fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Marc Rademacher Interview
By: Bailey Bassett
Tags: Basketball, Recreation, Pickup, Sports, Fort Collins

According to the city of Fort Collins website, Marc Rademacher is the Recreation Supervisor for the City of Fort Collins Recreation Department. Marc has worked for the City of Fort Collins Recreation Department for 20 years. Currently Rademacher manages youth and adult sports, youth programs and fitness programs. Marc is also active in several local and statewide recreation-related associations such as Colorado Parks and Recreation Association, Colorado Association of Recreational Athletics and Hershey Youth Programs. I interviewed Marc over email, discussing recreation programs in Fort Collins, and emphasizing basketball offerings.

Bailey: What is your role within the recreation department, and what are some of the roles you have?

Marc: I am a Recreational Manager for the City of Fort Collins, I manage the Northside Atzlan Community Center, Foothills Activity Center, the Farm at Lee Martinez, and several program areas including youth and adult athletics for the City of Fort Collins.

Bailey:Do you know where are some of the places to play pickup basketball games off of CSU’s campus?

Marc: Two great places to play in Fort Collins is at Northside Atzlan Community Center. Every day from 11–2 there is drop in noon ball. When the weather is cooperating Rolland Moore Park has 5 outdoor courts, 2 of which have a color coat that gets drop in games going on most evenings Spring — Fall.

Bailey: How can one get involved with basketball leagues in Fort Collins?

Marc: The City offers several basketball leagues throughout the year for adults (18+). Information on the leagues can be found in the Recreator or by calling the athletics staff at 416–2528

Bailey: How is the competition and who can play in these leagues?

Marc: The league is open to anyone. Teams are self formed, there is a list for individuals that are looking for a team, that list is given to managers that are looking for players. We offer different levels from Recreational to competitive. We also offer Coed leagues.

Bailey: What other activities does Fort Collins offer recreationally?

Marc: The City offers many activities for people of all ages. You can find our offerings at fcgov.com/recreator. Adult sports we offer, slow pitch softball, fastpitch softball, flag football, volleyball, ultimate frisbee and basketball

Marc can be reached at mrademacher@fcgov.com
Lonzo Ball Opens Up About Big Baller Brand Fiasco — WearTesters
By: Kuan Lee
Tags: Basketball, NBA, Lonzo Ball, Big Baller Brand, Sneakers

Months after the falling out between Lonzo Ball and the Big Baller Brand, Ball finally breaks the silence and takes us behind the scenes regarding the crumbling of the brand.

In an interview during his teammate Josh Hart’s podcast, Lonzo Ball talked about the relationship issues between his father LaVar Ball and him after co-founder Alan Foster stole money from the brand. However, Ball has also stated that he and his father has patched things up and the brand is not dead yet despite the rift.

In the podcast, Ball also disclosed that the original model of the BBB Zo2s were not ready for on court action and the then Lakers guard had to switch pairs every quarter because the sneakers kept ripping. This also explains why Lonzo were in and out of sneakers from different brands during summer league and the early portion of his rookie season. On a bigger note, this might explain why customer orders were delayed and Ball’s ankle were injured for nearly half a season because the sneakers simply weren’t ready.

Ball opening up about the conditions of the BBB product may hinder its chances to continue the brand with the already skeptical customers now more doubtful than ever. What are your thoughts regarding the Big Baller Brand during the latest development? Sound off in the comment section below.

The podcast also details Lonzo Ball’s career growth, on court and off court issues, and more. Link below for the full podcast.

Source via lightharted podcast

Image via SLAM
Toronto Raptors vs Philadelphia 76ers Free Game 6 Pick, 5–9–2019
By: Sports Picks Forum
Tags: Basketball, NBA, Sports Betting, Sports, Gambling

Free NBA Playoff Pick by Tanner Edwards of SportsPicksForum.com

Toronto Raptors vs Philadelphia 76ers

Time: Thursday, May 9, 8:00 PM EST

Odds: Sixers +2, 213

Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinal will tip off tonight in Philadelphia with the Toronto Raptors leading this series 3–2 as they look to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals with a win. The Raptors have taken control of this series after back-to-back wins over the Sixers but now the series shifts back to Philadelphia with the Raptors favored by -2 on the road.

The Raptors managed to bounce back from a 2–1 series deficit and are now one game away from playing the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals. Toronto annihilated the 76ers 125–89 in Game 5 to take a 3–2 series lead and it appeared the Raptors sucked the life out of the Sixers. Kawhi Leonard is averaging 31.2 points and 8.2 rebounds in the series and the Sixers defense has not been able to slow down the All-Star forward. Power forward Pascal Siakam posted his fourth 20-point outing of the series when he tallied 25 points in the Game 5 win. Toronto held the Sixers to a playoff-low 89 points in a great defensive effort that completely shut down Joel Embidd. The Raptors will need to keep up the defensive intensity in Game 6 to clinch the series.

