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?

February 1, 2017 by LJ Sedgwick 1 Comment

You’re a startup and you need an awesome blogger. Now what?

You’ve read the articles by the marketing gurus. And now you’re convinced. Your startup needs an awesome blogger.

But where do you get one? What are the steps you need to take to hire one?

It can be pretty daunting. After all, you’re a specialist in your field. You know your work inside and out. You probably feel like you should be writing your content yourself. But you just don’t have the time.

Will you be able to communicate what you do to an outsider?And what do you even need to look for in a blogger?

This post will walk you through a process you can follow when hiring an awesome blogger.

It particularly works well if you want to hire me. But we’ll get to that later.

Knowing you need an awesome blogger is one thing. Knowing how to find one is something else entirely! This guide will walk you through the process. — Hire an awesome blogger today.

First of all, you need to decide what your project actually is.

Does your website even have a blog? If not, then you’ll need one.

Most bloggers won’t be in the business of setting them up. I can. And I’m more than happy to provide an audit of your existing blog too.

Either way, you need to work out how many posts you actually need. A single post isn’t really going to cut it. That’s not how content marketing works.

But you might not want to commit to a year’s worth of posts until you’ve seen results. So will you only want a month’s worth of posts? How many posts will you want per week?

Take it from me, you don’t need daily posts. Once a week is fine while you’re establishing your blog.

Next, look for a content writer that specialises in your area.

Why your area? You’re a startup. You want someone who knows tech – and they really need to understand marketing.

So as much as you might just want any writer, trust me. You want a specialist.

You could always advertise on Twitter. Search for #blogger or #contentwriter in the search bar. If you want someone local, you can filter that way too.

Maybe LinkedIn will be more helpful. It’s a great business resource and it’s often easy to check out a potential writer’s portfolio.

And then there’s always Google.

However you come across the blogger, check out their website. Read their samples. Look at their blog. Much as you’re doing now. If you don’t like their style, move onto the next blogger.

Get in touch with your potential awesome blogger and outline what it is that you want. Ask to book a consultation call where you can discuss your needs. The blogger needs to know your ideal post length, type of content, where it needs to be shared, etc.

Make sure you ask them for their rates up front. If they quote a higher price than you’re willing to pay, don’t try to haggle. It’s not a good way to start a business relationship.

I offer a retainer package that offers rolling monthly payment. You can cancel at any time during the first month, but you’ll still get all four posts for that month since you paid upfront.

Devise an editorial calendar with your blogger.

This might not sound necessary if you only want a month’s worth of posts. You might wonder why you need a calendar for four posts while you see if they gain any traction.

Trust me, it’ll make life easier in the long run. I won’t go into the benefits of editorial calendars as that’s another post for another time. But both you and the client will enjoy a much happier relationship with a calendar in place.

It does also mean that if your or the blogger decide you’re not a good fit, you can share the calendar with a new blogger.

Decide on a metric that you’ll follow to see if blogging improves your business

Traffic is a good one. Make sure you set up Google Analytics on your website beforehand to truly get the benefit.

You could also use social shares. If you use functions like CoSchedule or SumoMe, this is easier to track.

One way or another, you’ll need to measure the success of the blogging. It’s difficult to gauge on the back of a month’s worth of content. But if you can see even a 50% increase in traffic then you know you’re onto something.

If you choose to hire me, I’ll also share the content on my own social media channels. It makes sense!

Now you need to come up with ideas for content

You may already have ideas. If so, then send them to the blogger. This will be helpful in the early days while you get to know each other.

If you’re completely stuck for topics, that’s okay. Give your awesome blogger an idea of what you’re looking for.

Then let them brainstorm topic ideas around your niche and your needs. You might need to have an interview to discuss these things. I meet prospective clients if they’re local or I do Skype if they’re not.

Review the topic ideas and see which ones resonate with you. I’ll always provide a justification for any topic ideas I propose. This comes back to that editorial calendar I mentioned earlier – and I always make sure SEO plays a part.

Let the blogger create the first post

Don’t prod them while they do this. Otherwise, they’ll think you don’t trust their ability.

Set a realistic deadline. Then sit back and relax! Your first post will be on its way shortly.

Review the first post

Does it fit what you want? Bloggers will be happy to make any amendments, though you might be content to make smaller ones yourself. If you want to work with the blogger again, it’s a good idea to share what you changed. That’s how they’ll learn your house style.

You can decide if you want the blogger to have access to your blog to upload the content directly. Or you may prefer to do it yourself. Discuss with the blogger if you need images to go with the post.

