Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content

Ann Handley · First published September 2nd 2014

Finally a go-to guide to creating and publishing the kind of content that will make your business thrive.
Everybody Writes is a go-to guide to attracting and retaining customers through stellar online communication, because in our content-driven world, every one of us is, in fact, a writer.

If you have a web site, you are a publisher. If you are on social media, you are in marketing. And that means that we are all relying on our words to carry our marketing messages. We are all writers.

Yeah, but who cares about writing anymore? In a time-challenged world dominated by short and snappy, by click-bait headlines and Twitter streams and Instagram feeds and gifs and video and Snapchat and YOLO and LOL and #tbt. . . does the idea of focusing on writing seem pedantic and ordinary?

Actually, writing matters more now, not less. Our online words are our currency; they tell our customers who we are.

Our writing can make us look smart or it can make us look stupid. It can make us seem fun, or warm, or competent, or trustworthy. But it can also make us seem humdrum or discombobulated or flat-out boring.

That means you’ve got to choose words well, and write with economy and the style and honest empathy for your customers. And it means you put a new value on an often-overlooked skill in content marketing: How to write, and how to tell a true story really, really well. That’s true whether you’re writing a listicle or the words on a Slideshare deck or the words you’re reading right here, right now…

And so being able to communicate well in writing isn’t just nice; it’s necessity. And it’s also the oft-overlooked cornerstone of nearly all our content marketing.

“Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content” by Ann Handley is a comprehensive guide on writing for the digital age. The book covers all aspects of writing for businesses, from writing for websites and social media to creating email campaigns and other forms of digital content.

1. Good writing is essential for a business’s success in the digital age.
2. A clear and engaging writing style will help you stand out from the competition.
3. Writing for the web requires a different approach than writing for print.
4. A strong headline is the foundation of any piece of writing.
5. A well-structured piece of writing will keep your readers engaged and make your message more memorable.
6. Consistency in style and tone is important for building a brand.
7. Use visuals and multimedia to complement and enhance your writing.
8. Writing for social media requires a conversational tone and the ability to convey your message in a succinct manner.
9. Creating email campaigns that are both effective and engaging requires a clear understanding of your target audience.
10. Regularly practicing and improving your writing skills will lead to better results.