A Dose of Radical Common Sense

You know how sometimes you see some advice that’s completely common sense, but somehow … it’s not at all what you’re doing right now? Yeah, me too.

This week was about getting back to sensible solutions to business and content problems. They’re common sense, but, as my colleague Chris Garrett often says:

“Common sense isn’t always common practice.�?

On Monday, Stefanie Flaxman highlighted a fundamental question to ask yourself when you’re writing your content. Is the question simple? Yes. Could it save you a couple of hours the next time you write a blog post, and help you end up with a result that’s particularly sharp and relevant? Yep.

On Tuesday, guest writer Nick Usborne shared some of his least favorite myths around the smartest approach to persuasive copywriting: conversational copy. If you want to get results with content and you don’t enjoy feeling like a sleaze, this one’s for you.

And on Wednesday, I talked about the pitfalls of trying to use apps, platforms, and algorithms to do the writing for you — and why I think real writers will always win the content-quality battle.

We recommend you make time for Sean Jackson and Katy Katz’s conversation on The Digital Entrepreneur with Moz founder Rand Fishkin. We considered titling this “Rand Fishkin Exposed” or even “Rand Fishkin NAKED” … but at the end of the day, we went with a lower-key headline on this thoughtful, intimate conversation from one of tech’s most transparent founders.

That’s this week — enjoy, and have a great weekend!

— Sonia Simone
Chief Content Officer, Rainmaker Digital