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Yes, Branding Yourself Is More Important Than Ever

You’re awesome. You know it. People close to you know it. But does your professional community know it?

When you think about it, your personal brand is already out there in the world. You’re reminded of that every time you Google yourself. (C’mon. You know you do it.) At a minimum, you’re likely to see your LinkedIn and Facebook profiles prominently featured. That’s a start.

But developing a killer personal brand is an important tool for fine-tuning your professional image. It allows you to manage how other people in your industry see and relate to you. It can help you position yourself as a go-to expert, a freelancer people want to hire, or a specialist that people will want to buy from. Personal branding puts you in control of the image you project.

Four People with Killer Personal Brands

So, what does personal branding look like in action? Here are just a few examples of people whose personal brands are crushing it.

Pat Flynn

Pat Flynn made a name for himself with a can’t-lose niche, which he dominates with an awesome domain—smartpassiveincome.com. He’s branded himself “the crash test dummy of online business” by sharing the results of his income experiments in published monthly reports.

Erika Napoletano

Writer, performer, and TEDx speaker Erika Napoletano shares the messy parts of her life one ultra-real moment at a time. Her website, ErikaNapoletano.com, features her no-holds-barred signature style.

Seth Godin

Just perform a Google search for the word “Seth” and your very first result will be Seth Godin’s massively popular website. Godin, an entrepreneur, marketer, speaker, and best-selling author, takes personal branding to the next level at SethGodin.com.

Jenny Lawson

Best-selling author Jenny Lawson (aka The Bloggess) carved out a niche for herself by being both hilarious and brutally honest about her struggles with physical and mental illness. Through her humor and relatable stories, she’s built a massive, loyal following.

Six Steps to Building Your Own Personal Brand

We know personal branding is important, and what the websites of a few people who are rocking their brand look like. Now, here are some steps for creating a brand presence of your own.

1 Know thy competition and find thy niche.

Who are you? It’s a tough question for most people to answer, but it’s important to give it thorough consideration before you start building your personal brand. Take a look at others who’ve been successful in the same field. How are you unique? You won’t get far by trying to be the next Seth Godin or Jenny Lawson, so how can you be the best you?

2 Get specific about your strengths.

What do people value about you? Dig into the specifics of what you do best. Let’s say you’re trying to build your brand as a talented writer. There are plenty of talented folks doing the exact same thing. What is it about your writing that stands out? It might be that you have a personable, conversational style that people relate to. Narrow your focus to what you do best in your area of expertise, and then highlight your specific strengths as you’re forging your brand presence.

3 Figure out your brand attributes.

What adjectives do you want people to use to describe you and what you do? It’s important to know this upfront so you can infuse your website and social media efforts with your style. Erika Napoletano is a great example of someone who has made the best of her personal attributes. Everything about her site, from her photos to her blog, reflects her brash, irreverent personality. What is it about you that you want people to notice?

4 Streamline your social media presence.

You can’t be all things to all social media channels. Choose a few that work best for your niche, and then post to those channels regularly. Think of posting to social media as “feeding” your audience. Keep them nourished.

Building your social media presence is about choosing the audiences you’ll connect with. Don’t choose a channel just because it’s hot or growing, pick something with major trends you can relate to. For example, don’t join Snapchat unless you’re prepared to overshare, and don’t join Instagram if you hate photography.

—Celeste Mora, Social Media Manager, Grammarly

5 Consider a portfolio website with your full name as the domain.

What do you want people to discover when they search Google for your name? They may encounter your (mostly private) Facebook profile or an obscure post you made on Yahoo Answers ages ago. You can take some control over how people perceive your personal brand by registering your own name as your domain, and then maintaining a website featuring your portfolio.

6 Network.

Building a personal brand won’t get you anywhere if you don’t share it. Get out there! If you’ve built a website, consider having business cards made with your domain and other contact info. Go to professional networking events. Engage others in your field on social media. Comment on blogs. Reach out via email to forge connections. When you make an effort to get to know people, they’ll be more likely to want to know more about you.

Don’t just build, maintain.

Once you’ve established an online presence, you’ve got to maintain it. Keep your website current. Make regular posts to social media and don’t forget to interact with your audience. The most difficult part of building your brand isn’t necessarily establishing it, but continuing to build it without letting it languish.

Now that you’re out there in the world, don’t sit still! Remember that your personal brand has given you a platform for sharing yourself and your accomplishments with the world.

Per Our Conversation: 5 New Ways to Say This Traditional Phrase

No one wants to be known as the king or queen of boring conversations. One way to prevent tedium is to avoid predictable speech patterns. Are you guilty of overusing “per our conversation?” Grab your listener’s attention with five fresh variations!

