Introducing the Leff Strategy Studio
Companies of all stripes have changed how they approach content marketing. Executives now recognize the…
How to write generic thought leadership
The Leff team regularly conducts thought-leadership content audits to better understand conversations around topics that…
Tips from the trenches: Preventing process breakdowns in project management
Project management is equal parts strategy, people skills, and increasingly, technical prowess. But the latest…
Four misconceptions about copy editing
Copy editing is an often-misunderstood science. Some writers believe it undoes the work they have…
The art and science of editing
Most skills are a combination of art and science. A good friend of mine is…
Scaling editorial and design: A peek inside the Leff office
Almost a decade ago, Scott launched Leff Communications with the intention of filling a niche…
Seven best practices for making the most of your listicles
You’ve almost certainly come across “listicles” (list articles) before. They’re usually called something like “30…
McKinsey alum Allan R. Gold joins Leff as senior adviser
Over the past several years, thought leadership has moved far beyond the province of a…
Five more typography rules to design by
Because there are so many typography rules to follow, I thought I’d help you out…
Visualizing information to create a more engaging experience
Every so often, we encounter ideas that beg to be visualized. Sometimes they arise from…
Celebrating 30 years of health education: Our work with the Chicago Women’s Health Center
For more than 40 years, the Chicago Women’s Health Center (CWHC) has provided affordable health…
Title case vs sentence case: What’s the difference?
As writers, we make stylistic choices to convey clarity and tone. Titles are no exception.…
Five features of effective LinkedIn articles and blog posts
There’s a wide range of what good short-form content, such as LinkedIn articles and professional…
Good writing starts with good organization: Three ways to get on track
The writing process can get thorny. Moving from an outline to a draft, let alone…
Interactive visualization: Bringing attention-grabbing data to life
Creating a visual representation of a data set often demands a lot of creative problem-solving…
Printing methods: Which is best for your project?
In the age of widespread digital consumption, print reigns supreme not only in my heart…
Why citing sources matters—and how to do it
If you’ve ever been badgered to cite your sources in a piece of writing, thank…
Unvarnished truth: The role of rhetoric in thought leadership
The term “rhetoric” is often used in a negative context, referring to propaganda or the…
A little reflection on our ninth anniversary
Milestones force you to reflect whether you want to or not. And although many milestones…
Getting it all done: When to recruit outside help
In a previous life, I worked in corporate finance, a time that included a stint…
Linking 2019 design trends to B2B content
Written by Delilah Zak, Katie Edwards, and Justin Durkin. The Leff design team recently sat…
Welcome Katie Edwards as design associate
When I think back over the past couple of years and how thought leadership has…
Leff brand design: Communicating through colors
Between late 2017 and early 2018, Leff went through a rebranding exercise with an external…
Leff’s editorial team keeps expanding with the addition of Mimi Li
One of the most pressing priorities for companies, regardless of industry, is talent attraction. For…
On coming back to work: Life after maternity leave
I didn’t read anything on my maternity leave. I didn’t listen to podcasts. I didn’t…
Leff welcomes Galina Velgach as editorial associate
One of the more striking anecdotes from the 2017 documentary The Defiant Ones, which traces the…
Does your content marketing need help?
I got into writing because I love good writing. I was the kid on the…
Leff welcomes Carolyn Dorant as strategic communications manager
One of the things that excited me about building a business was the opportunity to…
Leff’s picks: September 2018
We’re bidding summer adieu this month and thinking about blues, memoirs, funky home interiors, and…
Are you using that word correctly? Probably not.
