Commas are an essential piece of punctuation for dividing up sentences and making them easier to comprehend and read. However, the Oxford comma has always been the estranged relative of the comma family – some people swear by it while others excise it as if it were an inflamed appendix. Is the Oxford comma worth using or is it unnecessary? Join Wordsmith and let’s find out!

With how powerful and convenient AI logic has become, it’s no surprise that people are starting to turn to AI for writing tips. In fact, LinkedIn recently made a post with the help of AI and community members on ways to show more initiative in writing.  How accurate are these tips and do they hold up to the standards of professional copywriters? Join Wordsmith and let’s take a closer look at how our AI companions think!

With the end of the year coming up, some people begin to look for new job opportunities once Christmas and New Year’s bonuses (or lack thereof) are passed out. If you are one of these career chasers, it’s essential to spruce up your CV to impress recruiters – but what can been said that hasn’t been said already? At the end of the day, isn’t a CV just an archive of our experiences and achievements? While that may be true, a professional job hunter’s CV and a fresh graduate’s CV will have clearly discernible levels of salesmanship. A truly remarkable CV will not only tell of strong experiences, but also carry strong personality and individuality. How can we shift away from a boring CV to one that excites recruiters? Join Wordsmith and let’s find out with the help of several Forbes recruitment coaches and CV experts!

Does your writing feel heavy and cumbersome? You do your best to cut and trim out the fat, but no matter what you do, your sentences remain clunky – almost as if each word is encased in a block of hardened butter. With conciseness being the new beauty standard of writing, audiences can and will judge you for chunky prose. Why? Because modern marketing is expected to be time efficient. With competition so fierce, a business wielding clunky content is at an immediate disadvantage when faced against a competitor with razor-sharp messaging.

Traditional means of cutting down on bloated writing are time consuming and require adopting a new writing mindset… which is not so easy when your content needs trimming and toning immediately! However, what if we were to tell you that there is a special way to cut clutter without having to completely rewrite everything? Join Wordsmith and let’s talk about the “Paramedic Method” of rescuing bloated writing.

In business, first impressions are important – but so are the communication skills necessary to establish and maintain a lasting relationship. Some of these relations may be with businesses set up next door, but more often than not, they can span borders and time zones. When setting up a foreign correspondence, the approach that you’re used to might not always be the optimal solution… so how should we adapt our mindset and writing style to give off a proper first impression? Join Wordsmith and let’s dive into the intricacies of writing international correspondence!

Can you imagine a world where loyal customers are organically spreading the word about your brand, defending your reputation online and consistently providing valuable feedback that allows you to innovate and grow? This is the power of tribes. Brand tribes consist of people linked by a shared belief, who are capable of collective action – these are your true believers, brand champions and ultimate promoters. And in 2023, brands are quickly realising that having a tribe is one of the most valuable assets when it comes to catapulting your business into the limelight.

Not only can a tribe of dedicated followers provide brands with a much-needed edge in the current competitive marketplace, but they can also help to boost brand recognition, promote a sense of belonging, create long-term customer loyalty and, in turn, help yield significant profits. Segmentation may have been known as the “gold standard of brand marketing”, but pigeon-holing audiences based on demographics, behavioural characteristics and psychographic research, doesn’t reflect the diversity and changing nature of today’s society; in steps the emerging new dimension of “tribal marketing”. In contrast to traditional marketing approaches where segmentation, personalisation and one-to-one relationship building are paramount, “tribal marketing” is a novel approach, where brands are choosing to shift their focus towards facilitating and gathering a group of people to create a renewed sense of community that ultimately strengthens relationships between consumers and their brand.

Some experts have even gone as far as to say that building tribes around your brand is the future of marketing, so smart content marketers should start to think about embracing this new wave. In an arena flooded with pay-per-click advertisements, gaudy pop-up banners and unimaginative marketing campaigns that miss the mark, it’s time to turn our focus back to people, customer satisfaction, and brand ambassadors to elevate your marketing game. So, join Wordsmith, as we take you through a step-by-step guide on how to bolster the “tribe effect”.