The 76ers have their back up against the wall with their season on the line as they head back to their home court where they were 34–12 on the season. Philadelphia didn’t show up in Game 5 and C Joel Embiid has looked like a shell of himself in this series, averaging 10+ fewer points than he did in the regular season. Ben Simmons has also disappeared in this series and is averaging 9.4 points per game in this series, after averaging 16.9 points per game during the regular season. Simmons’ inability to shoot the ball has really hurt this Sixers offense and he makes it more difficult for his teammates to get open looks with poor spacing. The 76ers turned the ball over 19 times which led to 31 points from Toronto. Bad turnovers have plagued the Sixers all season and the issue is magnified in the playoffs.

You have to question how the Sixers will respond coming off their worst game of the playoffs? Embiid’s health has been a mystery and this team can not win without the All-Star center contributing on both ends of the floor. Jimmy Butler has stepped up his game in the playoffs and is trying to will this team to a win. The Sixers home crowd will certainly try their best at motivating this once exciting team. I liked the Raptors in 7 games before the series started and I will stick with my prediction. Philadelphia is capable of stealing Game 6 as they are backed into a corner but they will need Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris to come out of hiding. I’ll back the Sixers +2 as home dogs in Game 6 as they make an effort to save face in this series.

Raptors vs Sixers FREE NBA Pick: Philadelphia 76ers +2
Demanding Trades: The NBA Process
By: Sean Lebeauf
Tags: Basketball, Sports Features, Sports, NBA

Trades are an important part of the NBA and the strategies behind it. However, there a still a wide variety of misconceptions regarding how players are traded. The process is more complex than one manager simply calling another and asking for a swap, as many might imagine.

Individuals Involved

Every trade requires the participation of a variety of individuals. Not only is the general manager involved, but they also have help from their assistant managers. Other key people include consultants, capologists, analytics experts, scouts , and occasionally even outside coaches.

Capologists play one of the most important roles. They are constantly looking at other teams’ books, and trying to determine potential swaps for salary reasons. Analytics experts share information about potential acquisitions, and keep an eye out for undervalued players who might be a good fit for their team. Scouts work by gathering information about other teams and their players, and any other teams’ possible future actions.

Work Behind the Scenes

A trade demands significant effort. Front offices are constantly trying to improve their team, and learn as much information as possible. This is a year-round process. Teams start their research during the pre-draft phase when they interview prospective players. During the interview, they create a file that they’ll continually add to as time goes on. Teams try to keep a conversation going year round. That way, when they approach a player they’re interested in, they’re able to continue the conversation instead of beginning a new one.

At the beginning of the season, executives are reluctant to show their hand, and instead choose to see how their team performs. As the season progresses, discussions become more frequent. The executive will slowly discover which teams are interested in picking up new players, and which players are available.

Trade Talks and the Media

Media is another influential factor. When trades are leaked to the media, managers lose leverage, and players may become upset, which affects their performance on the court. To prevent leaks, managers try to make deals one-on-one either in person or over the phone.

Occasionally, however, executives purposefully leak information to the media . Normally this is done by younger executives who want to become a general manager in the future. They hope that by providing the media with details, the media will be on their side when they try to make their move. Other executives may trade information with the media, offering some information in return for details about another team or player.

The next time you hear about NBA trades, you’ll have a solid understanding of what goes on behind-the-scenes, key influential individuals, and the role that media plays.
5 Sleepers and Busts in the 2021 NBA Draft
By: Ethan Elbert
Tags: Sports, NBA, Basketball, NBA Draft

Sleeper 2: Trey Murphy III, G, Virginia

Trey Murphy III averaged 11.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in his Junior season, which was his first at Virginia

It seems that the biggest knock on Murphy is that he doesn’t have star potential. I don’t see the issue with that. Murphy is projected to be a late first rounder or early second rounder, far after all of the players with “star potential” are gone. He would be a much better selection for a team already in the playoff race. His shot is lethal, especially in catch and shoot scenarios, and with his stifling length (6'9" with a 7'1" wingspan) and athleticism allow him to defend the 1–4 with ease. He isn’t a great passer, but he should play as a 3 and D wing, always on the court with a primary playmaker, negating the problem. The only two real issues with Murphy are that he’s already 21 and that he doesn’t really create his own shot, but he knows his roll as a spot up shooter, and is incredible at it (he shot 50/43/93 at Virginia despite taking mostly threes). Another plus, the points he scored in each game were almost directly correlated to how many shots he got, meaning he rarely had off nights, and just needed to be incorporated in Virginia’s offense better.
How To Make A Basketball in Unity with Materials and Textures? 🏀
By: Rajat Kumar Gupta
Tags: Technology, Basketball, Game Development, Materials, Unity Game Development

Overview

In this article, you will learn how to make a basketball using Materials and Textures in Unity. This microconcept can be extended to create any kind of ball i.e football, tennis ball, snooker balls. That said, it is not just limited to creating balls. You should be able to use this concept to customize the look of any type of geometry(or mesh).

Here is what you will create👇🏻

Basketball🏀

Think of the basketball as a sphere wrapped around with a pretty paper.

Let’s get started.

Pre-requisites

Your sample scene should have —

A plane A sphere with a custom material

This tutorial is based on the techniques mentioned in an earlier one👇🏻.

