Blog - LJ Sedgwick

January 17, 2019 by LJ Sedgwick 2 Comments

Create Easy Colour Schemes From Photos Using Indesign

Getting your colour scheme right can make or break your project. Whether you’re picking your new brand colours or creating new business cards, you want a way to create easy colour schemes.

You might turn to websites like ColourLovers or Paletton for inspiration. Why not? They’re both very good options. I used Paletton to come up with my own brand colour scheme.

Pin this!

But there’s a tool in InDesign that can also help you find a more custom solution. By sampling colours from a photo, you won’t be using the same colour schemes as everyone else. And InDesign automatically chooses the shades that work well together.

So let’s fire up InDesign and get started.

How to Use InDesign to Create Easy Colour Schemes

You’ll need an image to start with. You could always choose a photo of your company HQ or something that sums up your brand.

I’m using this image I took in December 2018 of light trails along Newcastle’s Quayside.

The source image for creating easy colour schemes. — The image I’m using – from my Flickr account!

Create a new document in InDesign. Head to File > Place and drop the image into the document.

Browse to the toolbox and choose the Colour Theme Tool. It looks like the eyedropper. In fact, click and hold on this tool and you’ll be able to access the regular Eyedropper Tool.

The Colour Theme Tool, used for creating easy colour schemes. — The Colour Theme Tool

With this tool, simply click on the photo to sample the colours. InDesign will do the rest.

The options available for creating easy colour schemes. — Choose from five different colour palettes

InDesign automatically selects colours from your image to create suggested palettes. Click on the arrow to see four more alternative palettes, depending on the look you’re ultimately going for.

Adding swatches is also simple for creating easy colour schemes. — Add to Swatches

Click on the Add to Swatches icon to the right of the suggested colour palettes to ‘save’ the chosen palette.

The new swatches, perfect for creating easy colour schemes. — Your new swatches

InDesign adds the new swatches within a folder so you can easily find them. It also gives the CMYK or RGB values of each colour, depending on your document’s colour mode.

This is what my chosen theme would look like as colour blocks.

The results of the tutorial! — My colours!

Now you can go ahead and use your colours in a document. Remember, InDesign only saves palettes into the working document. You’ll have to save the swatches and load them into other documents if you need to work across documents with the same colours.

Here’s one I made earlier!

And here’s a quick example of a document created using just those colours.

You could also export the swatches for use in Illustrator and Photoshop.

So there you have it! A simple way to make easy colour schemes using photographs in InDesign. The world is your colourful oyster!

And if you liked this tutorial, you might also enjoy this swift walkthrough for boosting colours in Affinity Pro.

October 22, 2018 by LJ Sedgwick Leave a Comment

Review of Master Content Strategy by Pamela Wilson

I’ve long been a follower of Pamela Wilson, avidly reading her content on Copyblogger and now her BIG Brand System site. I also loved the previous book, Master Content Marketing. But there comes a point where you’ve learned all you can of writing blog posts and you need something more. Something bigger. In essence, you need a strategy.

Master Content Strategy is the new book by Pamela Wilson. — Master Content Strategy

Not all websites are created equal.

If your website is less than a year old, then your strategy will be different from someone running an 8-year-old site. That’s not because there’s anything wrong with one or the other, they just have different needs. And that’s where this book comes in. Wilson helps you diagnose which content marketing phase your own website is in and, crucially, what content marketing tasks you should focus on. She also provides plenty of ideas for repurposing content and generating ideas for content. That’s before I even mention the bonuses.

Master Content Strategy has LOTS of bonuses.

Unlike other books that focus on platform-dependent tactics that go out of date before you’ve finished reading the book, Master Content Strategy provides you with an evergreen toolkit of best practices that will stand the test of time throughout the lifespan of your website. I read it with the book in one hand, and a pen in the other to make plenty of notes. This website is only a couple of years old, but the main website I run supports Icy Sedgwick, my fiction writer alter-ego. I’ve had that one since 2009 but I stepped up my content marketing efforts in 2016. So the goals for that website are different than my content marketing goals for this one.

Indeed, that’s how I would recommend you use this book. Don’t just read it. Use it to design a strategy of your own. It’s definitely a resource I’ll return to again and again as my websites proceed into the next phase!

Buy your copy of Master Content Strategy on Amazon (affiliate link).

