Writing - Coastal Content

how narrative sequencing shapes buying decisions

How narrative sequencing shapes buying decisions

There’s a story happening in your buyer’s head before they ever read a word you’ve written. They’ve already half-decided you’re interesting or irrelevant. They’ve got anxieties you don’t know about, alternatives they’re already considering and a very short list of…

what ai thinks conversational tone means

What AI thinks “conversational tone” means

Imagine you’ve just asked a question. Nothing complicated. Something like “what should I include in a company blog post?” And the response begins: “Great question! When it comes to crafting compelling blog content that truly resonates with your audience, there…

how often should a startup actually publish content

How often should a startup actually publish content?

Ask this question in most marketing circles and you’ll get “consistency is key” within about four seconds, usually from someone who has never once had to write the thing they’re recommending you publish weekly. It’s not wrong, exactly. It’s also…

how to brief ai generated content

How to create AI-generated content so it doesn’t need a full rewrite

“Write a blog post about our new feature.” Six words, technically a brief and the reason so many marketing teams have concluded that AI content always needs a heavy rewrite before it’s usable. It’s not that the tool failed. It’s…

if not metrics, then what

If not metrics, then what?

If you read The performance trap: When metrics start shaping mediocre ideas, you already know the argument. Chasing CTR does a disservice to content. CTR is a number. It sits in a dashboard, goes up or down and gives everyone…

technically correct content isn't a compliment

Technically correct content isn’t a compliment

In March 2018, an ad ran inside Snapchat for a game called “Would You Rather.” It asked users to choose between slapping Rihanna or punching Chris Brown, a grim callback to Brown’s 2009 assault on Rihanna. Every word in that…

when metrics start shaping mediocre ideas

The performance trap: When metrics start shaping mediocre ideas

Publishing runs on more inputs than most people give it credit for. The idea. The argument. The timing. The voice behind it. Whether anyone needed to read the thing in the first place. Click-through rate is one input among many…

why your brief is the problem, not the writer

Why your brief is the problem, not the writer

There’s a particular kind of feedback that lands in a writer’s inbox about once a month. It says something like, “This isn’t quite what we were looking for”. Sometimes it’s more specific. Sometimes it’s less. What it almost never includes…

how to brief a content writer

How to brief a content writer so you don’t get generic work back

You’ve done this before. You send over a brief that says “write a blog post about our new feature, roughly 800 words, SEO-friendly, engaging tone.” A few days later you get back 800 words that are technically about your feature,…

how to handle being ghosted by clients

How to handle being ghosted by clients

I want to start by acknowledging something the freelance industry doesn’t say enough. Being ghosted by a client is genuinely awful, and the awfulness doesn’t scale sensibly with the length of the relationship. You can work with someone for three…

how to brief a freelance writer

How to brief a freelance writer (and what happens when you don’t)

Somewhere in the world right now, a freelance writer is staring at an email that says “can you write something about our software? Approx 800 words, quite informative, let us know if you have questions thanks” and making a face.…

why expertise sounds boring until it doesn't

Why expertise sounds boring until it doesn’t

There’s a specific flavour of writer’s block that nobody talks about, and I’ve had it more times than I’d like to admit. It’s not the blank-page variety. It’s not running out of ideas. It’s the moment you sit down to…