EXCERPT #1
The Secret Weapon to Capture Your Reader’s Attention
Let Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings, and Dan Rather Teach You How To Write
Great Headlines For Your Ads...
Did the headline capture your attention? Do you want to find out what
YOU can learn from the big time network anchor men? Will you keep reading?
Whether you want to sell a product to a Web surfer through a classified
ad or sell a story idea to a reporter through a news release, you have
to capture their attention first.
Web surfers are notorious for...well...surfing. They keep moving if you
don’t grab their interest instantly.
Most press releases get looked at for something like five seconds.
"How can anyone make a judgment on a story’s newsworthiness
in five seconds?" you’re asking.
By reading the headline. Truth is, the headline is often the only thing
on a release that gets read. If it’s not attention grabbing, the
release generally takes a dive into the circular file.
Readers and surfers react just as quickly. You have only a few seconds
and the few words of a headline to hook them and reel them in to keep
reading. The secret weapon to capture your reader’s attention is
a great headline. And if you've got headline writer's block as you sit
down at the keyboard--and you could use some inspiration to get your creativity
cooking again--just turn on any of the network newscasts.
Think about it. Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings, and Dan Rather are selling
to you all time, and they're doing it through headlines.
Only the headlines are called "teases." In the language of
the newsroom, teases are those quick and often intriguing snippets of
information they feed you just before they go to a break. The idea is
to make you say to yourself, "Hey, I don't wanna miss that."
And because you don't want to miss that, you'll keep your fingers off
the remote through two minutes of commercial babble about antacids, anti-depressants,
and laxatives.
Teases are aptly named. They're designed to show you a little, but not
too much. There's always a question, stated or not, that's left unanswered.
Their appeal is in their mystery. Here are some recent examples I've heard:
"It's a musical instrument that can kill you..."
"It's in your home, your blinds, your dishes...and it's poisoning
your kids..."
"Who would pay $2 million for a piano?"
"Will kids getting high keep a drug from going to people who really
need it?"
"It's an environmental hazard that threatens every drop of your
drinking water..."
I’m sure you get the point. Your news release or ad headline should
accomplish the same thing as those teases: make the reader want to keep
going to unravel the mystery. And that's a big step in getting them to
buy your pitch. Whether your pitch is an ad for a product directed to
consumers or an idea for news coverage directed to someone in the media.
Hey, it works for Tom, Peter and Dan--it will work for you too.
EXCERPT #2
When Does "Informal" Become "Intolerable" In Writing
News Release Copy?
When I got my first TV anchor job, my news director gave me a piece of
advice that everyone writing copy on the Internet will do well to remember.
"Be conversational," he said, "but be credible."
In other words, you don't have to use all that formal "proper English"
they drummed into you in sixth grade.
But sloppy grammar and incorrect usage will destroy your credibility
and detract from your message.
So what's right for news releases?
No doubt about it, some Internet business owners are afraid to write
promotional letters or copy because they aren’t sure they know proper
English. They don’t want to embarrass themselves by writing something
that their high school English teacher would have covered in red ink.
On the other hand, some entrepreneurs don’t think grammar matters
in copywriting. They like to write as they talk in casual conversation.
Who’s right? As usual, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. If
by "proper English" we mean formal academic writing, then proper
English has no place in copywriting. News releases, Web pages, e-zines,
and marketing copy should be informal and chatty--never formal or stuffy.
However, some basic rules of grammar are necessary to make the meaning
clear.
OK:
*Slang, clichés, and popular language
*Sentence fragments and informal construction
*Contractions and simple words
*Ignoring some formal rules of grammar, such as not using prepositions
at the end of a sentence
Not OK:
*Misusing commonly confused words: they’re/there/their, here/hear,
complimentary/complementary, its/it’s, accept/except
*Missing or incorrect punctuation: periods, question marks, and occasional
exclamation points at the end of sentences; quotation marks, commas, and
dashes where needed
*Run-on sentences: keep sentences (and paragraphs) short
*Incorrect subject-verb agreement: a singular subject requires a singular
verb
You can find great grammar help on the Internet—just search for
grammar. Find a site that you like—one that’s easy for you to
look up the questions you have as you write. You can use a print style
guide if you prefer, but many of the grammar Websites are interactive
and offer search features that save you time.
If you want people to get your message, make your Web and ad copy easy
to read and understand. Sometimes you need to use correct grammar to do
that. Your reader won’t understand your meaning if you ask him to
except the offer when you want them to accept the offer. A run-on sentence
that contains two thoughts without any separation will confuse the reader
you don’t want to do that. Oops! Let’s try that again: A run-on
sentence that contains two thoughts without any separation will confuse
the reader. You don’t want to do that.
Sometimes, though, your copy is easier to understand if you ignore some
rules. Tell me what you’re looking for is better than tell me for
what you are looking. Don’t wait is more readable than do not wait.
You don’t need to use "proper English" in copywriting,
but you do need to respect the rules of grammar and avoid making mistakes
that will detract from your message.
The most important grammar rule in writing for the Web is the same rule
even the most educated broadcasters have used for years:
Be conversational, but be credible.
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