ Bonnie J.F. Meyer, Ph.D., Professor of Educational Psychology, Penn State

Comments? Suggestions? Need help with your communications? Contact me.

content, content ideas

5 Ways to Get Content Calendar Ideas

1. Use the time frame – What day is it? A little word association can boost your brainstorming for content calendar ideas. For instance, the word “refresh” might inspire ideas about making a new start. January and the springtime are appropriate occasions for that theme.

2. Check an almanac – Consider how important times connect to certain events. Does your industry follow traditions during the year? Do your patrons? If you’re stuck, an almanac can tell you what happened today in history and about upcoming holidays. Daysoftheyear.com offers trivia on little-known national days, weeks, and months. For example, for National Pizza Day (February 9th), you could offer facts about the pie.

3. Get informed – For timely content calendar ideas, consider what’s affecting your industry now. Trade association publications often feature the latest news. Otherwise, search Google Trends or scan hot topics on social media for ideas.

4. Go undercover – Visit forums related to your industry or topics you cover for ideas. Quora, Reddit, and similar forums include questions people have posted.

5. Listen – To see what lies ahead, find out about upcoming events at the water cooler or on Slack. Ask questions in meetings or at the dinner table. Make small talk at the grocery store or chat with neighbors.

Lack inspiration? Contact me for help creating your content calendar.

How do you compile your content calendar? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes

“One thing is certain: if you don’t keep an editorial/content calendar, the content doesn’t get done.” ~ Joe Pulizzi, Founder of Content Marketing Institute

“For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned.” ~ Anonymous

Comments? Suggestions? Need help with your communications? Contact me.

editing, editing your writing

5 Editing Apps That Improve Your Writing

1. Grammarly – Given the limits of its human programmers, its artificial intelligence isn’t perfect, but among editing apps, it’s still fairly accurate. You get to decide whether to accept its suggestions. The free version checks for errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar. The paid version does more detailed diagnoses, including scanning for clichés and the passive voice. It also has a plagiarism checker.

2. The Hemingway App – I can’t rave enough about it. Even with years of writing experience, once I started using it, the quality of my work improved greatly. It doesn’t just determine the reading level, it also highlights long sentences, adverbs, “big” words, misspellings, and the passive voice. But you need to figure out the editing yourself. 🙂 The desktop version is free and you can use the mobile app for a fee.

3. Word Hippo – None other than Ann Handley has anointed it, which makes it gospel — it’s a “must use” to prompt the writing muse. 🙂 This literary “Swiss Army” knife offers everything from a thesaurus to a rhyming dictionary and a word finder. Use it as a desktop or a smartphone app.

4. Word Counter – This web-based app lives up to its name and then some. It also offers grammar and spell-check, a thesaurus, and advice on case style and SEO keyword density. “Auto-save” is another helpful feature. And it tells you how long it takes to read your writing.

5. Cliché Finder – Another one of the “bare bones” editing apps born in the web’s infancy, it spots commonly used words and phrases, which appear in bold red text. It doesn’t suggest alternatives, so you need to do the work yourself. Creating your own similes and metaphors can guide you toward more inspired phrasing.

Apps can’t always catch every mistake. Having someone look over your content and revise it for you can ensure your copy is error-free. Contact me.

Which apps do you use to edit your writing? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes

“I did a couple of writing seminars in Canada with high school kids. These were the bright kids; they all have computers, but they can’t spell. Because spell-check won’t [help] you if you don’t know ‘through’ from ‘threw.’ I told them, ‘If you can read in the 21st century, you own the world.’ Because you learn to write from reading.” ~ Stephen King

“Words — so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.” ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

Comments? Suggestions? Need help with your communications? Contact me.

business writing, writing advice

5 Ways to Say Thank You

1. Tell a story – Among the many ways to say thank you, describe how the receiver of your message made you feel. Detail how they helped you or your company/organization and why their actions were memorable.

Example: “DeShawn, I’ll never forget the time when you and the team collected donations for our local food bank. Your efforts built morale as everyone worked together for the greater good. Thank you for coming up with this idea and for inspiring us to serve people in need in our community. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

2. Highlight the good – Name the qualities you admire in the person.

Example: “Mary, I truly appreciate your attention to detail. I never have to worry about an error in our inventory reports. Your quick response to my questions has also meant a lot to me. Thank you so much for all of your help.”

3. Simplify – Even a short sentence or two can make an impact.

Example: “Taylor, you’re the best. Thank you for your business throughout the year. Whenever you need more toner for your printouts, we’ll be happy to serve you.”

4. Be human – Imagine the person you want to thank sitting in front of you. What would you say to them? Write like you would speak — ditch the jargon and lose the formality. Express warmth and kindness sincerely and naturally. Add some enthusiasm. An appropriate quote can also make an impression.

Example: “As Shakespeare wrote, ‘Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.’ John, thank you for contributing to another profitable year. Your great dedication to our customers has added to our success. You’ve made quite a difference! As the new year approaches, I’d love to work with you again. All the best to you and yours.”

5. Borrow – If you’re struggling to find the right words, read 15 Different Ways to Say Thank You in the Business World or 20 Best Thank You Messages and Quotes to Show Customer Appreciation. Make the wording your own.

Could your “thank you” note use a dash of class? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” ~ John F. Kennedy

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” ~ G.K. Chesterton

advertising guidelines, writing advice

5 Types of Industry Advertising Guidelines to Follow

1. Law – Based on a landmark 1977 case (Bates v. State Bar of Arizona, 433 U.S. 350, 377), in 1988, the American Bar Association (ABA) issued its Aspirational Goals for Lawyer Advertising. It offers “essential ideas on how lawyers can advertise in an effective yet appropriate fashion.” Beyond industry ethics, you may also need to follow laws in the state where a firm or organization practices, apart from any content or privacy rules.

2. Real estate – The National Association of REALTORS® has its own Code of Ethics & Standards of Practice for its residential real estate agents. They include advertising guidelines. Beyond the federal Fair Housing Act requirements, REALTORS® may also need to meet state and local fair housing laws.

3. Senior living communities – The Fair Housing Institute effectively summarizes terms these communities can use in their advertising to comply with the federal Fair Housing Act. Like real estate agencies, these residences should also comply with the Housing and Urban Development’s Fair Housing Advertising, Part 109 rules.

4. Health care – The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), enacted in 1996, was intended to “improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the health care system” and includes protections for the privacy of health information. What does this have to do with marketing or advertising? If you run a health care organization, you need to get permission before you gather information. Among the steps to take, you should remove any personally identifiable information. This extends to testimonials and reviews posted publicly, which shouldn’t include the patient’s name or the specific nature of any health issues they disclose. Violations can lead to severe fines.

5. Advertising in general – The Federal Trade Commission has published several advertising and marketing rules. “Under the law, claims in advertisements must be truthful, cannot be deceptive or unfair, and must be evidence-based. For some specialized products or services, additional rules may apply.” They cover such issues as:

advertising to children
standards for endorsements and testimonials
online advertising (including COPPA, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and the CAN-SPAM Act for commercial emails)
telemarketing
claims in ads regarding health, the environment, and “Made in the USA.”

Which rules do you need to follow in your writing? Feel free to comment below.

Need help complying with industry guidelines in your content writing? Contact me.

Quotes

“Following the rules of your industry will only get you so far.” ~ Max McKeown

“There are rules to everything, even if nobody made them up, even if nobody calls it a game. And if you want things to work out well, it’s best to know the rules and only break them if you’re playing a different game and following those rules.” ~ Orson Scott Card

Published October 5, 2021