Tag: content

  • For concision, draft on your phone

    I hate typing on my stupid little iPhone keyboard. It’s a big step up from ye olde T9 phone keypads of yore, but STILL. The benefit: When I want to find a more succinct way to share an idea, I draft it on my phone, not my laptop. While my full-size laptop keyboard lets me…

  • Where my ideas come from (lately)

    People love asking about and thinking about where ideas come from. Over the past week or so, here’s where my ideas for blog posts, email newsletters, my print newsletter, client proposals, and other work-related stuff have appeared: Where the idea for this came from: right after I had an idea for a different topic while…

  • In brand guidelines, “write like you’re talking to your best friend” is bad advice

    There, I said it. This is the single most common thing I see in brand guides — in any industry — because brands want to come off as approachable, friendly, and empathetic. “Write just like you’re talking to a friend.” “Be friendly and casual — like you’re talking to a friend.” “We’re warm, approachable, and funny…

  • Don’t make the moldy blueberry mistake

    I love blueberries. (Who doesn’t?) I usually buy the smallest container. After all, I’m just one person. But after weeks and weeks of eating that tiny container in two days like a feral toddler, I decided: it was time to level up. The big container of blueberries happily accompanied me home. I ate some as…

  • Is formality really a sign of expertise?

    “We need this to be a bit more formal, we’re talking to business leaders here so we need to position ourselves as the expert.” Meanwhile, business leaders and experts I know: Formality and “signaled” expertise absolutely have their place. In the same way that design, color theory, and other visual clues can instantly and often…