9 reasons a cardboard box is better than a ChillX AutoEgg
I’ve purchased some ridiculous things in my life. I once read in O about a contraption that magically transformed frozen bananas into soft-serve banana ice cream.… Read the full article
Writing and editing
How to write short quotes
Put the bite in the sound bite
Mark Twain once defined a sound bite as “a minimum of sound to a maximum of sense.”
So this quote, from The New York Times’ “Riches to Rags for New York Teenager Who Admits His Story Is a Hoax,” makes a lot of sense.… Read the full article
How to write a good testimonial
Help clients put in a good word for you
Too often, communicators use first-party testimonials. That is, they quote their own VP of product development on how great the new product is.… Read the full article
How to write good press release quotes
Add passion, personality to your sound bites
A frustrated PR pro in one of my workshops said:
“Most quotes in press releases sound like the teacher in Charlie Brown cartoons: ‘Wah wah wah wah.’”
… Read the full articleDefine target audiences in public relations pitches
They chew gum, don’t they?
Famous story about a pitch gone bad:
A PR pro at Warner-Lambert Company calls an editor at Inc. magazine. When, she asks, is Inc.… Read the full article
Write leads for your PR target audience (Examples!)
Want readers to read? Lead with you
It’s counterintuitive, but true: The product is never the topic. The program is never the topic. The plan is never the topic.… Read the full article
Write leads for your public relations target audience
Put the readers’ needs — not your products, services — up top
Which of these product release leads would you rather read? This one?
UnumProvident Corporation’s (NYSE: UNM) today announced the expansion of its online Comparative Reporting & Analysis (CR&A) information services, designed to help employers track employee absences.
… Read the full article What closet tidying taught me about editing
Audition your words to go in, not out
When Lynn Wylie, aka Best Sister Ever, sent me an Unfancy blog post arguing that all you need to look great every day is a capsule wardrobe of 37 items per season, I scoffed.… Read the full article
Examples of puns in headlines
4 ways to write plays-on-words headlines
When edible marijuana consumption spiked, the Omaha World Herald came up with this headline and deck:
Baking Bad
Police say edible forms of pot hit new high
List, rhyme and twist is just one way to come up with a stellar twist-of-phrase headline.… Read the full article
Why write a clever headline?
Concrete headlines easier to understand, more memorable
Two professors from Texas A&M University and one from the University of the Andes aimed to find out whether concrete or abstract information was more:
- Understandable
- Memorable
- Interesting
First, the professors crafted a series of passages.… Read the full article