‘Tuesday Tips’ Revisited
If you’ve been around with me long enough, you might remember these social media posts from a few years ago: every Tuesday I would publish a tip about writing for your business or freelancing. Look familiar? For some reason, the rudimentary graphics I created for these posts created titillation but let’s put that to one side for now.
I recently took a trip down memory lane to revisit these copywriting and marketing tips and see how they’ve stood the test of time. I’ve copied them for you below, with updates where needed. Let me know which one you’ll try.
Guest blogs
GUEST BLOGS! These are great for two reasons:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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1. Brand awareness - make someone else’s followers aware of who you are & what you do.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
2. SEO - your website link featuring on other sites helps to boost your domain authority (DA) which is great for SEO. Your domain authority is an SEO ranking from 1-100 with the higher the ranking showing an increased likelihood of the site appearing in searches. You can check out yours at Moz.com under ‘Free SEO tools’ - check your competitors while you’re there and leading brands to see how you compare. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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And then find guest blogging opportunities! This is something I often suggest to clients and help to arrange but a good starting point is looking within your network and finding compatible sites for your product or service. Get in touch if you need a hand (2026 Update: read this blog.) ⠀⠀⠀⠀
Keywords
KEYWORDS - do you know yours? Keywords and search terms help with your website’s SEO - they’re the terms that people enter into a search engine when they’re looking for your business. For me, for example, ‘freelance writer’ would be a keyword but that’s really obvious; you need to know the more obscure ones too in order to stand out. There are websites that can help you identify keywords and search terms for free, Google being one of them. And then once you have the list, exploit it! Inspo for blogs, use them in blogs (definitely do that!), incorporate into web copy and use them as hashtags ... get in touch if you need a hand!⠀⠀⠀
Update for 2026 - long and short form keywords are also critical for appearing in AI searches, along with other factors.
Style guides
STYLE GUIDE - does your business have one? It’s not a personal stylist 🤣 but a way that you write for your business that ensures consistency. And consistency makes your website & content look professional.
It could include how you spell certain words (hyphenated or not for example), punctuation guidance (builders’ merchant or builder’s merchant) and formatting guidelines (font, underlining, italicising etc).
Something for you to think about or something I can help to create. Elevate your writing. Get in touch ....
Self-care for freelancers
Today’s tip is for me as well as you: anyone else feel as though they’re going at 200 mph at the moment? Since lockdown eased and some semblance of normality has returned, life feels super-sized 🍔. (Thank you 🙏 for all the lovely work clients, it’s keeping me sane!) So today I booked in some self-care for me and I recommend that you do the same. That goes for you too, men followers.
Update for 2026: This is obviously dated as it refers to the pandemic … but self-care remains important for our physical and mental health. For freelancers it helps prevent burnout.
List blogs
If you’re short on time but need a blog, a Top Ten (or actually top any number - don’t force yourself to get to a round number) on your product or service is great! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Easy to write, easy to read. Remember a call to action (call now / buy now etc) at the end!
How to hook blog readers
Wondering how to secure a read of your blog?
1. The right title - people need to know what you’re writing about (SEO likes clear titles - a play on words might be clever but it’s unlikely to be a search term) but it needs to be interesting, maybe intriguing, definitely inviting....
2. The first paragraph needs to continue in this vein but provide more information about the subject matter, preferably with a ‘hook’, something to make the reader want more.
3. Write well. Write engaging, interesting content that flows but yet gets to the point of the blog. You need a beginning (point 2), middle and an end, just like any good story or article.
Simple! If you need any help with the above - get in touch! Happy to have an informal, no obligation chat.
Case studies
CASE STUDIES - these are great blogs for showcasing what you do & how you do it well. They’re like a testimonial but more detailed. You can take your reader through the customer journey, using another (willing!) customer’s experience. If you feature lots of case studies, there’s more chance that a potential customer will find one with which they can relate. Do you have case studies on your website?
