8 approaches to avoid
What’s in a name?
A great headline can mean the difference between a story that gets read — or one that gets passed over.… Read the full article
Headlines
Steal tricks from the world’s best online headlines
BBC’s heads are short, clear, front-loaded and context-free
Who writes the world’s best web heads?
The folks at BBC News, according to usability expert Jakob Nielsen.… Read the full article
Why writing links well is so important
Get clicked by writing good link text
Users look for links on pages like puppies look for your best shoes.
Or so say Kara Pernice, Kathryn Whitenton and Jakob Nielsen, the authors of How People Read on the Web.… Read the full article
Anecdotes make good feature leads
To draw readers in, tell them a story
Here’s how Korbel Champagne Cellars topped a PRSA Silver Anvil Award-winning pitch:
Have you heard about the guy who mowed “Will You Marry Me?”
… Read the full articleHow to write short online headlines
Web heads must fit on mobile apps, more
Not everyone wants to play, “What’s the last word in the headline?” says Andy Bechtel, associate professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication at UNC-Chapel Hill.… Read the full article
Rethink the release
Focus on the reader, not on PR 101 approaches
When Rachel McGrew, manager at Osborn Barr PR, wrote a press release about a client product, she didn’t rely on the PR 101 approaches she learned in college.… Read the full article
‘They laughed when I sat down at the piano …’
Adapt proven benefits headlines
Here’s one secret of successful marketing copywriters: They steal.
Especially headlines. If a headline’s been proven to work in the past, good direct mail copywriters will use it again and again.… Read the full article
What happened? Why?
News in the headline, the reasons behind it in the deck
One way to avoid repeating yourself in your news headline and deck: Answer “What happened?”… Read the full article