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25.01.2022 Did you hear? Australia is getting a new Commonwealth Style Manual. Which will mean absolutely nothing to 99.9% of people reading this. But (stick with me) its announcement has met some backlash, leading me to believe that if you want to see language snobbery at its peak, announce a new style manual.... "Give me back my unspaced em dashes!" "They as a singular pronoun is grammatically incorrect!" "Writing 1 instead of one. Sacrilege!" "The + in LGBTQI+ is overkill!" I was once a grammar and spelling snob. I was also a handwriting snob And then I saw Lin Manuel Miranda’s scrawl and decided it was time to get over myself. I haven’t read the full guide and I wouldn’t say I’m a readability expert (yes, I sound like every internet troll right now) but a lot of the examples I’ve seen used in the media are aimed at readability and inclusion. And they’re evidence-based. Do we really care more about sticking to the rules of grammar more than getting the message across? Do we care more about unspaced em dashes than people?! Let’s be real, English’s grammar rules were enforced to make life easier way back when. We didn't need too many rules when only a handful of people could read or write. But with printing came the need for consistency. Our rules have evolved and borrowed from about 1001 languages (maybe an exaggeration?) including Latin. They have changed with technological and social advancement for centuries. And, in my opinion, are downright wild. Why not mix them up whenever we can? Also, I recently learnt that Jane Austen used a singular ‘they’ pronoun no less than 75 times across her novels. So there.

25.01.2022 A gift from me to you Two in fact. It's not, as this image shows, a piping hot coffee in a 'be a fucking nice human' mug under the mini-Christmas tree.... It's 2 opportunities to learn new things, and create content with more confidence. 1. Find your (brand) voice! I'm throwing one last (surprise!) shindig for the year. At 9.30am next Thursday morning (AEDST) I'm hosting a 90 minute workshop on all things Brand Voice. What it is, how to define it, and how to apply it in difference scenarios. This also works for people who have to write for others. In fact, it started as a workshop for VAs, so if that's you, you might find this useful. I put this one out to a vote and this is what you asked for, so let's do it. This is a paid workshop and there are limited spots. 2. 7 days to copy confidence. This is a free 7 day course, delivered by email. Yep, 7 days of emails from me to you. It walks you through pretty much my entire content strategy process, start to finish. Each day, there's a 30 minute exercise to cement what you've read. If you're the kind of person that loves to read biz books and learn new things over the festive season, this email course might just be the thing for you. You can find the details for both via the link in my bio. And, of course, if you have questions on either, feel free to leave a comment or ask in the DMs. I'm here to help. See more

25.01.2022 FAQs part 2. Ready for the alternative view to my 'kill all FAQs' perspective? 1. People will shortcut to FAQs anyway.... It's a compelling argument. I love to say that the internet is a learned behaviour. We've learned to look for common labels (About, Contact) and FAQ is no exception. I'd argue, that ideally, your audience shouldn't be spending too much time looking around for additional information anyway. If the content is in context (see my last post) there shouldn't be much else to look for. 2. Most Google searches are questions. It makes sense to frame content in a Q and A style to take your chance to appear in the question and answer snippets on the search results page. When it comes to FAQs, the issues more often than not arise from having a single FAQ page, not the format of the content. Non-FAQ page, question and answer styled content can be really useful. Questions provide clear headings to help your audience navigate your information. Which is an excellent idea. Do that. 3. You can reinforce information they may have missed. FAQs - but let's now call it 'content in a question and answer format' - work well as the sauce, not the meat. They can work to reinforce and support your core content. Again, in my opinion, it's more the catch-all FAQ page that poses structural problems with content, not the format. If you have an FAQ page, and I've now got you wondering about it, send me a message. I'll review your site copy and give you feedback - deep in praise (I bet!) and some pointers too. Image description: The words 'FAQ it' on a pink tile. The acronym FAQ could be read as another f word...