If You Want to Give Credit for an Idea

1 As Mentioned When you say “per our conversation,” your listeners understand that a conversation took place. But who said what? If you insert the name of the speakers, you minimize the possibility of confusion. “As mentioned” allows you to specify the speaker.Here are a couple of examples:

As I mentioned, the meeting on Sunday will cover the five principles of effective communication.

As the contractors mentioned, the tile in the bathroom is in dire need of repair.

Of course, you can use “as mentioned” without pointing out the speaker if keeping track of conversants isn’t your goal.

As mentioned at the board meeting, Gary Schlepper will be responsible for providing the snacks for our annual company picnic.

If You Want to Give a Reminder

2 As Agreed Often, the motive behind a “per our conversation” email is to remind others of something they said they would do. The best phrase for the job is “as agreed.” If you made a contract, this expression is especially useful for reminding different parties of their obligations.

As agreed, your company is expected to deliver the tables and chairs to the venue before 8 am.

As agreed, the contract revision period will end on July 5, 2018. We will not consider requests after this date.

To Explain The Results of a Conversation

3 Following Our Conversation

“That changes everything!” Have you ever made that exclamation after a conversation reveals surprising information? “Following our conversation” is a handy phrase to show the effect of new details. Take a look at these examples published online:

Thank you again for the interview on Wednesday. I am very excited about this position and your company. Following our conversation, I realized there were two more things I wanted to tell you that time didn’t permit us to cover.

Following our conversation, the superintendent recommended to the Board of Education that I be appointed principal of that school and the Board approved his recommendation.

Dorwin LlewelldynHoward, Sr.,

If the above examples seem too formal, you can easily replace “conversation” with a more casual term such as “chat,” “talk,” or even “convo.” However, in a legal context, you may encounter an even more formal way to say “following our conversation.”

4 Pursuant to our conversation/In pursuance of Do pursuant and pursuance remind you of a verb? If you said pursue, you have found a clue to understanding these terms. Pursuant means “in accordance with” and pursuance refers to the execution or carrying out of something. “Pursuant to” and “in pursuance of” our conversation are used when an action follows as a result of a discussion. Notice the following example:

Pursuant to our conversation, I have enclosed for your review a rough sketch of the dress design. If the design meets your approval, please return the sketch and down payment for your garment in the envelope provided.

Note: According to the Entrepreneur’s Guide to Writing Business Plans and Proposals, these two phrases are too formal for non-legal correspondence. In a section on clichés, K. Dennis Chambers challenges “pursuant to our conversation”: “Would you ever say that in real life? Would you sit down with a colleague over coffee and say, ‘Hey, Joshua, pursuant to our last conversation. . .?’” Most people wouldn’t. If you are an exception, you might want to risk trying these two controversial options for the sake of variety.

To Summarize

Summarizing a conversation is an essential practice if you want to create a record for reference or to make sure that both parties understand each other. In this case, the simple “according to” is the most appropriate phrase to recap a conversation.

5 According to

According to our conversation, the following updates will go live on Thursday, April 11:

(1) The new webpage will go live. (2) Employee discounts will increase from 10% to 15% of the sales price. (3) We will implement casual Friday.

Did I miss anything?

According to our conversation, articles will be due at midnight until further notice.

Here’s another reason to avoid using “per our conversation.” The Handbook of Technical Writing classifies the word “per” as jargon when it’s used to mean “according to.” What do you say? Will you freshen up your vocabulary with one of these five fresh phrases today?

How to Write a Cover Letter: Parts, Process, and Pro Tips

It doesn’t matter whether you’re just testing the job market or eagerly searching for your next gig—knowing how to write a great cover letter is an essential skill. We’ll talk about the whys and hows of cover letters, offer some examples of what to say (and what not to), and provide a few etiquette dos and don’ts. Read on to rev up your job-seeking game!

Why You Should Write a Cover Letter

Hunting for a job is hard. Completing online applications can be frustrating. Who needs to add a step to an already tedious process?

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We totally get it. And yet . . . cover letters are important. Even if you’ve got a killer résumé, even if you think your experience speaks for itself, writing a cover letter is a step you ignore at your peril. Unless, of course, you don’t really want that perfect job you’re applying for.

The only time you should ditch the cover letter is when an employer specifically asks you not to include one or the application process doesn’t allow for one. At all other times, consider it a requirement.

Cover letters do what résumés can’t—they tell a story that sets you apart from your competitors. Your résumé is a formal, fact-based listing of your experience and achievements; a cover letter allows you to showcase why those things make you uniquely suited for the job. It also conveys subtle insights into your personality that a résumé can’t. Think of it as an opportunity to promote yourself.

