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.

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

5 Mistakes to Avoid in Your Newsletters for Business

1. Long subject lines – Among the mistakes to avoid in your newsletters for business, keep your headlines short. Long headlines may get cut off in some email readers, especially in preview. Also, a pithier title is more likely to catch people’s eyes. Some experts, such as HubSpot, suggest you keep the headline under 45 characters — keystrokes, not words. 🙂

2. Long newsletters – You’ve heard it all before — people are busy and have short attention spans. They won’t always read content they have to keep scrolling through, especially on a mobile device. As an alternative, you can link back to a PDF or a web page, which is more appropriate for scrolling.

3. Bad links – Links are easy to overlook in the editing process. You can use a link checker or test them one by one to make sure they lead where you want them to go.

4. No links – Links help make text more visually appealing. And, if you’re promoting something, it makes sense to link back to a landing page for it, so this is your chance.

5. Not editing thoroughly – This is one of the most common mistakes to avoid in newsletters — don’t let it happen to you! Maybe you just need to send your e-newsletter ASAP because of breaking news. Perhaps you’re getting pressure to send it on short notice. If possible, take time to pore over every detail, from the wording to the paragraph length to the links and the contact information.

Need help with your newsletter? Contact me.

Quotes

“Don’t send out a newsletter just to send out a newsletter. One newsletter a year that is really interesting is more beneficial than 12 that are boring. If you write two or three boring newsletters in a row, your readers will start to think you write boring books.” ~ M.J. Rose

“Don’t tell users how to interact with your email. If it’s not intuitive enough, go back to the drawing board.” ~ Eric Lepetit, NEST

Comments? Suggestions? Need help? Feel free to contact me.

Michelle Troutman
classywriting.com

blog, blog writing, blogging, blogging for business

5 More Common Blogging Mistakes You Could Be Making

1. Not planning ahead – This is among the most common blogging mistakes. It helps to keep a log or a calendar of upcoming blog post topics for a month or more ahead. That way, once you know what to write about, you’ll spend less time procrastinating and more time writing.

2. Not writing ahead of time -If you’re going to keep blogging, it helps to write at least a few posts well before you publish them as a buffer so that you’ll have something ready to post later. It’s sometimes easier to work with content you have rather than just writing a post whenever you feel like it.

3. Not using enough headings – Headings break up large blocks of text, especially in posts longer than 500 words. Ideally, as some experts suggest, your heading will include a benefit to entice the reader (example: “How to Earn More Money With Your Widget”); you can also write with search engines in mind. Some people like to write the headings as questions.

4. Not simplifying words – Generally, if you’re writing for others in your field (such as a lawyer writing an article for a legal journal), it’s more OK to use appropriate industry jargon than it is if you’re writing for consumers. So, use your thesaurus regularly and stick to one-syllable words. There.

5. Not shortening your sentences – It’s usually best to keep your sentences at 16 words or fewer for better reading comprehension.

Want more insights? Read the 5 Common Blogging Mistakes You Could Be Making.

Need help writing or rewriting your blog?

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Quotes

“The biggest blogging mistake I made in the beginning was focusing too much on my own blog.” ~ Ashley Faulkes

“New bloggers need to avoid the copycat syndrome. If you only copy whatever everyone else is doing, what value are you really providing others?” ~ Jason Quey

Comments? Suggestions? Need help with your blog? Feel free to contact me.

Michelle Troutman
classywriting.com

Uncategorized

5 Ways to Avoid Apostrophe Catastrophes

1. Remember that not every “s” needs an apostrophe. Don’t add them to every noun in plural form. Use apostrophes only when the “s” in an object is in a possessive form or shows ownership.

Example: “John’s notebook.”

Personal pronouns, such as “its,” are an exception to this rule.

Example: “The cat cleaned itself with its paws.”

2. Use apostrophes in contractions. Besides words in the possessive form, apostrophes are used in words that form contractions to show missing letters.

Example: “it’s,” but not “its,” for “it is.”

Another way to remember is through the phrase, “It’s an apostrophe.”

3. Apostrophe style. How we use apostrophes is sometimes a matter of style, such as when writing letters or numerals in plural form.

Examples: 1900’s, ABC’s

To avoid confusion or doubt about issues of ownership or possessiveness, however, it can be best to leave them out: 1900s, ABCs

4. Watch for possessive plural nouns. Nouns in the plural form (more than one) can be trickier. You add an apostrophe after the “s.”

Example: The boys’ locker room is closed.

5. Don’t get possessive with pronouns. You don’t need to place apostrophes in these possessive pronouns: hers, his, yours, ours, theirs, its, or whose.

Need help with your writing? Contact me today!