Step 1: Create a folder that contains all the textures

To keep things organized, let’s create a folder that will contain all the textures.

Right-click in Assets Panel > Create > Folder > Name it “Textures”

Step 2: Download a texture

Since we need a texture for a basketball, simply download one online. A texture is just an image in .png or .jpg format. For now, you can download the basketball texture from here.

P.S — Make sure you have the appropriate license to use a texture that you download. The above ones are free to use.

Step 3: Drop the texture into your Unity project

Drag and drop the downloaded texture into the “Textures” folder that you created in Step 1 above.

Step 4: Apply the downloaded texture to the sphere

It is important that your sphere has a custom material in this step. Otherwise, you will not be able to view or modify the various properties of the Material.

Drag and drop the downloaded texture to the box at the left of the Albedo property.

Step 5: Make your basketball bounce

You can do this by following this tutorial that I wrote earlier👇🏻

That’s it!🎉

You successfully used Materials and Textures to create a basketball. Now, you can do the same for all your games or AR/VR experiences that you develop.

Different types of balls behave differently. Try experimenting around with the bounciness and tweaking the different parameters of the Rigid Body Component attached to the sphere to create a golf ball, a football, or a tennis ball.

Enjoy!👏🏻

This article was also published in FreeCodeCamp.
In Due Time: Story of Miami’s Dewayne Dedmon
By: Britneé Davis
Tags: Miami Heat, Dewayne Dedmon, Basketball, NBA, Miami

“Coach.. My name is Dewayne Dedmon. I want to play basketball.” Those words quoted in a 2011 Sports Illustrated article is where it all started for new Miami Heat center DeWayne Dedmon.

While some athletes utter those words as soon as they can speak, that isn’t Dedmon’s testimony. The seven-footer didn’t start his basketball journey until his senior year of high school.

You read that right, 12th grade.

It wasn’t because he didn’t want to before then, it’s because he wasn’t allowed to.

As a Jehovah’s Witness, Dedmon’s mother believed allowing her son to join a team was a sign of him showing allegiance to something other than God.

Once Dedmon turned 18, he took a stand and decided to go his own way.

After a solid senior season at Lancaster High School, he started his college career at Antelope Valley College before ending up at USC.

The mindset he had going into his first game at USC in 2011 has become his identity over his 8-year NBA career.

“I’m gonna play hard every game.. And that’s what you can expect every game. I’m gonna give 100 percent,” Dedmon told a USC reporter.

It had been a while since Dedmon was able to meet those expectations, though. He was traded by the Hawks to Detroit in November 2020 and the Pistons immediately waived him.

It would be almost six months before he’d play ball again. The Heat signed him in April at the NBA roster deadline.

“I was at the crib just working out and was available for any team that would call,” he said in his first interview with the team.

To some fans, it might seem like Dedmon came out of nowhere. A random pick up without much thought.

But that was far from true, according to Head Coach Erik Spolestra. Dedmon actually played with the Heat in the 2013 Summer League.

“We’ve always been a fan of his grit, to be able to get into this league and then create the career that he has, and then play specific roles on different teams that he’s been on, something that we’ve always taken notice of,” Spo told the Sun Sentinel.

“We’ve always just kind of kept in touch and connected with him. And the timing was great for us.”

The Heat’s need for size was exposed in their NBA Finals loss to the Lakers. LA with 7 players 6’9 or taller, while the Heat had 3.

“They were in need for a big and a rim protector and I felt like that one fit.” Dedmon said.

In nine games with the Heat, Dedmon is already averaging 7 points and 5 rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench, only trailing starters Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler in rebounds.

As Miami closes in on their final seven games of the season, there’s no doubt Dedmon will play a huge role going into the playoffs.

And Heat star Jimmy Butler agrees.

“He plays incredibly hard, he’s unselfish and he takes all the right shots.. He’s a pro’s pro,” Butler said.

“He comes in, he stars in his role and he’s not handed anything. I think he has earned every trip up and down that floor and every minute that he has been given.”
Tips for Good Form When Shooting a Basketball
By: Luke Stankavage
Tags: Basketball

Dedicated student and athlete Luke Stankavage splits his time between schoolwork and basketball. A member of the National Honor Society, Luke Stankavage plays varsity basketball at Ardrey Kell High School in North Carolina and is one of the top players on his team because he spends time honing his basketball skills.

To improve your basketball shooting skills, begin by analyzing both your stance and grip before each shot. In terms of stance, keep your feet shoulder-width apart and slightly bend your knees. Keep both of your feet facing the basket and place them together or staggered, depending on what is most comfortable for you.

Regarding grip, spread your fingers just wide enough that you can balance the ball in a single hand. Hold the ball on your finger pads, not your palm, and place your non-shooting hand, also known as your balance or guiding hand, on the side of the ball so you have some control over the direction of your shot. This hand does not move as you deliver the shot.

