Recently, I was the editorial director for a startup called Peppy, which earlier this year launched an employee-benefit app in the US. 

 

I was the company’s second employee outside of the UK, where it’s based. I populated the app with hundreds of clinically approved articles and videos on hormone imbalances, prostate disorders, period problems, erectile dysfunction, sexual health, and other specialized health topics.

One metric I often looked at in this role was user satisfaction, which we gauged with a simple poll at the bottom of articles. Seriously, it was simple; it looked like this: 🙂😐🙁

 

In this poll, 93% of users gave my content a positive review. The remaining balance was largely neutral. The poopy sad face captured just 1% of clicks.  
 

Keep in mind that speed, volume, and clinical accuracy were my highest priorities. In order to hit its ambitious launch deadlines, Peppy had to build a robust editorial product at lightening speed. With that caveat, 93% approval feels pretty dang great. 

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Prior to working at Peppy, I was an executive editor at an agency that ran content marketing campaigns for healthcare clients. My accounts included a Medicare brokerage firm, an Rx discount program, and an initiative to teach people how to save money on medical costs (which was sponsored by a major healthcare company).

In this role, I launched websites, developed social media strategies, and oversaw a daily publishing blog that filled the top of the sales funnel. On the strength of a strong SEO game, I increased organic traffic by roughly 400% in one year. 

 

What really works in copy? 
Audiences are moving targets. Algorithms change and user behavior is fickle. But one thing you can always rely on is clean copy that's useful, inspiring, and interesting. 

 

Surprising advice, thoughtful perspectives, and heartfelt stories will never lose relevance. And that's where my magazine background has been useful.  
 

Early in my career I wrote and edited nutrition content for "Eat This, Not That!," a series of books laid out like magazines. I followed that with six years editing print articles at Men's Health, and I've since edited print for both Men's Journal and Entrepreneur magazines.

 

These experiences have given me the editorial discipline to identify the meat of every idea — the part that nourishes the readers' imagination — and carve it free from the tired clichés, useless modifiers, and pointless asides.
 

See, unlike digital platforms, magazines have limited space. You might only get a few hundred words on a page, so every one has to work hard. As a print editor, you learn to trim away everything that doesn't serve your audience.

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Doing this day after day teaches you an invaluable lesson: Whatever point you're making, you can probably do it in half as many words. Murder your darlings, as they say. Kill you babies. It hurts, but it demonstrates your brand's competence, saves the reader time, and increases the odds that they'll come back.

 

SEO can be important for getting people to your page, but it's the execution that determines whether they become fans of your brand. 

I'm currently looking for my next big project, so if you'd like to learn more about me, follow the email link below or click through the tabs at the top of this site.  

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