Category: Radix Podcast

The B2B Content Audio Blog #3: which B2B copywriter is best for you?

Posted on by The Radix Team

It’s rare to find one B2B copywriter who can do every kind of content well. So it’s important to understand how to match the right writer to each job.

In the third episode of our audio blogging pilot, David reads Radix’s most successful content of all time: Fiona’s wildly popular The seven types of B2B copywriter: which one is best for you?

As you’ll hear, choosing your copywriter depends on the challenge you are facing. The “creative copywriter” can come up with great campaign concepts, whereas the “explainer copywriter” will write you a stand-out white paper.

To discover the other five, and how to use them, click play.

Or, if you prefer a longer listen, like our monthly discussion podcast Good Copy, Bad Copy: the B2B Copywriting Podcast.

How to listen

You’re very welcome to use the player above, or download the episode here.

If you’d rather use your podcast app, you subscribe to us on iTunes, and there’s an RSS feed here.

Get in touch

If you find the audio blog format useful (or if you have a way to improve it), we really want to hear from you. Email [email protected], tweet at us, or leave an iTunes review.

Credits

Audio editing: Bang and Smash

Title music: “Chinny Reckon” by the Nye Bevans

The B2B Content Audio Blog #2: how to write the perfect B2B case study

Posted on by The Radix Team

B2B case studies are enduringly popular for one simple reason. They work.

In the second episode of our audio blog, putting our best content into an easy, listenable format, David reveals Kieran Haynes’ magic case study formula, recapping his definitive guide Everything you need to know about writing a B2B case study.

It covers everything from the research to the writing, and even handling feedback:

  • How to interview the customer to get useful background information
  • What structure you should use for a great case study
  • How to deal with amends from your client

If you prefer a longer listen, like our monthly discussion podcast Good Copy, Bad Copy: the B2B Copywriting Podcast.

How to listen

You’re very welcome to use the player above, or download the episode here.

If you’d rather use your podcast app, you subscribe to us on iTunes, and there’s an RSS feed here.

Get in touch

If you find the audio blog format useful (or if you have a way to improve it), we really want to hear from you. Email [email protected], tweet at us, or leave an iTunes review.

Credits

Audio editing: Bang and Smash

Title music: “Chinny Reckon” by the Nye Bevans

Podcast 65: handling feedback on your writing, and how to proofread well

Posted on by Katy Eddy

Every copywriter dreads getting a document back from a client covered in red markup and sharp comments.

But how do you deal with that feedback constructively? And how can you change the way you work to avoid getting more of it?

In our latest episode of Good Copy, Bad Copy, David sits down with pro proofreader Lorraine Williams of Lighthouse Proofreading, to talk about why proofing is so important, her tips for checking your own work, and why proofing isn’t a reliable way to make friends – though it is sort of useful for influencing people.

(Also, here’s Louise Harnby’s proofreading companion document, which Lorraine mentions in her interview.)

Then, David and Fiona delve into why we copywriters dread negative feedback so much, how to handle it, and why it’s so important to take it on the chin sometimes. They discuss:

  • Why you should be looking for patterns in your feedback
  • What you can do to mitigate imposter syndrome and assorted other reactions
  • How the stages of grief apply to copywriting feedback (they do, we promise)

And the training notes Fiona mentions? They’re here:

8 Stages of copywriting feedback

Finally (and most importantly), I’ve finally added my own nomination to our B2B Content Hall of Fame. Tune in to hear me wax lyrical for a few glorious minutes about Drawbotics’ wonderful 3D floorplans of TV’s most famous offices.

Thanks once again to Lorraine Williams, both for joining this episode and for being one of our favourite contributors to date.

Announcement: new podcast ahoy…

We’re piloting a new podcast series, called The B2B Content Audio Blog. It’s a short, easy listen, and we’d love to know what you think.

Want to contact the show?

Comments, questions and ideas from our esteemed audience are always welcome. You can send them our way via @radixcom on Twitter or [email protected] (you can even email us a voice memo, if that floats your boat).

How to listen…

You can download the episode here (right-click and “save-as” to download). Or stream the episode in the player at the top of the page.

(Alternatively, you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here. Or maybe add our RSS to your preferred podcast player.)

Credits:

Podcast editing and music by Bang and Smash

Disclaimer: since this podcast is about proofreading, there will *obviously* be errors in this blog post. This is sod’s law.

The B2B Content Audio Blog #1: B2B blog length and pricing

Posted on by The Radix Team

In recent years, changes to search algorithms have started rewarding quality. That’s just one reason why blog posts are getting longer, better researched… and more expensive.

This is the first of our new audio blog series, putting some of our most popular, interesting and useful content into an easy, listenable format.

In it, David recaps his 2017 post: Good news for clients: we’re raising our blog writing prices.

It explains why we’ve added new, longer blog options, and built in extra time to our other posts too. Now that search algorithms reward quality, we want to spend more time creating better thought-out posts.

