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.

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

business communication, business newsletters, business writing, newsletter advice, newsletter marketing, newsletter tips, newsletter writing, Uncategorized, writing a newsletter

5 Elements of an Effective Newsletter for Business

1. A descriptive headline – Among the most crucial elements of an effective newsletter for business, the subject line should refer clearly to the content while it entices people to open.

Example: Is your Rx running low? (DFD Russell Medical Centers)

It should also provoke curiosity. Use power words, numbers, news, or scarcity (“This Friday Only”) to grab attention. Subject Line, Sharethrough, Advanced Marketing Institute’s Headline Analyzer, and other analyzers can help you choose click-worthy headlines.

2. A simple structure and design – Follow AIDA, which stands for attention, interest, desire, and action. Generally speaking, put the most important information at or near the top, where people tend to look first.

Research and marketing firm Fenwick studied several B2B newsletters. Those they ranked the highest contained an average of 241 words, used few images, had one column, and featured the same colors and branding as the companies’ websites.

3. Interesting content – Ask yourself why you’re sending your newsletter to determine what to include. Do you want to get more leads?

After you’ve started, the challenge is to keep people reading. HubSpot suggests you do that through “building relevance.” If you know why you’re sending people your newsletter, ask yourself, “What value are they going to get from it?”

4. Personalized copy – Michael Katz, an expert on professional services and solopreneur newsletters, recommends you blend stories about your life experiences with your business knowledge to connect with readers and build trust.

A more personal touch may make you stand out as someone people can relate to rather than a faceless brand name. It can also keep your content interesting.

5. Ease of reading – Check the readability level. Some grammar experts advise that your content read at an eighth or ninth-grade level or below. To check the level, use The Hemingway App.

An overlooked part of newsletter design is compliance with accessibility standards such as the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and the European Union Accessibility Directive. The ADA requires certain businesses to accommodate people with disabilities. Web content for them should be accessible for navigation by voice, screen readers, or other assistive devices.

The ADA guidelines apply to businesses that run 20 or more weeks yearly with at least 15 full-time employees or those that provide public accommodation, such as inns and restaurants. These are the ADA legal requirements for an email.

Learn more about crafting engaging and effective business e-newsletters.

What do you think are the most effective elements of a newsletter? Feel free to comment below.

Need help with your e-newsletter? Check out The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Newsletter, my business newsletter writing packages, or request a free e-news audit.

Quotes

“When setting the goal for your email, you want to consider how to send the right email to the right person at the right time.” ~ HubSpot

“Regardless of which type of email you are sending, your reader needs to know what you’re trying to convey. Aim for a clean, straightforward design to display the value you are sending.” ~ HubSpot