Web writing workshops
Reach readers online
“Cool fresh stuff.”
— Brian Schultz, ITHR Communications, Progressive
Find out what others say about Ann’s Web writing workshops
Learn to write copy that gets the word out on the Web with these workshops:
- Write for Social Media. Craft blog postings, tweets and other status updates that expand your reach and influence online
- Write for the Web. How to write copy that overcomes the obstacles of reading on the screen
- Get the Word Out With Microcontent. How to write links, headlines, decks and other display copy that actually does most of the communicating online
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Web-writing review. Analyze and improve your own copy
Most of Ann’s modules are an hour and a half long.*
Full-day workshop = four modules
Half-day workshop = two modules
Check out Ann’s other writing modules.
Learn about Ann’s most popular workshops.
Mix and match modules to serve your team’s unique needs.
Want to help your team members polish their skills? Bring a Wylie Communications Inc. writing workshop to your workplace or conference. Contact Ann Wylie for details.
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Write for Social Media
Craft blog postings, tweets and other status updates that expand your reach and influence online
“Ann offers her professional expertise and makes this seminar fresh. Whether you are new or seasoned in social media, you will appreciate her insights.”
— Meiling Starky, social media coordinator, Rock Church
Find out what others say about Ann’s Web writing workshops
More and more, companies, communicators and CEOs are using Twitter and other social media to reach customers, clients and colleagues; research markets and trends; and sell their products, services and ideas.
But social media is more like a cocktail party than a press release. Write status updates that sound like they were produced by a corporation — or even a PR pro — and you’ll soon find yourself socializing with the chips, not attracting new friends and followers.
In this session, you’ll learn how to make your blog postings, tweets and other status updates more relevant, valuable and interesting to your readers. Specifically, you’ll learn how to:
- Use the 70-20-10 rule for engaging your followers. Plus other tips for making sure your status updates are welcome guests, not intrusive pests
- Pass the “who cares?” test. And four other techniques for becoming a resource, not a bore, on social media
- Get retweeted. Five steps for expanding your influence and reach on Twitter
- Tweet like the FBI. Write dramatic, compelling status updates that draw followers and get clicks
- Make your posts personable. There’s a reason they call it “social” media
- Tweak your tweets. Get your message across in 140 characters or less. Plus: How to make 140 characters go further — and when you must come in under the character limit
Write for the Web
How to write copy that overcomes the obstacles of reading on the screen
“A great course for virtually every level of Web writer, from beginner to expert.”
— Jill Stueck, corporate affairs director, AT&T
Find out what others say about Ann’s Web writing workshops
*Note: This workshop is two modules, or a half-day, long.
When reading on the screen, your audience members suffer physical ailments ranging from double vision to nausea to difficulty thinking. No wonder people avoid reading online!
In this workshop, you’ll learn a six-step process for writing Web copy that overcomes the obstacles of online reading. Specifically, you’ll learn how to:
- Increase the usability of your copy by 124 percent with three simple steps
- Create Web copy that works with, not against, readers’ natural online reading habits
- Run a quick test to make sure your copy gets to the point fast enough
- Go beyond WWWWWH to include the two elements that really need to be included in an online lead
- Determine how long your Web page should be. (Beware: Many page-length recommendations are based on outdated research)
- Apply the 30-3-30-3 rule to give online readers what they’re looking for
- Chunk your copy instead of irritating the reader by chopping it
- Develop a voice for your online communications
Get the Word Out With Microcontent
How to write links, headlines, decks and other display copy that reach readers online
“Revolutionised the way my communications team and I approach writing for online consumption, both for web pages and for electronic newsletters.”
— Nikki Van Dusen, manager, Internet Communications,
Alberta Public Affairs Bureau
Find out what others say about Ann’s Web writing workshops
Online, “readers” don’t read. They scan.
In fact, 50 percent of Web visitors don’t actually read the paragraphs, according to The Poynter Institute’s EyeTrack07 study.
So how can you get the word out on the Web?
The solution is microcontent — or the links, headlines, decks, subheads and other “small” pieces of Web copy that actually do most of the communicating online. In this module, you’ll learn how to write microcontent that reaches “readers” online.
Specifically, you’ll learn how to:
- Make sure your Web visitors get the gist of your piece, even if they don’t read the text
- Make your copy 47 percent more usable with a few simple steps
- Run a quick test to make your Web copy more reader friendly
- Write microcontent that’s easy to understand no matter where it shows up (After all, if visitors can’t figure out what it means, chances are, they won’t click)
- Reach Web visitors with the piece of display copy that 95 percent of people read — but that many communicators drop
- Increase reading for skimmers and those whose attention is beginning to wane
- Write headlines that help Web visitors find what they’re looking for (“For a company with 10,000 employees, the cost of a poorly written headline on an intranet home page is almost $5,000,” writes Jakob Nielsen, ”the king of usability.”
- Write links and buttons that get clicked
Web-writing review
Analyze and improve your own copy
“Ann is one of the few people who can actually teach something substantial about writing.”
— George Stenitzer, vice president of Corporate Communications, Tellabs
Find out what others say about Ann’s writing workshops
Length: Two or more modules
Prerequisites: Write for the Web, Cut Through the Clutter, Get the Word Out With Microcontent
Sorry! This program is available for in-house workshops only
In the crunch of writing headlines and meeting deadlines, it sometimes seems as if there’s not enough time to pause and consider how you’re doing. A writing review is a great opportunity for reflection and improvement. In this critique, you’ll:
- Cement the ideas you learn in the workshop by applying them immediately
- Get personal feedback with specific ideas you can use to improve your work immediately
- Gain valuable insights on your work from your peers
- Learn to analyze and improve others’ writing — the best skill you can develop for improving your own work
