Revive, resurrect or reimagine a cliché
Call it a cliché makeover.
Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, breathes new life into old, worn-out phrases in a letter to shareholders.… Read the full article
Creative communications
How to play with words
Twist a list to add humor to your message
Long ago, on an episode of “The Colbert Report,” Stephen Colbert compared:
Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and the Toyota Camry
He was using a wordplay technique called “twist a list.”… Read the full article
How to write puns: List, rhyme and twist
Choose fluent words for wordplay
When the Federal Trade Commission needed to explain why the agency has decided not to develop a do-not-spam registry — officials feared that spammers would target people on the list — a spokesperson said:
“You’ll be spammed if we do — and spammed if we don’t.”
… Read the full articleHow to write a pun
Four steps to crafting a twist of phrase
Some people are natural-born phrase twisters. The rest of us will likely need some help.
Want to write twists of phrase that are as clever as puns in literature?… Read the full article
How to write serialized storytelling
Take a tip from Norm Macdonald
What can you learn from Norm Macdonald’s Twitter tribute to Robin Williams?
Here’s how to serialize your story, how to get the word out in 144 (or 288) characters or less — and when to stop typing.… Read the full article
How to write short-form storytelling
Cut a long story short
In The Emperor of All Maladies, Siddhartha Mukherjee shares this tiny tale:
In 2005, a man diagnosed with multiple myeloma asked me if he would be alive to watch his daughter graduate from high school in a few months.
… Read the full article How to write funny content
3 ways to incorporate humor into your writing
Humor is one of the Top 3 reasons people share information, according to a study by Chadwick Martin Bailey:
- Because I find it interesting/entertaining (72%)
- To get a laugh (58%)
- Because I think it will be helpful to recipients (58%)
So how can content writers and others add humor to your content marketing, blog posts and other communication campaigns?… Read the full article
Every business has a story to tell
Find yours with an RFS (Request for Stories)
How do you find awe-inspiring stories like these?
… and they flew us to Rome by helicopter.
I walked past all the other stranded passengers and used my Platinum Card.
… Read the full articleWhat is your brand story?
Share your subject matter expert’s own experiences
When Thomas Reardon, M.D., president of the American Medical Association, spoke to the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States, he used a personal story to make his key point:
When I was out in Iowa during an AMA National House Call trip, I met a man who had just turned 62.
… Read the full article How to come up with a brand story
‘How we make it’ and 4 other ways to find a brand narrative
The other day, my wasband came home with a bottle of Kelt — not his usual cognac.… Read the full article