Nicole Bianchi

Writing, Copywriting, & Marketing Strategies

Why I’m Joining NaNoWriMo This Year (And My Top 5 Tips on How to Win)

Published | Last Updated By 36 Comments

Closeup of typewriter keys
Photo by Camille Orgel on Unsplash

This is a post I first wrote in October 2016. Since I’m planning on participating in NaNoWriMo again this year, I decided to update and republish it.

November is only a few days away, and that means that National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo!) is nearly upon us.

If you’ve never heard of NaNoWriMo before, it’s a month-long event where writers challenge themselves to pen a 50,000-word novel (about the length of novels like The Great Gatsby or Fahrenheit 451).

The goal is to begin writing on the first of November and finish by midnight of November 30. You can plan and outline your story as much as you like beforehand, but the actual writing of the story can only be done during November.

Now, those are the official rules, but many writers adapt NaNoWriMo to their own goals. [Read more…]

How to Find New Blog Post Ideas When You’re Stuck

Published | Last Updated By 5 Comments

Person holding red pen and writing in journal | How to Find New Blog Post Ideas When You're Stuck
Photo by fotografierende on Unsplash

You just published a new blog post. It was long and informative and your audience loved it. But now several days have passed. You check your blog’s stats.

Fewer and fewer people are reading your last article. Instead, your audience is waiting with bated breath for your next piece.

So you open a blank document to begin writing, but you just stare at it in desperation. What on earth should you write about next? You run your hand through your hair. You think about the TV show you’d much rather be watching than tormenting yourself with this blank page and a blinking cursor.

Does this sound like any of your writing sessions? If it does, don’t worry.

In today’s article, I’m going to share with you five strategies you can use to make sure you never run out of blog post ideas. With these ideas at your fingertips, you’ll be able to continue publishing consistently and build a strong connection with your audience online.

Let’s dive in. [Read more…]

How to Write Powerful Website Copy: 5 Step Checklist

Published | Last Updated By 8 Comments

Computer on Desk | Photo for blog post: "How to Write Powerful Website Copy: 5 Simple Steps"
Photo by Mia Baker on Unsplash

This is an excerpt from my mini-course on how to write effective copy for your homepage and about page.

You’ve set up your website. You’ve registered the perfect domain name. Your web hosting platform is highly rated. You’ve spent a lot of time on your website’s design, carefully choosing the right colors and picking a style that speaks to your brand.

Finally, you’re ready to start writing words for your website homepage.

But…you hit a roadblock.

You’re not sure if the words you’re writing will connect and engage with your audience.

Should you write more? Or less? Or use different words?

How can you be sure you’re making a strong first impression and quickly capturing your website visitor’s attention so they’ll want to learn more about you?

Not to worry!

In today’s blog post, I’m sharing with you my 5-step checklist for writing captivating website copy. This is the same checklist I’ve used to write copy for my web design clients in a wide range of different industries.

Whether you’re writing words for the homepage of your author website or for your business’s about page, this checklist will help you make sure your copy will resonate with your website visitors (and that they actually read it!).

Let’s dive in. [Read more…]

A Look Back At August 2019

Published | Last Updated By Leave a Comment

Notebooks with "Field Notes" on cover and a compass
Photo by Jordan Madrid on Unsplash

Writing projects, books read, inspirational quotes, musings, and more!

Today, I wanted to try something new and write up a recap of the past month.

I thought it would be a fantastic way to keep you updated on projects I’m working on as well as a way for me to share books and articles I’ve found inspiring and thought you might enjoy too.

We’ll see if it becomes a recurring series. 🙂

First, here’s what I did in August:

At the end of July, I went to a copywriting/business conference in Nashville, Tennessee and returned with lots of ideas for new articles and resources to create for you. In August, I dove into working on those.

Also got away from my desk, enjoyed the summer weather, and had some fun adventures, like going to a Triple A baseball game — the home team won and there were fireworks after the game.

Here are some highlights of what I wrote, what I read, and what I watched this past month:

[Read more…]

How Crafting A One-Sentence Synopsis Will Strengthen Your Writing

Published | Last Updated By 4 Comments

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Whether you’re writing a blog post, a sales page, a short story, or even a book, you have something of value you want to share with your readers.

Maybe you have an incredible productivity tip that will help them finally achieve their goals or maybe it’s a fantastic product that will make their lives easier or maybe it’s a personal story that will help them feel less alone in their struggles. [Read more…]