July 19, 2018 by LJ Sedgwick 4 Comments

Copywriter vs content writer: Which one do you actually need?

The blank document is open. The cursor blinks, taunting you. It’s like that oh-so-helpful paperclip in Word – completely annoying. But this blog post won’t write itself. And your about page needs a good polish. It hasn’t been updated since 2008.

If only you had a content writer to handle this stuff for you. Or maybe you need a copywriter.

You pause, thankful for any interruption from staring at a blank screen. Exactly what is the difference between copy and content?

Look at any internet sales page. Or advert. Hell, even read the script of a radio ad. Now look at a blog post. Or a magazine article. Or a Youtube video.

Notice any key differences?

Copy sells. Content speaks.

That’s the main difference between the two. Copy is the written word, used to sell something. Don’t get me wrong, content can sell things too, it’s just less overt about it. But you’d hire a copywriter to sell.

Just to confuse things, copy isn’t just selling stuff. It can also sell ideas. Look at this famous NHS poster for basic hygiene practices.

Do you need a copywriter or a content writer? Learn the differences between the two here before you hire your next freelance writer. — Copy sells IDEAS.

Sure, it’s not selling a swanky new car or a luxury villa. But it’s still communicating an idea that will change a behaviour.

Which is really all selling is. You want your potential client or customer to do something different, whether that’s installing an app, using your software, or even just remembering to back up their files.

You can find a copywriter that will also write content. Just like a content writer may write copy. But most writers will have a preferred specialism that they’re good at. That makes them far more likely to be able to help you.

When would you hire a copywriter?

A copywriter is fantastic for web pages, particularly sales pages. They know how to drill down into the needs of your target users and speak to them on a fundamental level. Part writer, part psychologist, and part alchemist, good copywriters speak your user’s language.

A copywriter will do a ton of research into your target audience before they start writing anything. They need to, so they can fluently speak their language.

By speaking their language, copywriters can tap into their hopes, fears, problems, and desires. Notice that’s their issues, not yours. If you can show that you understand what those problems are, your users are more likely to trust that you can help solve them.

You can hire copywriters to write taglines, sales brochures, product descriptions, even your sales emails.

Why would you hire a content writer?

Content is a different kettle of fish. You need a content writer if you need white papers, case studies, blog posts, even emails. User guides and how-to tutorials are an educational form of content. Specialist content writers can create scripts for videos. Content writers are also adept at creating content for email marketing campaigns if you’re looking to build relationships with your subscribers.

A content writer will do a ton of research into your product/service before they start writing anything.

So this blog post is content. I’m not trying to directly sell to you. I’m trying to help you make better decisions when hiring writers in future. Sure, I want you to pick me for your user guides, blog posts, and white papers. But I’m not selling that. I’m just giving you useful information. Like this testimonial.

LJ makes writing for the web seem effortless. She has a very shareable and engaging style and a fantastic understanding of technology and marketing that works together to deliver incredible value to her clients. I’d been looking for a long time for a content writer and I’m so glad I found LJ!

Claire Wingfield

Think of content as a consumable for your audience. I’ve put together a 1-page guide to my 5-step method for writing blog posts, including a checklist to keep you on track if you want to be your own content writer. Just add your email below and get your PDF.

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Content is how you start a conversation with your audience. Or you can use it to connect with them in other ways. what improves your website.

But be warned. Content won’t sell immediately the way copy does.

Copy is supposed to sell from the word go. If you land on a sales page, you expect to find out more about the product or service it’s selling.

Content is different. It’s how you get noticed among the noise. Think of content like the friendly barista who learns your name, and your favourite type of coffee. You start looking for that barista every day because they provide value. But you’ll also use that brand more often because of that barista.

By comparison, copy is the salesperson you go looking for in the store when you’re ready to buy a new TV.

Content has other advantages. Google likes regularly updated websites. What better way to push out new updates than blogging? It lets Google know that you’re still relevant to an audience – and worth sending traffic to.

Let me put this into perspective for you. WordPress developer Robert Ryan stopped blogging for 251 days. His organic traffic (visitors sent by Google) dropped by 42%. He dropped from ranking first for his keyword to 6th.

That doesn’t sound like a lot, but the top spot gets 33% of all search traffic. Just because he stopped blogging.

So which is it that you need to hire?

Do you need sales pages, brochures, descriptions, sales emails, or web copy? Then you need a copywriter. Leave a comment if you need some recommendations.

