Should You Hire a Copywriter?
When I tell people I’m a copywriter, I usually get the same reaction: “Oh!” Followed by, “Cool. That’s pretty cool.” In general, most of the people I meet don’t quite understand what copywriters do, or how they get paid for it. Even my own mom wasn’t clear on what I actually do for a living and I’ve got a handful of family members who think that…
9 Easy Tips for Helping Your Nonprofit to Think in Marketing Terms
One of the most difficult parts of running a nonprofit is the administrative work and fundraising that happens behind the scenes. When you’re focused on meeting your nonprofit’s goals, the last thing you need is to miss those goals because you’re behind the curve when it comes to marketing your mission and the work that you do. The key to making connections and drawing support…
Basic HTML Primer for Copywriters
Every copywriter should have some web development know-how before taking web writing jobs. Since the modern copywriter often has the responsibility to craft some – if not all – of a brand’s online content, it’s important that they have the ability to make that content really work online. If you’re a copywriter, it’s no longer enough to know how to write stellar content – you…
Boost Your Non-Profit’s Bottom Line With Recurring Online Donations
There’s a common misconception that non-profits don’t make any money. But if you operate, work for or volunteer with a non-profit, you know that this couldn’t be any farther from the truth. Non-profits need money to operate and serve their communities. Sometimes, non-profits need a lot of money to accomplish their goals or carry out their mission. Often, non-profits rely on donations to meet their…
Reflections on our First Year in Business
What have you loved about your first year in business? Joshua A few weeks after quitting my full time office job to run Rystedt Creative I remarked to Gabrielle that this was the best decision of our marriage. Why? The time with my family means the world to me and I’m now pursuing one of my passions full time (my previous job didn’t have a…
Quick and Dirty SEO Primer for Bloggers
If you’re a blogger, you probably already know that SEO (search engine optimization) is an essential part of getting your blog posts “out there” and in front of your readers. But in my experience, bloggers don’t get the full picture when it comes to putting together the pieces for optimal search engine performance. Some bloggers rely too heavily on page views or ad clicks. Others…
Stand Out From the Crowd and Stay One Step Ahead of Copycat Competitors
Copycats. Just when you thought you’d left these middle school nuisances behind, you see something come across your Instagram feed that looks shockingly familiar. A little too familiar… You overhear a newcomer to a networking event with an elevator pitch that you’ve heard before. That you’ve delivered before… Copycat competitors are lurking everywhere, regardless of what industry you work in. And with the proliferation of…
Top 10 Blog Posts Your Business Blog Should Include
We’ve been talking a lot recently about why your brand needs a blog and how to schedule time for accomplishing your creative to-do list. But before you sit down to write, it’s important to know what you’re going to write. While your editorial schedule should have you covered here, what happens when your ideas run dry? What do you do when writer’s block strikes before…
How to Stay Focused on Your Creative Tasks – And OFF of Social Media
Creative work is challenging – both in the act of actually creating and in the act of finding time to do so. More than half the battle in creating new content (of any sort) is finding the time and head space to simply sit down and do it. Outside distractions suck so much time, especially if that time is a few hours one afternoon to…
8 Reasons Your Business (Still) Needs a Blog in 2018
“Blogging is old news.” “Everyone has a blog.” “All of the things that I could blog about have already been blogged to death.” Are these excuses holding you back from starting (or maintaining) a company blog? In 2018, it can seem like a blog is an outdated way to communicate information to your customers or release news about your brand. But that idea could be…