Pick Your Own Writing Adventure: Three How-tos!

I feel like it’s been a bit since I’ve given you a really valuable, tactical, science-backed writing lesson.

So today, I want you to pick your own adventure.

Below, you'll find my three best, most in-depth posts on writing.

Choose the one that best lines up with whatever you need help with this week (or could use a little refresher on.) Here are your options:


1. Writing with empathy and activating readers’ emotional brains

This post takes a look at the science of mirror neurons and explains why people buy based on emotion. It also gets into how you can leverage those emotions with the right approach. I love this post because it’s filled with contextual examples and is great for anyone getting ready to create holiday-focused or year-end campaigns. Read this one here.

2. Writing to leverage scarcity


This is another deep dive I put together on the psychology of scarcity mindset and how it can be used (specifically in the ecommerce environment) to drive sales. I feel like the general idea of promoting scarcity is conversion optimization 101, but this gives a lot of practical ways you can use it in various ways to make it ultra-effective. Read it here.

3. Psychology-based copywriting tactics that drive sales

This is the more general post for anyone who just wants a crash course on copywriting tactics that drive action. It’s the more versatile option that’s going to be a good read for almost anyone. Plus, there are lots of funny examples included (and memes!) that will make you lol. Win-win. Read that one here.

This article originally appeared in my newsletter, A Cup of Copy. Sign up and get these free tips sent right to your inbox every other Wednesday.

A Little Life Update: Summer 2019

I almost phoned in this post.

I thought about doing a roundup of old lessons I'd taught on writing.
I considered just skipping it all together.

But then I decided to just be honest and say, "I don't feel like writing about writing this week." I just didn't. You have those weeks, you know?

Instead, I'm gunna share a little life update and peel back the curtain a bit on what I've been doing lately. So we can catch up like the old friends we are.

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How to Get Your Ideas Out of Your Head and Onto the Page

In most cases, here’s the general rub: You have a few general ideas you’d love to dive into in writing...but translating them into actual sentences (that flow well, use proper grammar, tell a story, etc.)...that’s hard.

The bad news is there’s no quick fix. I can’t snap my fingers or wiggle my nose and solve this for you. However, you can start chipping away at the roadblocks that go along with this issue. You do that by working through some of the things that can trip you up along the way to getting your butt in a chair and writing the thing you wanna write.

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How to Write a Good Outline

Do I *really* have to put together an outline before I start writing? Is it entirely necessary?
I say the answer is yes.

At least for me, outlining has been a tactic that’s helped me manage writing articles and blog posts both large and small in a way that’s both logical and piecemealed so it's more manageable. Bonus: It helps me get past the blank page with ease.

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The Post-Holiday Blues

I love the holiday season, but I dread when it’s over.

For someone like me that works alone (and has a lot of quiet time to myself), I look forward to having friends and family home for the holidays. It’s so different from my normal day-to-day. There’s so much life! And noise! And excitement!

But every year, right after the holidays, I find myself in a rut.

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How to Write with Humble Confidence

I love it when I get questions from readers of this newsletter in my inbox. LOVE. IT. Laura Bosco sent me a question last week.

She asked: How can I help one of my clients sound humble and confident when we write for his brand?

On one hand we want to be confident in what we know, but on the other hand, we don't want to come across as arrogant. A lot of advice is situational, there are many gray areas, and plenty of folks are smarter than we are. So how do you strike a good balance between the two?

Such a great question. An important one, too.

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My First College Intern: Lessons Learned & Future Plans

My first ever college intern and I just finished up last week. 😱 Can you believe it?! Time flies, man.

Katelyn, a junior at one of the local universities (English major) signed on in August to work with me over the course of the semester. She’s getting into finals in the next few weeks, so we wrapped things up right around Thanksgiving. Here’s what I learned from the experience.

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A Case for Being More Explicit In Your Writing

When you hear the world explicit, your mind might go straight to that parental advisory sticker you see on CDs sometimes.

Today, I’m not talking about being explicit in that context. I’m talking about being explicit in the sense of communicating clearly, as in: “She was explicitly clear about her directions.”

Why? Because so often a major failure of communication (written or otherwise) happens when we aren’t explicit.

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