How to Write a Winning Cover Letter

A great cover letter should be as brief as you can possibly make it yet comprehensive enough to convey your potential for awesomeness. Your intent isn’t to provide a prospective employer with a recap of your work history (your résumé should accomplish that), but to intrigue the hiring manager enough to offer you an interview and, hopefully, a job.

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Ask anyone who’s ever been in charge of hiring—most cover letters are generic and dull. A few are amusing only because they’re so hilariously bad. If you want your cover letter to stand out, put energy into making it not only unique but also geared toward the company and position you’re applying for.

Let’s look at the components of a great cover letter step by step.

1Find and greet the right contact

Here’s a cold hard fact: it’s difficult to impress a prospective employer when you begin a cover letter with Dear Sir or Madam or Dear Prospective Employer. Of course, many job listings provide no contact information and offer nothing more than a catch-all email address like hiring@domain.com. Helpful? Not so much.

Whenever possible, address your correspondence to a real person. That may mean doing a bit of detective work. Let’s say you’re applying for an email marketing associate position at Stellar Widgets, Inc. No contact name was provided with the listing. Here’s what you can do:

• Read the job listing carefully. If you scanned it in your rush to apply, slow your roll! Many potential employers, intentionally or otherwise, embed important information in the depths of a job listing. Some may even ask you to include a word or phrase in your cover letter to make sure you were paying attention.
• Scour the company website. Look for a Contact or About Us page. Do you see the hiring or human resources manager listed by name? Bingo!
• Make a phone call. If you can track down the company’s phone number, simply make a call and ask for the hiring manager’s name.

Here’s a tip: If the company doesn’t have a hiring manager, address your cover letter to the head of the appropriate department. If there’s no hiring contact for that email marketing associate job at Stellar Widgets, you could track down the marketing manager instead.

• Check social networks. LinkedIn is a great resource. Simply search with the company’s name to find out who works there and what title they hold.

Once you’ve gone to the effort to track down a name, check and double-check to make sure you’ve spelled it properly. A typo could make you seem as though you lack attention to detail.

Here’s a tip: In business communication, it’s customary to open with “Dear [Mr./Ms.] [Last Name].” If you don’t know the gender of the person you’re contacting, use Dear [First Name] [Last Name]. If you happen to know that the person holds a PhD, use Dear Dr. [Last Name].

If you must use a generic greeting, make sure it’s in keeping with modern standards. The Balance reports that 40 percent of employers surveyed preferred “Dear Hiring Manager.” The second most popular salutation was “To Whom It May Concern,” preferred by 27 percent. Or, if the company strikes you as particularly edgy, you could try spicing it up with something like “To the Marketing Gurus at Stellar Widgets.”

2Open with a strong hook

It’s important to write a few sentences explaining who you are and what you’re applying for, but don’t make it boring. A yawn-inducing opener like “Enclosed please find my résumé, tendered in application for the email marketing associate position at Stellar Widgets” could get your application shuffled to the bottom of the pile, destined to receive a templated “thanks but no thanks” letter. Oh, and “best of luck in your future endeavors,” champ!

via GIPHY

Be direct, but don’t forget to be personable and show excitement. Your goal is to craft a couple of punchy sentences that say who you are, what position you’re applying for, and why you think it’s a good match for your talents.

When I was eleven years old, I created The Carver Elementary Gossip. It was a humble newsletter that I wrote and edited, then printed on my mom’s old Epson. I sold copies for 50 cents and even sold classified ads for a dollar. I’d made 85 bucks before the principal found out and shut me down, but not before she complimented me on my ingenuity and creativity. That hunger to create and innovate never left me, and it’s with that drive for success that I come to you with my application for the email marketing associate position at Stellar Widgets.

The Balance offers some excellent examples of powerful opening lines. The Muse has even more.

3Show them what you can do

There’s a sales idiom that says if you want to sell steak you should sell the sizzle. Your cover letter is a sales pitch for your talents and skills. Many job seekers make the mistake of writing a pitch that says “Here’s why I want to work for you.” If you’re going to win the job market, you need to take a different approach: “Here’s why you want me to work for you!”

Your objective isn’t to express your desire to work for the employer—everyone who applies wants that. Instead, demonstrate why you’re the perfect person for the job. Consider these winning ways to sell yourself:

• Highlight a major accomplishment. If there’s something you’ve accomplished that aligns with needs the company expressed in the job listing, highlight it.
• Focus on keywords. Larger companies use keyword tracking to help them sift through applications. Identify keywords from the job listing and make sure you let them shine in your cover letter.

Here’s a tip: Find keywords that are important to the hiring manager by using a word cloud generator like Wordle or VocabGrabber.

• Leverage your networking skills. if you were referred by someone who already works for the company, mention them. Don’t just name-drop, call attention to why your contact thought you’d be a fit for the job.

