messages

Use WIIFM marketing to persuade

Focus on what the reader wants

If you wanted to keep teens from smoking weed, what message might you communicate?

One health organization, reports Guy Kawasaki in his book Enchantment, used the message that young people who smoked weed were five times more likely to engage in sex.… Read the full article

How to write positive, emotional content marketing pieces

Use the Awwwww Factor to make blog posts go viral

Have you seen the piece about the orphan baby kangaroo and wombat who become BFFs? They also have a baby wallaby friend.… Read the full article

How to organize writing projects

Structure your message like Tom Wolfe, William Faulkner — and me

When William Faulkner couldn’t figure out how to structure A Fable, he wrote a simple outline — directly onto the wall of his writing sanctuary.… Read the full article

How to appeal to fear

Make ’em sick, make ’em well

Anger and anxiety are the No. 1 attribute of messages that get shared, found Jonah Berger and Katherine L. Milkman, two professors at the University of Pennsylvania.… Read the full article

What is the purpose of a metaphor?

Metaphor is like Elvis; it shakes us up

Why metaphor?

Metaphor is a literary device that helps readers understand, pay attention, remember and act on messages.… Read the full article