Spelling tip: When in doubt, close it up
Spelling challenges many of us. To make things more complicated, correct spelling changes over time, as discussed in the “Anticipate The Future” chapter of Wired Style: Principles of English Usage in the Digital Age. I like the rule proposed in this chapter: “When in doubt, close it up.” The authors suggest that instead of separating […]
Financial website writers, match headlines to content or lose readers
Your web pages should deliver on the promise made by your headlines. That doesn’t happen in the economic commentary example shown below (with company name blacked out). Let’s look at what went wrong, so you can avoid these mistakes. 1. Most of the paragraph is unrelated to the headline A Wall Street Journal report about […]
Writing sensitively about tragedy in your investment commentary or blog
Tragedy strikes more often than you’d like. It could be an event like the initial Malaysian Airlines plane disappearance, the Boston Marathon bombings, or something that happened in your community. Discussing tragedies can bring us closer together. It can make stale topics timely. However, it can also offend and disturb your readers, as discussed in […]
Free help for wordy writers!
Wordiness is a curse. Long-winded writing obscures your meaning and scares off readers. However, many writers don’t realize that their writing is dragging on and on. A free online tool—the Hemingway App—can help you recognize when your sentences are too long. Hemingway highlights sentences that are too long. It also suggests some ways to improve […]
E-book or white paper: which is better?
“What’s the Difference between an E-book and a White Paper? (And When Should You Use Them?)” is the title of a chapter in Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, E-books, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business by Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman. It’s a great question. Sometimes what […]