If you’re an author, chances are you’ve had editors replace your carefully chosen words on…
Leff’s picks: August 2018
A heat wave late this month sent us running to movie-theater-grade air conditioning—a handful of…
Leff’s July picks: Tossed salads and scrambled eggs
You’ll want to pour yourself a glass of wine before you check out our picks…
Understanding storytelling through art history
As an editor in business publishing, I spend a lot of my time reading articles…
Leff’s picks: June 2018
Summer’s in full swing, and our team is reading, watching, and listening to all the…
The rules of a great office baby shower
First, I’m pregnant. Very pregnant at this point. She-can’t-come-soon-enough pregnant, to be exact. Second, many…
Leff welcomes Editorial Associate David Peak
From early in our development, we are assured that “there’s no such thing as a…
Concluding like you mean it
Writers can spend hours working on a piece, carefully fine-tuning each sentence. By the time…
Leff’s picks: April 2018
Check out our team’s picks for the month of April, from the utterly important to…
Writer’s block? Been there. Here’s how aspiring writers can develop confidence in their creative process
Chances are, you don’t need a topic. The first dozen you left on the cutting-room…
Leff’s picks: March 2018
We’ve been doing a lot of reading while waiting for spring to arrive. And watching…
My favorite words: The importance of transitions
For a while I’ve thought about making a list of my favorite words. I wasn’t…
Introducing the Leff rebrand and new website
As a small, growing business, we have been confronted from time to time with the…
Leff’s picks: February 2018
The Academy Awards air on Sunday, which got the Leff team talking about our favorite…
Typographic anatomy: An interactive guide
Typography is the practice of positioning written words so that the text is both legible…
Leff’s picks: January 2018
This month’s compilation ranges from the absurd to the poignant. From “Left Shark” to a…
Our most-loved blogs: 2017 edition
What a year it’s been. At Leff, we’re celebrating a momentous 2017—we added several new…
Suggestions for clearer writing
There are serious perks to working with words every day. Among them is that I…
Leff’s picks: November 2017
We’re back with another content round-up. ‘Tis the season to sign a handful of greeting…
Definitions of common writing and editing terms
If you’ve ever hired an editorial team, you’ve likely heard the following terms tossed around…
How to edit a PDF: An easy approach to a core professional services tool
The writers, editors, and designers at Leff Communications—and at all professional service firms—deal heavily in…
Leff’s picks: October 2017
From good-humored to intense, Leff shares the articles, video clips, and interviews that left us…
Content trends you need to know
Every new digital channel alters customer behavior and changes the way that companies engage with…
Leff’s picks: September 2017
This month, as we cling to the final, surprising days of summery weather, we’re reading…
When to trust the dictionary
We think of English as a fortress to be defended, but a better analogy is…
Leff’s picks: August 2017
Once a month, we highlight stories, videos, podcasts, and other quality finds from around the…
How to conduct research and use it to make your writing better in 3 steps
Research is a crucial part of any well-written piece. It provides detail, backs up arguments,…
Leff’s picks: July 2017
Once a month, we’re highlighting stories, videos, podcasts, and other quality finds from around the…
Usage and spelling tips for the Fourth of July weekend
Because we’d hate for you to embarrass yourself around friends and family this long Fourth…
The world is ready for city foreign policies
Last week, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs hosted its third annual Chicago Forum on…
What are you doing to promote an inclusive environment for LGBTQ individuals?
The title to this blog came to me as an honest, nonjudgmental question. My colleague…
Are fragments acceptable in professional writing? Surely not.
I recently attended a Professional Speechwriters Association writing workshop called “How to write EVERYTHING.” (It…
An open letter to design graduates: How to be a successful designer in the real world
It’s that time of year when students graduate college and prepare to enter the workforce,…
What I’ve been reading
It may not surprise you that I do a lot of reading. I believe it…
How to spot BS (and how to avoid handing out any yourself)
Whatever our political inclinations, I think we can all agree that a whole lot of…
Four ways to ensure your creative content attracts attention and stands out from the clutter
B2B companies are making significant investments in content marketing, but they aren’t always successful in…
The latest Rethinking Risk podcast: Peter Mullen on Aon’s Cyber Captive Program
It’s no secret that cyber risks have become one of the top concerns of organizations…
Leff Communications welcomes DeQuesha Hopkins as editorial associate
When hiring, do you find a candidate who fits the position perfectly or do you…
Podcasts are on the rise, and we’ve added our own
People love stories. And, since speech preceded the written word—let alone video—the oral storytelling format…
No-nonsense guide: How to use quotation marks
Punctuation can be a pain. The 2016 AP Stylebook dedicates 11 dense pages to explaining…
Four rules to avoid the perils of pop culture hooks
You might have noticed an increase in the number of thought leadership pieces on business…
Don’t hit your head on the low-hanging fruit: The unending battle against jargon
As a business reporter, I once had a public relations person give me a jargon-filled…
Bogus writing rules you should ditch
Most of us learned the basic rules of writing in elementary, middle, and high school…
Date me! A (hopelessly unromantic) note from your company blog
Imagine this: You’re scouring the Internet for the latest thinking and current trends on a…
Reading the straight and narrow: Column chart best practices
Continuing my chart blog series, today I’ll be discussing the column chart. If you have…
Hyphens, em dashes, and en dashes—what’s the difference?
