Death is a touchy subject. Although it is an inevitable fact of life, it is a subject that many of us struggle with – especially when it comes to demonstrating sympathy towards somebody who has lost a loved one. Despite death being so commonplace, how to express condolences is rarely taught (and usually only after someone has already suffered a loss). Instead of taking a gamble, we think it’d be wiser to predetermine precisely what (and what not) to say. This way, we can both show our support and prevent any avoidable mishaps. Join Wordsmith as we figure out how to sympathise and condole with tact.

There’s no shortage of ways to refer to other people or things in English. “That cretin double parked.” “Which sandwich is mine?” “Whoever stole my cookies has five seconds to live.” Whether you’re making a declarative statement, asking a question or intimidating a snack thief, who, which and that are the three most common words used when referring to another subject or object. However, because they all serve a similar function, it can be a little difficult to pick out when and where to use each. With a little help from Caroline Taggart and J.A. Wines’ book My Grammar and I (or Should That Be “Me”?), Wordsmith is here to clear up the confusion surrounding relative pronouns!

To say James Joyce is well-known novelist would be an understatement. As a key contributing member of the modernist avant-garde movement, Joyce’s writings challenged writing conventions, social norms and the politics of Ireland in the early 1900s. Ulysses, one of his most renowned works, incorporated many of these themes and was judged to be so “obscene” that it was even banned across a number English-speaking nations during the era. To get a better idea of how Joyce crafts his worlds and grants his characters realistic emotion, let’s examine the first episode from the book!

“I’m sorry” is a phrase that rolls right off the tongue. If you bump into someone on the subway, you instinctively say “I’m sorry”. Accidentally pass gas in a crowded theatre? “I’m sorry.” However, just because you said you’re sorry, it doesn’t necessarily show that you’re sincerely apologising. If you look at a collection of tweets from former US President Donald Trump, he uses the word “sorry” in each one – but does it sound like he’s actually sorry? If you’re trying to step up your apologies genuinely express remorse, then read on!

Today’s customers are better informed and more empowered than ever. As a result, a lot of marketing activity goes on behind the scenes, before customers decide to make a purchase. The content marketers’ job is to guide customers on a seamless journey towards conversion. However, it can be challenging to create content that keeps potential customers interested. Let’s take a closer look at content that captivates!

Calling a person or thing by name is easy and straightforward. “Hey John, pass me that knife over there,” you say to your friend – letting him know you want his help and exactly what he needs to do. Doing so is great when you can’t afford to muck around, but in writing where you have a chance to be more creative, the direct approach can be too bland. With the help of Mark Forsyth and his book The Elements of Eloquence: How to Turn the Perfect English Phrase, find out how we can use more customised descriptions and labels to give a person or object more unique!

Covid-19 has changed the digital and economic landscape at remarkable speed, and marketers are feeling it. To succeed, we’ve had to tighten our budgets, pivot our marketing strategies and shift our priorities, sometimes at a moment’s notice. However, when it comes to mapping out potential budgets cuts there’s one thing that should never be cut from your marketing strategies, and that is content marketing. The idiom “content is king” still rings true even during this Global pandemic. Not only does it increase brand awareness, instil consumer trust and build brand loyalty, but content marketing also has the potential to pay back your initial investment many times over. Join Wordsmith as we examine 5 reasons why content marketing is the smartest business investment you can make right now.

In the age of social media, most employers expect potential recruits to have a LinkedIn profile, and will almost always check a prospective applicant’s profile before considering them for an interview. After all, you can learn a lot about a person by taking a quick look at their social media profile. These days, a good resume and cover letter are no longer enough to guarantee an interview.

While some jobseekers may resent having to jump through more hoops to land a job, it may be more beneficial to think of it as an additional chance to help yourself shine – a good LinkedIn profile might just make the difference when you’re neck and neck against someone with very similar qualifications. Join Wordsmith as we explore the essential components of a hard-working LinkedIn page!

Humanity’s great capacity for emotion is one of our species’ defining features. From a visual perspective, someone who is angry appears and behaves very differently from someone who is happy. In writing, however, it’s more difficult to discern whether someone is angry or happy since we have to rely on a writer’s description and narration to fill in the blanks. Although labelling a character with an emotion is a quick and easy option, we feel there are better ways to express feelings with more detail and vivacity. Join Wordsmith as we give emotions a writing overhaul!

In advertising, every project is composed of two crucial elements – the copy and the visual design. Unlike yin and yang where the two halves must always be in balance, advertising is less philosophical and allows for projects to either be copy- or design-driven. However, this begs the age-old chicken and egg debate… which should come first? Being copywriters, we’re naturally inclined to side with our job, but what if there are instances that require otherwise? Join Wordsmith as we delve deeper into this perplexing paradox!

The ability to produce persuasive copy is a critical component in every brand’s marketing arsenal. Engaging, well-written copy on your main website, business blog, social media channels, press releases and other content marketing collateral is essential if you're looking to successfully convert eyeballs into customers. But how do you ensure the content you create is compelling and representative of your brand? Regardless of some marketers’ best intentions, it’s sometimes easy to fall into dangerous copywriting pitfalls and conversion-killing blunders. Join Wordsmith as we take a look at some of the most common copywriting mistakes and how best to avoid them.

A handy tool used to release official statements to the media and public, the press release is all about informing. Clarity and conciseness are keys to any press release, therefore it’s important that your main points can be easily and quickly digested by readers.