23.01.2022 You're not going to like what I have to say, but... You're probably thinking about your next website all wrong. (Or sales page, or new service page, or whatever it is you're next about to launch into the web-o-sphere)... It's likely you think of the look. Or maybe some of the fancy functionality you want. Or you think, 'I definitely want these 3 pages'. And it's not your fault. We spend our days on the internet. It's only natural to start to pick and choose ideas from around the web and file them away for later. Plus, there isn't anyone out there telling you what to do instead. So here we go: Start with your audience. Look at your analytics if you have them. Ask your people questions. Step into their shoes and write down all the questions they might have about working with or buying from you. Start to get an understanding of their priorities. What do they need to know first, then next, and then after that? Design and content* work hand in hand. But you have to have a plan to get started. And the only way to get that plan is to put your audience first. *remember content isn't just words, but images, graphics, video and anything else that fills space. PS. This is week 2 of #ContentLuckyDip. Feel free to nick the first sentence of this post and make it your own! Image description: A mustard coloured graphic shouts the words AUDIENCE FIRST, then whispers...always.

23.01.2022 5 easy inclusive language swaps - let's go! 1. Use numerals instead of words for numbers Numerals (1, 2) are easier for our eyes to scan and brains to understand than words (one, two).... 2. Spell out your ‘for example’s and ‘this is’s instead of relying on e.g. and i.e. Let's ditch the latin. Strangely enough, far more people know what you’re saying when you say ‘that is’ instead of ‘i.e.’ 3. Swap all caps for a first capital letter in acronyms that you say as words Asio. Nasa. Potus. CSIRO. ABS. ADHD. See the difference? Or should I say, hear the difference? I bet if I were standing face-to-face with you right now, and said N, A, S, A it would take you a while to work it out. If at all. But, if I said Nasa, it's instantly recognisable. Some screen readers will read all caps as individual letters. Changing your acronym habits will feel strange to start with, but it will ensure that people who read with their eyes OR their ears to have the same experience. 4. Lose the italics, left align your text When we read with our eyes, we’re looking at shapes. Our brain interprets them and gives them meaning. So the different shapes of words and letters are really important. We want to give our brains the best chance to get the right meaning from them without friction. Italicising text, fancy script fonts, all caps, some serif* fonts, and centering huge blocks of text make the shapes harder to distinguish from each other. 5. Swap complex punctuation for full stops. I love an expertly placed semicolon. But, I would say that I’m in a minority when it comes to knowing how to use one. And if most people can’t use one, how on earth can they read one the way you intended? When I find myself wanting to use anything more than a full stop or comma, I ask myself, why? Usually, it’s because my sentence is getting too long. I rework the sentence. Drop in a full stop. And rest easy knowing it will be easier to read. pssst a full version of these tips went out to my email ist last week. Sign up at noveilse.com.au to get the good stuff, first.

22.01.2022 Earlier today, my writer pal and fellow voice note lover Chrissy (@thatsounds.nice) shared a post which said (in part), "Kindness doesn’t feel like a business value or content pillar to me. I believe kindness is a baseline and the *bare minimum* we can do to be good people." Cue lots of head nodding in agreement.... (Feel free to go read that whole post then come back) My oh my I so agree with Chrissy on this. But, as someone who preaches 'kind content', where does that leave me? And why do I choose to keep this 'bare minimum' as a central tenant of my brand and messaging? When it comes to websites and other digital products, we're not always operating in an environment that's geared toward kind. Kind to the audience - with products built *intentionally* with accessibility, inclusion and diversity in mind. (Not inclusive by accident - more on that another day) Kind to the creators - all too often, learning inclusive processes is an extra step on top of what you're learning from thought leaders online. It's not built into many of the 'standard' content processes I see taught. And many of the big teachers talk about inclusivity but aren't consistent in their practice. Right now, we're not all operating at 'bare minimum'. Kind content is still aspirational. And my aspiration is to spread it far and wide through as many businesses as I can. Pssst there is another layer in Chrissy's post, talking about kindness as a shield to accountability yeah. Let's not do that. @nothingkoi [Image description: Sarah (that's me!) is in a lush, grassy garden, leaning against a sandstone retaining wall. She's looking straight at the camera, wearing a smile, jeans and a t-shirt that says 'Novelise'. You could say she looks kind. Or kinda silly. Your choice!]