During the shooting process, check how your body moves. Keep your elbow comfortably under the ball as you make your shot. Meanwhile, uncoil your legs, core, and arms as the shot progresses. You want to shoot tall so your entire body is uncoiled and your wrist and elbow make a straight line from your body to the basket.
Jimmy Butler’s Greatest Moments! — Courtsideheat
By: Court Side Heat
Tags: Jimmy Butler, Basketball, Courtsideheat, NBA, Highlights

Jimmy Butler’s Greatest Moments!

Jimmy Butler’s Greatest Moments!

Jimmy Butler’s Greatest Moments!

This is Jimmy Butler’s greatest moments! These will shock you, impress you, and wish you had more of him. This is why he has been successful throughout his NBA career, he is also a proven leader. You might think we are crazy about him being Mamba-like, but he is in some aspects. Don’t believe us? Check it out for yourself!

Check out our social media:

@courtsideheatnba (Instagram)

@courtsideheat (Twitter)

@courtsideheat (Facebook)

Wanna be a writer… FOR FREE?

Also, for everyone that is looking to write basketball articles or just to show off their writing creativity, this is for YOU! CourtSideHeat came out with this new program where YOU AS THE WRITER, THE AUTHOR, can create your own masterpiece of an article for CourtSideHeat.com. It is really simple, just hit us up on email at CourtSideHeat13@gmail.com; and just send us your ideas/content and we will be published you as the author for free. You can have your name next to your content; plus be shared through our social media, and get tons of people to read your exciting, creative article.

Get to know more about our content and our shop!

Check out the NBA Finals Recap of Game 6, the game that made the Laker’s champions! You need to read the article to fully understand what happened, what went wrong, and so much more! https://courtsideheat.com/full-recap-of-the-lakers-nba-finals-victory/

If you would like to visit our store on Mercari than click here: https://www.mercari.com/u/892211489/
LeBron vs Jordan
Tags: Basketball, Stats, NBA, LeBron James, Michael Jordan

Settling the debate: who’s the GOAT?

The graphic above looks at LeBron and Jordan’s total career stats. In summary, LeBron leads Jordan in every statistical category except steals in the regular season. Jordan tops LeBron in every single category for hardware (MVP, Finals MVP, rings, DPOY) except ROY which they both won.

Let’s look at their per game stats.

LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

LeBron James career stats

27.1 PPG

7.4 RPG

7.4 APG

1.6 SPG

0.8 BPG

LeBron James career playoff stats

28.8 PPG

9.0 RPG

7.2 APG

1.7 SPG

1.0 BPG

172–88 record (.662)

LeBron James career Finals stats

28.4 PPG

10.2 RPG

7.8 APG

1.7 SPG

0.8 BPG

22–33 record in Finals games (.400)

Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls

Michael Jordan career stats

30.1 PPG

6.2 RPG

5.3 APG

2.3 SPG

0.8 BPG

Michael Jordan career playoff stats

33.4 PPG

6.4 RPG

5.7 APG

2.1 SPG

0.9 BPG

119–60 record (.665)

Michael Jordan career Finals stats

33.6 PPG

6.0 RPG

6.0 APG

1.8 SPG

0.7 BPG

24–11 record in Finals games (.686)

—

A couple of advance stats comparisons:

• LeBron has a 27.5 career PER, Jordan has a 27.9 career PER (second-highest and the highest PER of all-time, respectively)

• LeBron is a plus-6,839 and Jordan is a plus-1,438 in +/- in their careers (note: LeBron has played 7,541 more minutes than Jordan)

—

Another way to look at it: Jordan played 48,485 minutes in his career (regular season and playoffs). Let’s compare his total stats to LeBron’s first 48,485 career minutes (regular season and playoffs).

Tell us your who your GOAT is on Twitter @statmuse. Thanks for reading!

All stats were found via StatMuse and are accurate as of the date of publication.
How frequently should you mail to your list? How often should you include a sales message in them?
Tags: Email Marketing Tips, Marketing, Copywriting Tips, Email Marketing, Email Marketing Lists

How frequently should you mail to your list?

How often should you include a sales message in them? AlexisSACondillac Nov 9, 2019·2 min read

Those are the two most frequently asked questions regarding e-mail marketing(besides how to get a list).

Well, you don’t need to look more for the answers.

You should always mail your list biweekly, and exactly 86.4% of your mails should include a sales pitch.

Now, i would love to say that it was actually that simple. However, deep down, you probably know that it isn’t so.

And I’m saddened to say that the correct answer — as with many other questions — is: it depends.

You can run a successful mail campaign, that involves multiple sales pitches A DAY, if your list is expecting to get pitched frequently.

However if you run the mailing list Weekly Free Gardening Tips, your readers won’t be pleased once they see that they are getting an ad in their mailbox every two hours.

You can pretty much get away with everything, once you set up the expectations of the members of your list accordingly. They should know how many emails they can expect from you monthly, weekly or even daily. And once the expectations are set, and you consistently follow up, they can say to themselves “yes, that is indeed what i signed up for”. This can actually create some kind of trust between you and them, as you are delivering according to the expectations that you set for yourself.

This goes pretty much for both questions(frequency of mailings and frequency of sales pitches).

You can set up the expectation for free information without any advertisement in them, but then you have to deliver accordingly, or your unsubscribe rate will increase very quickly. Another question is whether you want to have a list that is not expecting any sales messages. But that is part of the bigger strategy picture.

