Word Wise Blog: Content Writing Made Easy
Award-winning writer Kathy Widenhouse has helped hundreds of nonprofits and writers produce successful content , with 750K+ views for her writing tutorials. She is the author of 9 books. See more of Kathy’s content here.
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Mar 25, 2025
What to put in your email signature
An email signature does more than give readers your contact information. A professional email signature is a way to engage your readers. Depending what you choose to include, you can give readers the chance to follow you on social media … view one of your videos … check out your books on Amazon … or even simply pick up the phone and call you.
Here’s the kicker: an email signature is best when it’s short and simple. Best tip? Keep yours to 3 or 4 lines of text.
As a writer, you have plenty of options ...
Mar 24, 2025
Should you build a niche website? Take the quiz to find out
“Build a niche website. You can make a lot of money.” If you’re a writer, you’ve probably heard about the opportunity you can have in creating a website that caters to a small segment of readers with a common, narrow interest.
A niche site offers quality information and resources about a specific topic. It attracts visitors who ...
Continue reading "Should you build a niche website? Take the quiz to find out"
Mar 23, 2025
https://www.nonprofitcopywriter.com/day-job.html
Your day job can be a launching pad for your writing ministry.
Case in point: Priscilla and Aquila.
Tent making was their family business, but it opened the door to the spread of the gospel.
Paul met this couple in Corinth while on his second missionary journey...
Continue reading "https://www.nonprofitcopywriter.com/day-job.html"
Mar 22, 2025
Credentials are profo you can do the job
Credentials are a form of social proof. They demonstrate that an individual has competence in an area of expertise.
A college professor’s credentials include his degrees and publications that qualify him for a teaching position at a university. A federal agent’s credentials are a badge and an identification card that demonstrate she is qualified to represent the government in a law enforcement matter.
Your author’s credentials, too, are ...
Mar 21, 2025
How to write your blog post in steps
You want to build your blog.
The problem, you’ve found, is two-fold: (1) organizing your ideas … and then (2) writing a post in segments when you have just spurts of time.
What makes a difference is a blog writing worksheet to follow as you write each post...
Mar 20, 2025
Why you should write an eBook
An eBook is an “electronic book.”
Why should you write an eBook? Because they’re everywhere – and with good reason.
eBooks are a remarkably efficient and flexible way to get your message out to readers and build your readership.
What’s particularly encouraging is ...
Mar 19, 2025
How content stories capture readers and persuade them
Anecdotes are a powerful tool in copywriting and content writing, I explained to a beginning writer’s group.
“I’ve never had a short story published,” I said. “I’ve never written a novel. And I never make up stories about the services and organizations I write about.”
I paused. “But I’m a fiction writer.”
Some shifted uncomfortably in their chairs. A few cast looks of pity my way. Finally, one woman raised her hand. “What kind of fiction do you write?” she asked.
“I borrow techniques from my friends in the fiction community,” I told her, “and fill my writing with anecdotes.” To my relief, I heard a collective, “Ah ha!” in the room and laughs all around...
Continue reading "How content stories capture readers and persuade them"
Mar 18, 2025
How to get 21 pieces of content from one
For a writer, repurposing content is the ultimate recycling program.
You start with one piece of content (such as your monthly or quarterly newsletter) and adapt it to fit different delivery platforms and formats (such as your blog, social media, appeal letters, email campaigns, and website.)
Repurposing your content seems so simple that you may feel it’s a cop-out.
It’s not...
Mar 17, 2025
How to write persuasive stories in your content
Persuasive stories are one of the most powerful copywriting techniques in a copywriter’s toolbox.
As you set about writing to persuade, it’s easy to get wrapped up in focusing on the mechanics of running your organization.
Instead, start off with writing about the people you serve. Not only will you show readers the exciting results about your wonderful work, but you’ll also inspire them.
And along the way, you’ll be encouraged, too!
Here’s how to write 3 kinds of persuasive stories in your content ..
Continue reading "How to write persuasive stories in your content"
Mar 16, 2025
Two words. Which should you use?
"Utilize" versus "use." Grammarians say that the distinction between the two words has disappeared. Any shade of difference in meaning is inconsequential.
Which begs the question: why does any content writer or copywriter use the word "utilize" when "use" will do?
Mar 15, 2025
One story, many angles?
The story angle is a specific viewpoint on your topic.
One story can have multiple story angles.
A good example are six books in the Old Testament that tell the story of the Hebrew people during the period of the kings (about 1021 BC – 568 BC).
In 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings, we read about ...
Mar 14, 2025
Build you blog in 20 minutes? Yep.
The main problem, most bloggers say, is time. They don’t have time to blog or write consistently.
But the truth is this: if you have 20 minutes, then you can build your blog...