20.01.2022 Cliché o'clock: Step into your audience's shoes. And here's why... Focusing on user needs (not business wants) respects your audience’s ability to make the right decision.... An example. A small credit union knew that their home loan rates would never be the most competitive. They wanted to hide the rates away somewhere deep within their site. But. Current home loan customers needed to check their rate from time to time. If they were checking because they were shopping around, adding the frustration of finding buried information wasn’t going to win the credit union any points. And, most people are really going to need to see those rates before signing up for a new home loan. Analytics showed people were jumping around looking for the rates. They were getting there anyway, but the experience was poor. If we put the rates in a more findable place we’re not meeting the immediate 'business want' but we are meeting the 'user need'. It’s good customer service. And it respects their ability to do the research they need to do to make the right decision for them. It's not about sneaky tactics or slimy selling strategies. It about trusting your audience knows what's up, and giving them the information they need. Remember: It is not respectful to ignore your audience’s needs. And we could all do with a little more respect in the world. Image description: Two feet in leopard print shoes stand on a slate grey floor covered in rainbow sprinkle decals. Shoes by Rollie, floors by @cakesbyamyrutherford feet by me.

18.01.2022 Ever feel like you're all alone on the content hamster wheel? I'm sure you're less alone than you think. Any of these types sound familiar? A. Sales savvy but copy confused... Your business is stable, you have a plan, you know what you need to do next. But when you put hands to keys on a sales page or social post, your brain yells ‘this sucks!’. You spend too much time on writing tasks, and your marketing suffers as a result. B. Post-it covered procrastinator. Ideas are your strong point. But action? That’s a little trickier. You have endless half finished brand strategies, social schedules, values statements and marketing plans. But you never seem to find the time to get them finished, let alone put them into action. C. Changemaker in content crisis. You’ve got a world of life experience and huge world-changing ideas to share, but you need the courage to share them. You get stuck in thoughts of, is this a step too far? Is this what my audience wants? I don’t word this perfectly, will I be exposed as a fraud? D. The confident creator. You know your brand and how it expresses itself in writing. You can seperate yourself from that brand, to impartially review your words. You have a clear benchmark for good that stops you from overthinking. You've got a system to check-in with your audience, test ideas and action them. Content confidence is more than 'doing all the things.' It's about knowing who you are and what you want to say. You might not be the most consistent. You might have doubts. But you know better than to lose sleep over it. Tomorrow is another day. So, which one are you? Drop an A, B, C or D in the comments.

18.01.2022 HAPPY BUSINESS BIRTHDAY NOVELISE And happy (almost) one year full time in the business to me! What I'm most proud of:... Recognising that I wasn't meeting my highest potential and taking the leap into the wild world of entrepreneurship Managing to juggle a big role as an employee and a business for just over a year, and negotiating the levers that made that happen Investing in myself, travelling to Bristol for Content Design last year and tackling Katy Prince'sSFSM2.0 this year (and planning something VERY exciting for 2021) Looking at my client mix and seeing true diversity: small businesses, big businesses, NFPs, Aboriginal owned and operated businesses and businesses owned by people with a disability Building an amazing community of business friends - on the internet, IRL, and everything in-between. Whether through The Exchange, SFSM or my cool copy and webby kids, YOU ARE MY PEOPLE Outstripping my salary...without having to move to the city My biggest lessons along the way: Words are even more important than I thought All those random jobs and quirks really do add up and I can genuinely say I know what I'm doing and I have a process for doing it Sticking up for yourself - and others - is really hard I actually really love bookwork, and watching money, and talking sales #MyFathersDaughter I can run my own cooking show on Instagram and people will watch it (AKA you can be yourself on the internet)