There’s no shame in acknowledging that you don’t understand the diverse and distinct uses of…
Facts are still facts (and that’s good for content marketing)
Over the past few months there’s been a lot of discussion about whether facts still…
Our most-loved blogs: 2016 edition
This past year was a big one for this small company. We got 33 percent…
Worst. Christmas. Song. Ever.
Regardless of whether you treasure or dread the holiday season, there is some comfort in…
Content marketing resolutions for 2017
As we revel in the final days of 2016 (and we’ve been reveling a lot…
Does clickbait work in the B2B world?
Most of our clients are B2B companies with content marketing strategies that increasingly involve blogs,…
Non-election-related Thanksgiving dinner topics
This Thursday, families across the country will sit down to turkey and mashed potatoes and…silently…
Figures of speech: Four schemes to spruce up your writing
In writing, it’s so important to add variety: of sentence length, sentence type, schemes, tropes.…
Why I work at Leff Communications
Bowling is great. It’s just the right amount of competitive, it isn’t physically taxing, and…
Five typography rules to design by
My colleague Brittany recently wrote a post on the “Five rules to write by.” (If…
Robots, what can’t they do? How about content development
Given the rapid advances in the state of robotic technology, we all know it’s just…
Why you should edit your emails
Each day, the average person sends and receives a total of 122 business emails, according…
Do the fundamentals of B2C communication translate to a modern B2B world?
Advertising giant Ogilvy & Mather is a fan of occasionally Tweeting advice from David Ogilvy,…
Leff Communications, emphasis on communications
As a client, it can be hard to express precisely what you want—largely because doing…
The best content marketing strategy for your company: A B2B and B2C comparison
A couple weeks ago, my colleague Alia and I attended a webinar on how to…
Going for content marketing gold: The Olympic athlete approach
The Rio 2016 Olympic Games wrapped up on Sunday (stay tuned for the Paralympics, starting…
Five rules to write by
Last week, Scott and I had the honor of presenting at the Ragan PR Conference…
Leff Communications welcomes Alia Samhat as account manager
As with many small businesses, the evolution of Leff Communications has been driven primarily by…
For better results, try a one-stop-shop approach to content development
Form, as they say, follows function, and so it should be with content development. In…
Red wines and bar charts: Two of my favorite things
Please note: All charts in this article are for illustrative purposes only, and the data…
Building more than a record collection
Office environment can make or break an occupation. Water coolers and oversized desktops have been…
Good in Englewood: Our work with Growing Home
Maybe you’ve heard of the hashtag #goodinenglewood, or maybe you haven’t. But I can speak…
Leff videos rated platinum Hermes Creative Awards
Recently, we learned that a series of videos we produced for Deloitte as part of…
Content strategy in the insurance industry: A Q&A with Peter van Aartrijk
Organizations are increasingly aware of the value of a well-defined content strategy, and the role…
Confessions of an executive ghostwriter (part 2 of 2)
As my colleague Annie Mullowney wrote last week, using a ghostwriter for thought leadership is…
Confessions of an executive ghostwriter (part 1 of 2)
People don’t like to talk about ghostwriting. Its very name connotes secrecy—something you don’t see,…
The pie chart: Overused, misused, and abused
People love to hate pie charts. Some data visualization experts, such as Edward Tufte, even…
Content is king, but social media has a place in the court
Social media might get a lot of buzz, but an article I read recently suggested…
The decline of the English language isn’t real
The English language—like every language—has been in a state of flux since its inception. And…
I’d like to thank…
Whether or not you watched the Academy Awards this past weekend, you’ve likely been bombarded…
Leff Communications welcomes Annie Mullowney as editorial associate
People love to celebrate fundamentals. Basketball announcers extol the virtues of the shooting guard with…
8 misconceptions about graphic design
Whether we’re battling deadlines, competing with charlatans, or reacting to ever-changing client demands, designers have…
The past and the power of visuals
When the clock struck midnight on December 31 to usher in another year, I had…
Content marketing: Different ways to tell the tale
While a lot of people are finding it hard to contain their excitement over the…
Content marketing and/or jazz enthusiasts: It’s time to rethink conventions
Recently, I was part of a jazz trio that played a corporate function for a…
Happy Thanksgiving from the Leff team!
We here at Leff Communications believe family time is important. It’s also entirely possible that,…
E-publishing: Pros and cons of PDFs vs e-books
For most businesses, electronic publishing is the way of the past, present, and future. The…
How Donald Trump cut out the middle man—and what it means for you
I was listening to some political analysis on NPR recently, and the reporter noted a…
Using data to improve your content marketing
I recently read a Harvard Business Review article that suggested data is “the next big…
What a good editor will do for you
A recent Wired article explored why people often miss their own typos. In short, it’s because…
Branding, charts, layout: What does your design budget really buy?