Here’s a tip: If possible, get a feel for the company’s culture. Bigger companies might have a Careers page that will offer valuable insight. Even a company blog can provide clues. Are they businesslike and formal? Hip and edgy? Mirror their style in your cover letter.

Remember, this paragraph isn’t for rehashing your résumé, it’s for highlighting your strengths and accomplishments. Focus on what you have to offer the employer. What needs do they have that you’re eager and qualified to fill?

Here’s a tip: Trick your mind into helping you write confidently by telling yourself that your potential employer already likes and respects you, and that you have nothing to prove. Even if the employer has never met you, pretending you’re winning the game can have a powerful effect on your subconscious. There really is value in faking it till you make it!

Although your cover letter is no place for modesty, it’s important to put your money where your mouth is. Give concrete examples of your successes. Don’t just say you’re great at writing marketing copy, show it.

I’ve always been fascinated by what it takes to hook people with compelling writing and brand storytelling. I’ve worked as an email campaign copywriter at Grizzly Gadgets for the past two years, and my most recent campaign earned a whopping 62 percent open rate and a 23 percent click-through rate. My efforts contributed to a team that exceeded its ambitious customer engagement goals by 220 percent last quarter.

4 Show off your skills

It’s best to keep your cover letter on the short side—what a great way to demonstrate that you can focus your thoughts without rambling!—but if you have any skills that are essential to the position you’re applying for, this is the place to call attention to them. For that email marketing job with Stellar Widgets, you could point out your experience with bulk email platforms and design tools.

Here’s a tip: Look for skills keywords in the job listing. If the employer states that experience with Adobe Illustrator is desirable, and you’ve got those chops, make sure your cover letter states so.

Keep it relevant—don’t brag about your 120 wpm typing speed unless you’re applying for a gig where typing speed is crucially important. Mention things like specialized certifications only if they make you better qualified to do the job you’re seeking.

Not only do I love words, but I’m also enthralled by design. I’ve worked hard to learn the necessary skills to give the campaigns I craft a compelling message and an eye-catching visual style. I’m a wizard with Adobe Illustrator, if I do say so myself. I know my way around bulk email platforms like Constant Contact and MailChimp, and I’m also a quick study with platforms that are new to me.

4 Close with enthusiasm and passion

It’s tempting to wrap things up by saying something like “I look forward to hearing from you,” but resist the urge to do it. You’ve put in too much effort to write a cover letter that doesn’t sound canned to blow it now!

Your close should reflect your enthusiasm for your career. What do you love about the work? What are you fascinated by learning? Here’s the place to express it and show the employer that you’ve got drive and passion.

And, of course, here’s where you ask for the interview.

In my tool kit, I’ve got writing chops, an eye for visual design, and the drive to figure out what makes customers tick through data-driven analysis and A/B testing. I’m excited to meet with you to discuss how my skills and talents could play a vital role in the Stellar Widgets email marketing strategy.

Here’s a tip: Wondering whether you should sign off with Sincerely, Regards, or Best Wishes? Here’s some advice.

A Few Dos and Don’ts

Here are a few things to remember as you’re custom-crafting your employment opus.

• Do focus on what you could do for the company. Remember that you’re not begging them to hire you, you’re showing them why they need you.
• Don’t be overly formal. In most cases, it’s best to come off as personable and real rather than stuffy.
• Do consider asking someone else to read your draft to make sure you’ve struck the right tone and that everything is stated clearly. Try Tone Analyzer if you need some extra input.
• Don’t use the same cover letter for every job you apply for—customize it! It’s okay to start with a template, but make sure you customize parts of your cover letter to align it with the employer’s stated needs and interests.
• Do read your cover letter to yourself out loud. If you find yourself stumbling over anything, consider rewriting for clarity.
• Your cover letter is arguably the most important part of the application process, so be sure you invest time in writing one that shows off your skills in a way that a hiring manager can’t ignore. Demonstrate why the employer needs you on their team and you’re sure to score the interview.

How to Write a Good LinkedIn Summary: Powerful Tips and Examples

Imagine you were trying to get a job fifty years ago. You would find a job listing in a newspaper, set up an in-person interview, and walk in with your resume to introduce yourself to the company.

Today, LinkedIn has taken the place of the newspaper, your resume, and even that first meeting. Your presence on LinkedIn matters. In fact, 87 percent of recruiters will vet your candidacy by visiting your LinkedIn profile, according to data from Jobvite. So with this in mind, a great LinkedIn profile starts with a fantastic summary.

How to Write a Killer LinkedIn Summary (on a Live Example)

When setting out to write your summary, remember how LinkedIn users will interact with it on your profile. When someone goes to your profile, they’ll scan your title and location, see your photo, and notice if you have under 500 connections. After that, they’ll likely turn to your summary to get to know you. It’s the equivalent of a public cover letter: it gives your contacts a sense of who you are before they read what you’ve done.