17.01.2022 #Iso confession: despite my love for all things ZFB I’ve never got into beauty gurus...until now. I’m absorbing YouTube beauty tutorials at a ridiculous rate. My For You page is full of epic eye looks. James Charles is my new favourite human. My best mate is so embarrassed for me. And I’m glad someone is, because I have no shame.... Because I love a good process, my ears really perk up when anyone talks about the order they do things and why. Who knew that slight variations in makeup routines could be so interesting? (spoiler: not me) In a work sense, my content process kinda looks like this: 1. Content foundations - get clear on brand voice, messaging and how you want people and content to move across and between your different platforms 2. Plan - how and where will creation and publishing happen 3. Create 4. Feedback - what’s working and what’s not, not just in terms of how people respond to content, but the creation and publishing process as well 5. Go back to plan Even if you feel like it’s all over the place, I bet you have a process for your work too. What is it? Clearly I have a need for structure and I must know.

17.01.2022 I don't just throw messaging plans and band voice guides together, no siree. In fact, I’ve worked really hard to refine my process over the years. I wrote my first brand voice guide for a former employer. ... It wasn’t high on the priority list for the business but, as I did a huge amount of the writing and publishing process internally, I was looking for a way to speed up approvals and get better feedback on my work. I thought back to my last role, and remembered working with a marketing manager on a voice guide for the business. I remembered that it made it easier for me to know if the content I was producing was ‘right’. So I turned to my best friend, Google. I read every single voice guide I could find. And I set to work. Then, a year or so passed by, and I started working on client accounts in digital marketing. I really missed the security of my brand voice guide. I wanted to know that me, as the person creating the content, was on the same page as the business I was creating it for. Listening, and turning someone else’s ideas into a usable brand voice guide, became my secret weapon. I started to expand voice guides with messaging strategies, and photography and videography guides for social media. Where people had questions or didn’t understand how to apply the guide, I used that feedback to refine the structure and content. I worked with brand strategists and design thinking pros to make changes. And when I started my own business I paid for a consult with the lovely Laura Luck where we compared processes and end results. It’s been a journey. I share this because I always worried that I was doing something wrong because I made up my process myself. But then I realised that everyone else did too. It’s ok to make things up. Practice makes perfect and all that.

17.01.2022 My face reading another page of bloated copy* Remember: Complex ideas do not need complex language.... Using simple language is not dumbing down, it is opening up. Dyslexia is estimated to affect around 10% of the Australian population (other English speaking countries estimate up to 20%, so the true numbers in Australia are probably higher). Make your stuff readable. The greatest readers still get tired. Or get headaches. Or forget their glasses. Or get distracted. Or need to concentrate on their screen reader. Or any other thing that would be a barrier to comprehension. Make your stuff easy for all people. *I'm doing lots of writing this week so most of it is probably mine. [Image description: Sarah, a 33 year old woman (that's me!) is resting her chin on her hand and staring straight down the camera with an expression that says 'I'm over this']

11.01.2022 Last week on Insta Reels I rated some pals' approaches to creating content and here’s why: I was doing some content window shopping. Why? Well I overextended myself. I was pushing through weekend home renovation sessions and coming to my desk on Monday with an epic case of the blahs (also known in my brain as the doldrums or the f*ck its).... When I feel uninspired, or bored with life, or just plain not in the mood to create stuff for my business, I turn to my phone. It could be a sign of a spiralling social media addiction. Ignore that please. But I like to turn to socials because people are clever, and I quite like watching them. And borrowing their ideas. I don’t mean taking people’s messages. Please don’t rip off someone else’s content or idea and say Sarah made me do it. I’m more into learning from how they’re doing the work. Love an Instagram caption? How have they structured the delivery? Enamoured with a carousel? What story are they telling? 10/10 sales page? What got you hooked? I look for processes and patterns that can make my life easier. It’s not lazy. It’s efficient. The content hamster wheel of modern business is tiring, but we do need to keep it moving. Make sure you watch my Reels if you haven’t yet, and check out the content approaches that I think deserve 10/10 Whitney’s.