Mar 13, 2025
5 most common types of blog posts
As you learn about how to write a blog and get started posting for yourself, you look for ideas by studying articles that explain different kinds of blog posts.
There are many choices. Seriously – do a quick online search for “types of blog posts.” You’ll see articles that list large numbers of types of blog posts with names like, “72 Best Kinds of Blog Posts” or “54 Kinds of Blog Posts That Get the Most Traffic.”
It can be overwhelming...
Mar 12, 2025
The 3 best content ideas (in any niche)
The best content ideas are the same across every niche.
How can that be? You may wonder. Every niche has its issues and problems.
That’s precisely the point. All the best content ideas boil down to ...
Mar 11, 2025
AIDA: make sure you're using this time-tested persuasive writing formula?
The AIDA formula started its life as a tried-and-true advertising model. It is a framework credited to American advertising pioneer Elias St. Elmo Lewis (1872-1948).
Little did I know that we writers hijacked the formula from marketers.
But I find it handy for writing all kinds of content, especially for writing articles, web pages, and blog posts.
I'll explain how in just a sec. But first, a bit of background...
Continue reading "AIDA: make sure you're using this time-tested persuasive writing formula?"
Mar 10, 2025
How to plan your website content
The prospect of website content writing may seem overwhelming, especially if you’re starting a website from scratch or overhauling a current one.
What may be confusing you is not so much writing individual pages themselves, but how to figure out what pages to include and how to organize all the material.
There's a simple plan you can follow. It follows just 4 steps. Start with ...
Mar 09, 2025
Why you should write like an 8th grader
If you use a readability tool when you write content, you can get and keep more readers.
73% adult Americans read at only a basic or intermediate level. That’s equivalent to what can 8th graders are expected to read, according to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
Even those with more advanced reading skills ...
Mar 08, 2025
Did you just write clickbait? Use this simple test to find out
“You’ll Never Believe What Happened Next …”“This One Trick Fixed Everything …”
You’ve seen it: the clickbait headline.
Maybe you even succumbed to it by passing your mouse over the link and giving it a tap. (I have.)
But what happens once your browser takes you to The Amazing Solution pledged in the headline?
You’re disappointed because ...
Continue reading "Did you just write clickbait? Use this simple test to find out"
Mar 07, 2025
Need to build (or rebuild) a blog?
Less than 10% of blogs succeed. But yours can ... when you have the right tools.
I wish I had this bundle of worksheets and downloads when I started my blog ... and when I went to work with restarting another I'd let lapse.
Instead, I created these tools for myself in order to ...
Mar 06, 2025
If you don't have a business plan, read this
You can create a business plan for your biz or nonprofit by using a similar approach to creating any other business plan.
Like one that the Big Boys use. You know, the multi-million dollar companies.
That may seem daunting. Don’t let it be.
Your plan provides structure to define your organization.
You need one whether you are a new business, a growing company, or an established firm ...
Continue reading "If you don't have a business plan, read this"
Mar 04, 2025
What is a devotional?
There are lots of different kinds of inspirational writing: sermons, Bible studies, articles, books, blog posts ...
So when it comes to writing a devotional, it’s helpful to have clarity. The word has become a catch-all term among people of faith.
"Devotional" is used to refer to ...
Mar 03, 2025
Point of view explained simply
Point of View (POV) is the position you take as a writer while you narrate your content. It’s your lens, like a camera.
You explain the events or information from your view (first person), directly to another individual (second person), or as an observer (third person.)
Starter tip: track the point of view you write with -- and keep it consistent -- by tracking the pronouns you use ...
Mar 02, 2025
Two words: which should you use?
"Utilize" versus "use."
Grammarians say that the distinction between the two words has disappeared. Any shade of difference in meaning is inconsequential.
Which begs the question: why does any content writer or copywriter use the word "utilize" when "use" will do?
Content writers are taught to ...
Mar 01, 2025
An open rate of 100%? Imagine no more
Your email open rate measures the number of people that view (“open”) your email message when you send a campaign to your email marketing list. It’s expressed as a percentage – the number of people who view your email divided by the number you sent (minus bounces.)
And there’s at least one reason all the rest of your recipients don’t open your email? A recent study reports that at least half hit “Delete” before opening because the email is b-o-r-i-n-g ...
Feb 28, 2025
Is this grant right for your organization?
A grant proposal is a lengthy project with lots of elements. Before you invest your time in writing a grant application, you want to know that you’ve maximized your chances.
One of the easiest ways ito ncrease your odds is to apply for grants that are a good fit for you and your cause. In fact, misalignment is one of the biggest reasons that grant applications are rejected outright.
How can you know that the time you invest ...
Continue reading "Is this grant right for your organization?"
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