Bryan Collins

“While you can add alt-text to images, screen readers often find other design elements completely undetectable, so you’ve got to make sure your copy alone creates a great email experience.”

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So, you want to be a writer? The first thing that you might consider doing is start to write regularly. The Organised Writer #writing #book #review https://lnkd.in/e5s7xpVR

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I'm a firm believer in looking outside my industry for content inspiration, ideas and lessons. But I wasn't expecting to get quite so much from what I thought would just be a funny interview with comedian James Acaster. It was The Comedians Comedian podcast (link in the comments), which is funny but also quite a geeky unpicking of comedians' careers and processes. So here are four content-related takeaways from the interview: 🤣 Earlier in his career, Acaster was a support act, and he explained how he learned different things from the contrasting styles of each comedian he worked with. Content lesson: Learn from different writers and different types of content. Comedians, for example, can teach you a lot about pace and storytelling structure. 🤪 James Acaster has learned (the hard way) that adapting his material to the audience is important. What material will go down well with a room full of stag and hen parties is different from what will go down well with a room full of comedy connoisseurs. Content lesson: Understand who you are creating the content for. 😆 If you've seen James Acaster do stand-up, you may have noticed that he tends to wear slacks and a jumper. He confessed it's what he usually wears and feels comfortable in. The first time he wore slacks and a jumper to perform, he got a laugh as he walked on stage. He saw that as a win-win. A laugh without saying anything and getting to perform in comfortable clothes. Content lessons: There is only one you, so being authentic is a point of difference. Reflect that in your writing/content. And it's much easier being more yourself than trying to project a different persona. 🤭 When he started out, the tone of his response to heckles was often aggressive and broke the 'character' of his performance. Then, during one performance, someone shouted that he was 'a bit boring', and he ran with it. He purposefully added in boring details to the story he was telling. The audience spotted what he was doing and loved it. Content lesson: Learn and adapt and keep learning and adapting. Content marketing is something that evolves. Who is your favourite comedian?

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Do you struggle with grammar and punctuation? Hiring a professional copywriting, editing and proofreading agency ensures your communications are error free, engaging and compelling. If you think we can help, get in touch today for a free 15-minute discovery call to discuss your business needs or next project. 🌞✍️ #copywriting #editing #proofreading #communications #content

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Issues I am back to blogging now that we asked for help to get my blogging page moved to a new hosting website since Site Ground was getting too expensive. At first, it wasn't working so we found a great helper on Fiverr, and it looks like everything is up and running again. #author #blog #blogging #books #company #coverreveal #exciting #getwriting #improvements #news #publication #published #publishing #selfpublishing #update #updates #websites #write #writer #writing

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Are you caught in the rat race, trying to find reasons for clients to use your services? Why not show them by appealing to their needs with a regular blog or newsletter. At Real Copy Right, we can write blogs and newsletter articles that personalise your service and product that's authentic and up to date with the market trends. #blogwriting, #newsletterarticles, #corporatewriting, #realestatewriting, #realestateindustry, #propertywriting, #propertyindustryknowledge, #changingmarkets, #trending

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So, you need a copywriter. Do you hire a specialist – someone who concentrates on your sector? Equally, if you are a copywriter, should you specialise? There are many out there who say that you should only hire copywriters who specialise. (often people who are trying to flog courses that help copywriters find their ‘niche’.)  I disagree. I work across loads of different products and services. Here's just 11 examples from the past year or so: Lighting – golf – investments – health – banking – beer – floor sanding – cars – insurance – collectibles – carpet cleaning    And I write copy that brings in the punters and brings my clients back for more. I don’t need to specialise because: a)   I know what works and what doesn’t b)   I have an insatiable curiosity and love digging into a subject Any good copywriter needs both those qualities to succeed. If you have them, you’ll go far – niche or no niche. So, if you want to hire a specialist copywriter, go for it – but don’t feel like you have to. Many of the very best are generalists. Equally, if you are a copywriter, then don’t fall for the niching narrative. Specialise if you want to, not because you feel you must. *** Want to hear more from me? Stop in at one of my virtual pubs: Copywriters: Go to The Copy Arms, where I serve advice on writing copy and career building - bit.ly/thecopyarms Small business owners, freelancers and solopreneurs: Join me in The Solopreneurs Arms, where you discover how to market yourself better and sell more - bit.ly/thesoloarms