10.01.2022 It's IDPWD! International Day of People with Disability! A very good day! A day that asks us to 'challenge the way you think about disability'. Normally, I'd have a well considered, nuanced, and thoughtful piece of writing. Something about how everyone should step up to simply achieve this base level of 'kindness' we all bang on about on the internet all day. Just 'be a good human' stuff.... But today, I'm tried. Because people can talk about being a good human until the cows come home, but disability will still sit out of sight, out of mind. Have you ever actually stopped to think how many people in your circle make the text bigger on their phone, use closed captions, are neurodivergent, have hearing aids, use mobility aids, have chronic conditions? Many will probably never ever use the word 'disabled'. But they will have access needs (access to work, places, information). Thanks to me being tired and cranky, with my advocate hat on, here's a bunch of abelist sh*t. If you can change any of it, please do. If you want to add to the list in the comments (can we just say, 'the world'?) even better. The algorithm prioritising Reels and Stories F*cktard (a lazy insult) JB Hi Fi counters and points of sale Expecting people to tell you if they have access needs without trying for accessibility first Good spelling and grammar as a sign of intelligence Handing out cookies to big creators, business, influencers for doing what we all should. The praise belongs to the disability advocates and trainers who helped them, and the people who held them to account. Autoplay videos Autoscrolling sliders Hover states Inspo porn Underwear Congratulating carers and advocates on being such good people (this basically says, I wouldn't do it, the person you care for isn't worth it and/or you're throwing away your life for that?) The community pressure to make schools excellent places to get good marks, but not equal pressure to make them safe spaces for integrated learning [Image description: A forest green tile with the words 'Abelist shit'. In the image, the word shit is censored but I've decided you can handle it]

10.01.2022 Workshop alert! Find your (brand) voice. The route to great copy is often simple, but it's not easy.... If you spend your days scrolling instagram (guilty) you can be forgiven for thinking every business owner was just born a natural writer. There are two parts to confident writing: Knowing what to say, and knowing how to say it. Let's work on the how, together. When you define your brand voice you, - Take the first step to setting the bar for 'what's good' in your business. - Decide the exact amount of 'spice' and personality to add to your words. - Start building a verbal brand that your audience will come to know and love Attend and learn, - The difference between voice, message and tone - and why they're all important - How to define your unique voice - What else to include in your 'brand glossary' for consistent comms - Tips to maintain your voice in different scenarios (so whether the news is good or bad, you'll still sound like you) Thursday 9.30am (AEDST). That's 8.30am in QLD. Wednesday arvo in EST. And many timezones in between. Tix on Eventbrite. Link in bio. Image description: This carousel is made up of a series of 6 images that repeat the content of this caption. You can choose whether that makes me lazy, efficient or annoyed by inaccessible written content in carousel posts

10.01.2022 Want to know one of my content pet peeves? Up there with PDFs and 'The American'? FAQs. Frequently asked questions.... You know why they're (sometimes) so frequently asked? The answers are too bloody hard to find on your site. Too often, FAQs are poorly done. They're seen as a must-have catch-all for all information - rather than a secondary shortcut to supporting resources (if they're needed at all). Because here's the thing: content should be presented in context. That is, give people the information they need exactly when they need it. And here's my favourite example of why, Let's say you're shopping online. You've got a big event coming up, you need an outfit, and you need it by a specific date. So you need to check the potential shipping turnaround. Ideally, it would be in context right by the great big BUY button. You don't even have to leave the page. But it's not there. Instead, you look around for a label that makes sense. You look for a 'shipping' or 'delivery' page. But that doesn't exist. Then, you see FAQs. If nowhere else, it will be there right? Hopefully, this hypothetical FAQ page is well organised and easy to navigate. Buuuuut, there is a high chance it's just a series of questions posted in no particular order. As the customer, you've just had a huge range of barriers put in between you and your purchase. Not cool. So I say, ditch the FAQs. At least in the initial website planning stages. Not giving yourself the option of falling back on FAQs will help you develop better, more useful content from the get-go. Now, I appreciate this opens a can of worms. Questioning your FAQs? Hold tight, more FAQ talk coming next week. Image description: Sarah, dressed in all back, adjusts her top. She's standing against a dark doorway set into a dark wall. It's all very dark, because she's mourning the good content lost to FAQ pages.

