Articles about writing, editing and improving content

Email preview text (often called the preheader) is so important it can make the difference between someone opening your email or ignoring it. This article explains what it is and how to write for it.

Commas should be easy to use – after all, their purpose is to reflect how we speak – and yet everywhere I look they’re being horribly abused. Sometimes they’re in places they have no business in; other times they’re missing. As such, this is a plain English guide that says everything I wish my school teachers had explained to me:

The inverted pyramid is the most common way you can structure news stories, press releases, web pages and anything else that needs to immediately tell the reader what they need to know …

Using positive language is a great way to make sentences short and snappy.

At the risk of sounding like a Grinch, using the positive form isn’t about being happy and upbeat. Instead, it’s about saying what something is – not what something isn’t …

Everyone can have a bad day when it comes to proofreading.

Even the most experienced editors can (and do) read and re-read the same bit of copy only to miss a glaring typo that even a primary school kid can spot.

The reason …