If your awesome blogger will be sourcing images, check they’re free of copyright restrictions first.

And finally, rinse and repeat with your awesome blogger!

Publish the post. Make sure you share it on your own social channels. If you have an email list (and if you don’t, you really should), send it out to your existing audience.

Then let the blogger get started on the next post in the bundle.

Remember to share posts periodically throughout the week. At the end of the week, review the metric you chose to measure the success.

That way, you’ll be able to decide if you want to keep your awesome blogger around.

Like the sound of this and wondering if we’d be a good fit?

Then it sounds like you need my Tremendous Time Saver package. Click here to find out more and secure your spot.

I’m standing by!

December 21, 2016 by LJ Sedgwick Leave a Comment

How to improve your content using It’s A Wonderful Life

As the great song says, it’s the most wonderful time of the year.

And speaking of wonderful, it’s that time of the year when we all gather around the TV. We’re going to watch a festive classic and bask in its glow for a time.

We’re bound for Bedford Falls, see. And we’re going to root for George Bailey when his frustration outweighs his satisfaction with his life.

But let’s get creative for a moment. Copywriters (or writers in general) can find learning opportunities at every turn.

Instead of just sitting back and enjoying the movie, you can glean ways to apply its storytelling principles to your copy.

So how can you improve your content using It’s A Wonderful Life?

If you want to get creative about your content, you need to study the storytelling of the classics. Improve your content using It's A Wonderful Life! — By National Telefilm Associates (Screenshot of the movie) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

You’d be surprised. So come with me and let’s take a stroll back to 1946.

And put your thinking caps on. (If you want to use a Santa hat, that’s cool with me)

Ready?

If you want to appeal to George, you have to think like an angel

George Bailey is deeply dissatisfied with his life. Unable to leave Bedford Falls, he watches life pass him by. Opportunities go to everyone around him while he holds the fort, waiting for his turn.

When his idiotic uncle misplaces $8000, bankruptcy and scandal loom large. Unsurprisingly, George snaps.

But no one in Heaven wants George to take drastic action. Instead, Clarence wants him to appreciate what he has.

I’m not saying that you don’t want your customer to take action. But you do know what their life could be like, if only they were using your solution.

After all, you want your solution to effect a change for your buyer, customer or client.

So you’re Clarence in our little roleplay.

But, like George, your customers can’t see what that life would be like.

Yet.

You need to improve your content to show them what their life could be like if they used your product.

Sell project management software? Show them the time saved that can be spent on creative pursuits. Or show them the glowing reviews they’ll get when their productivity increases.

But you don’t need to stay on the good side. You can also show them what their life could be like if they don’t use your product.

Take them to Pottersville.

So let them see those tasks that get forgotten and lead to customer complaints. Or the late nights catching up on things that could’ve been done by someone else in their team.

The benefits of your solution will speak for themselves.

Appeal to the better side of your customer

Clarence has a relatively easy job. After all, George is pretty saintly. It’s hard to argue with an angel when your existence led to the rescue of your little brother. Especially when that little brother went on to save an entire transport of soldiers.

And the future of Mr Gower depends on George being there to intervene when grief makes him put the wrong ingredients into diphtheria medicine.

But at his heart, George is a good person. He’s not malicious, he’s reliable, and he sticks up for the little guy.

Appeal to the George Bailey in your customers. Show them how your product not only improves their lives or business. But also show them how it improves the lives of their customers.

Think of the speech George makes to the board when Potter threatens to close the Building & Loan.

You know how long it takes a workin’ man to save five thousand dollars? Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you’re talking about, they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community.

Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn’t think so. People were human beings to him, but to you, a warped, frustrated old man, they’re cattle.

He puts the concept of the business into understandable human terms. The Building & Loan gives the people of Bedford Falls the chance at a dignified existence. And it also builds community.

This speech persuades the board to appoint George as his father’s successor.

How can you inject that same sort of passion and improve your content? How can you make your solution more human?

Use testimonials to prove your worth

How often do you look up a product on Amazon and check out its reviews?

Do you discount the 50 5* reviews because there’s a single 1* review?

When you book a hotel, do you scour the TripAdvisor feedback before you choose?

We all do it. It’s just an online version of word-of-mouth – the most powerful marketing of all.

So you’ll hear terms like ‘social proof’ bandied about by marketers. And it’s nothing new. All it means is you’ve provided a good enough service that a customer is willing to tie their reputation to yours by recommending you.