Overcoming writer’s block
If you're suffering with writer's block, here are three ways to help:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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1. Stop and do something else entirely, preferably away from your desk.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
2. Keep on writing. Just power through and put any thoughts down onto paper even if they don't make sense. You'll either get into the flow of things or you'll have some good ideas when you return to it after #1. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
3. Write down all the words that you can think of that are related to the topic you're writing about, like a spider diagram or just a list. One of those words might spark your imagination or you'll start to see a pattern of the piece emerging.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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This applies to students and children too so share them with your nearest and dearest.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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For more ideas, check out my blog on block busters! Link in bio ...⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Writing award applications
AWARDS SEASON is upon us - we've had the Grammys, the Oscars and BAFTAs are approaching. Will you enter any awards this year?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Sometimes rather than being nominated, you need to apply. On those forms you need to really blow your own trumpet which lots of people find very difficult - this is where I come in. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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As an objective onlooker, I can write about you in a way that perhaps you can't whilst still ensuring that you sound like you. It' can be hard to boast about achievements but that's what you need to do and if it makes your toes curl, you need some help. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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If you're still unsure, read my blog on the subject (A Smart Investment Wins Awards) and then, get in touch! ⠀⠀⠀⠀
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How to improve your writing
To improve your writing (and I don't mean grammar, spelling and punctuation), write some more. Practice works with writing just as it does with other skills. Ask a friend to proofread but the important think is to keep going. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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And read. See how good authors, journalists, bloggers write and think about why you think it's good. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
What makes you want to keep reading? You'll soon pick up some writing style tips. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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If you need a hand, please contact me - happy to proofread a piece and help you with some tips! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Using awareness days in marketing
I'm making a point today about planning! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Did you forget about International Women's Day or not even know that it was happening? You could be missing out on lots of these days throughout the year that are relevant to your business.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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They are good inspiration for blogs, emails, product launches and, of course, social media and allow you to relate to your audience, perhaps in a new way.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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There are lots of websites out there to help you but I bought a @socialmums planner which is really focussed around social media content planning but can be used for everything else too. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Today is No Smoking Day and National Pack Your Lunch Day!
Update for 2026: The Social Mum isn’t in business anymore but there are lots of websites with information on Awareness Days in your country.
Email marketing
EMAIL MARKETING! Easy to do and reap the rewards. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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An email marketing campaign doesn't have to be burdensome - maintain regular frequency; consider the rule of three (three items of news/offers etc) and bear in mind what you're trying to achieve. 💥⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Contact me if you need some help with your email marketing, an effective way to attract potential customers.
Why blogging matters
Today on a call I likened blogging to flossing your teeth - you know you’ve got to do it but it can be hard to fit in! If you’re struggling with blogging (definitely not flossing 🦷🤢), think about using a ghost writer. It’s not scary and means you’ll boost your SEO, communicate with your clients and tick something off your list. Leaving you time to, well, floss. 😁
Quality over quantity
My Tuesday tip for you this week is quality over quantity. Don’t be afraid to trim back your writing to make it flow better. I recommend writing lots of content, sleeping on it and then returning to it the next day to cut down. I do this quite a bit. I might find that I’ve included too much detail that just isn’t important to the blog, case study or web copy for example. Something that can frustrate a reader is when we write the same thing several ways (tautology) which can make them lose interest. If you need help with your blog writing or would like me to proofread / copy edit them, get in touch!
Varying blog formats
TUESDAY TIP aaaaand it is actually GROUNDHOG DAY! I know we feel as though we’ve been living it for quite some time but today is the actual day, apparently. To prevent Groundhog Day with your blogs, mix things up with regard to format. There are lots of different styles of blog - articles, opinion pieces, a top 10 (or any number) related to your product or service, testimonials, case studies, a guest blog - be creative! It’ll make your writing interesting and engage your audience. If you need inspiration, get in touch!
Proofreading
TUESDAY TIP time and this one is about proofreading ... you know how at school you were told to check your work over and over again? Well, that’s what you need to do with proofreading but there are tools to help you.
Spell check is an obvious one but you’d be amazed how many people don’t use it; nor the grammar check! Ask someone else to read it or listen to it ... Microsoft Word has the ability to read your work back to you so you can listen to how it sounds.
HUGE caveat though, listening to it won’t help you find the homophones eg hear and here. They sound the same but have different meanings - so worth checking it one more time.
Check out my blog on proofreading for more tips (link in bio). Quality work, error free, makes a difference to how your business is perceived.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