September, 2023

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Writers fall into the Sameness Trap when they rely too much on AI and lists of “Killer Prompts”.

Nick Ursborne

Client companies are already seeing it… and they don’t like it. Freelance and in-house writers are relying too heavily on AI tools like ChatGPT to write their sales copy, content, and social media updates. The result? When you use the same tool as every other writer, you begin to churn out writing that feels generic, flat… and the same as everything else out there.

Writer 255
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How to Be More Personal in Your Writing (Without Cringing)

Enchanting Marketing

Uh oh. It’s hard, right? How can you be personal without oversharing? Let me tell you a tiny story first … The email confirmation from the hotel looks promising. Check-in from 2 PM. Yay! We’ve been cycling for a few days and are used to hanging around for a couple of hours before we’re able to check in. This is different. It’s been blazingly hot, and I’m looking forward to a shower and then a siesta.

Writing 212
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I Received Conflicting Advice on My Query Letter. What Now?

Jane Friedman

Photo by Thirdman Ask the Editor is a column for your questions about the editing process and editors themselves. It also features first-page critiques. Want to be considered? Submit your question or submit your pages. Today’s Ask the Editor is sponsored by Book Pipeline. FINAL DEADLINE: Friday, Sept. 15th for the 2023 Book Pipeline Unpublished contest.

Writer 122
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17+ Tips To Help Your Brand Ride Today’s Social Media Roller Coaster

Content Marketing Institute

The social media landscape has changed. X, formerly known as Twitter, faces mercurial changes. TikTok bans are discussed. YouTube added Shorts to compete with TikTok. Meta added Threads. Should your social media strategy respond?

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Let's Get Physical: How to Blend Direct Mail Marketing with Your Digital Strategy

Speaker: Akeel Jabber, B2B SaaS Investor and Growth Marketer at Horizen Capital

⭐ Are you ready to boost campaign success? Consider the untapped potential of integrating direct mail marketing seamlessly with digital marketing strategies. Combining the physical, tangible impact of direct mail with the dynamic reach of digital marketing can be a game-changer, significantly increasing your ROI when done right. Direct mail grabs attention, making it great for reaching your target audience 📩 Digital marketing keeps the momentum going, driving action 📲 So.

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The Complete Guide to a Mobile Friendly Website

Quick Sprout

Your website must be optimized for mobile devices. Why? Well, for starters, 80% of the top websites according to the … The Complete Guide to a Mobile Friendly Website Read More » The post The Complete Guide to a Mobile Friendly Website appeared first on.

Website 119
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What Is a Content Marketing Strategy?

CopyBlogger

You’ve probably noticed that some companies have similar publishing schedules and content workflow processes, yet the results they achieve are. Continue Reading The post What Is a Content Marketing Strategy? appeared first on Copyblogger.

More Trending

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15+ YouTube Shorts Ideas For Your Next Video

Buffer

With more than 50 billion daily views, YouTube Shorts offers a unique opportunity for content creators to reach a wider audience, promote longer videos, and even increase subscribers. For content creators and small businesses, Shorts can be a game-changer. Whether you're repurposing old content, sharing clips from live streams, promoting exclusive content, or hopping on the latest trend, Shorts provide a versatile medium to engage viewers and potentially go viral.

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How Can You Tell If You’re Starting Your Story in the Right Place?

Jane Friedman

Today’s post is by regular contributor Susan DeFreitas ( @manzanitafire ), an award-winning author, editor, and book coach. She is hosting a free masterclass for novelists on Sept. 22, Excellent Openings. When I help my clients prepare the pitch materials for their novel, it’s not just the query and synopsis we focus on—it’s their opening pages. Because it doesn’t matter how snappy that query letter is, or how promising that synopsis reads: If the opening pages of the story itself don’t suck the

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5 Content Discovery Trends To Inform Your Marketing Strategy

Content Marketing Institute

Content consumption patterns have stayed mostly the same in recent years. Content discovery hasn’t. Consider these five trends as you plan your content and strategy for 2024.

Content 107
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What SEOs Really Need to Know About JavaScript SEO

Ahrefs

The reality of the current web is that JavaScript is everywhere. Most websites use some kind of JavaScript to add interactivity and improve user experience. Yet most of the JavaScript used on so many websites won’t impact SEO at all.

SEO 101
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Is Training the Right Solution?

Speaker: Tim Buteyn

Let's set the scene: you’ve identified a critical performance gap in your organization and need to close that gap. A colleague suggests training, but you suspect there’s something going on that training can’t address. How can you determine if training is the right solution before you commit your budget and resources to a new training program? In this webinar, you will learn how to determine if training is the right solution using the Behavior Engineering Model.