Or do you need blog posts, white papers, downloadables, e-books, or online course content? You need a content writer.

LJ is an excellent writer who always delivers top-notch content and routinely exceeds deadlines. There were never any issues contacting her (me being in North America and her in the UK) and she’s so dedicated she even came home early from an anniversary dinner to take on and deliver a last minute project! I would highly recommend her writing services to anyone who needs actionable and engaging and content for their business.

Elna Cain

If you’ve decided you need a content writer, then drop me a line and we’ll discuss your needs.

I’m standing by!

May 25, 2018 by LJ Sedgwick Leave a Comment

What can Mindhunter teach you about writing tech copy?

You might have read the headline and thought “What? What has a Netflix TV series about FBI agents in the 1970s got to do with writing tech copy?”

And on first glance, your confusion would be well placed. But stick with me for a moment.

If you haven’t seen Mindhunter, it’s set in 1977. Two agents, Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), try to change the attitude of the FBI towards criminal psychology.

Not really a million miles away from your desire to change the minds of your potential customers. Think of all of those people you could help, if you could only influence their attitude…

Netflix original series Mindhunter is amazing for many reasons. But did you know it can teach you about writing tech copy too? Click here to find out how. — New TV fix for yours truly.

Here begins the lesson.

There’s a glorious moment towards the end of episode 2, season 1. Ford and Trench are trying to convince their boss not to suspend them. He’s not happy the two agents have been conversing with a killer, the so-called Co-Ed Killer, Ed Kemper (Cameron Britton). Most of the characters in the series are “old school”. They think people do evil things because they’re evil. No one tries to understand their actions which crucially means no one can pre-empt them.

So in copywriting terms, here’s the problem. How do we stop serial killers if we can’t identify them early on? You’re not dealing with serial killers when you’re writing tech copy but you are dealing with problem solving.

Ford and Trench are different from everyone else. They’ve seen how useful Kemper’s insights are. As an articulate and intelligent serial killer, Kemper is well-placed to give them an understanding into the psychotic mind. Ford and Trench use these insights in a following episode to catch a killer, proving their plan works. And bizarrely, Kemper is only too happy to help.

But let’s go back to the crucial moment. Ford wastes so much time on fluff, telling his boss about how vital the work can be. His boss isn’t convinced, and won’t be convinced by the rhetoric. In landing page terms, he’s the copy that waxes lyrical about how wonderful the world can be, the one that lists reams of features and even digs into metaphor. No matter how well-written it is, it lacks punch.

Trench, the no-nonsense voice of experience, weighs in.

How do we get ahead of crazy if we don’t know how crazy thinks?

With that single sentence, their boss rethinks the situation and gives them a small amount of leeway to invest time in their project.

You need to be more like Trench when writing tech copy.

Why is Trench more successful? He breaks the problem down into an easy solution that their boss can understand. Their boss doesn’t come from a background in behavioural science or psychology. So Ford focuses on the features of their project. He can’t break down the technical stuff into digestible information. It’s easy to do that when writing tech copy because you know how cool your product is. But you forget that your intended customer doesn’t have your background and needs more persuasion.

In essence, Ford focuses on what the project is and how it might help.

But he neglects to mention why it could help. Trench gets straight to the heart of the why. They can pre-empt the behaviour of serial killers (and prevent their actions) if they understand how they think.

Bill Trench explains his point to his boss in Mindhunter. — Trench explains his point.

Simon Sinek couldn’t have put it better. Trench starts with their why. Their boss can grasp their purpose in an instant. In effect, he sees the benefit in what they’re doing.

So try this simple exercise when writing tech copy.

Think of a subject you didn’t get on well with at school. Remember how frustrated you got when your teachers didn’t understand why you struggled. That’s called the knowledge gap. Your teachers forgot what it was like to be where you were.

When writing tech copy, you need to be empathetic towards your customers. They’re the equivalent of you as a student. You become the teacher. Work out what it is you need to communicate.

Now pretend you’re not the teacher. You’re Bill Trench and you’re a badass at communication.

Break down your message into a simple benefit. Draft a range of ways to say it. Make sure you embed the why into the benefit. Some examples?

