Sterling Terrell

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In Praise Of Short Chapters

In Praise Of Short Chapters

In praise of short chapters?

In praise of all short writing.

Because blathering on and on is easy.

Short impactful sentences are hard.

And like I have said before – a certain chapter or a certain blog post does not have to be the end-all-be-all treatise on what I think about a given issue.

I mean, I have written about short blog posts before. And here.

The hilarious part is that this passage below is the entirety of chapter 26.

Ha!

LATELY READERS HAVE begun to complain about my short chapters, although in my opinion there is no particular reason why a chapter should be long. Does one complain to Rimbaud because of the brevity of his verse? In fact I am old and there are very many subjects about which I have something to say—just not much.

-Larry McMurtry, Hollywood (Amazon)

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Filed Under: PotpourriTagged With: #Blogging, #Writing

17 Copywriting Tips

17 Copywriting Tips

These 17 copywriting tips are just 🔥. No lie.

#1
Write with your eraser You get 100 bucks for every word you rub out from your title:

1/ Write with your eraser

You get 100 bucks for every word you rub out from your title: pic.twitter.com/4gl3j87bEj

— Harry's Marketing Examples (@GoodMarketingHQ) May 6, 2020

#2
Don’t exaggerate An honest line always feels warmer:

2/ Don't exaggerate

An honest line always feels warmer: pic.twitter.com/n0cMZ7Z7jQ

— Harry's Marketing Examples (@GoodMarketingHQ) May 6, 2020

#3
No one cares what you can do Everyone cares what you can do for them.

3/ No one cares what you can do

Everyone cares what you can do for them. pic.twitter.com/ZoA2pqr9vz

— Harry's Marketing Examples (@GoodMarketingHQ) May 6, 2020

#4
Avoid the passive voice It’s indirect and awkward:

4/ Avoid the passive voice

It's indirect and awkward: pic.twitter.com/zEqo9zfttW

— Harry's Marketing Examples (@GoodMarketingHQ) May 6, 2020

#5
Don’t kill your personality The best brands feel “real”:

5/ Don't kill your personality

The best brands feel “real”: pic.twitter.com/xtZGVm5L8D

— Harry's Marketing Examples (@GoodMarketingHQ) May 6, 2020

#6
Find the tension “Pleasant” gets forgotten. Conflict creates interest:

6/ Find the tension

“Pleasant” gets forgotten. Conflict creates interest: pic.twitter.com/MvneqOjzyU

— Harry's Marketing Examples (@GoodMarketingHQ) May 6, 2020

#7
Write how you talk Casual. Colloquial. Full of pronouns:

7/ Write how you talk

Casual. Colloquial. Full of pronouns: pic.twitter.com/lekEal5CYO

— Harry's Marketing Examples (@GoodMarketingHQ) May 6, 2020

#8
Avoid “contained” titles Write something that pulls the reader down your page:

8/ Avoid “contained” titles

Write something that pulls the reader down your page: pic.twitter.com/kq8YZRmVrX

— Harry's Marketing Examples (@GoodMarketingHQ) May 6, 2020

#9
Avoid “landing page words” Unlock, unleash, enhance, empower, supercharge, etc. Real people don’t use them.

9/ Avoid “landing page words”

Unlock, unleash, enhance, empower, supercharge, etc.

Real people don't use them. pic.twitter.com/h21sMoS3Th

— Harry's Marketing Examples (@GoodMarketingHQ) May 6, 2020

#10
Write scannable copy:

10/ Write scannable copy: pic.twitter.com/1VNJNwK1oS

— Harry's Marketing Examples (@GoodMarketingHQ) May 6, 2020

#11
Kill adverbs. Kill adjectives. They’re flowery. They’re vague. They try too hard:

11/ Kill adverbs. Kill adjectives.

They're flowery. They're vague. They try too hard: pic.twitter.com/LphYxsOubw

— Harry's Marketing Examples (@GoodMarketingHQ) May 6, 2020

#12
Stories make you memorable I couldn’t list The Ten Commandments. I could tell you what happened to Adam and Eve:

12/ Stories make you memorable

I couldn't list The Ten Commandments. I could tell you what happened to Adam and Eve: pic.twitter.com/US3VnWBFyP

— Harry's Marketing Examples (@GoodMarketingHQ) May 6, 2020

#13
Fence sitters don’t buy Go to the edge:

13/ Fence sitters don't buy

Go to the edge: pic.twitter.com/RJVvJj9kJ8

— Harry's Marketing Examples (@GoodMarketingHQ) May 6, 2020

#14
More periods, fewer commas Periods mean short sentences. We like short sentences. Commas mean long, painful sentences, which New Yorker writers think are clever, but real people find torturous, because they wind on and on without actually saying anything.

14/ More periods, fewer commas

Periods mean short sentences. We like short sentences.

Commas mean long, painful sentences, which New Yorker writers think are clever, but real people find torturous, because they wind on and on without actually saying anything.

h/t @david_perell

— Harry's Marketing Examples (@GoodMarketingHQ) May 6, 2020

#15
Think slippery slide Every line of copy should lead to the next:

15/ Think slippery slide

Every line of copy should lead to the next: pic.twitter.com/ctIeQLwH2g

— Harry's Marketing Examples (@GoodMarketingHQ) May 6, 2020

#16
Your first line is crucial If people don’t read it, they’re not going to read your second line either. Keep it short:

16/ Your first line is crucial

If people don’t read it, they’re not going to read your second line either.

Keep it short: pic.twitter.com/kzK2IQH9gp

— Harry's Marketing Examples (@GoodMarketingHQ) May 6, 2020

#17
Copywriting is selling Don’t romanticize it. The goal is to inspire action:

17/ Copywriting is selling

Don’t romanticize it. The goal is to inspire action: pic.twitter.com/ExQT8QXLOe

— Harry's Marketing Examples (@GoodMarketingHQ) May 6, 2020

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Filed Under: Not BooksTagged With: #Blogging, #Writing

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