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What is An Email Blast? 11 Steps to Mastery (+ Examples)

Smart Blogger

Looking to ace email blasts without annoying your subscribers? You’re in the right place! Email blasts have gotten a bad rap by being misused by spammy marketers. But when crafted the right way, your readers will eagerly anticipate your next message. Ready to elevate your email game, boost open rates, and have readers who crave more of your content?

Content 114
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3 Ways empathy will help futureproof your copywriting career.

Nick Ursborne

The third domain of Emotional Intelligence is Social Awareness. And a big part of Social Awareness is feeling empathy for others. We feel empathy when we open our ears and our hearts, and walk in the shoes of other people. We feel what they feel. This is easier said than done. When it comes to truly understanding the feelings of someone close to us, or just like us, we can score reasonably well.

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7 Ways to Start a Cover Letter

Grammarly

Beginning a cover letter can feel awkward and stilted. Should you use formal language you would never say aloud? Should you be direct, or demure? If you’re here, you’re obviously wondering how to start a cover letter. To put it simply, the first paragraph of a cover letter should tell hiring managers who, what, where, and why. What job you’re applying to, where you found the job, who you are, and why you’re the perfect fit.

Writing 109
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Finding the Funny: 8 Tips on Writing Humor

Jane Friedman

Photo by Franco Antonio Giovanella on Unsplash Today’s post is by author Joni B. Cole , author of Party Like It’s 2044 : Finding the Funny in Life and Death. When I was in elementary school, I can remember being told by more than a few kids, “You think you’re funny but you’re snot.” Well now, all these years later, the laugh is on those poopyheads because, apparently, I am funny.

Writing 106
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Revitalizing Dry Content: A Lesson in Engagement

Speaker: Tim Buteyn, President of ThinkingKap Learning Solutions

We’ve all been there. You’ve been given a pile of dry content and asked to create a compelling eLearning course. You’re determined to create something more engaging than the same old course that learners quickly click through, but how do you take this “boring” content and create something relevant and engaging? Many instructional designers will say, “Boring in means boring out.

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How To Scale Content Production By Focusing on Operations [25+ Expert Ideas]

Content Marketing Institute

Scaling content operations isn’t always about creating more. It’s about getting more out of everything you do by focusing on strategy, people, processes, and then technology (yes, including AI). But how? These dozens of tips and ideas will help.

Content 115
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Follow Our Content Audit Process for 2023 (Template Included)

Ahrefs

Even if you pour your heart and soul into your content, it’ll often fail to rank, convert, or do anything for your business. It’s frustrating. But you don’t have to leave these pages to die a slow, painful death.

Content 108
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How to Create a Content Marketing Strategy: Complete Guide

ThemeIsle

Creating content for your website, blog, or social accounts might seem like a simple task. However, without proper planning and consistency, you're unlikely to achieve your content goals. Therefore, if you're a new or growing business, you might be wondering how to create a content marketing strategy. Keep reading to get up to speed. The post How to Create a Content Marketing Strategy: Complete Guide appeared first on Themeisle Blog.

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If you’re worried AI might threaten your future as a copywriter, it’s time to get futureproofed.

Nick Ursborne

Who’s opinion should you listen to? Always a tough question. Right now there are plenty of conflicting views when it comes to the future impact of AI on the careers of writers and copywriters. At one extreme, there are those who claim AI is just hype, a passing fad, and that it will never replace human writers. At the other extreme, some copywriters are worried their jobs will be completely obliterated by AI within the next few years.

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Brain Fog HQ: Memory Enhancement Techniques for Professional Development

Speaker: Chester Santos – Author, International Keynote Speaker, Executive Coach, Corporate Trainer, Memory Expert, U.S. Memory Champion

In October, scientists discovered that 75% of patients who experienced brain fog had a lower quality of life at work than those who did not. At best, brain fog makes you slower and less efficient. At worst, your performance and cognitive functions are impaired, resulting in memory, management, and task completion problems. In this entertaining and interactive presentation, Chester Santos, "The International Man of Memory," will assist you in developing life-changing skills that will greatly enha

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FANBOYS: Coordinating Conjunctions

Grammarly

Of all the parts of speech , conjunctions probably pack the most usefulness into the most unassuming form. They’re function words, which means they exist only to be of service. In the case of conjunctions, that service is to express connections between other parts of a sentence. Casey drank a glass of water because they were thirsty. The day Zoe went to the beach was both windy and warm.

Writing 113
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20+ Blog Post Examples to Inspire (& Kickstart) Your Creativity

Smart Blogger

You try, but keep missing the mark. No one reads your articles. What you need are some blog post examples to get your creative juices flowing. Maybe then you will be able to figure out the magic formula (is there one?) that keeps readers engaged and coming back for more. To this end, we have scoured the internet to find 20+ successful blog posts in 10 popular niches.