Here’s a screenshot of my LinkedIn profile, for those of you following along at home.

Because it’s so visible (and often public), your summary is the best place to capture your potential new contacts’ attention and give them a glimpse of your personality. Therefore, the most important rule of writing a LinkedIn summary is to make it original. You are a unique, talented professional, and your summary should capture the things that make you the greatest social media manager, writer, banker, underwater basket-weaver, etc.

Before you start writing your LinkedIn summary, you should do two things. First, search for leaders in your field, and check out the key terms they use to describe themselves. These keywords will help your profile appear in LinkedIn’s search results. Then, ask yourself these questions, and jot down any surprising things you discover:

• Who am I at work?
• What are the core features and values of my personality?
• What unique perspectives and experience do I bring to my field?
• What original ideas have I brought to the place where I work now?

Here’s a tip: Don’t know which keywords to include? Try googling your job title and see which words are used in job postings, descriptions of your position, and other top search results.

After you’ve generated a few ideas, it’s time to draft. Check out these tips for structuring your summary.

3 Tips for Writing the Best LinkedIn Summary

Summaries don’t need to be long, but you might want to take a moment to plan and write yours. Here are a few tips to make your summary shine:

1 Write your summary in the first person. Unless you’re a celebrity or public figure, we all know you wrote it yourself.

2 Keep it short. Don’t say something in five words that could be said in two. Also, shoot for four to five paragraphs of no more than a sentence or two each.

3 Proofread everything multiple times. Read your LinkedIn summary out loud to make sure it sounds natural and eliminate mistakes.

Here’s a tip: Want a second set of eyes on your LinkedIn summary? Try Grammarly to keep your profile clear and mistake-free.

The Structure of a Good LinkedIn Summary

Authenticity and creativity are the hallmarks of a great summary, which is why most LinkedIn summaries feature distinct sections. Make sure you nail these to make your summary perfect.

The Opening Line

Writing an engaging opening line is key to drawing in potential employers, clients, partners, and contacts. To find your opener, just think: what is the first thing someone should know about me?

If you’re still stumped, try these tips for great first lines, and experiment! If you set a timer for ten minutes, you can probably write fifteen different opening lines. Then it’s just a matter of choosing the one that suits you.

The Pitch

After your first line (or first few lines), you’ll want to explain in the best way possible why you’re a rising star in your field. Remember those keywords we collected above? Now is the time to use them. Tell your readers what you’re passionate about, what you’re good at, and why these things matter.

If you need more help pitching yourself, check out these tips for writing a great pitch.

The Call to Action

After you’ve written three or four concise paragraphs, wrap it up. As you’re closing out your profile, consider the action you want your profile-viewer to take. Do you want them to email you if they’re interested in becoming a client? Do you want them to message you with job opportunities? Do you want them to tweet funny cat memes at you?

Whatever action you want people to take when reading your LinkedIn, list it at the end of your profile. In most cases, a simple “Message me with” or “Email me if” will suffice.

The Proof

Thought you were done with this whole LinkedIn thing? Wrong! Put your work samples where your mouth is.

Many LinkedIn gurus will suggest a “skills” or “strategies” list in your summary, both to pack in keywords and to show your skills at the top of your profile. If you have lots of relevant skills, certifications, or knowledge, feel free to include a list of your abilities. If that’s not your style, never fear! Attach samples of your work below your summary. Show off that video, slide deck, report, or publication that you finished recently. These embeds are very helpful in proving that you know what you’re talking about.

More Excellent LinkedIn Summary Examples

Need inspiration? Here are some real, live LinkedIn summaries you can use to guide your writing. Check them out, then leave your thoughts in the comments below. What similarities do you see between these summaries? Do you see any differences?

The Gold Standard: An Influencer’s LinkedIn Summary

Marianne Griebler is a two-time member of the LinkedIn Top Voices club, and with good reason. Her LinkedIn profile is polished yet original, and she produces high-quality articles on LinkedIn Publisher. Like everything else she writes, Marianne’s LinkedIn summary is top-notch.

What you say about yourself is almost as important as what you actually do.

So what words do you wish you could use? About your business? Your nonprofit? Your career? Your dreams?

If words are failing you, I’m here to help with clear, compelling messages targeted to the audience you want to reach. Maybe you’d like to do the writing yourself, with my coaching; maybe you’d like me to craft the content for you. You decide what makes the most sense for you.

I’m an award-winning marketing communicators strategist, writer and coach with deep experience on both for nonprofit and for-profit sides of the business world. A commitment to research will help us figure out the messages that will have the greatest impact on your audience … and on the goals you hope to achieve.