What if you already set the expectations wrong to your list?

Do you have to build a new one altogether?

Well, yes and no. You can communicate to your list how you are going to mail them in the future. In a way resetting their expectations. However that means that a certain percentage(based on how much you are going to change) will leave. This is something that is unavoidable. And if they leave they probably wouldn’t fit into your strategy either. So in a way, you renew the members on your list, but pertain the list itself.
How long should your promotional email be?
Tags: Email Marketing Tips, Copywriting, Copywriting Services, Copywriting Tips, Email Marketing

How long should your promotional email be?

When writing a promotional email to your list, the question of how long the mail should be arises almost every time.

This may happen at the beginning of the process, before even writing down a word. Or it might be part of the editing process, when deciding if the written material is long enough, or it needs some extension.

“Will my readers go through all that text? Won’t they get bored halfway through, and just click away?”

As per usual, the answer is unfortunately an “it depends”.

First you have to consider what the purpose of your mail is. Do you want the reader to click the link at the end of the letter to read a full-length blog post? Do you want your audience to be ready to purchase a product/service?

Either way, you want to close a sale… Even if it only sells the action of following your link. It doesn’t have to involve any exchange of money.

Stepping back, and looking at it more generally, every piece of copy has the purpose to close the sale. The headline(or in the case of e-mail, the subject line) is closing the sale of getting the reader to go through the first paragraph. Which has to close the sale of the second paragraph… and so on, until the prospects arrives to the sale of the actual product/service you are offering. The story doesn’t end there, but that is the topic of another post.

So, your mail should be exactly as long as it is needed to close the sale it offers. Not longer, which indeed could bore some readers. But it shouldn’t be shorter either, just because “it looks too long”. This length obviously depends on how big of a sale your mail wants to make. Clicking through a link at the end of the mail to a blogpost about something that interesting is not that big of a deal. However if you introduce a product, and want your reader to buy by the end of the letter, that is a tougher job, and requires more convincing.

Should you have any questions, feel free to comment below.
Website Screen Grab Magic for Perfect Before & Afters ✨
By: Victoria Lucía Montemayor
Tags: Website Tips, Copywriting Tips, Before And After, Web Design, Portfolio

When I ̶s̶a̶w̶ felt her overwhelmingly astonished / frustrated / relief-filled reaction, it took me back 3 years ago when I was trying to find the same damn thing.

I had googled every combination of keywords I could think of:

website screen grab

picture screen website

how to get picture of website

fancy website picture taker

… All of this to no avail. Nothing worked. In fact, I was sure nothing even existed that captured websites the way I wanted to.

Well, ladies and gents. It’s actually painless to grab phenomenal page-long screenshots of websites.

I don’t remember how I found it, but check out Snapito.

Just enter the exact URL you want to capture on this free site and within seconds you’ll get a save-able image of every inch of that page. No more “Prt Sc + scroll + Prt Sc + scroll” bs.

I use the page-long website screen grabs mostly for:

My records of amazing sites I’ve built Before & Afters of exact spots on a page I want to highlight, like these 🤓 💪 Sometimes, just to see how a site “feels” in a bigger sense when I’m still in production mode

Psst… Snapito’s homepage keywords (only for the nerdiest among us)? Free online website screenshot tool. Oh, duh!…

PRO TIP:

If you’re a web designer or copywriter, make sure you capture the BEFORE pic of someone’s site as soon as you land the client — and capture a before pic of every page of their site. If you have a process checklist, just add snapito as part of your process.

As soon as you launch a new site, it’ll all be gone and you’ll want a record of how far you actually took a client.

Snapito would also be great if you worked in branding, graphic, or any other kind of visual design! (I actually do something else for video or moving image capture I’ll share later :)

I use snapito in my business. What would you use it for?
In Copywriting, Science Helps Art…
By: Orren Prunckun
Tags: Copywriter, Copywriting, Copywriting Services, Copywriting Tips, Sales Copy

Copywriters spend a lifetime trying to master their art.

It never ends.

However, the art starts with science…

There are some basic elements that are sequenced together to create the most common sales scripts.

I have created a 27-page worksheet that helps you:

1. Write those elements; and

2. Then sequence them to get the sales script for the purpose you need.

With this worksheet you won’t need to:

1. Spend time and effort to learn copywriting; or

2. Stare at a black page with writer’s block ever again; or

3. Hire an expensive copywriter.

Simply answer a series of questions (many are optional) and in doing so, you will create complete 18 basic sales script elements:

1. Bonuses;

2. Bullets;

3. Case Studies;

4. Calls-to-Action;

5. Closes;

6. Future Pacing;

7. Guarantees;

8. Headlines;

9. Offers;

10. Post-Scripts;

11. Problem Definitions;

12. Product Name;

13. Solution Presentations;

14. Stories;

15. Testimonials;

16. Trial Closes;

17. Urgency; and

18. Value Translations.

Creation of a sales script element becomes as easy as playing a game of Connect-The-Dots!

And because you write it, it is automatically in your brand voice.

