Ann Wylie’s blog of writing tips

Steal from this What’s In It For Me example

‘Say goodbye to the 60-hour workweek’

You know that the topic is never the topic: The reader is the topic.

You’ve acknowledged that readers don’t care about “us and our stuff”; they care about themselves and their needs.… Read the full article

How to write a case study [template]

How to organize a business case, step-by-step

A colleague in health system marketing counsels his case study writers to “Get the patient to the hospital.” Wrong!… Read the full article

How to write a case study [example]

Zimmer Inc. uses the P-S-R format

Roz Chast’s “Story Template” offers a good structure for corporate storytellers to follow:

Problem (“Suddenly”)
Introduction (“Once upon a time”)
Solution (“Luckily”)
Results (“Happily ever after”)

Here’s how it works, courtesy of a patient case study from a Silver Anvil Award-winning campaign by Zimmer Inc.… Read the full article

Reading online hurts your web visitors’ bodies

Screen reading causes insomnia, backache — even serious illness

Yes, reading that blog post does make your butt look bigger. But mushy thighs are just one of the symptoms of screen reading.… Read the full article

How reading on screen vs. paper affects eyes

Is your web page causing computer vision syndrome?

Reading on the screen is hard for a simple reason: Our eyes weren’t made to stare at little beige boxes all day.… Read the full article

World technology literacy skills: bad and getting worse

21% of adults are technologically illiterate

Just 7% of adults around the world can manage conflicting requests to reserve a meeting room using a reservation system, then email people to let them know whether they got the room they requested.… Read the full article

Why are case studies important?

Your clients are your best salespeople

Call it the Peer principle of persuasion: People are more likely to believe that if a program, product or concept worked for someone else, it will probably work for them, as well.… Read the full article

How to develop fear appeals in persuasion

Avoid losing readers with these 4 steps

Fear appeals persuade. But they can also paralyze.

Strong fear appeals persuade … The stronger the fear appeal, the more likely it is to move your readers to act, according to 50 years of research and 100 studies reviewed by researchers Kim Witte and Mike Allen.… Read the full article