A copywriter’s greatest skill is his/her ability to weave together words for a compelling narrative or argument. However, using only the same sentence structure again and again runs the risk of you sounding monotonous and unimaginative… which is not only unappealing to read, but may also have the unintended effect of turning away audiences permanently. What are some ways to shake up our writing structures without having to call upon the spirits of Shakespeare or Hemmingway? Well luckily for us, there are some easy writing hacks that can give you the variety you so seek – read on and find out!

Cover letters are the unsung heroes of a successful job application. Although many recruiters don’t specifically request cover letters during an application, people who submitted one alongside their CVs often saw better results than those with just a CV. They were like a secret cheat code back in the day – anyone who really wanted the job would make sure that they included a customised letter with their application. Sure, it was a lot of extra work, but it was also a sign of passion and were handy for recruiters to get a better picture of the applicant.

Are cover letters still golden tickets today? Or have recruiters wizened up and diminished the cover letter’s value? Let’s take a deeper look!

Much of modern media is centred around content that can be “consumed” on the go –YouTube shorts and TikTok videos are among the most popular, and generally feature content that can be viewed in 60 seconds or less. In news and tabloids, even simple 5-minute articles often include an executive summary for time-crunched readers. Have attention spans truly shrunk so much that even a couple minutes is considered too much now? As marketers and copywriters, how do we appeal to audiences who have developed an appetite for bite-sized content? Join Wordsmith and let’s find out!

Amid inflation, the looming threat of a global recession and widespread labour disputes, we’ve seen an increasing level of employee disengagement that continues to dampen productivity and workforce morale in different sectors across the world. We may not be able to control the macro-economic environment, but if you’re worried that “quiet quitting” and “bare minimum Mondays” are becoming increasingly common in your workplace, you need to act fast and liaise with your HR and corporate communications teams to combat this negativity before it has detrimental impacts on your company’s culture, reputation, brand image and bottom line.

But don’t worry, it's not all doom and gloom. If you implement a well-structured internal communication strategy and continue to invest in the employee experience as much as the customer experience, it will pay off dividends and can ultimately boost your company’s growth trajectory. The first step is to view your employees as you view your customers. The same principles that go into creating a robust content marketing strategy are the sample principles that go into creating a smoothly-running internal communications strategy. Your main objectives should be to interest, delight and reward both parties, so read on, as Wordsmith shows you how you can apply classic content marketing tactics to bolster relationships with your current employees.

English sentence structure can be a little confusing for non-native speakers. Simple “subject-verb-object” sentences are easy enough to understand, but once you start mixing in various clauses and their respective rules, the grammar is no longer as straightforward. How does sentence structure change when you’ve got a restrictive clause versus a non-restrictive one? What even are restrictive/non-restrictive clauses? Don’t worry, Wordsmith is here to shine a light on the matter!

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are a handy tool that allow us to track specific online metrics, such as follower count and the number of likes on social media or a website. For the most part, the higher these numbers, the better the website’s performance… but is this all there is to KPIs? Or are there more important metrics to track? Join Wordsmith and let’s explore how we can expand KPIs beyond the superficial!

Getting into writing is pretty straightforward. For aspiring and novice writers, one of the first things they’ll often do is to seek out popular advice from more seasoned writers. However, just because a piece of advice is popular doesn’t mean that it will work for you – without taking into account context nor your circumstances, some advice may actually make your writing journey more difficult. Join Wordsmith as we debunk three of the most common and potentially problematic bits of advice, and explain what to do instead!

Over the past decade or so, “thought leadership” has evolved from corporate events to more inspirational and interactive leadership content that has the potential to drive discussions and instigate positive social change on a worldwide scale. This is largely thanks to the advent of the internet and social media channels. Far from being an outdated industry buzzword, thought leadership is a great avenue for brands to build lasting credibility and authority.

