do a content audit

Need Fresh Marketing Content? Do a Content Audit

Save Yourself Some Time by Doing a Content Audit as Your First Step Need to fill up your content calendar? Before you even think about writing, do a content audit. This is one of the most effective, yet overlooked steps in the content generation process. It’s...

tips to create schedule of blog topics

14 Tips to Create a Full Schedule of Blog Posts

How to Avoid Dry Spells and Build an Ongoing Topic List and Blog Schedule Fresh and frequent content is one of the most important things you can do to create a blog that keeps readers coming back, but as many bloggers will tell you, it can be...

how to write white paper

How to Write an Effective, Engaging White Paper

White papers can be extremely effective selling tools. They can also backfire. Here's how to avoid that. White papers are popular marketing tools, particularly for companies selling complex products or solutions. In my experience, they are one of the most effective content marketing tools a company can...

how to write good customer case studies

How to Write Great Customer Case Studies

A Step-by-Step Plan to Shaping and Writing Effective Customer Case Studies Customer case studies have been around for a long time, but the fact is they are still one of the most influential and versatile content marketing pieces you can invest in. People buy from people....

where to find sources for good blog topics

Where to Find Sources for New Blog Topics

A Good Game Plan to Ensure You'll Never Run Out of Blog Topics Your blog is live. Now you have to keep posting new, fresh topics on a regular basis. "Ugh," I can hear you saying, "But what if I run out of things to write about?" As...

Mastering Content Generation by Paula Heikell

Announcing My New Book: Mastering Content Generation

Practical tips on how to write great marketing content. This book is not just for writers. It's for marketing managers, business owners, artists, engineers, volunteer organizers – anyone who wants to market their business or mission. If you're tasked with writing content and need help, I'll show...

how long should blog post be

How Long Should Your Blog Post Be?

Are short blog posts better than long posts? I get this question a lot. The fact is, there is no simple answer to this question. If you’re writing for the human reader, the quality of the content, more than the length of the blog post, should...

multitasking myths paula heikell

Want to Improve Your Life and Work? Stop Multi-tasking. Seriously.

Maybe it's time to leave multi-tasking to computers. I've been thinking a lot lately about how much more enjoyable and productive my life is since I stopped multi-tasking and started single-tasking. That's heresy, I know, especially in a world where we willingly keep a smartphone by us every moment of the day. But I began noticing how...

good writing habits

A Handy List of Good Writing, er, Life Habits

Ten Good Writing Habits ~ Invaluable Advice from Zadie Smith I found this in a folder of inspirational notes I've been saving and thought I'd share this for fun. I think these good writing habits apply to writing and much more. Thank you Zadie Smith! When still a child, make...

Productivity Tips – Front and Center

Look Up and Take a Breather - the Best Way to Reset Your Productivity Meter I've always gone by the adage, "keep your head down and keep working," when there's more to be done than hours in the day. It's usually a good plan to stay...

Three Steps to Building a Content Marketing Library

Truthfully, it's easy to talk yourself into thinking that building a marketing content library is harder than it really is.It doesn't have to be that difficult, even if you're not a professional writer. Following are some very simple, practical tips to help...