While brevity is essential, there’s just one problem with most modern press releases… they tend to be on the dry side. Although the point of the piece is to convey information, you’ll probably get better mileage from a release that’s well thought out, well-structured and well written. Join Wordsmith as we take a deeper look into the humble press release…

We live in a society that constantly demands perfection. From a young age, our teachers and parents have instilled us to strive for A’s and to fear F’s – creating the bad habits that it’s acceptable to burn the candle at both ends to “earn” top marks and that our self-worth is defined by an otherwise meaningless letter or numerical grade. Outside of academia, it’s not unusual to find managers and bosses who believe it possible to keep their employees running at 110 percent at all times – a toxic phenomenon that is all too common in the advertising and marketing industry. Even if you were the Babe Ruth of writing and could hit consecutive home run after home run, burn out is inevitable. What do you do at that point? Do you apologise for failing to live up to expectations and promise to do better next time? Do you quit out of shame? The answer may surprise you! Join Wordsmith to find out why writing badly isn’t as bad as it may sound!

Satisfaction can come from many sources. Some may argue that satisfaction stems from a personal feat, like the sense of pride after conquering the tops of a treacherous mountain, whereas others may find joy in the little things in life – like a good cup of coffee or a warm and sunny windowsill. Regardless whether you get your kicks from physical accomplishments or small comforts, you’d probably agree with us that writing a couple lines with a killer kick is also pretty far up there on the list. However, the highs of writing can be elusive, especially for those who find it to be a chore. With the help of Mark Forsyth’s book, The Elements of Eloquence: How to Turn the Perfect Phrase, let’s continue discovering how we can experience the thrills of catchy and eloquent writing again and again!

It’s heartening to see signs of the world recovering with a number of new vaccines on the horizon this year. The return to normalcy is finally within our reach. With the festive season officially over, and virtual offices getting back into full swing, it’s time to focus on creating another years’ worth of compelling content. Daunted? You shouldn’t be. Creativity is in high demand as the world’s economy starts to rebuild. Businesses will continue to ramp up their digital presence online and will need the help of professional copywriters.

The good news is 2021 is still yours to shape. So, we’ve collected a couple of our favourite tips from industry-leading experts in the content marketing sphere alongside our useful Wordwise blog guides, to help you keep your copy fresh and on point in 2021.

Scary stories are all about thrills and chills. While ghouls and gruesome fates are the staple of adult horror, it’s not quite the same writing for adolescent audiences – and nobody does it better than R.L. Stine: the acclaimed author of the Fear Street and Goosebumps novels.

Unlike short-lived campfire tales, novels grant the writer better pacing and allow for more fleshed out plots, character development and a build-up to the quintessential moral lesson (because it wouldn’t be a young readers’ book without one). Although writing a thriller novel for teenagers may seem completely unrelated to marketing, you’d be surprised how applicable Stine’s handy writing programme for students and teachers is. Join Wordsmith as we examine the Stine steps for building a gripping narrative!

Imagine it’s halfway through 2021… The COVID-19 vaccine has been distributed widely, and slowly businesses and consumer behaviour are adapting to a “new normal”. The global recession isn’t over yet, but things are looking significantly brighter as consumer spending returns and jobs are showing great signs of recovering.

It goes without saying that in 2020, most brands and businesses have pivoted their spending towards boosting their digital marketing presence. Before COVID-19, in-person events made up over 20% of B2B’s marketing spend on average. However, smart Chief Marketing Officers (COMs) have shifted this unused budget to content creation, and according to recent research from LinkedIn, an astonishing 78% of marketers plan to up their investment in online content.

This shift in spending should ultimately translate into higher quality content, so brands are going to have to up their game when it comes to the quality of their content. We can’t say we’re completely surprised, because we at Wordsmith know that truly great copywriting lowers your cost-per-click (CPC) and cost-per-lead (CPL) while also spreading awareness, trust, and affinity for your brand.

As this tumultuous year comes to a close, let’s make some content marketing predictions for the year ahead, so the pragmatic optimists among us can start planning to put our best foot forward in 2021.

We’ve always been taught that two negatives don’t make a positive – unless you multiply them together, because math is weird. However according to most English teachers, double negatives are considered heresy. What’s the point of them when you could simply substitute a positive word to mean the same thing? While that’s true most of the time, what if we told you there are instances where the use of a double negative are actually justified? With the help of Caroline Taggart and J. A. Wine’s book My Grammar and I (Or Should That Be ‘Me’?), let’s explore the rules behind negatives… and when the illusive double negative can shine!

The coronavirus has been with us for nearly a year now. With friends and family separated and countries locked down due to travel fears, it’s looking like the Christmas season will be just another “holiday” of quality home time. As bleak as the situation may appear, we as marketers and copywriters have to do what we can to keep the holiday season alive! Join Wordsmith as we explore how to bring back holiday cheer through greeting messages spiced with positivity (and pandemic puns).

In the Internet age, we more often than not turn to search engines when looking for new products, services or companies. There’s no better feeling than finding a website that seems to deliver what we want… augmented by a sense of pride, self-accomplishment and a rush of endorphins.

However, how often have you found a promising lead off of Google, only to find that the website’s “about us” or “company profile” page is filled with generic boilerplate material – the same, old and tired content about “connecting with customers” or “making a difference in the community” that’ve been used by both mom-and-pop stores and “global innovators”. What makes a company profile interesting and inspiring to read? And how do you write one that resonates with readers? Join Wordsmith as we take a closer look!