09.01.2022 Hi team it's been a while. If you've forgotten my face, or haven't seen it since you followed along here, I'm Sarah (she/her) and I want people to chill the f*ck out about content. I'm a content strategist (I help you uncover what to say and how to say it) and content designer (I also tell you where to stick it). In my business, and this little online space of mine, I value community, learning, creativity and kindness. I now have a full values / accountability statement u...p on my site but here's a taster: Community - I will do my utmost to create and participate in communities that don’t just value inclusion but actively work towards it. Learning - When I seek out courses or coaching I will think critically about who I am investing in and whether I am only ever learning from (and with) people that look and sound like me. Creativity - Creativity to me is all about joy in the work. I will help others find their joy in the work and their ideal process. No one has to work my way. Kindness - I will refer clients who would benefit from someone else’s services, specific training or skills. If you're hanging out with me online you can expect general word nerdery, information and support on your content operations (how you actually do the work day today), and insight to my (often weird, always fun) current obsessions... because why be a casual observer when you can be an obsessive fan? Thanks for being here. novelise.com.au/values-statement

09.01.2022 These are my favourite editing tips to share, and you seem to love to read them. (If you've been here for a while, this won't be new, soz not soz) 1. Read through headings and subheadings only... Do they make sense? Does the order work? Do they answer user questions? Bonus tip: ask someone else to read the headings and subheadings only and she what they think each section will be about. 2. Ask 'what's next?' When the user gets to the end of your bit of content, what are they supposed to do next? There is a reason youtubers finish every video with 'like and subscribe'. We like to be told what to do. Reduce overwhelm by pointing your audience in the right direction. 3. Use a screen reader You'll not only hear awkward language, you're also doing an accessibility check. Well done you! So this is your homework. Re-read something you've written using one of these techniques and report back. I want to know how you go.

06.01.2022 An inclusive language tip: Understand the spectrum, lean into the specifics. Huh?... I’m going to talk about the disability / ability spectrum here because it’s what I’m most comfortable with, but I think the idea applies across the many different intersections of identity. You’ll hear me talk a lot about access and inclusion being for everyone, because ability / disability is a spectrum, not one set of lived experiences. Thinking of the range of human experiences as a spectrum helps us remember the ‘why’ of inclusion. It’s not just a ‘nice thing to do’, to be totally ruthless, it’s the ONLY way to get your message to the most people. An example: Using common words makes your words more inclusive. How? Whether reading with your eyes or your ears, common words are easier to recognise and turn into something meaningful. They help people who: Forgot their glasses. Get migraines with visual auras. Have low vision. Use a screen reader. Have dyslexia. Have poor literacy. Are reading in their second (or third, or fourth) language. Are time poor. Are distracted. And so the list goes on, and on and on this is the spectrum of experience. But, when we write and speak about human identities and experience, that’s when we want to lean into specifics...but only when it’s relevant. For example, compare ‘we have an access ramp for people with a disability’ with ‘we have an access ramp for people with mobility issues’ or ‘people who can’t use stairs’ or ‘people who use mobility aids’. The latter tick the box for specific. Is it relevant? Maybe not, that depends on context. But they don’t perpetuate stereotypes, lump people together or assume that all disabilities are physical or visible. They also don’t assume that all people that need a little extra help getting around consider themselves as having a disability (if I told my Nana she had a disability because she used a walking stick he would probably hit me with it). I acknowledge that these are limited examples for a complex topic, so why don’t we continue the chat in the comments? See more