Quotes

“There was never a golden age in which the rules for the use of the possessive apostrophe in English were clear-cut and known, understood, and followed by most educated people.” ~ Tom McArthur, The Oxford Companion to the English Language

“To those who care about punctuation, a sentence such as ‘Thank God its Friday’ (without the apostrophe) rouses feelings not only of despair but of violence. The confusion of the possessive ‘its’ (no apostrophe) with the contractive ‘it’s’ (with apostrophe) is an unequivocal signal of illiteracy and sets off a Pavlovian ‘kill’ response in the average stickler.” ~ Lynne Truss, Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation

Comments? Suggestions? Feel free to contact me.

Michelle Troutman
classywriting.com

business communication

5 Ways to Make a Business Newsletter Interesting

1. See your stats. Look at the numbers to see how many people open your newsletter. If the reason why your newsletter isn’t “clicking” isn’t clear, you can consider other aspects of it, or survey your readers. The results can help make a newsletter interesting.

2. Write what people want to read. Besides surveying your readers, analyze any social media and website content metrics you might have to see what your visitors read and search for most.

3. Look at the length. In my experience, people prefer to read shorter content. Think of your e-newsletter as an email. Do you like to read long messages?

4. Examine your top copy. According to HubSpot, headlines with 41 to 50 characters work best on mobile devices. Split A/B testing with different headlines to segments of your subscribers can help you pinpoint what entices your readers. Putting your subscribers’ names in the messages and subject lines, or personalizing them to their locations can also appeal to them.

5. Eye your design. This can be a trickier aspect of e-newsletters. Not everyone can afford heat-map tracking user studies to see where people usually look in your newsletter. Again, surveys can help, as can feedback from people you trust. Obviously, it’s best to create your messages with colors and fonts that look attractive and easy to read in most email clients and on mobile devices.

Need advice to help you make a newsletter interesting? Contact me for a free e-news audit today!

Quotes

“Facebook Fan Pages are email newsletters with smaller pictures.” ~ Jay Baer

“Don’t send out a newsletter just to send out a newsletter. One newsletter a year that is really interesting is more beneficial than 12 that are boring. If you write two or three newsletters in a row, your readers will start to think you write boring books.” ~ M.J. Rose

blog, blog writing, blogging, blogging for business, business blogging, writing advice

5 Steps to Write a Blog Post From Start to Finish

1. Brainstorm. To write a blog post, find a topic interesting to your target market through surveying customers or analyzing data, such as keywords they search for. Competing websites can also spark some inspiration. If you want higher page rankings through Search Engine Optimization (SEO), research keywords with Google Ads or other tools and questions people ask. Add those words or phrases to the title and subheadings or to the content, as relevant.

2. Research and outline. Research can help you narrow down the topic of your post. Outline, or have a rough idea of what you will write about. Lists are another, easier form of outlining. For non-list posts of 800-1,000 or fewer words, cover two to four main points. For example, a post about how to get a home ready to sell could include advice on pricing the property and making it appealing to buyers (cleaning it, clear photographs, etc.).

3. Write. When you write a blog post, start with the most interesting parts of the topic. Lead into the body of your topic and reach your conclusion. You can write a call-to-action in the middle (better for longer pieces) and at the end to promote products or services, or ask readers what they think of the topic to generate comments. HubSpot offers some blog post templates for inspiration. Add appropriate keywords at or near the top and linking back to any of your existing articles on or related to the topic to enhance SEO.

4. Make a headline. After you’ve written the article is a great time to create your title; if you’ll use SEO, remember to include your keywords. Adding a benefit can also increase interest. Titles for lists tend to be easier to write.

Example: 7 Little Known Tricks for Increasing Pay-Per-Click Leads

5. Edit, proofread, and compile. To save time, run your piece through spell-check first, then the Hemingway App. Then triple-check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation on-screen and printed out. Read it aloud. Have someone else look at it, too. Add a relevant photo for greater visual appeal and check the overall format to see if it’s easy to scan. Also, before you publish, check facts and any links, that you included any SEO keywords, and that all is correct. And ensure that you’re not making these common blogging mistakes.

The Classy Writing Blog

How I Write a Great Blog Post for a Client

“Not sure how to write a great blog post? A great blog post should answer any questions your reader has while it informs and entertains him or her….” Read more.

Quotes

“The first thing you need to decide when you build your blog is what you want to accomplish with it, and what it can do if successful.” ~ Ron Dawson

“Don’t try to plan everything out to the very last detail. I’m a big believer in just getting it out there: create a minimal viable product or website, launch it, and get feedback.” ~ Neil Patel

Comments? Suggestions? Need help? Feel free to contact me.

Michelle Troutman
classywriting.com