You’ll also hear about:

  • The six kinds of blog post we write most often
  • The benefits of longer, better-researched content
  • Why the average blog just keeps getting longer

You might also like our longer, monthly discussion podcast Good Copy, Bad Copy: the B2B Copywriting Podcast.

How to listen

For now, you can use the player above, or download the episode here.

UPDATE: you can now subscribe to us on iTunes, and there’s an RSS feed here.

Get in touch

If you find the audio blog format useful (or even if you detest it), we really want to hear from you. Email [email protected], or tweet at us.

Credits

Audio editing: Bang and Smash

Title music: “Chinny Reckon” by the Nye Bevans

Podcast 64: data v creativity, and SEO copywriting for B2B

Posted on by The Radix Team

Technology and data are sometimes accused of killing creativity within B2B copywriting, but is it a wrongful conviction?

In the newest episode of Good Copy, Bad Copy, SEO expert Tom Telford from 3WhiteHats explains how search engine data can be a helpful content creation tool, and what copywriters can gain when they keep search engine optimisation in mind.

You’ll also hear Fiona and David talk about their experiences balancing data and creativity. Key discussion points include:

  • What is the real killer of creativity?
  • Has creativity declined since the golden age of advertising?
  • Can technology help us to be more creative?
  • What does SlideShare have in common with skateboarding?

Finally, Fiona introduces her newest addition to the B2B Content Hall of Fame. It’s Salesforce… for everything they’ve produced.

Thanks again to Tom for talking with us.

Links to stuff we talked about:

SEO things:

Data v creativity things:

Want to contact the show?

We want to hear from you. Find us on twitter at @radixcom, or email your questions, voice memos, thoughts and ideas to [email protected]

How to listen…

You can download the episode here (right-click and “save-as” to download). Or stream the episode in the player at the top of the page.

(Or you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here. Alternatively, add our RSS to your preferred podcast player.)

Credits:

Audio editing and music by Bang and Smash.

Podcast 63: writing B2B copy for international audiences

Posted on by The Radix Team

Knowing the copy you are writing will be translated into another language can have a huge impact on the way you approach it.

What vocabulary can, or can’t you use? Are there cultural differences that you should consider?

In this episode of Good Copy, Bad Copy, David talks to Anja Jones of AJT Translation, to get a first-hand account of the factors that can affect a translator’s job – from figurative language to technical jargon – and what she’d like copywriters to do about it.

Recognising how translating copy can influence its underlying message, Anja explores how to use localisation and transcreation to keep your communications consistent throughout a campaign.

You’ll also hear Fiona and Radix’s head of copy team, Matt, discuss ways to ensure your copy doesn’t produce problems for translators. A few key points being:

  • Don’t compromise good copy for easy translation
  • Avoid ambiguous words with multiple meanings
  • Keep the intent of the copy clear

Finally, we induct another nominee into the Radix B2B Hall of Fame. Nick explains why he chose to blog about Air Charter Service: a company that supplies private jets to the rich and famous – not to mention some high profile world leaders too.

Thanks again to Anja for talking with us. You can find out more about AJT Translation here.

Want to contact the show?

We love to hear from you. You can find us on Twitter… or you can send over your thoughts, questions or ideas to [email protected] (or email us a voice memo!).

How to listen…

You can download the episode here (right-click and “save-as” to download). Or stream the episode in the player at the top of the page.

(Or you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here. Alternatively, add our RSS to your preferred podcast player.)

Credits:

Audio editing and music by Bang and Smash.

Podcast 62: content strategy, and how B2B web writing has changed

Posted on by The Radix Team

In a world where design dominates new website projects, copy often comes as an afterthought, or gets overlooked completely.

But why?

Great web copy is a vitally important part of any website. Get it wrong, and your customers will likely drop off because it doesn’t give them anything useful. Get it right though, and you get better page views, less page drop-off, and – most importantly – more conversions.

In the latest episode of Good Copy, Bad Copy, David and Fiona talk about writing web copy, content strategy, and what it takes to run a successful web copy project from start to finish.

Listen now to learn:

  • How we recently managed a successful web copy project for a large international client
  • What you should consider when briefing a writer on a web copy project
  • How strategist Irene Triendl sees the crossover between copywriting and content strategy

We also announce which piece of content is the latest to make it into our B2B Content Hall of Fame this month.

How to listen:

You can download the episode here (right-click and “save-as” to download). Or stream the episode in the player at the top of the page.

(Or you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here. Alternatively, add our RSS to your preferred podcast player.)

Credits:

Audio editing and music by Bang and Smash.

Podcast 61: what can you buy to improve your B2B writing?

Posted on by Katy Eddy

Every writer has a bit of kit they swear by. Monitors, software, file storage – you name it, someone has an opinion on it.

And as it turns out, George has a lot of strongly held opinions about these things.

In his recent magnum opus, The Professional Copywriter’s Essential Kit List, George gave us a detailed run down of the most important tech a copywriter – or, indeed, a marketer who often finds themselves turning their hand to writing – should have to do their best work.

And in this episode of Good Copy, Bad Copy, he joins David and Fiona to discuss those key purchases in more detail, and answer questions about computers, word processors, and keyboards (which are more complicated than you might expect).