In the late 1990s, entrepreneurs like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs dominated and defined the tech industry narrative – as every business looked to them for answers in an ever-changing landscape. This could be your brand, but becoming a thought leader and household name won’t just happen overnight. It takes a lot of work to establish your brand as an expert within your field, which is why you should be taking advantage of social media marketing tools to elevate your brand’s thought leadership messaging, drumming up interest, intrigue and authority. There’s no denying that social media has made it easier for experts to impart knowledge online. But with so much information available, it's increasingly difficult for brands to break through the noise, so, if you’re in need of direction, join Wordsmith as we show you four key ways you can utilise these platforms to provide informative and educational content going forward.

Having been in copywriting for so long, we sometimes lose ourselves to short-form content. When it comes time to unshackle our writing from the chains of brevity, it can be an exhilarating experience for some… but for others, the rust can also be hard to shake off. Where do we draw the line between being too descriptive and not enough? What even are the rules of descriptive writing?

When we get stuck, it can often be beneficial to consider solutions from a different perspective – and we believe screen writing offers the perfect balance between effectiveness and efficiency when it comes to quality details. Join Wordsmith as we explore descriptive writing like a screen writer!

In the expansive worlds of marketing and entertainment, some things are eternal – just look at Disney’s mascot Mickey Mouse and you’ll be surprised to learn that the character is over 90 years old! Despite being the oldest mouse in the world, he still remains a cultural icon through TV shows, movie studios, theme parks and all manners of branding and merchandise. However, for every icon or brand that can withstand the test of time, there are many others that die off or get shelved permanently.

When it comes time for a crowd favourite to run its final lap, how should it be sent off so that audiences will continue to remember it fondly? What are the consequences of a bad send off? Read on and find out!

In copywriting and academic writing, we are often expected to back up our statements with evidence – which can be as simple as quoting a Wikipedia page to citing a peer-reviewed journal or even interviewing an industry expert. However, the way we go about gathering information often suffers from confirmation bias (or the bad habit of selectively using material that benefits or proves our claims). Why is this such a bad thing and how can we avoid doing it? Join Wordsmith and let’s find out!

Nobody likes making mistakes, but they are an inevitable part of life. Even if we hold ourselves to the highest and strictest standards, sometimes other people make mistakes that end up affecting us.

This can happen for a variety of reasons, whether due to negligence, carelessness or a misunderstanding.  When we find ourselves on the receiving end of a mistake, what’s the best way to point out the error? What if the opposite party wasn’t even aware that they’ve made a mistake? These days, going berserk and berating others makes for viral internet content, but that is not how a professional would handle a problem. Join Wordsmith as we examine how to courteously inform others when they’ve made a mistake!

It has arguably never been more competitive for brands to reach their target markets online. Our digital sphere is filled with thousands of brands grappling for attention across every platform imaginable. And creating a consistent flow of high-performing content that piques the interest of key audiences can sometimes feel like an uphill battle – but it doesn’t have to be that way. Brands of all sizes should make their content creation process work for them by strategically repurposing and reusing existing content in different formats and channels.

Content creation for most brands is time-consuming and resource-intensive, so repackaging this content in different mediums ensures your content sees the highest Return On Investment (ROI), by maximising its reach and value. Additional benefits of repurposing content include reaching new potential consumers, building brand awareness, generating high-quality leads and increasing conversions while also improving organic visibility and SEO. According to a recent 2023 report from ReferralRock, when marketers were asked about the best content marketing strategy (out of content creation, content repurposing, and updating old content) that delivered the best results, 46% pointed to content repurposing. But how do you start implementing this into your content plan? Join Wordsmith, as we take you through a step-by-step guide on how to successfully repurpose your content.

Receiving a message can trigger many emotions. It could be euphoria from receiving an invitation out for a night of fun. Or it could be dread and fear sparked by your manager’s unreasonable demands. However, not all messages come from people in your social or business circle – some may come from complete strangers. These are referred to as cold-call messages.

While some people do reach out because of a legitimate business opportunity or concern, it’s unfortunate that the world of cold-calls is heavily congested with spam and scams. Just look at your recent WhatsApp message history and recall how many people are claiming to be a headhunter or a long-lost friend! Without batting an eye, we just block them and move on with our day… but let’s say we get tasked with sending out a genuine cold-call. How should we approach someone to avoid getting immediately blocked? Join Wordsmith and let’s find out!