Secondly, you then copy-and-paste each element into the already outlined sequence for:

1. Ad & Opt-In Scripts;

2. Content Script;

3. Low-Price Product & Email Scripts;

4. Main Product Script;

5. High-Priced Product Script;

6. Upsell Script; and

7. Down Sell Script.

It’s kinda like a Shape Sorter toy for kids — instead of round peg in round hole etc, its’ Headline goes in Headline and so on.

That is the science done, now for the art: all you have to do is distribute it, see how it converts and adjust accordingly.

You can get your copy for $15 if you get it in the next 7 days: https://rebrand.ly/1n8rid
This matters more than how good your copy is
By: Ami Williamson
Tags: Copywriting, Website Copy, Website Design, Copywriting Tips, Website Designing

Here’s a harsh reality:

It doesn’t matter how good your copy is… if it’s not presented in a way that’s easy to read, it’s not getting read.

When your copy is difficult to focus on, when your reader has to squint or their brain has to work harder to process the information, you’re asking for trouble.

First up, the brain likes to conserve energy (read: it’s lazier than the furniture). So when you come along with your poorly formatted copy, the brain says “naaah, I’m good” and your reader is hitting the back button faster than you can say increased-bounce-rate.

Read a page full of poorly formatted text? Nahhh, I’m good

Secondly, there are a gazillion other things fighting for your readers’ attention. Their brains are just BEGGING for a reason to stop focusing on you and go back to scrolling Insta.

Want them to finish reading your services page and contact you instead?

Then make it easier to read.

The good news is, formatting is a quick, easy and effective way to improve the user experience on your website.

3 SIMPLE WAYS TO IMPROVE THE READABILITY OF YOUR COPY

1. INCREASE YOUR FONT SIZE

Look, nobody wants a headache. Nobody wants to squint at their screen trying to read text. They just want whatever solution they’re looking for (whether it’s an answer to a question, or to hire you to do your thing).

Small body font makes your reader work harder to get through the copy. That extra brain work will cost you.

Studies show body font smaller than size 16 will cost your conversions. If that feels gigantic, I recommend starting with size 14 for your body text.

2. INCREASE THE CONTRAST

In the same vein, the bigger the contrast between your text and the background it’s sitting on, the easier it is for the eyes to focus on. Black text on a white background is ideal, and popular for good reason.

3. BREAK IT UP!

Nobody likes a wall of text. Nobody.

Use images, bullet lists, subheadings to break up your copy, keep ’em interested and pull skim readers back in.

Even better, break up paragraphs so they’re not dauntingly big chunks of text looming over your reader (& begging them to just hit the back button instead)

Yep. It’s really that simple.

So simple, you’ll question why you’ve been putting your readers through poorly-formatted-hell for so long 😉

Now go fix your formatting before I send the internet authorities after you (or, y’know, people keep bouncing from your site).
9- Buy your roofs from Joe
By: The First Writer Ever
Tags: Business Storytelling, Copywriter, Copywriting Tips, Short Story, Fiction Writing

After my conversation with Billy, I finally got my ideas in order.

I went to sit in front of the lake and wrote the different ideas that I had in the wet mud of the sore. I felt so artistic, so special for having the chance of working in something I liked in such a beautiful spot.

I stayed there until sun dust. Working over and over on the same headline until I was completely satisfied with each and every word in it. When I was done, it looked something like this:

“Joe’s new open gable roofs will keep your home and family safe. Call Joe, now”

It might not be perfect, but it had all I needed. It was specific, it provided information about roofs for your home. It was offering the, no exactly trivial, benefit of keeping your family safe. It should arouse the curiosity of prospect customers due to the “new” element. And, finally, it gave a certain sense of urgency.

Although the command at the end and its urgency may have been the part I was least sure about.

Anyway, once I thought about it thoroughly, it wasn’t so hard. Joe was actually using a new roofing system that changed the flattened shape into a pyramid-like one. This was in order to avoid that snow or dirt would store on it and the weight would break it down. It was already a pretty smart idea. A revolutionary one. All I needed was to bring the attention of the reader upon it.

After that headline I was finally happy with myself.

So, I went for a drink again.

Now, I’m sitting down on a stool in some poorly lighted cave unable to utter a full sentence without hiccupping. We have made some drinking money gambling with Benjamin and he’s talking to a group on the next table trying to get laid.

This is going to be a fun night.

Tomorrow I’ll smell like dead rat again.
Sales Funnels Are All About YOU!
By: Braden Chase
Tags: Second Person, Copywriting Tips, Marketing, Sales Funnels, Braden Chase

A little while ago, I was contacted by a sales funnel owner who was having terrible results with her sales funnel…

I took a look and immediately noticed that the copy was almost entirely written from the “I” perspective.

“I have X experience.” “I know how to help you.” “I have X to offer.”

Among the many personalized tips that we discussed…

I think there is one tip that’s relevant for all online business owners.

Frame everything towards your customer by saying “you” as often as possible.

So, instead of

“I will give you X.”

Have it be

“You will get X.”

Why?

Because when we talk to a person in real life, we use the word “you” naturally.

