Writing Studio | Education Studio | Design Studio
“Mary is a creative thinker who is able to effectively apply her skills to a wide range of projects and strategic initiatives. Versatile, innovative, collaborative, highly productive — she’s a pleasure to work with.” — Chris Tiegreen, Author
The Writing Studio is the thread running through all of Studio-MZ’s work. Mary Zimnik is a writer at heart, drafting something every day. Her talent and experience shape the varied roles of writing — whether it’s social media copy, a business email, a course lesson, a speech, or a script. When crafted strategically, words have superpowers. They carry the load of much of what we do, and they define clarity, engagement, and success for learners and organizations alike.
When partnering with institutions and organizations to deliver customized learning solutions, the writer composes bold directions and unearths new discoveries, leading to success for learners and organizations. This is especially true for Studio-MZ’s consulting services.
In learning design, writing is foundational. Whether in instructional design (ID), learning experience design (LXD), or curriculum development (CDev), thoughtful writing ensures clarity, engagement, and transformative learning experiences.
Let Studio-MZ help write your success story.
Schedule a 15–30 minute consultation through Calendly or email Mary to begin co-authoring your future.
Case Studies Highlights:
How My White Paper Boosted Recruitment for SMUs New Adult Online Academic Program
Client: Southern Methodist University
Challenge: Low recruitment numbers for a new online adult education program.
Approach:
1) Write an engaging, content-rich white paper.
2) Use it as a lead magnet to gather prospective students’ contact information.
3) Market the lead magnet through various channels, including SMU’s website, email campaigns, and targeted online ads.
Outcomes:
• Record downloads of the white paper.
• Winter term enrollment increased by 400%, reaching capacity.
• Spring term enrollment also reached capacity with waitlisted students.
• Consistent success for the program, with full or near-full capacity for years.
“Mary was a very informative and personable instructor in the SMU Advanced Web Design Certificate. She was knowledgeable, well-prepared, and thorough. She provided the right level of structure and detail for the course. She also offered a friendly, pleasant tone for class discussions.” — Deanna Rogers, who now works in marketing and communications
How I Turned Ghostwriting into a Smart Career Move
Clients: For five year with three content agencies in NY, NC, and Poland, as well as a private V-suite client in GA
Challenge: Adapting to the unique challenges of ghostwriting, including confidentiality, varying writing tones and styles, limited creative freedom, and balancing multiple projects.
Approach:
1) Strategically selected three reputable agencies known for their editing talent and exposure to interesting clients, providing opportunities to write and learn within the constraints of ghostwriting contracts.
2) Sought advice from mentors to navigate the transition to this new writing style.
3) Planned for periods of quieter work to take on as much ghostwriting as possible.
4) Embraced the role of a student, open to learning from career editors.
Outcomes:
• Wrote 600 pieces (100/year) at industry-competitive rates.
• Collaborated with established content and journalism editors, refining writing skills.
• Gained diverse experience writing for international clients across a variety of topics.
• Built deeper relationships with repeat clients for ongoing, fulfilling work.
Creative's Toolkit edition samples
How One Simple Idea Led to a Whole New Strategic Direction
Project: Creative’s Toolkit LinkedIn newsletter
In the editions of this newsletter, I focus on various facets of design, marketing, photography, and more. Alongside tips and techniques, I explore historical events that shaped the development of the creative industries and delve into biographical sketches of masters in these fields.
Subscribers: include professionals in design, photography, marketing, sales, management, and education.
Challenge: Driving improved outcomes compared to the promotional articles on LinkedIn I had been writing to support the marketing efforts of the adult education programs I teach in my department at Emory.
Approach:
1) Target Audience: Begin a newsletter aimed at creatives (my core student base at Emory).
2) Consistent Schedule: Plan a bi-weekly publishing date and create an editorial plan.
3) Relevance: Alternate articles relevant to my two programs (graphic design and digital marketing) and tie to department marketing efforts, especially around registrations for orientation webinars and enrollment periods.
4) Variety: Mix editorial themes for interest (career outlooks, theory, historical, bios, etc.)
5) Visual Appeal: Include strong graphics for visual interest.
6) SEO Strategies: Practice effective SEO strategies.7) Promotion: Promote each edition within my LinkedIn connections and followers, and on other social platforms.
Immediate Outcomes:
• Direct Enrollment Hits: Tracked direct enrollments to orientation seminars and student enrollment in my programs.
• Doubled Engagement: Improved impressions, unique views, reactions, comments, reposts, and article views.
• Growing Subscriber Base: Subscribers receive direct contact in their inboxes when I publish, leveraging LinkedIn's brand authority to achieve high open rates (50-60% on average).
• Targeted Audience Segmentation: Subscribers are active on the platform and interested in my topics.
• Thought Leadership: Building a library of content that showcases my thought leadership while helping my audience.
• SEO Ranking: LinkedIn newsletter editions are searchable on Google and other search engines, leveraging LinkedIn's domain authority to raise my brand awareness outside of LinkedIn.
Growth Strategy
• Editorial Expansion: Developing new content in creative fields beyond graphic design and digital marketing.
• Product Development: Creating lesson plan products related to the library of content.
• Content Repurposing: Distributing written content to other writing platforms.
• New Media Formats: Repurposing content into other media formats, including streaming video and podcasts.
Thought leadership:
Emerging Roles in Digital Marketing
Excerpt:
“Despite the challenges posed by COVID, digital marketing jobs are among the most in demand. The digital marketing industry is projected to be worth 1.5 trillion dollars by 2030, with a higher-than-average growth rate of 6% by 2032 fueled by emerging technologies. This is a clear sign that AI will not render these jobs or the humans occupying them as obsolete. Instead, AI will complement and advance them.”
Our writing builds programs, defines educational objectives, and engages learners in new ways.
Let’s write together! Schedule a 15–30 minute consultation through Calendly or email Mary to start the conversation.
Thank you! I'll get back to you ASAP.