Finding It Hard to Come Up with Good Blog Ideas? Don’t Despair.

I’ve written it before, but it’s worth reinforcing: Failing to update your blog for months (or even years) just doesn’t leave a good impression. I understand that blogging can’t always top your list of priorities. Anna and I definitely have our blog-less stretches here and there. But at some point you have to step it […]

Sharing Lessons Learned from a Wildly Profitable Email Scam

If you’re like me, you’ve received dozens of those emails trying to bilk you out of money. You know the type — the sender is near death and needs your help handling millions of dollars. And if you’re like me, you’ve lost hundreds if not thousands of dollars through these scams. Well, I decided it […]

Oh, Steel Drum Player, Why Must You Torment Me So?

Steel Drum Player is back. Like the famed Capistrano swallows returning to southern California each spring, so too does Steel Drum Player to our Davis Square neighborhood. Contrary to what you might expect, Steel Drum Player is a slender little white guy with glasses. And once the spring weather comes around — as it finally […]

Lessons I’ve Learned from Writing Fundraising Appeals

I have a confession to make: I write direct mail. Not of the “let us cover your house with our great vinyl siding!” variety, but something a bit more respectable. Rather, I write fundraising appeals on behalf of nonprofit hospitals and charitable organizations. So, yeah, you’ve probably tossed one of the letters I wrote into […]

Want to Blog Smarter? SEO Expert Lew Sabbag Explains How.

Lew Sabbag is the founder of Publish Today Media, a Boston-based firm that provides a full range of Internet marketing services, including search engine optimization (SEO). Last month, we talked with Lew about The SEO Essentials. This time around, we discussed how to get the biggest SEO bang out of your blog. I think many […]

The SEO Essentials, Courtesy of SEO Expert Lew Sabbag

Lew Sabbag is the founder of Publish Today Media, a Boston-based firm that provides a full range of Internet marketing services, including search engine optimization (SEO). We recently chatted with Lew to get his advice on the essentials of effective SEO. What should every newbie know about SEO? Let’s talk about the bare basics. Effective […]

Your F-Pattern Is My Golden Triangle

I have a fantasy that goes like this: After publishing a page of content to the website I contribute to daily, users coming to that website read every word and linger, relishing the content. But the reality is quite different. Users skim and scan the content, reading only enough to answer their questions, gather information […]

Oh, Internal Self, You Slay Me!

Do you ever make yourself laugh? You know, you’re just sitting there having an internal dialogue and suddenly you’re laughing out loud? Strangers (or your business partner) look at you and go, “What?” It’s rarely as funny if you try to explain it, so they just say “Oh” and go back to working or drinking […]

Eight of Our Favorite Sites for Writing-Related Tools and Diversions

How did we ever survive before the Internet came along? I honestly don’t know. As a Hired Pen, I give thanks every day for writing-related tools and diversions found on websites like these. Word Count The dude behind WordCount got ahold of “a 100 million word collection of samples of written and spoken language from […]

Three Easy Steps to Get Over Writer’s Block (A Primer for Non-Writers)

When you’re high-powered copywriters like us, people are endlessly fascinated by the details of your life: your illegitimate children, your favorite rehab facility, your stance on global health care. OK, no they’re not. But here’s something we do get asked a lot: Dear Hired Pens, Despite the fact that “writing” is not in my job […]