In the words of one of my favorite Chicago Tribune columnists, Buzzwords are Evil and Must Be Stopped (PS they will make you pay to read this, unless you subscribe to the Trib). The article reminded me of all the buzzwords that I never, ever, want to use, so I’m providing a list of my favorites. [...]
how to
I was helping to write a sales e-mail for a software company recently. I was also writing a thought leadership article, a PR plan for an executive recruiting firm, and an eZine for pharmaceutical reps. And for each one of these clients, I asked the same question: “What’s the pain for the audience? Where does [...]
I’ve been writing more thought leadership articles these days, and for many people, this is a tough task to get started. You want to write something that shows your expertise and that customers will truly value. Here’s a few thoughts on how to begin the process. First things first: what is a thought leadership article? A thought [...]
You know when you’re listening to a presentation and your eyes glaze over? Or you see a really dense-looking page full of words that you know is supposed to be helpful, but you just can’t bear to slog through it? It’s not that what you’re seeing needs to be flashier or more entertaining. That would [...]
A student walked into a classroom and taped up the entire front of the room with plastic sheets. When the rest of the class came in, she started her presentation by hurling a rotten tomato at the front of the room, where it splattered and disintegrated. And then she said, “This is what happens when [...]
That’s what you ask yourself when you read an ad or marketing copy. Why else read it? If the writing is good, you’ll think, “I totally agree!” or “I wish I knew that earlier!” or, best of all, “I need to buy that now!” That’s why “so what?” is such an important question for writers. [...]
Once you’ve got people to your website, how do you make them stay? Give a clear, concise answer to a problem or promise right at the beginning. Don’t dance around it. This would be the fancy hotel equivalent of offering guests quick, efficient and courteous service. And really, it’s just plain polite. That’s what I’ve learned writing for a [...]
I love this Apple iPad 2 tv ad. It’s not only beautiful and emotional, it sells without seeming to sell. How do they DO that? What can you learn from this ad that will help you write for your company? I’m not just talking sales sheets or offer e-mails, I’m talking all the marketing materials [...]
If you know your keywords, here are the best places to use them on your website for search engine optimization (SEO). 1) Webpage title. Each page and blog post on your website needs a unique title which should be 70 characters or less. Usually, the average reader doesn’t notice the page titles because they’re not displayed [...]
I was working on my own website the other day, and I got in touch with a producer to see if he had this old video we worked on together so I could include it on my writing samples page. In addition to writing business materials and web content, I also write video scripts and [...]