05.01.2022 *Mickey Mouse voice* Oh boy! Some days (weeks? months?) writing quality copy is rough.... Whether you're an enthusiastic solopreneur with all the ideas - but a block when it comes to the actual writing part - or a time-poor solo-marketer doing all the things - except for finding writing time... It's easy for an off day to turn into an off week to turn into an off month*... You see, I've been trying to create an email course. But every time I tried to sit down to write the first email, I'd get stuck. My copy confidence - for my own stuff - took a major hit. I enlisted the help of the brilliant Anna Rogan (www.annarogan.com) to get me unstuck and whatddyaknow, apparently getting outside help works!? So today, I can officially declare that I'm now putting the finishing touches on this new (free - for now) email course and want to make sure it's really hitting the mark for people who want to build a little more confidence when it comes to writing copy. Can you help me out? What are the top 1 to 3 questions you have when it comes to creating consistent, quality written content? Comment away pals. Or find my in the DMs. I appreciate your feedback. *If this is you, today, please be kind to yourself. Consistency in 2020? Never even heard of it. I'm particularly thinking of my pals in Melbs right now. Give yourself a hug from me to you

04.01.2022 A gentle reminder... Content is just stuff. It’s stuff that needs organising, maintaining, creating - but it’s just stuff.... It’s words - mainly words - video, images, infographics. All stuff. There is no one standing behind us with a whip, saying ‘create content or die’. We really need to take that pressure off ourselves. (Marketers come at me). Why? Because when we feel the pressure to create stuff , all we’re doing is adding to the noise. And there is enough noise out there. What we do need to learn to do (particularly those of us who are trying to do content as a service for others and our own business)is start to set our own standard of good. What does achievement look like in terms of your content? When can you give yourself a gold star? What's an achievable benchmark? Image description: The words 'gentle reminder' on a light blue background.

04.01.2022 You can feel the change in the air. A post from your old fave influencer on social media doesn’t sit right with you for some reason. You’re watching Bachelor in Paradise, and rather than lol-ing along with the drama as usual, you find yourself channelling your inner therapist and words like ‘gaslighting’ ‘bullying’ and ‘red flags’ float through your head.... You gently push back when your friend calls a situation ‘crazy’, ‘dumb’ or ‘retarded’... but get met with an eyeroll. All in all, you feel more aware of language and how it’s used to lift up or drag down. Let’s lay it all out there, ‘you’ is very much ‘me’ in this scenario. So if any of this resonates, know that I’m right there with you. We all know some things could change, so where do we start? I’m focusing on flexing my inclusive language muscle as much as possible. I’m... Avoiding gendered language unless absolutely relevant. For example, when writing for someone in the wedding industry, talking about couples rather than the bride and groom. Being mindful of appropriating language. I feel so surrounded by people using and appropriating AAVE, dropping a Queen, slay or sis feels natural, but it shouldn’t. Not to me. There are so many words in the English language, I can easily choose another. Keeping my mind on simplicity and access. Some people read with their eyes, some with their ears. Some through migraines, some despite the fact the letters keep moving around on them. Inclusion means considering a whole spectrum of people. Do you have words you want to drop from your vocab? Inclusive muscles you want to flex? Anyone want to start a little accountability group (A pal is going to call me out on ‘dumb’ and I’m going to help her drop ‘crazy’). Let’s make the internet a kinder place, together. [Image: Cream text on a pink background that says , ‘Thought of the week: Kindness is the bare minimum’]

04.01.2022 This week's content is brought to you by: questions in the DMs! Seriously. My last 5 posts have been questions asked by people, just like you, chilling in the DMs (and shared with their permission).... It's my favourite part of Instagram to hang out. So, here's your homework. Pay attention to the conversations you're having in the DMs. Take note of the questions you're asked on calls, and face to face. This content is ripe for the picking. Pick it. Image description: A side view of a blonde woman dressed in all black (Sarah) sitting on a pink couch, talking into her phone held up and away from her face, as if she's on a facetime call or recording a video on the iPhone's front camera.

