I just got off the phone with a client; we are teaming on an exciting branding and website project. She truly is an expert in her business-consulting niche. Soon, she will be poised to step up as a thought leader.

We chatted about the importance of blogging, and how her regular blog posts will:

• Support her from a search-engine optimization (SEO) standpoint and help her get found by prospective clients
• Enable her to expound on her topic, educate clients and prospects, and reveal her passion, commitment, and personality

She asked: “How can I improve my writing?”

As a professional writer for 30+ years, I shared my favorite tips:

1. Write a short blog post every day or every week. Gone are the days of writing long, daunting, full-length articles for your blog or guest blogs. Instead, write short blog posts (200-300 words). Focus on a key point that is useful or insightful for your readers. Stay on point, and make sure your point is clear.
2. Take out your red pen! I firmly believe editing your writing is the best way to improve your writing. Print your draft, then use a red pen (or color of your choice) to edit your content. Read through your copy several times and edit for brevity, spelling, punctuation, grammar and, of course, clarity. Your goal? Copy that is crisp, clear, and compelling!

Speaking of keeping it short…

We have a rollicking thunder-and-lightning storm at my office. Time to turn off and unplug the computer. I hope there are no typos that will undermine my editing advice.  :>