I'm being replaced by machines, and I'm okay with it. Over the past few years, several companies have developed software and algorithms that can take basic data and transform it into content for their sites. Newspapers use these tools to write simple stories, like a...
There's fleeting style, and then there's timeless style. You content has a style, too, and it's saying something to everybody who visits. When we think about style, we often refer to clothes or a haircut or a color preference. But what we really mean is your...
The first rule of storytelling is “write what you know.” That doesn’t mean you can only write about things you’ve experienced firsthand; it means you should truly understand an idea, a person, or a situation before you try to tell a believable story about it. To...
I'm midway through another content inventory, one I'd been putting off for a couple of days while I tried to find the mental space to get started. It can seem so daunting before you start: visiting each page and cataloging it—almost like assembly line work. Where's...
Which of these would be the best way to speak to your audience? "Thoughts? Send 'em our way." "To submit a comment, please complete the form below." The answer: It depends. You need to define your voice and tone to determine which approach is appropriate. If you're...
We hear stories all the time—on TV, in songs, from friends. At its core, a story is simply a way of conveying information. But a story is more powerful than that. The difference between telling a story and reciting facts is that a story stays with you longer. We don't...
I love it when a plan comes together. —Hannibal Smith, The A-Team Have you decided it's time to create a content strategy? Ready, set...plan. The first stage of a content strategy should be to plan; otherwise how would you know what you're trying to create a strategy...
I've written before about what a content strategist does, but the field of content strategy continues to evolve—and splinter. Take a look at these definitions that Ahava Leibtag put together (nice job, Ahava!): Those give you some idea of the breadth of the roles and...
Dan Ariely, a professor of psychology at Duke, recently tweeted: "If we have data, let’s look at data. If all we have are opinions, let’s go with mine." I think that sums up why data should be a part of your content strategy. I wrote a post for TriUXPA on how to use...