Project Goals

Mother’s Brewing Company in Springfield, MO is a good group of people who love what they do: brew badass craft beers. The kids at Mother’s like to cut loose, and they wanted their site writing to show it yet compete well for SEO.

Here are a few ways I did that:

• Hit the SEO elements but avoided a heavy hand
• Used an easy-going, casual tone
• Cracked jokes to break up any tedious info or necessarily detailed descriptions
• Got up close and personal with Mother’s tasty beers

Mother’s Craft Beers

SEO TARGET TERMS

To start the uphill SEO climb for Mother’s,
I targeted smart terms:

• mother's beers
  ranks # 1 - 4 of 10,700,000 results
• craft brews
  ranks # 2 of 489,000 total results
• american blonde beers
  ranks # 2 of 2,700,000 total results
• brown beers
  ranks # 16 of 10,700,000 total results
• springfield india pale ales
  ranks # 1 of 129,000 total results

*All results last tracked on 09.23.11

Mother’s Craft Beers

WRITING HIGHLIGHTS

To break down Mother’s brewing process,
I kept it simple and clear:

• Touted high alcohol levels without sounding like a drunkard:
  "How does Mother’s brew such heady craft beers?"
• Maintained consistent parts of speech to aid memory retention:
  Each heading is a noun, and each sentence jumps right to the action/verb in the first few words.
• Explained any beer jargon:
  "... we separate the sugar liquid (referred to as wort) from the grains..."

Mother’s Craft Beers

WRITING HIGHLIGHTS

To protect the youngsters, I wrote copy for the site’s gateway:

• Played off a mom's duties:
  "Like any good mother, we can’t turn a blind eye to underage drinking."
• Was clear and firm:
  "No ID? No way."
• Reminded users good things can wait:
  "If you’re jumping the gun, run along for now. We’ll be here with open arms on your 21st birthday."

Mother’s Craft Beers

WRITING HIGHLIGHTS

To reflect the brand, I kept it light when letting users know what matters to Mother’s:

• Most importantly to users, great beers:
  "Mother’s is a growing family that’s all about heady craft beers."
• People and good times:
  "We’ve also got a whole lotta love for our friends, neighbors, local and global communities, good food, and living it up."
• Brewing beer with care:
  "So we started our own brewery, and we’re producing as much love per barrel as we possibly can."
• Sense of community:
  "So sip away, and consider yourself one of the family."

Mother’s Craft Beers

Project Goals

The Spin Mentor app lets users choose increasingly difficult spin class routines and hear their own iMix music playlists while they exercise. I used various writing styles and techniques to help ensure the success of the app, regarding sales as well as usability and benefits for users:

• Wrote fun yet clear spin class routine and level descriptions
• Wrote clear, quickly readable instructions
• Wrote engaging and persuasive SEO-ready copy for the promotional site
• Used a tone that resonates with driven people (or those who wish they were)
• Wrote a memorable tagline that also describes the app: “Pro Spin Classes. When & where you want them."

Spin Class App

SEO TARGET TERMS

To drive traffic and sales, I targeted logical, focused key terms:

• spin classes
  shown in iTunes Store featured header area, even before filtering by Media Type to narrow results
• spin classes app
  ranks # 1 of 1,300,000 total results
• spin class app
  ranks # 3 of 1,440,000 total results
• pro spin classes
  ranks # 4 of 2,830,000 total results
• pro spin class routines
  ranks # 1 of 3,030,000 total results
• spin class routines
  ranks # 23 of 138,000 total results

*All results last tracked on 06.14.11

Spin Class App

WRITING HIGHLIGHTS

An iPhone app has a tough job—keep users interested when a million other apps are screaming for their attention. So people actually use the app, I wrote copy that does the following:

• Establishes credibility:
  "Revamp your daily exercise routine with challenging workouts designed by our professional spin class instructor."
• Assures people the app is easy to use:
  "Getting started is as easy as 1, 2… well, you know:"
• Provides clear instructions that follow proven style standards, like starting steps with the same parts of speech:
  "1. Choose your session. 2. Select your playlist. 3. Start your workout."

Spin Class App

WRITING HIGHLIGHTS

So people benefit from the Spin Mentor app by, you know, exercising with it, I appealed to their competitive natures and even vanity when naming and describing routines (as shown here with MVP-level routines):

• Got the Stomach?
  "Pretty people envy your body."
• Never Say Die
  "Maybe you can cheat death."
• Iron Will
  "Put the pedal to the mettle."

Spin Class App

WRITING HIGHLIGHTS

To convince users they’ve found the app that’s right for their workout needs, I used audience-specific appeals:

• Chose language competitive, self-motivated people can respect:
  "intense, professional workout; challenges you; sleeker, healthier you"
• Showed personal concern:
  "Ready for an intense, professional workout that challenges you,
  not your budget?"
• Noted convenience and
  individually-dictated benefits:
  "With your custom iMix at your fingertips, you’ve got all you need to spin your way to a sleeker, healthier you."