02.01.2022 Re-opening the can of worms on long-form sales pages. Last week I posted about the proliferation of long-form sales pages...that all seem to follow the same template. And the issue isn't necessarily the length - it's the intent. Because when you rely on a template to organise your information - and not the things your audience actually needs - there can be unintended consequences.... And these are some that all my fabulous friends in the comments mentioned, Consequences like inducing anxiety. The length, the variety of fonts and typefaces, and the unfortunate tendency toward using salesy, shame-inducing language, can all leave your audience feeling overwhelmed, rather than empowered to take another step with you. Consequences like expanding your website beyond something that is manageable or necessary. Does your thing actually need a full sales page? Do people need that much information and cajoling? Or is it a simple offer you can just lay on them without the frippery? Consequences like losing your reader. People, on average, only read 28% of what's on any given page. That doesn't mean you add more words to get them to read more words. People don't skim because they're lazy. They skim because they're tired, overwhelmed, busy, distracted, struggling to see, have a headache, multi-tasking...respecting your audience means respecting their time, access needs, and environment (as much as you know what that might be). So, what makes a sales page 'good' or 'bad' in your opinion? Let's learn together. Image description: A woman's (Sarah's) head pops over the top of the book Wordslut, by Amanda Montell. She's giving the camera a cheeky glance.

02.01.2022 Hey Sarah, what’s your favourite Houseplant - Figgy (pictured!) One liner for clients - If you work with me, you’ll likely hear me say ‘the internet is never finished, and neither is your website’, ‘content is therapy’ or ‘never before has every business has to produce so much content’...at least once.... Vegetable - Zucchini! So versatile. If I don’t eat zucc’s roasted down to mush in some form (Pasta sauce! Dip! Veggie side!) at least once a week there is probably something wrong with me. Writing tip - Take it ‘bird by bird’ (or bit by bit - from Anne Lamott’s book of the same title) Travel souvenir - My Hopi Rain Men (illustration) that I brought back home to help break the drought. Turns out they don't really work off country (maybe it just took them a few years to warm up?) but I love them. Episode of Rex Factor - Charles II. Obvs. I’m sharing this just in case you’ve forgotten who I am. If you have, hi, I’m Sarah, I rescue people who are drowning at the thought of producing yet another piece of content (A website! A social post! A story! A brochure!) and teach them how to swim. Sure, we might tread water to start with, and sometimes you’ll get thrown in the deep end fully clothed, but you’ll be doing speedy freestyle laps in no time.

01.01.2022 I’m just not great at writing I know what to say, but not how to say it I have too many ideas and no ideas all at the same time... Woah woah woah Slow your roll. Didn’t you know you that already have the MOST important content creation skill? I know you do. Because as an awesome solopreneur or stand-out solo marketer you flex this muscle every single day. What is it? Observation. On my first day of uni I learnt my absolute favourite wanky cultural studies term: flanerie. A flaneur, was a man (always a man*) who wandered about 19th century French society, sitting in cafes and watching the street, observing thinking and writing. The French term is synonymous with the English ‘stroller’ or ‘saunterer’ but the flaneur was not just a man of leisure. His sole purpose was acute observation. I think the same skills - to be part of but not wholly part of - is key to understanding our audience wants and needs. To write the kinds of things that make people say do you have a camera set up in my house? you need to observe impartially, note, question, and remember. You need to be in your audience’s world just enough to see what they’re doing, but not so much that the minutiae of life seems insignificant. It’s the little moments in their day that really resonate. Pay attention to them, hold up that mirror, reflect it back. You know what your audience needs better than anyone. Trust your skills. You’ve got this. *I say ‘always a man’ because to be a good observer, you need to be both part of society, and apart from society, at the same time. You needed money, agency and a level of invisibility. A woman, of course, is never invisible But I like to think times have changed and a bit of ‘flaneusing’ is more than possible.

01.01.2022 I didn't always make amazing iced coffees. But you know what they say, practice makes perfect. Well...you know...trial and error makes perfect. When it comes to your content the same applies.... And it's sexy to talk about testing in terms of your topics ("content pillars" - a phrase I inexplicably HATE) or whether video is better than a carousel or a Story. BUT I want to talk about testing your content operations. What's easiest for you to create? What's easiest for you to repurpose? How long do things take? How long can you spare? What do you consider 'a good job' in terms of your content each week / month / year? If your availability fluctuates, what's the bare minimum you can get away with and still meet your goals? If you have a little time up your sleeve, what will you layer on top? Are there extra steps in your process that you can cut? We all have a tendency to live in content feast or famine. We need to find the middle ground. testing is the answer.