Copywriting Blog
The Power of Storytelling: Lessons from the TED Stage
/in Speechwriting, Uncategorized/by Anna GoldsmithWhen Sheryl Sandberg read a draft of her TED talk to her husband — a talk that would become the best-selling book Lean In — he told her that while the facts where all there, he wasn’t being drawn in. She wisely scrapped it. Rather than opening with stats, Sheryl decided to begin with a story: She’s […]
How Should You Be Leveraging AI in Writing Blog Posts?
/in Blogs, Content Marketing, Inbound Marketing/by Dan O'SullivanTyler Scionti is the founder and head specialist at the content marketing firm Centori. This is the second excerpt from a conversation we had about the use of artificial intelligence in marketing communications, including writing blog posts. Here’s part 1. Questions and answers are edited for clarity and brevity. Watch the entire conversation here. Dan: […]
The #1 Reason Talks Fall Apart
/in Uncategorized/by Anna GoldsmithWhen talks fall apart, it’s almost always because the speaker hasn’t gotten clear on that big idea—the one central message. On our application, after name and email, the first question we ask is: “What’s your Big Idea?” If an applicant takes more than about 15 words to explain it, I know they don’t have it […]
How to Win Over Your Audience in 7 Seconds
/in Speechwriting, Uncategorized/by Anna GoldsmithDo you know the most important part of your talk? The first 7 seconds. I know, this is the shockingly small grace period… and most speakers waste it with what I call throat-clearing—thank yous to the person who invited them to speak, sharing their job title, or—my personal pet peeve—asking the audience if they’re excited […]
Think Twice Before Using AI to Write Blog Posts
/in Blogs, Content Marketing, Inbound Marketing/by Dan O'SullivanTyler Scionti is the founder and head specialist at the content marketing firm Centori. This is the first excerpt from a conversation we had about the use of artificial intelligence in marketing communications, including writing blog posts. Questions and answers are edited for clarity and brevity. Check out part 2 of the series, or watch […]
Your Customer Service Is Unrecognized
/in Kvetching/by Rob SneddonRecently I went online to check the balance on a small bank account that I hadn’t used in a couple of months. I was denied access. The reason given: I was attempting to log in from an “unrecognized device.” Hmm. Weird. It was the same device I’d been using for several years with no problems. […]
Want To Talk Like TED? We Can Help.
/in Speechwriting/by Anna GoldsmithHey, did you know that Anna runs one of the largest, most successful TEDx events in the world? It’s true. And it’s also about time we capitalized on these skills. After all, a powerful talk can inspire teams, launch careers and supercharge book sales. But first, you have to write it. (That’s where we […]
The Hired Pens Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary
/in Hired Pens/by Dan O'SullivanTwenty years ago today, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts approved our application for incorporation, marking the official birth of The Hired Pens. We know milestones like this don’t mean much to anyone outside of the business. Fair enough. However, we do want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has enabled us to stick around […]
New BusiWork App Disrupts Productivity
/in Editorial, Kvetching, Uncategorized/by Rob SneddonToday’s hyperactive business climate is all about omnichannel focus. That’s why you need the new BusiWork app from Xtrinsic Technology Solutions! Today’s hyperactive business climate is all about omnichannel focus. You’re tasked with flexing user engagement while also aggregating storytelling influencers at the top of the funnel. You don’t have time to figure out what […]
Storytelling: Sparking Imagination in Your Business Writing
/in Branding/by Dan O'SullivanThank you to Hired Pen Manya Chylinski for sharing this post. Take it away, Manya … Storytelling is one of the big buzzwords in content marketing and thought leadership these days. For good reason. Rather than just stating facts or advertising your product or service, why not use words and images to simplify concepts, evoke […]