Spin Class App

Project Goals

When Dan Spencer said he was organizing a Buses at the Brewery event and wanted me to write and do SEO for the site, I couldn’t wait. It’s a happy challenge to write copy good enough to sit with Dan’s design and Chad Spencer's dev., and this site was no exception. I hit our goals to make the content all you’d expect on a VW bus site:

• Wrote laid-back yet informative copy
• Targeted high-scoring SEO terms
• Condensed info to better fit the design
• Created headings and callouts that grab users' attention

VW Buses

SEO TARGET TERMS

To let people know about the Buses at the Brewery event, I targeted key SEO terms:

• vw buses beers
  ranks # 1 of 2,350,000 total results
• volkswagen bus enthusiasts
  ranks # 4 of 2,580,000 total results
• vw buses enthusiasts
  ranks # 4 of 1,160,000 total results
• vw buses event
  ranks # 7 of 43,800,00 total results
• vw buses swag
  ranks # 1 of 222,000 total results

*All results last tracked on 09.23.11

VW Buses

WRITING HIGHLIGHTS

I piqued users’ interest with a few simple yet proven writing devices:

• Spoke the audience’s language:
  Many VW bus lovers associate swag with good music, good vibes, and good times. That makes it perfect to set the tone for this event.
• Announced prizes to sweeten the deal:
  "With every paid entry, we’re giving a quality pint glass [...] And that’s just
  for starters."
• Sparked curiosity with a teaser:
  I mentioned "you can score an awesome swag-stuffed goodie bag" but didn’t kill the intrigue by spilling the exact details.

VW Buses

WRITING HIGHLIGHTS

To persuade users to act immediately, I made reserving a room clear and easy:

• Eliminated any confusion about a sleepover event:
  "Sorry, kids: There’s no camping
  on site."
• Offered solutions so users know the event promoter cares:
  "But here’s the 411 on some nearby camping and hotel options:"
• Optimized links for SEO purposes:
  I wrote link title attributes that offer info and target SEO terms. The attributes appear when users mouse over the links.

VW Buses

WRITING HIGHLIGHTS

To ensure even the registration form wasn’t entirely boring, I wrote as if joining users in casual conversation:

• “Don’t sweat pre-registration;
  just show up.”
• "And, yes, we take plastic."
• "Register the old school way:"
• “Download the entry form and send it our way with a payment.”

VW Buses

Project Goals

A nonprofit organization, Habitat Springfield relies on donations from its website users to serve the community. As one80one writing director, I worked with writer Lindsey Davis and focused on crucial aspects when writing and editing for Habitat:

• Created compelling calls-to-action, encouraging donations and volunteering
• Wrote SEO-ready content
• Organized info-heavy content into easily manageable sections that won't overwhelm users
• Used tone that reflected Habitat's mission and values throughout writing

Habitat ReStore

SEO TARGET TERMS

To improve Habitat Springfield’s placement in search results, we targeted important terms:

• Habitat Springfield MO
  ranks # 1 & 2 of 54,400 total results
• Project ReHabitat
  ranks # 1 & 2 of 4,930 total results
• Volunteer Habitat Springfield
  ranks # 2 & 3 of 1,060,000 total results
• Donate Habitat Springfield
  ranks # 3 & 4 of 1,080,000 total results
• Habitat ReStore Springfield
  ranks # 1 of 817,000 total results

*All results last tracked on 09.10.10

Habitat ReStore

WRITING HIGHLIGHTS

To recruit volunteers, I used themes meant to resonate with the midwestern audience:

• Responsibility to the community:
  "Habitat Springfield recognizes that constructing homes builds hope while building our community."
• Power of the individual:
  "Without volunteers like you, we would be unable to build lasting relationships and provide hope to families in need."
• Assumption that individuals will help:
  "How will You build hope?"
• Ability to overcome adversity:
  "No building experience? No problem. [Our] volunteer construction crews need both seasoned builders and beginners."

Habitat ReStore

WRITING HIGHLIGHTS

To increase donations, I used numerous persuasion methods:

• Played off Habitat's well known Get Involved slogan:
  "Get Invested: Donate to Habitat Springfield and Help Build Lives."
• Drew empathy for people:
  "To help struggling local families rebuild their lives, Habitat for Humanity of Springfield needs donations from caring community members like you."
• Showcased the overall goal:
  "One local habitat. One little goal: safe, affordable housing for all."

Habitat ReStore

WRITING HIGHLIGHTS

To immediately grab users' interests, I used various appeals:

• Chance to join peers:
  "Who's Building Springfield? Join Compassionate Construction."
• Fact that suffering is close to home:
  "Your donation will help build safe, decent, affordable housing for families struggling to survive—right here in Springfield and Greene County, MO."
• Instinct to work for change:
  "Roll up your sleeves to help build Habitat homes & hope in Springfield."

Habitat ReStore