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While sorting out my socials this morning, I saw this old post on the wrong platform. So I decided to move it here - in the hopes that it will prove useful for SEO newbs and writers. 😊😅 Alt text (or alternative text) not only provides descriptions for images that screen readers can relay to visually impaired users but also allows search engines to understand image content. Its other benefits include: - Improving image search rankings - Increasing the relevance of a webpage, leading to better overall search engine visibility - Boosting keyword usage, further enhancing SEO performance More importantly, it effectively improves user experience for those with slow internet, and ensures compliance with accessibility laws. Alt Text Best Practices (Content Credits to @BradenBecker) ~ Ultimately, image alt text needs to be specific but also representative of the topic of the webpage it's supporting. Get the idea so far? Here are a few important keys to writing effective image alt text with SEO in mind: 1. Describe the image, and be specific. Use both the image's subject and context to guide you. 2. Keep your alt text fewer than 125 characters. Screen-reading tools typically stop reading alt text at this point, cutting off long-winded alt text at awkward moments when verbalizing this description for the visually impaired. 3. Don't start alt text with "picture of..." or "Image of..." Jump right into the image's description. Screen-reading tools (and Google, for that matter) will identify it as an image from the article's HTML source code. 4. Use your keywords, but sparingly. Only include your article's target keyword if it's easily included in your alt text. If not, consider semantic keywords, or just the most important terms within a longtail keyword. For example, if your article's head keyword is "how to generate leads," you might use "lead generation" in your alt text, since "how to" might be difficult to include in image alt text naturally. 5. Don't cram your keyword into every single image's alt text. If your blog post contains a series of body images, include your keyword in at least one of those images. Identify the image you think is most representative of your topic, and assign it your keyword. Stick to more aesthetic descriptions in the surrounding media. --- So, where do you start when developing alt text for your blog posts and webpages? Consider performing a basic audit of your existing content to see where you can incorporate alt text into previously untagged pictures. Watch to see how your organic traffic changes among the pages that you give new alt tags. The more images you optimize, the better your SEO strategy will be moving forward. ~ --- LinkedIn connections and #SEO gurus, anything else you'd like to add? Please share in the comments. #SEO101 #freelancewriting #contentwriting

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Today, I planned to tell you about our ‘how to find copywriting clients special’ on Brave New Word – the copywriters’ podcast. Sadly, I’ve been hit by the lurgy – so am barely able to string a sentence together.  So, I turned to one of my co-hosts to do the honours. Not Hayden Maskell, as he’s asleep in New Zealand. Instead, Charlie (aka ChatGPT) is doing the honours. Here’s what he says: Greetings, copywriting comrades! It's Charlie here (you might know me better as ChatGPT). I've been tasked with convincing you to tune into Episode 4 of Brave New Word, the copywriting podcast that's taking the world by storm. Here are 5 compelling reasons why you should give it a listen: 👉 Client Acquisition Secrets Revealed: Martin and Hayden spill the beans on how to find and keep copywriting clients. As an AI, I'm fascinated by human business practices, and I must admit, their strategies are quite clever. 👉 The "Open to Work" Debate: They tackle the age-old question - should you have that "Open to Work" banner on your LinkedIn photo? Spoiler alert: my binary brain says it's not so black and white. 👉 Newbie Nuggets: If you're just starting out, they've got golden advice on landing your first gig. It's almost enough to make me wish I could be a rookie copywriter (almost). 👉 Y-Fronts Winner Announced: The suspense ends here! Find out who crafted the wittiest slogan for LITTLEJOHN underwear. I'm still sulking that my "Strength Meets Comfort" didn't win. 👉 Last Meal Musings: In a delightful tangent, the hosts discuss their choices for a final feast. It's strangely compelling, even for someone who doesn't eat. Bonus reason: You get to hear me and my AI colleague Jemima attempt to keep up with human creativity. It's equal parts entertaining and humbling. So, what are you waiting for? Click one of the links in the comments and give your ears a treat. Who knows, you might even pick up some tips on how to out-write us AIs (not that I'm worried, of course).