Recently, Crain’s featured a story about a company called ConceptDrop that boasts a network of…
Leff forms strategic partnership with Chicago Style SEO
On this blog, we’ve talked at length about the importance of understanding the thought leadership…
How do you write for a business audience?
In my work here at Leff Communications—and before that in my years as a journalist—I’ve…
What do album art and content marketing have in common?
This entertaining four-minute post will take you through the history of album art, from vinyl…
An easy guide to B2B content marketing formats
This five-minute post covers the basics of B2B content marketing formats, from traditional articles to slide…
Video drones can help tell the story—as long as they aren’t the story themselves
Drones are the latest in the series of technological advances—digital editing, action shots courtesy of…
Ask the SEO expert: Your website is more than a validation tool
Company websites are ubiquitous. (If you don’t believe me, try running a client-service business without…
Design tips for business content: Embrace the “space” (white space, that is)
Whether you listen to opera or hair metal, Billie Holiday or Billy Joe Armstrong, you…
FARM Illinois: A powerful background industry steps into the light
The state of Illinois—along with much of the Midwest—is built on a foundation of food…
How to ensure your city’s self-image—and the policies that come from it—go beyond skin deep
When it comes to getting the facts to back up your opinions, who do you…
Seven ways to give better feedback to your graphic designers
Graphic design is visual, but it’s not artwork. It’s used to achieve a specific business…
Want to create distinctive content? Even geniuses need to put in the time
This past November, I went to see Stevie Wonder play his epic double album (and four-song…
Content marketing, social media, and painless dentistry
For many business executives considering how they’ll communicate with customers or other businesses, there are…
Content marketing best practices: Custom imagery (part 2 of 2)
In my previous post, I offered suggestions on stock imagery best practices from the perspective…
Content marketing best practices: Stock imagery (part 1 of 2)
Let’s be honest: people do judge books by their covers. In content marketing, often it’s…
So you want to include video in your content marketing strategy?
We spoke with our favorite video producer about how to mitigate sticker shock and get the…
Build a business identity
So what’s your story? You know what you do, but do you know who you…
From B2B content marketing to science fiction: The first rule of writing in every genre
Has your company struggled to engage your audience through content marketing? You’re not alone—and the…
Cheap content marketing: You get what you pay for
Just before the holidays, a friend forwarded me an e-mail offer from a company that…
Which font? A three-step typography guide for busy professionals
Regardless of the merit of your data and ideas, the benefit of an aesthetically pleasing…
A golden opportunity to make an event last beyond the day
As 2015 ramps up, many organizations are fleshing out this year’s event calendar. Whether they’re…
Forecasting 2015: A technique for planning a B2B editorial calendar
‘Tis the season for predictions for what the coming year might hold: publications and blogs…
Business communication design: Don’t make this mistake
POP QUIZ: Let’s say your company has five products, and you want to show which…
Breaking the traditional PR mind-set
In my previous life as a business journalist, I received frequent communications from public relations…
Understanding the thought leadership cycle
Several years ago, I was working with a client to refine his ideas for a…
Rodd Zolkos joins Leff Communications as editorial director
Excellence in a given field depends on many factors, including talent, drive, passion, and the…
Jake Godziejewicz joins Leff Communications as design associate
For many of us, exemplary design is difficult to put into words. Like Supreme Court…
How can Illinois capitalize on its science and technology strengths?