Contact me to set up a 20-minute call to talk about how I can help you with your messaging:

EMAIL: ______ PHONE: _______ Learn more about me on my website at _____; be sure to look at my testimonials to see what people say about working with me.

Specialties: Marketing communications | Content development | Coaching | Strategy | Branding | Brand management | Message development | LinkedIn | Digital marketing | Social media| Strategic thinking | Public relations | Job search | Project management

Surprising Celebrity: Shaq’s LinkedIn Summary

Shaquille O’Neal may not be the first person who’d come to mind when you think “great LinkedIn profile,” but his LinkedIn is a slam dunk. His summary is engaging, to-the-point, and explains his career transitions well. It’s definitely worth checking out.

During 19 seasons in the National Basketball League, I drove success on and off the court. I developed partnerships with global brands, pursued my academic interests in business and leadership and became the only current or former NBA player to hold three degrees: a bachelor’s, a master’s and a doctorate.

Basketball remains a big part of my life, whether it is providing NBA analysis on TV, serving as part-owner of the Sacramento Kings or appearing as a featured character in the latest video games. Since 1985, every NBA championship team has included a current or former teammate. I guess that makes me the Kevin Bacon of basketball.

Since retiring from the basketball court, I’ve expanded my brand relationships into one of the most diverse portfolios in the business world. As an early adopter of technology, I’ve identified innovative organizations as a serial tech investor. I work with brands that are household names such as Turner Networks, Reebok, IcyHot, AT&T and many other great companies. I also bring my business acumen to like-minded companies as a featured speaker at conferences and events nationwide.

Though I’m best known for basketball and business, my interests have always varied. I’ve released four studio albums and served as a sworn reserve officer in several law enforcement agencies across the country. I’ve collaborated on everything from fashion lines and jewelry to best-selling beverages and foods; from the latest technology products and games to children’s books.

Bonus: My Summary!

Want to see an average, everyday LinkedIn summary? Here’s the text of my summary, which was included above. Let me know what you think in the comments.

As a child, I once loaded up the entire Civil War section of my local library into a wagon, because I was going to write the next great work of 1860s historical fiction.

Although I never published my heavily referential short story, a spirit of intrigue and a voracious love to read have followed me to this day. In all aspects of my life, I gravitate toward three things: rapid innovation, unbridled creativity, and one hell of a challenge. For this reason, my interests range from stop-motion YouTube videos to discussing the sociological impact of comics, the judicious use of Google Analytics filters to the transformative power of the Oxford comma. I’m always in favor of the most effectively creative solution to a problem, even if it requires maximum effort.

Currently, I create engaging social experiences for a community of over 10 million bibliophiles and grammar nerds for Grammarly. Our free writing app ensures everything you type is easy to read, effective, and mistake-free. Want to know more about social strategy, effective creativity, or Grammarly? Message me here or at @allmystars on Twitter.

How to Make a Clear, Assertive Point Over Email

Giving someone a lot of work to do, taking on a new responsibility, asking for leeway, requesting a favor, disagreeing with someone, expressing a strong opinion, or just saying hi after a long radio silence—these topics are tough in conversation, and when you’re trying to broach a difficult subject over email, there can be even more at stake.

Grammarly has put together a guide of best practices for sending emails on difficult topics without coming across as aggressive, demanding, or rude. When the time comes for you to send such an email, make sure you take AIM.

What is AIM, you ask? It’s all about your Audience, Intent, and Message. It’s a useful tip for strategic communications in general and can come in extra handy when you’re writing an email with an unpleasant message, big request, or general bad news for your recipient.

Audience: The Big Picture

When you fire away email after email on a daily basis, you’re probably not thinking too hard about the hopes and dreams of every person you’re writing. But for the big, tough messages you have to send, take some time to think about your recipient and about using email to make your point.

Make sure email is the right medium for the message

With email, you have plenty of time to think through your message and carefully choose your words. However, you don’t get that human element that can make all the difference in some difficult interactions. Talking in person gives you the tools of tone of voice, facial expression, and body language. If you’re giving bad news, you can show that you’re sympathetic. If you’re asking for a raise, you can project confidence. Some conversations should take place in person.

That said, it’s also possible to craft your writing in a way that shows you’re a thinking, caring human—but it takes work. If you use email, choose your words carefully to convey the right tone to go along with the content of your message.

Know your recipient

Some people exchange pleasantries and personal stories over email before getting down to business. Other people read the subject line and click delete (or reply—but only if you’re lucky). If you know the person you’re emailing—or anything about them—you can probably hazard a guess about whether they’re the type of person who responds better to more lead-up and personal info or a short, pointed request.

For example, if you’re asking your cousin Fred to send you his professional-caliber photos of last summer’s family reunion, you’ll probably start off slow:

Subject: Hi and photos

Hi Fred!