“When do you wake up in the morning?” “Where are you from?” “How much ice cream do you want?”

In fact, it’s almost impossible to have a conversation (in English) without using “you” at some point.

A funnel is a conversation.

…A pre-planned, multi-page, highly-visual, text-based conversation…

But a conversation nonetheless.

Nobody likes it when all you do is talk about yourself…

It’s just not cool.

This holds true for sales funnels!

Do you agree or disagree?
[BTC #4] I Own The Night by Chris Johnson
By: Bin Teo
Tags: Copywriting Tips, Copywriting

In this episode of ‘Beat The Control’, I’m going to analyse Chris Johnson’s ‘I Own The Night’ video sales letter (WSL).

First, let’s start with the headline. Pay attention to whether you feel the urge to keep scrolling…

Using the ‘New, Easy, Safe & Big’ Formula by Kyle Milligan, let’s look examine the opener: New: This method allows you to profit from trading at night, instead of hustling alongside 99.9% of investors. Easy: Not elaborated here. Safe: Seems fairly reliable — given that it has bagged a series of wins so far. Big: You can lock in gains from $750, to $1700, to $5,700 overnight.

Next, let’s review the lead. Does it spark even more curiosity?

Chris introduces himself and quickly differentiates himself from the masses

He proceeds to create a common enemy — Wall Street elites.

Plays on the emotion of ‘being in control’ while getting rewarded for it.

Describes the easy steps he takes to live the dream life.

Reinforce theme that he is in control and the easy steps required

Differentiate his lifestyle from the other investors

Demonstrate how easy and automated his system is

Next, we review the body copy. Does it address the key objections in your head?

Explaining why his mechanism is UNIQUE — by showing he is an insider, has tried everything but haven’t been able to crack the code until now.

He starts stacking belief systems e.g. You MUST Follow The Command Grid.

Explains how his system produces results without getting too technical.

He creates another rule around his methodology.

Followed by evidence that his method works

Finally, let’s review the offer. Is it a no-brainer deal that you can’t find anywhere else?

Using future pacing, he describes what it’s like to be a member of his program.

He introduces the price. But first he qualifies where the readers are ‘serious enough’ to take action. Then he justifies the value with the market price and the possible returns.

He adds the scarcity element by highlighting why there are only limited spots available.

He introduces a guarantee so there’s minimal risk on the buyer’s end.

Final push before the call to action.

Having covered the copy in detail, let’s look the messaging strategy:

First, we look at the overarching message using the 16 Word Sales Letter framework by Evaldo Albuquerque.

Trading in the evening [opportunity] is the key to explosive investment gains [desire] that can only be attained through “The Command Grid” [new mechanism].

Next, we examine the market sophistication level.

This promotion covers the expanded version of a unique mechanism. Thus making it a level 4.

Given the financial newsletter niche is highly sophisticated, this should be sufficient.

Lastly, we breakdown the BIG idea.
LESSON 1 :
By: Susatya Parija
Tags: Sales, Copywriting, Marketing Strategies, Copywriting Tips, Business Strategy

TOP 5 MOST IMPORTANT COPYWRITING LESSONS ALWAYS REMEMBER AS A COPYWRITER :

LESSON 1 :

COPYWRITING ISN’T JUST ABOUT THE SALES PAGE

Many copywriters think that copywriting is about writing like a sales copy just like fill-in blacks. But in actual it is not like that, you have to become more creative, make more research about your product and be consistent in your work, then you will be able to become a good copywriter.

LESSON 2 :

COPYWRITING OPPORTUNITIES ARE EVERYWHERE

The secret to writing great copy is to :

STEP 1>Write a bad copy.

STEP 2>Then fix it.

When you’re looking for copywriting clients, don’t assume that a company with an existing sales page doesn’t need your support.

You can focus on ancillary assets like the follow-ups emails, the abandoned cart sequences or the upsells or you can offer to improve their existing copy conversion rate.

Any business owner would pay good money for even a 10% boost in conversion rate on one landing page, or one sales page, or one checkout page.

Take note of every single page, step, and part of the campaign you’re taken through, and then consider how these pieces actually might have influenced your buying decision.

LESSON 3 :

THERE ISN’T AS MUCH COMPETITION AS YOU THINK

My copywriter when I first got into copywriting it really felt like I was diving into a sea of amazing copywriters and everyone would be better than me, and we’d all clawing for the same work. But it is not like that, you have to put too much belief upon yourself and work hard to boom your copywriting career.

LESSON 4 :

GOOD COPYWRITING CAN’T BE DONE IN A RUSH

Every copywriter wants to write a good copy, but to achieve this it can’t be done overnight. A lot of research, hard work, creativity, and a lot of time required to write a good copy. So don’t lose your hope and just writing and writing.

LESSON 5 :

COPYWRITING IS A NUMBERS GAME.

Copywriting is not so easy as you think. It’s all about how much dedicated you are to it. If you are consistent and do research about it you will become a good copywriter. It’s all about how focused you are on it. The most important thing is you just start writing all everything will fall after it.
NEVER use these words in nutritional supplement copy
By: Callum Birch
Tags: Advertising, Copywriting, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Copywriting Tips

In 2015, the FTC fined a supplements company $9 million for deceptive weight loss claims.