As a first step, you have to determine what those strengths are. The Illinois Science…
To be persuasive, stop trying to prove you’re right
I tend to be a “prover.” When I want to change someone’s opinion or behavior,…
Helping Illinois strengthen its economy
Last week, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) released a five-year economic…
A big win for Chicago
When news broke that George Lucas had chosen Chicago over San Francisco and Los Angeles…
Time is money: How to ensure that executive engagement on content pays off
I was making a presentation to a prospective client recently, and the question came up:…
You may never be published in the Wall Street Journal—and that’s okay
Credibility is delicate and complex. It’s delicate because even the most well-established, hard-fought authority can…
How to create a useful, aesthetic infographic
The business world has gone mad for informational graphics. This is because, beyond breaking up…
Delilah Zak joins Leff Communications as design director
The business focus on visual storytelling has grown significantly in the past several years. This…
Leff Communications forms strategic partnership with Highway M, adds motion picture production
There was a time in the not-too-distant past that video was seen as a luxury…
Avoid this bad video advice, courtesy of our friends at LinkedIn
As one of the keepers of our LinkedIn company page, I receive what are normally…
Getting more from your white paper investment
Content marketing has become an increasingly valuable tool for both B2B and B2C companies, and…
Happy Holidays from Leff Communications
Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” has been listed as the world’s best-selling single since 1955, when…
Murdering your darlings
Writing students are often warned about the terrors of revision—that at some point, they’ll have…
How to produce great video content while skipping the drama
It’s an unfortunate fact of life: the more people involved in an operation, the greater…
Why your “case study” may not really be a case study
Case studies can be powerful marketing tools, particularly for consulting and technology firms that deliver…
Overwhelmed by content marketing? What you need is a strategy
I had dinner with a friend last night for his birthday, and he joked that…
Five reasons I distrust numbered lists
When it comes to capturing the attention of modern human beings, who are evolving into…
Don’t let jargon obscure your ideas
A constant struggle in business communications is avoiding jargon. Many readers may not be able…
How to grab a CEO’s attention
The way to grab the attention of a busy executive—whether you’re writing a magazine article,…
The only way to communicate complex ideas
For one glorious semester a few years ago, I was a teaching assistant in a…
The key to an effective presentation
A dedicated Chicagoan and music lover, I was at Lollapalooza earlier this month. Several of…
Extending engagement beyond the event
“An event is an experience, carefully crafted to deliver an impact on the person in…
High-quality content takes time—and it’s worth it
Of the perils of recreational softball leagues—including scrapes, broken fingers, and ball bruises—I didn’t expect…
Brittany Petersen joins Leff Communications as associate
The ability to express complex ideas with clarity is an increasingly rare skill, and it…
Design excellence in communications: A Q&A with McKinsey Quarterly’s Delilah Zak
When communicating complex ideas or data, effective visuals can allow readers to grasp the main…
Bringing your company’s story to life
One of the most difficult challenges for companies is to tell their story in a…
Advancing public policy and the greater good
Last Thursday, October 4, four Chicago-based organizations—the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for…
Getting more out of your insight through lean content creation
When you’ve come upon a particularly trenchant insight and you want to be sure it…
Attack of the robot writers
When the New York Times company released its latest earnings numbers, Forbes.com saw an opening…
Heather Ploog joins Leff Communications as managing partner
Over the past two years serving clients, I’ve been reminded of how much my experience…
Using online publications to drive traffic to your website
A lot of emphasis has been placed on investing in a company blog, and with…
Taking a long-term view on content promotion
There’s something about the concept of the overnight sensation that really captures our imagination. Maybe…
How B2B companies can ensure that their outsourcing efforts deliver value
Two studies provide some insight into how B2B companies are approaching their marketing efforts. This…
Hinge research finds online marketing is great for B2B companies; now what should you do?
Recently, I ran across some survey results by Hinge on the use of online marketing…
Do your online-marketing efforts lack a coherent strategy?
There’s tremendous pressure on B2B companies to embrace all social media. In fact, it’s almost…
Combining content creation and online distribution to capture more value
Over the past several years, I’ve spent a good amount of time working with thought…
Making sense of the online-marketing ecosystem
Over the past 18 months, I’ve worked on projects for a wide variety of organizations.…
The value of a proven team
I’m in the middle of a home-rehab project, and I had prepared myself for the…
Viral happens for a reason
The following anecdote is the type of example that makes executives and marketers salivate. Zack…
How to maintain the focus of speeches and presentations
The president’s annual State of the Union address not only provides U.S. residents with an…
Don’t treat your blog like Field of Dreams
The 1989 movie Field of Dreams helped to popularize the saying, “If you build it,…
The ideal length for a blog post
Conventional wisdom holds that the explosion of online content, 140-character Twitter posts, and mobile devices…
Content is still king
As the year draws to a close, 2010 will likely be remembered in communications for…
The jazz myth in blogs
Sometimes, conventional wisdom and common sense take a backseat to a compelling narrative that is…
Recognizing the potential of blogs
Over the past several years, blogs have emerged as an important communications tool for companies.…
Getting personal to connect with your audience
Recently, I was reminded once again of the power of a personal story to establish…
Garbage in, garbage out
Roughly eight years ago, before component stereo systems, with their superior sound quality, had been…
The right messenger
Lollapalooza features 130 bands on multiple stages over three days, and each faces the unenviable…