I still have fond memories of our visit on the beach last summer! How did your bike race go over Labor Day weekend? If it was anything like our ride around the lake, I’m sure you made it onto the podium.

I remember you took a lot of photos over the weekend, and I’d love to revisit those memories. Would you mind sending me a few of your favorites?

Thanks, and looking forward to our next reunion!

Lots of nice family touches. And a few compliments don’t hurt either.

On the flip side, if you’re writing to a professor who gets hundreds of emails a day, it can be a good idea to put your request in the first line, or even in the subject line. For example:

Subject: Letter of recommendation by 1/15?

Dear Professor Stone,

I’m applying for a fellowship in New York this summer. Given my work as your research assistant, would you be willing to write me a letter of recommendation? Here is a link with more information.

Bottom line: especially if you really need a response, try to envision your email recipient’s habits and plan your message accordingly.

Intent: Define Your Goal

What’s the goal of your email? How do you want the recipient to respond? It might be helpful to open an empty “compose” box and write the goal of your email. Sure, you’ll do lots of rewording to make sure the final message is tactful, polite, and effective. But keeping that main idea front and center while you’re drafting will help you make sure that your reader knows exactly what to do.

Be strategic with your subject

For most recipients, you’re not going to make your request or give your news in the subject line; it takes some working up to. Write a subject that doesn’t give away the bottom line but does give a sense of what’s coming. Here are some words and phrases you might use:

• Planning for
• Reply by
• Request for
• Action needed
• Decision needed
• Signature needed

In dire circumstances there’s always the big, scary, all-caps “URGENT,” but if you’re trying to be tactful, try to avoid that one unless all else fails.

Put your ask up front

Nothing says confidence like coming right out with the bottom line at the top.

For example:

Dear Boss,

I want to manage the company’s next big case.

It might seem scary to make your demand right at the beginning, but it shows confidence, responsibility, and willingness to tackle a problem head-on. Especially if you’re asking for responsibility or you’re writing someone who gets mountains of emails every day, a good way to get what you want is to say that you want it from the get-go.

It’s all about structure

The ingredients: a subject that gets the recipient’s attention, a friendly greeting, a direct statement of the purpose of the email, any necessary detail, and a friendly sign-off.

The recipe: short, direct sentences to get your point across and paragraphs with clear, informative topic sentences. If you have a complicated message that can’t be conveyed in five or so sentences, use lists. Bullet points or numbered lists have several advantages:

• They’re easy to read
• They help highlight key details
• They prevent your email from looking like a wall of text

See?

Message: Choose Your Words with Care

You have your audience and your intent: now you need to craft your message so that it’s best suited for the audience, effectively gets across your intent, and helps you achieve your email goals. After you’ve written a polite, carefully worded email, take another look at your messaging. Especially if you’re asking for something or broaching a topic that the recipient might not be thrilled about, the importance of careful communication can’t be overstated.

Check your tone for anger, accusation, or sass

What you wrote might sound neutral to you, but words can come across as condescending or aggressive without a face and tone of voice to go along with them. If you’re sure email is the right way to communicate, make sure the email you write communicates the point in the right way.

Take this message, for example. In person, the words could be stated in a nice way, but in writing, they could come across as passive aggressive, bossy, or even rude.

Dear Kevin,

I wanted to check whether you’re going to finish your part of the group project in time. It’s due on Thursday, and your part is the last one we’re waiting for. Can you let me know if you’re going to finish your slides so we can wrap up the presentation?

Thanks, Brenda

Kevin may not be a great worker, but Brenda’s message might make him feel defensive or insulted. It might even backfire, making him not want to continue with the project. Brenda will have better luck with a message like this:

Dear Kevin,

I hope things are going well with you. Just checking in about your status on the group project to make sure we’re on the same page. As we agreed last week, you’re in charge of slides 4-6, and the presentation is due Thursday. Let me know if you want to go over anything in advance.

Thanks for your work on the project, and let me know if you have questions! Brenda

In general, if you’re saying something the recipient won’t want to hear, take these tips from Psych Central:

• Put yourself in the recipient’s shoes and write with empathy
• Avoid the word “should” or making the recipient feel guilty
• Don’t make threats or ultimatums
• It’s okay to offer advice, but don’t give it unless you’re asked

It’s all about treating the recipient like a human. And there’s more where that came from.

Add a human touch

If you’re writing something that could come across as accusatory or angry, or if you’re giving bad news, a few simple phrases can really help turn the tone around.