Blog Post 104
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How To Work AI Into Content Marketing (in a Way That Works for You)

Content Marketing Institute

Does the company you work for have an AI policy? Whether it does or not, you need one specific to AI’s use in content marketing. An AI operations plan will help you make (and share) sound decisions about its use, governance, and risk mitigation. Here’s what to consider.

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Evergreen Content Explained: 2 Key Ingredients for Success

Ahrefs

For content to be evergreen, it needs to match two criteria: It needs to target an evergreen topic Evergreen topics are topics with consistent interest over time.

Content 119
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7 SEO Copywriting Tips To Engage Readers And Rank

CopyBlogger

Most SEO copywriting tips focus on adding specific keywords, and other minor optimizations that help search engines find your content. Continue Reading The post 7 SEO Copywriting Tips To Engage Readers And Rank appeared first on Copyblogger.

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How stories add emotional appeal to your AI-assisted copy and content.

Nick Ursborne

I use GPT-4 every day. I use it to brainstorm ideas, research topics, come up with content suggestions, and to outline longer-form content. Once I’m done researching and outlining with GPT-4, I open up Nick-4 and look for ways to add Emotional Intelligence to whatever I’m writing. (Yup, Nick-4 is me.) In other words, I’ll never just start writing based on the output of GPT-4 alone.

Copy 217
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The 2 Website Analytics Tools Pros Actually Use in 2023

Quick Sprout

We love data and analytics tools. But here’s the straight truth: you need a lot less than the analytics industry … The 2 Website Analytics Tools Pros Actually Use in 2023 Read More » The post The 2 Website Analytics Tools Pros Actually Use in 2023 appeared first on.

Website 115
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6 Ways How to Use ChatGPT for Blogging (Tested for 2023)

ThemeIsle

With the growing popularity of AI tools, there are tons of content creators available to write essays, website copy, emails, and blog posts. Therefore, if writing doesn't come naturally to you, you might need a helping hand. If you are wondering how to use ChatGPT for blogging, this post is for you! The post 6 Ways How to Use ChatGPT for Blogging (Tested for 2023) appeared first on Themeisle Blog.

Blog 115
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To Gate or Not to Gate? Either Way, You Must Deliver Trust First

Content Marketing Institute

Is your brand willing to trust first? Your answer can determine the success of your company’s gated and free content assets and achieving your long-term content marketing goals.

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Does Your Multiple Storyline Novel Work? Questions to Ask Yourself

Jane Friedman

Photo by Aditya Wardhana on Unsplash Today’s post is by editor Tiffany Yates Martin ( @FoxPrintEd ). Join her on Friday, Sept. 15 for the online class Handling Multiple Storylines. Writing a cohesive, layered, deeply engaging story can feel like conducting an orchestra where you’re also composing and arranging the music and playing every instrument.

Writing 112
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Op-Ed Writing: 10 Markets That Pay Freelancers for Views & Opinions

Make a Living Writing

Ever have an idea for an op-ed? If your mind jumps to the old-school newspaper section with editorials, opinion pieces, and letters to the editor, you’re probably thinking it’s a waste of time. But writing op-ed pieces is still a thing. And if you know where to look, the right markets pay well. Getting paid $300 to $1,500 for opinion pieces, essays, and editorials is still happening.

Freelance 111
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15 Podcasts to Boost Your SEO Game

Ahrefs

From broader discussions on SEO to more technical deep dives, these 15 podcasts are ideal for every kind of marketer. So listen closely, and vote for your favorites. 1.

SEO 111
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5 Ways to Improve Your Facebook Organic Reach

Quick Sprout

We know you’ve noticed it… Over time, your Facebook page’s reach has continuously gone down. The current situation: Right now, … 5 Ways to Improve Your Facebook Organic Reach Read More » The post 5 Ways to Improve Your Facebook Organic Reach appeared first on.

Post 111
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9 Free Email Marketing Tools for Savvy Marketers (2023)

Smart Blogger

Are you tired of draining your budget on costly email marketing tools? News flash: You can run successful marketing campaigns without shedding big bucks. Let us guide you to digital marketing nirvana without spending a dime. Here is a curated list, in alphabetical order, of nine free and effective email marketing platforms. We’re not playing favorites with the best email marketing software — each of these digital marketing rockets is a game-changer in its own right.

Marketing 106
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Do You Love Your Content Marketing Job (and Does It Matter)?

Content Marketing Institute

You should equate your job with your passion. If that’s not possible, you must direct your passion into a side hustle vocation that can become your career. But that thinking can derail you from doing what you love to do.