Look at Evernote. It’s basically a digital notebook you can’t accidentally leave on the train.
Or StudioPress.com. Their pre-made themes give you a professional website without the professional price tag.
Use Canva to make infographics? It’s essentially Photoshop without the hefty subscription fee.
And Visme. Avoid Death by Powerpoint by creating browser-based visual presentations.

Next, find someone who doesn’t have your background. Test out your messages on them. Do they get what you’re trying to say without further explanation? Do they want to find out more? If yes, then excellent. You have become Bill Trench. If no, then go back to the drawing board. Or hire me to write your tech copy for you. Check out my Tremendous Time Saver package for details.

Can you afford not to?

April 11, 2018 by LJ Sedgwick 2 Comments

5 things going to the gym can teach you about blogging

You might be looking at this title and wondering if I’ve finally lost the plot. What on earth has going to the gym, a hot, physical, difficult practice, got to do with blogging, a tiring, mental, difficult practice?

Oh, wait…

Hear me out. 12% of a gym’s members sign up in January alone. But those gyms know full well that 95% of those members won’t make it to February. It’s an interesting figure – in 2009, the New York Times estimated that 95% of blogs were ‘derelict’ (aka abandoned). Some six years later, I doubt that figure has gone down.

95% abandoned gym memberships, 95% abandoned blogs…

Developing a gym habit and building your blog aren’t as different as you might think. Both require a lot of effort, discipline, and planning. So even if you’ve never set foot inside a fitness centre, find out what 5 things you can learn from blogging by going to the gym.

1. Set goals for blogging as you would for the gym

You can’t move on the internet without falling over posts about goal-setting. As much as I hate to say it, goals are important. If you don’t know where you’re going, then how will you know when you get there?

Sure, you can go to the gym with the general aim of ‘improving your fitness’. But you’d probably do that after a fortnight, so what would keep you going back? You need to have a goal in mind. Mostly because you have no goal, so you have nothing specific to track.

My gym goal is to lose a certain number of inches by the end of the year. It gives me a thing to track and a deadline by which to do it.

Your blog is no different. Simply having a blog is not enough. It’s not going to motivate you to work on writing the posts your users or customers need. If you don’t have time to write posts, then working without a goal won’t make you magically find an extra two hours a week.

If your startup's blog is struggling, you might not think a gym habit can help. But here are 5 things you can learn from the gym to boost your blog. — The ever-elusive time!

Attaching a goal to your blog means you’re more likely to actually do something with the blog. After all, you have something to aim for.

Here are some simple goals you can start off with.

Post one new 1000-word article per week for 3 months.
Double your weekly page views in 4 months.
Achieve 100 social shares on a single post.
Triple the comments you get per post in 6 months.

Whichever goal you choose, set something achievable, and easy to track. Which brings us on to…

2. Use technology to track your progress

I have the Samsung Health and Google Fit apps on my phone. They let me log my food intake, monitor my weight, and measure how much exercise I do.

Yesterday, I did 25,661 steps – which is 11.44 miles.

By tracking how much exercise I do, and how much weight I’ve lost, I can keep an eye on my progress. Otherwise, it would be easy to become disillusioned/bored with the gym and stop going. It’s pretty much the reason why the FitBit (aff link) has become so popular. Setting continual goals keeps you on track.

In much the same way, technology can help you track your blogging progress. Google Analytics is a simple way to monitor the traffic to your blog. Among other things, you can;

easily see how people find your blog (and concentrate your marketing efforts there)
chart your page views and bounce rate (how many people leave your site after their initial click)
track the devices used to view your blog
watch your ‘returning visitor’ percentage overtake new visitors

It also means you can test blogging strategies and see if they actually work.

If I check my analytics, I can see that in the last three months, my most popular posts have been around reader-friendly content and types of content. That helps me to know what else to write about in future. Which is another excellent way of staying motivated – I know people are reading.

Even if you just keep a separate note in Evernote, tracking the number of social shares you’ve had, the number of comments per post, or the page views, then you can see what works. And what doesn’t.

3. Stay disciplined

We’ve talked a little about discipline already. It’s possibly the hardest part of starting any habit, whether that’s the gym or blogging.

I’ve had days where I’ve felt tired or sore, and decided not to go the gym that day. Then my next gym day rolls around and I find another excuse not to go. And so on. If I wasn’t careful, weeks could elapse before I went bak. By that point, I’d wonder if it was worth it.