Here’s how Brenda softened what might have seemed like an accusation to Kevin:

• I hope things are going well with you (human touch)
• Just checking in (gentle nudge)
• Making sure we’re on the same page (giving the benefit of the doubt)
• Thank you for your hard work (acknowledging Kevin’s work so far—and making him feel like he’d better live up to the compliment)
• Let me know if you have questions (offering help)

Phrases like these can help soften a blow. And even if there’s not a blow, they can show a glimmer of humanity that makes any email a bit more pleasant to read and respond to.

Finally, remember your grammar

We couldn’t leave that one off the list. And not just because we kind of like grammar, but because writing full sentences with proper spelling and punctuation is an important part of communicating your point. Not only will writing properly ensure that you’re being clear, it will also make sure you look professional, self-assured, and thoughtful.

And those are very good adjectives on the path to getting what you want.

9 Awesome YouTube Accounts for Tech Enthusiasts

Whether it’s the latest tech industry innovations, what’s next in space travel, or the most obscure gadgets out there, there’s a lot happening in tech. How to keep up with the trends?

A lot of tech innovators and enthusiasts have launched YouTube channels to talk about tech news, provide product reviews and how-tos, and explore new experiments in tech that are just starting to make a splash. Here are nine of our favorite YouTube channels on a wide variety of tech-related topics.

CNET. 1.4M subscribers.

CNET has one of the best and most established tech-focused YouTube channels. They’ve got tutorials, interviews (hi, Mark Zuckerberg), advice for finding and using new devices, exclusive coverage of big conferences and tech events, and first looks at new releases including cars, home appliances, computers, smartphones and watches, and more. You’re bound to find all sorts of tidbits on anything you’re searching for (or didn’t even know you were searching for).

Mashable. 526K subscribers.

Mashable covers robots, jetpacks, VR, and other toys of the future, but also your present-day gadgets and gizmos. Mashable’s short, digestible videos can help you fix your current tech problems and also stay on the cutting edge.

MKBHD. 5M subscribers.

Marques “MKBHD” Brownlee is one of the most popular tech-focused YouTubers out there, and for good reason. His videos have good camera work and high-quality production value, and often a nice dash of humor. The content includes first impressions as Marques unboxes new gadgets, as well as explanations, features of his favorite hot tech, and answers to subscribers’ questions.

Tech Insider. 922K subscribers.

A spinoff of Business Insider, Tech Insider dives into big issues in tech. Sometimes there’s a business side to the inside scoop (a Tesla road trip, features on top-selling devices), but there are lots of videos that show the fun side to digital culture and tech innovations, too (inflatable obstacle courses, how deep the ocean is, scary VR games). For learning about how tech works and weird inventions that aren’t mainstream (yet), Tech Insider is a great hub.

Techquickie. 1.6M subscribers.

If you want tech, and you want it quick, Techquickie has got you covered. The videos are usually about five minutes and peppered with humorous asides. They generally fall into three categories: first, answering those questions you never knew you had (why do you have to use airplane mode? What’s a safe temperature for your computer? What are URLs, really?); second, fixes for your malfunctioning gadgets; and third, DIY projects for the technologically ambitious.

TechCrunch. 295K subscribers.

TechCrunch is like a bag of assorted candies where you can’t decide your favorite, so you just keep eating and eating. The formats range from interviews to news reports to talk shows (ish), and the topics include startups, space travel, transportation, gaming, Apple-focused news, robotics, and of course, gadget reviews. As far as range and depth of coverage, TechCrunch is one to beat.

Unbox Therapy. 8.6M subscribers.

It’s hard to imagine taking gadgets out of boxes as therapeutic until you’ve seen Unbox Therapy get into it. It’s no listening to the ocean, but it sure is entertaining. These videos, usually five to ten minutes, get into the nitty-gritty of a wide range of brand new tech. Some devices only show up once (how many $5,000 massage chairs can be there be?), but Lewis gets in-depth with video series that focus on different categories of products, like headphones, phone cases, speakers, and keyboards. Seriously, there’s a lot of variety in keyboards. Yes, there’s one made out of wood.

The Verge. 1.5M subscribers.

The Verge is another one with a lot of content and a ton of variety. They’ve got handy reviews and how-tos for the devices you’re likely to have, as well as series on things like space travel, consumer electronics events, and the latest experiments in technology, involving everything from airplanes to human emotions.

Grammarly. 100K subscribers.

Need a break from exploring tech’s latest and greatest, or maybe desperate to know whether you need an “affect” or an “effect” in your work report? Well, we’ve got you covered.

Need a break from exploring tech’s latest and greatest, or maybe desperate to know whether you need an “affect” or an “effect” in your work report? Well, we’ve got you covered. Grammarly’s YouTube channel explores the intersection of tech, writing right, and communication for business. Had to sneak that one in there.

This list scratches the surface, but there are tons of great tech-focused YouTube channels out there. What are your favorites? Join the brainstorm by sharing your picks in the comments section.