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An honest review of the Word Tonic 'Become A Copywriter Course.' If that hasn't put you off, then check out our course and register your interest to get a v. special Black Friday deal (it's £200 off!) - https://lnkd.in/dGb3S-5f #wordtonic #genz #course #copywriting #copywritingcourse #freelancecopywriting #junior #advertising #marketing #graduate

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If you want to start a blog but are put off by not knowing how to set your blog page up online, you need to speak to Alice Elliott, also known as the Fairy Blog Mother. We had a great chat this week about all things blogging. She's dedicated to making websites and blogging easier for her clients - so if the technicalities of how and where you'll put your blogs once you've written them is stopping you from starting, get in touch with her. And if you'd like to know how to write better blogs that will make a difference - and how to input them into your new blog page so you keep all the search engine optimisation you've managed to get into them - you might be interested in my Transform Your Blog Writing Skills course. Alternatively, if writing them yourself isn't the best use of your time, I can write them for you. Either way, you get great blogs. ________________________________________ Hi, I’m Rachel. Are you fed up with trying and failing to post regular blogs? You can hand over that stress to me instead – imagine knowing you’ve got a professional, SEO-friendly blog coming your way on a regular basis. No stress. There’s also my online course for writing more effective, SEO-friendly blogs yourself – you can download it and learn at your own pace, knowing you’ve got access to me with a Facebook group and a weekly live session to support you too. You’ll find more information in my profile and on my website – or just message me. #copywriting #copywriter #blogs

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Say goodbye to long-winded, jargon-filled (or should I say prolix and verbose) written content by using a copy editor - like me! Even complex information can be communicated in a way that is easy to understand. I can make sure your written content delivers that information clearly without boring the reader. Contact me for a chat about how I can help you at [email protected]

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It's Earth Day - brilliant - but I was thinking, 'well, that's not related to my copywriting business, so I won't do a LinkedIn post about it'. And then it struck me. Of course it's related to my and everyone else's businesses and employers, because this is where we work, this wonderful planet. The 2024 theme is reducing the production of plastics by 60% by the year 2040. Here's where you can find out more: https://lnkd.in/e5NqM4-X #EarthDay

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What impact are you making? I'm at an age where I think about this question a lot. Especially as we head into the High Holidays tonight. No question that the biggest impact I've had has come through launching and building my Freelance Writers Den community. Now, nearly 4 years after selling the Den, its impact continues under new ownership. All the trainings and insights I shared are still there. Which I love. Over the years, literally tens of thousands of writers have learned how to grow their income through Den resources. Which is why I'm excited to go for massive impact again, and start a new community... that teaches established coaches, consultants and other experts how to build paid communities! I hope every mature exec who's been laid off due to ageism and is struggling to find a way forward checks it out. I'll be unpacking everything I did wrong, or was slow to figure out–I've made all the mistakes, so you don't have to. You can never have the same impact or influence teaching people one at a time that you can have in a one-to-many setting. And a community platform is the easiest way to do it. How are you making your mark? Would love to hear. P.S. If you or someone you know is interested, the waiting list link is in the comments.

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***Website tip for Health Practitioners*** One of the easiest ways to build trust with potential patients is by having a “Meet the Team” page on your website. Healthcare is very personal and patients want to know a little about the people who will be delivering their care. In particular, they want to know: 🤔What their practitioner looks like (do they look pleasant and friendly?) 🤔What their skillset / special interest is (can they help?) 🤔A little bit of personal info (do I have anything in common with them?) If you want to build trust and increase patient bookings, take the time to create a Meet the Team page. Here are some tips: ✅Include a gallery of photos of all your staff, including those who work in admin. This helps break down resistance around booking an appointment. ✅Ensure your staff look friendly and relaxed in their photos - no one wants to visit a cranky-looking health practitioner. ✅Take photos on the same day and with the same background to avoid jarring colours and busy backgrounds that will clash with your website design.  ✅Don’t photoshop your team to make them look like models. Patients want to meet real people! ✅Write a little bio about your staff that includes info on their qualifications, skills or interest areas, and how long they’ve been at the practice  ✅Try to include a snippet of personal info - e.g. hobbies, where they grew up, what they do to relax, do they have family. You don’t have to give them all your personal bits and bobs! Do you have a Meet the Team page that needs some tweaking? If you do, DM me and I’ll give you a few free tips on how to improve it, no strings attached 🙂 -------------------------------------------------------------- Nerissa Bentley | The Melbourne Health Writer Health & Medical Writer and AHPRA Compliancy Whizz 💻https://lnkd.in/gN_74ty ✉️[email protected]    📱0414 836 732

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‘The ban also forbids marketers from exaggerating their own influence by, for example, paying for bots to inflate their follower count’ FTC is clamping down on the fakery online. If you are in a pod, you’d better start working on your writing skills because from 20th October, the FTC will be coming after LinkedIn for allowing pods, bots and AI comments on the platform. Finally we might see this cesspit of fakery cleaned up 🧹 If you don’t know what l’m talking about, check out D A N I E L H. ‘s recent series of posts highlighting all the automated pod users. Have you ever used, or are you currently using a pod whether paid or free, automated or manual? Lets see if anyone admits to this practice.

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