Questions like:

  • Does a copywriter need a Mac, or are you better off with a PC?
  • Is there a realistic alternative to Microsoft Word?
  • Do you need a standalone audio recorder, or will your smartphone do?
  • Should professional copywriters use Grammarly?
  • What is a mechanical keyboard switch (and are they worth the money)?

To help, we have some excellent contributions from our friends on Twitter, giving opinions on their best-ever work purchases, so thanks again to Tom Albrighton, Laura Sutton, Leif Kendall, Anna Gunning, Matt Turner, Lyssa-Fêe Crump, and everyone else who gave us their input.

We received lots of recommendations, including for Airstory, WriterDuet, oTranscribe and Deskmate. (You can see the whole thread on Twitter, here.) And Fiona calls ProWorkflow “one of the most effortless pieces of time recording software that I’ve ever come across”.

You’ll also hear from the rarely seen Kieran Haynes of senior copywriter and content lead fame, as he adds his nomination to our B2B Content Hall of Fame: the CB Insights newsletter.

(Oh, and the first thrilling instalment of “Fiona talks about chairs”.)

Want to contact the show?

We had some great contributions from our friends and listeners in this month’s episode – and we’re always looking for more voices to add to the mix. You’ll find us on Twitter… or feel free to send your thoughts, jokes, questions, suggestions, complaints or keyboard switch colour preferences to [email protected] (better still, email us a voice memo).

How to listen…

You can download the episode here (right-click and “save-as” to download). Or stream the episode in the player at the top of the page.

(Or you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here. Alternatively, add our RSS to your preferred podcast player.)

Credits:

Audio editing and music by Bang and Smash.

Podcast 60: the lowdown on B2B messaging workshops

Posted on by George Reith

If your business has more than one person communicating externally, you’ll know it’s hard to keep messaging consistent across your sales and marketing, and make sure everyone always has the right personas in mind.

One way to solve this issue is a messaging workshop – and it can also sharpen your elevator pitch, and give you a matrix of powerful, multi-use copy blocks to boot.

In the newest episode of Good Copy, Bad Copy, George and Fiona dig deep into what these workshops are all about.

Listen now to find out:

  • Why consistent messaging is so important
  • Who should attend messaging workshops
  • What you really get out of a messaging workshop

(If you’d like a more detailed rundown of how a messaging workshop works, you’ll find Fiona’s in-depth blog post here.)

Also, copywriter Ben Philpott explains why he nominated Zoom’s “A Video Conference Call in Real Life” as our inaugural B2B Content Hall of Fame inductee.

Want to contact the show?

We want to hear from you. You’ll find us on Twitter… or feel free to send your thoughts, jokes, questions, suggestions, complaints or hat recommendations to [email protected] (better still, email us a voice memo).

Next month, we’ll be going shopping for essential copywriting kit, and inducting another member into our B2B Content Hall of Fame. 

How to listen…

You can download the episode here (right-click and “save-as” to download). Or stream the episode in the player at the top of the page.

(Or you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here. Alternatively, add our RSS to your preferred podcast player.)

Credits:

Audio editing and music by Bang and Smash.

Podcast 59: writing email subject lines, B2B InTech 2018

Posted on by The Radix Team

Here’s a simple fact. Your B2B marketing email can be as good as you want, and if your subject line’s no good, nobody will read it.

But here’s where things get really meta… even if your subject line is brilliant, two thirds of your audience are still not going to open your email. That means, most of the time, the subject line and preview text is the only part that will reliably get read.

We tend to think of subject lines as a functional thing, just to get the email opened. But more often than not, they’re all the copy you’ve got.

In this episode of Good Copy, Bad Copy: The B2B Copywriting Podcast, we’re joined by senior copywriter and content lead Steve George, who’ll share:

  • His five go-to approaches for B2B email subject lines
  • How mobile usage is affecting subject line copywriting (in more ways than you think)
  • Why we might need to think differently about what a subject line is for
  • Whether his choice of hat makes a difference to voice and tone

You can also hear our special report from B2B InTech 2018, where we’ll recap favourite sessions, and talk to senior tech marketers, like Scott Stockwell of IBM’s Watson IoT and Malin Liden from SAP, about what they got out of the day.

Want to contact the show?

We want to hear from you. You’ll find us on Twitter… or feel free to send your thoughts, jokes, questions, suggestions, complaints or hat recommendations to [email protected] (better still, email us a voice memo).

Next month, we’ll be talking about what you can expect from a messaging workshop, and inducting the first member to our B2B Content Hall of Fame. 

 

Ways to listen…

You can download the episode here (right-click and “save-as” to download). Or stream the episode in the player at the top of the page.

(Or you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here. Alternatively, add our RSS to your preferred podcast player.)

 

Credits:

Thanks to Scott Stockwell, Sinead, Lukas, Laura Sutton, Malin Liden and Alysha Ferris for allowing David to interrupt your day, and speaking with such clarity.

Audio editing and music by Bang and Smash.