In It’s A Wonderful Life, these testimonials come in the form of prayers. All around Bedford Falls, people put aside their own needs and wants because George Bailey is in trouble.

Instead of using their prayers for themselves, they pray that George will get the help he needs.

Clarence answers these prayers in his own unique way. And George comes to realise that there were plenty of reasons to stay in Bedford Falls after all.

(Though I do think it’s a scandal the poor fellow never gets to even go on holiday!)

Heaven might have still intervened without the prayers. But it’s made clear in the film that the testimonials prove George’s worth in the eyes of the town.

You need to prove your worth to your buyers. Often, an easy way to improve your content is to look to the testimonials of your customers.

If you’re a startup, look at the feedback from your beta testers.

What questions do people ask? Or what do they always mention?

Create content to answer those questions. Or highlight the features your customers praise most often.

But most of all, use those testimonials. People respond to language they recognise. What better than the language of their peers? Include snippets from reviews or feedback in your content and use it verbatim.

Let your prospects know that you didn’t write it. An actual person, just like them, wrote those words of praise. They might not trust you – but they’ll trust a fellow customer.

People don’t always respond to data. They’re not always necessarily swayed by features and facts.

But they do respond to stories. It’s how humans have always communicated, from cave paintings to Star Wars.

So if you want to improve your content, start thinking sideways. Ask yourself what stories appeal to people. How can you use similar stories in your own content?

How can you be Clarence to your George Bailey customers?

If you’d like help to improve your content by applying these storytelling principles, drop me an email. Let’s make your content wonderful!

October 26, 2016 by LJ Sedgwick Leave a Comment

How To Promote Your Security Plugin for WordPress

You know that now, more than ever, businesses need to build security into their blog plan.

After all, in 2012, 170,000 WordPress sites were hacked. That number is easily higher by now.

But security is a difficult thing to sell unless you’re trying to fear-monger. And fear doesn’t actually sell that well.

So exactly how can you promote your WordPress security plugin without resorting to scare tactics?

As the internet matures, website security becomes increasingly important. But how do you sell a plugin to users who may not think they need one? — How To Promote Your Security Plugin for WordPress

Focus on the benefits, not the features

Sure, your plugin allows users to rename the wp-login.php to something totally different. Hide your login page so hackers can’t find it as easily!

And it’s amazing that your plugin blocks IPs when they’ve tried – and failed – to access a site 3 times in a row. It’ll certainly cut down on brute force attacks.

You totally need to tell people that your plugin also scans for malware. It’s a useful feature.

Some people will genuinely get a kick out of knowing all of that.

But people also want to know what’s in it for them.

Ultimately, you’re selling security to people

It doesn’t matter whether your target audience is other tech geeks or newbie bloggers just starting out.

They’re all still people.

They want to believe that your product will bring them peace of mind.

It’s called security for a reason.

So don’t just focus on the cool whizzbang features your plugin has (although sure, they’re still important).

Focus on the hours you’ll save them when your plugin stops an attack, and the blogger doesn’t need to reinstall a backup of their site.

Sure, you can focus on the loss of traffic to their site if they get hacked. But what does that really mean to them?

It’s not lost traffic. It’s lost time and effort. Possibly even lost sales. But it’s definitely lost visitors who won’t come back.

Remind them that your plugin works tirelessly in the background. It’s the Wyatt Earp of their website, patrolling the Wild West of the internet to keep out the Cowboys.

Let them know why you, and not someone else

Whether they’re a tech geek who wants to know the specifications, or a blogger who only has 6 regular visitors, they need to know the ‘why’ of your plugin.

Why do they need it? After all, if they’re not the same size as Buzzfeed, they might not think a hacker would ever attack them.

They need to know the risks they’ll avoid. But show them the benefits of avoiding them in a positive way. So less time spent tinkering with broken code, and more time creating awesome content. Fewer complaints about redirections to dodgy sites, and more insightful comments on their articles.

But specifically let them know why do they need yours above the others available?

Yours might do the exact same thing as the next plugin. But your interface is more user-friendly.

Maybe it’s a one-click set up.

Perhaps it has a better raft of features in the free plan.

Hell, maybe it’s cheaper.

You want to sell them on the need for your security plugin. So show them what that need looks like. Make it super easy for them to get your plugin. And get them secure and safe as quickly as you can.

After all, peace of mind is priceless.

If you have a security plugin that you need help in promoting, then get in touch! I’d love to help you reach your new fans.