Does that sound like your experience with blogging? You’ve had ‘write blog post’ on your to-do list for three weeks straight. Every time you sit down to write, an important email lands in your inbox. Or you get a call you have to answer. And the post goes unwritten.

The longer it goes on, the less likely you are to start writing posts.

If you bring discipline into the equation, it makes blogging/going to the gym that much easier. If I don’t feel like the gym, I make myself go. I promise myself I’ll just go on the exercise bike for ten minutes. Even if I don’t do the full workout, at least I’ve been.

Then an hour later, I realise I did the whole workout after all.

Do the same with blogging. Make an appointment to work on your blog. Even if you give yourself three 30-min slots throughout the week. Show up, and get the work done. You might only be writing bullet points of what the content should be. Or you might look for the images.

You might also find that you’ve suddenly got a post written without realising. If you want a solid method for writing blog posts, then grab my 5-step method (and checklist) below.

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4. Buddy up with someone

Going to the gym can be really boring on your own. If you struggle with motivation, it’s easy to skip out on a workout if there’s no one there to call you on it. And if you have an amazing session that leaves you feeling like Captain America (or Wonder Woman, your call), it’s deflating if you have no one to celebrate with.

Blogging is no different. Until you build a community of users around your tech or software, it’s hard to stay enthused about what you’re doing. I’ll be honest with you. When you first start out, blogging feels like howling into the abyss.

I know, I know – the internet at large keeps telling you to ‘follow your passion’. But you need more than that.

You could divide blogging duties between your team. Delegate posts in particular categories to different people. But what if there’s only you? You’re already CEO, head of sales, customer services, and HR. Even if you work with developers, you may not have anyone to buddy up with.

An easy way to solve the problem is to hire a colleague. Specifically, a blogger or content creator. It essentially buys you time (so spend your blogging time working on your product/service) and it gives you someone else to talk about your blog with.

As it happens, I have spots available if you’d like me to be your blog buddy. Check out my services.

But whatever you do…

5. Be patient about seeing results

It’s easy to get disheartened when you go to the gym for a week and you don’t leave looking like Arnie.

Sure, it’s unrealistic to think that you would. But since when were humans realistic?

Just like going to the gym, so you have to be patient with blogging. You won’t see most results immediately. Social media can be pretty good for short term validation, but any attempts at SEO take a few weeks to ‘bed in’.

But remember that you’re building a community around your blog. It’s going to be a cool place for existing users to hang out, and a fun place for potential users to stop by. Your enthusiasm is going to shine through your blog posts and bring in the people who need your tech in their lives.

You just have to trust the process.

Create Easy Colour Schemes From Photos Using Indesign

How to Use InDesign to Create Easy Colour Schemes

Here’s one I made earlier!

Review of Master Content Strategy by Pamela Wilson

Not all websites are created equal.

Master Content Strategy has LOTS of bonuses.

Copywriter vs content writer: Which one do you actually need?

Copy sells. Content speaks.

When would you hire a copywriter?

Why would you hire a content writer?

But be warned. Content won’t sell immediately the way copy does.

So which is it that you need to hire?

What can Mindhunter teach you about writing tech copy?

Here begins the lesson.

You need to be more like Trench when writing tech copy.

So try this simple exercise when writing tech copy.

5 things going to the gym can teach you about blogging

1. Set goals for blogging as you would for the gym

2. Use technology to track your progress

3. Stay disciplined

4. Buddy up with someone

5. Be patient about seeing results

Over to you! Have you ever given up your blog – or a gym habit? Let me know in the comments below!

Links

Email me!

Find Me Online

Who am I?

How to Use InDesign to Create Easy Colour Schemes

Here’s one I made earlier!

Want to learn how to write good blog posts quickly?

Not all websites are created equal.

Master Content Strategy has LOTS of bonuses.

Copy sells. Content speaks.

When would you hire a copywriter?

Why would you hire a content writer?

But be warned. Content won’t sell immediately the way copy does.

So which is it that you need to hire?

Here begins the lesson.

You need to be more like Trench when writing tech copy.

So try this simple exercise when writing tech copy.

1. Set goals for blogging as you would for the gym

2. Use technology to track your progress

3. Stay disciplined

4. Buddy up with someone

5. Be patient about seeing results

Over to you! Have you ever given up your blog – or a gym habit? Let me know in the comments below!

Links

Email me!

Find Me Online

Who am I?