In 2017, the FTC charged three supplement marketers false and misleading claims… running deceptive radio ads… and making a “risk-free” guarantee without disclosing ‘burdensome requirements for obtaining refunds’.

There are many, many more cases like these.

I guess the fact that nutritional supplements don’t need FDA approval is both a blessing and a curse

On one hand, it allows consumers to access more natural health solutions. But, it also opens the door to cowboys.

All this means that the FTC is hot on the heels of supplement companies who break the rules.

A good thing, of course, as the FTC protect consumers like you and I.

But even if you are an honest supplement marketer, it’s easy to find yourself on the wrong side of the law.

For starters, here’s a list of words and phrases you must never use in supplement advertising:

Alzheimer’s Disease

Arthritis

Cancer (a big no-no!)

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Diabetes

Heart attack

High blood pressure

High cholesterol

Osteoporosis

Stroke

Now, avoiding words that lead to misleading customers is only the start.

Every supplement company should have its own legal team for advertising compliance.

And, as a copywriter, it’s best not to work with clients who don’t. Or at the very least, include a clause in your contract that says something like:

“I will make every effort to stay compliant, but cannot be held legally responsible for the promotion.”

Why?

Because everybody involved in the production of an ad is equally responsible, in the eyes of the FTC.

My new book goes into more depth on this.

The paperback version sells for $14.97 on Amazon, or (for the time being) you can download a complimentary digital copy when you join my email newsletter:

https://www.callumbirch.com
A UX Copywriter’s Guide to Accessibility
By: Robert Peiffle
Tags: Ux Writing, Content Strategy, Accessibility, Ux Copy, Copywriting Tips

A UX Copywriter’s Guide to Accessibility

Let’s start with a brief manifesto

I’d like to start this with a bit of a manifesto about why UX writers need to care about accessibility.

When we build robust web experiences we need to build them for the actual, real people who use them. This means making sites that work:

For those with motor, vision, hearing, or other disabilities

For those using small screens, large screens, and any screen in-between

Via mouse, keyboard, stylus, voice, or touch

On fiber, bad cellular connections, and any bandwidth in-between

The short version of this is: however someone is accessing the web, our products need to support them.

UX copy might only be one part of how users experience our sites, but it’s crucial to how they navigate them. Because of that, we have a responsibility to push for accessibility whenever we sit down to write.

Wait, wait, wait. Who are you and why are you qualified to talk about this stuff?

Great question. I’m a UI Copywriter at DocuSign, working on a product called DocuSign CLM.

Accessibility isn’t necessarily my speciality, but it’s something that I’m passionate about. I wouldn’t consider myself an expert, but I am a practitioner and I’m lucky enough to be at a company that prioritizes this stuff.

Ultimately, the important thing to remember is that making accessible sites and products is simply the right thing to do. And everyone should care about doing the right thing.

So how is this article going to help me make my site more accessible?

It helps to think about accessible UX copy by breaking it into four basic parts:

Language Page structure Visual cues Images

I’ll go into what I’ve learned about each area as well as examples around how we’re tackling them at DocuSign. Hopefully this will help you get a better idea of how to apply these tips in practice.

1. Start with language

At a really basic level, accessible language means language that people can read. If your users can’t understand your content, then what’s the point of writing it?

To do that, we have to make sure copy in our products is consistent, clear, and concise.

1.1 Breaking down the 3 Cs

Being consistent means using the same word to describe an action. For example, you’ll want to make sure that “Save” and “Edit” mean the same thing throughout your product.

Making sure your copy is clear and concise is a little trickier, but as a general rule:

Keep your sentences short

Use the active voice

Replace polysyllabic words or jargon with simple alternatives

Put your main points higher on the page

When writing for the general public, try and hit an eighth-grade reading level

If you do all that, your content is likely to be quick to read, concise, and able to reach everyone.

1.2 How are we doing at DocuSign?

Overall, I’d say DocuSign does a great job of hitting these three goals. But there are always places and ways to improve.

For example, here’s a snapshot from DocuSign CLM’s integration page:
Copywriting Services
By: Globstech It Solution
Tags: Content Writing, Copywriting, Copywriting Services, Copywriting Tips, Copywriting Portfolio

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In our Copywriting Service, we offer “writing a series of compelling articles” to be published in order to increase web traffic at your domain. We also “feature your previous posts” in order to build an everlasting impression and to showcase your activities to your potential clients and visitors.

We offer copywriting services targeted to fulfill your marketing needs. Since copywriting has become an integral part of most e-businesses, we prefer using proper guidelines and your specifications accordingly. For instance, keyword enriched copywriting services is delivered by calculating the accurate percentage of keywords with the specified word limit.

All principles of copywriting are followed without any black hat techniques being deployed, which are in fact especially checked for. Ultimately, our endeavor from copywriting services clearly remains to delight clients in all respects and to meet their expectations and needs. We have always managed to produce consistently brilliant results.

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