- Don't overuse capital letters. Poor writing uses too many capital letters. Given the mildest excuse this writer will use caps for Job Titles (Head of Molecular Biology at the Department of Molecular Biology) and descriptions of things that seem important (Consumer Marketing Strategy). Only use capitals when you absolutely have to.
- Avoid overuse of exclamation marks!!!! The most obvious sign of poor or juvenile writing. School kids use this a lot in their homework and bad writers use it a lot in their copy. They think it's a way of grabbing attention!!!!!! Only use when you absolutely have to and they will have more impact. Let the words grab attention not the punctuation.
- Keep sentences short. Once you write more than 25 words or so without a full stop, it becomes almost impossible to read. Break down long sentences into punchier, shorter ones.
- Use consistent typefaces. Stick to just a couple of typefaces rather than making your blog post or document a riot of colour and typeface. It just looks tacky and it undermines your authority.
- Avoid more than 10 words across a column. Again, any longer than this and it becomes a challenge to read. If you want longer columns, make the spacing between the lines bigger.
- Avoid 'really' and 'very'. These are redundant words, which means you can usually take them out of the sentence without
reallymakingverymuch difference to the meaning. Take them out and the copy will seemreallytighter andveryeasy to read.
Tuesday, 1 October 2013
How to spot bad writing: tips for content, features and blogs
Whatever you are writing, here are a few simple tips that will make it easier to read.
Wednesday, 18 September 2013
Why the future for journalists is...content marketing.
Maureen Rice, editorial director at Cedar Communications spoke at a Guild of Health Writers event last night.
The event called 'Broaden your Horizons' was designed to help health journalists diversify and find new income streams in the digital age.
Maureen, an esteemed and experienced former editor of high profile national women's magazines, spoke about content marketing. She told how she had embraced the digital age and was working harder than ever before - and enjoying it more.
'Content is where it's at, where the budgets are, where the work is and where there is a massive influx of high-level talent,' she said.
The content revolution has seen brands become media owners. Storytelling is the best way to build communities and a huge chunk of brand's budgets, on average a third, is now directed to content marketing.
'As far as journalists are concerned the only way you can get paid for your content is if it's really good. It's about quality, quality, quality,' she said.
And a tip: if you are looking for work in this industry never refer to companies like Cedar as 'contract publishers' - they are now in the business of content marketing.
'Don't pitch me a feature, think about lots of audiences and multi platforms: print, online, blogs, live tweets, vine' she said. 'In content marketing customers don't pay for content, brands do'.
Finally, she said that journalists now need to think strategically and look at the bigger picture. When pitching they need to be aware of social trends and two major ones are obesity and diabetes - trends which most big brands are addressing.
'Content marketing is a leveller. It's not about you, it's not about egos,' she said. 'The future is an exciting one and the industry is attracting the best talent and the biggest budgets.'
Google+
The event called 'Broaden your Horizons' was designed to help health journalists diversify and find new income streams in the digital age.
Maureen, an esteemed and experienced former editor of high profile national women's magazines, spoke about content marketing. She told how she had embraced the digital age and was working harder than ever before - and enjoying it more.
'Content is where it's at, where the budgets are, where the work is and where there is a massive influx of high-level talent,' she said.
The content revolution has seen brands become media owners. Storytelling is the best way to build communities and a huge chunk of brand's budgets, on average a third, is now directed to content marketing.
'As far as journalists are concerned the only way you can get paid for your content is if it's really good. It's about quality, quality, quality,' she said.
And a tip: if you are looking for work in this industry never refer to companies like Cedar as 'contract publishers' - they are now in the business of content marketing.
'Don't pitch me a feature, think about lots of audiences and multi platforms: print, online, blogs, live tweets, vine' she said. 'In content marketing customers don't pay for content, brands do'.
Finally, she said that journalists now need to think strategically and look at the bigger picture. When pitching they need to be aware of social trends and two major ones are obesity and diabetes - trends which most big brands are addressing.
'Content marketing is a leveller. It's not about you, it's not about egos,' she said. 'The future is an exciting one and the industry is attracting the best talent and the biggest budgets.'
Google+
Tuesday, 17 September 2013
How to come up with ideas for blog posts
I am a content consultant for many companies who need to find fresh content for weekly, or even twice-weekly, blog posts. They find it a challenge to create new, compelling content week in, week out. So I'm working on some techniques to help.
- Quantity not quality at the ideas stage. Rather than trying to agonise over what would make a great blog post, force yourself to come up with 20 ideas every day. These can be anything you can think of. Write the numbers one to 20 in a book and aim to put an idea next to each. Do this every day. Don't filter the ideas yet, just fill up the list. This starts a habit of looking around constantly for inspiration as you know you have to complete this list every day. If 20 is too challenging make the list just 10.
- When you need a blog post trawl through your lists and you are bound to find at least one that will work - you'll have 140 ideas in just one week with this method.
- Create a list post: these are popular because they are quick and easy to read. Top 50 tips for great content; top 10 best websites for content; etc.
- Brainstorm for all the questions that a visitor to your website might have lingering in their mind as they are browsing. The blog posts can answer these. For example, if you run a coaching website - they might be coming to your site thinking 'how do I organise my life' 'how can I get a better work life balance' - all those questions can lead to blog posts. If there are several answers to the question, then each of these can make a blog post in their own right.
- Keep an eye on news stories linked to your industry. Can you comment, enlighten further or simply let your web visitors know about it.
- Think time of the year - add a seasonal blog post that's related to your business: back to school; autumn; January resolutions; nights getting darker, etc.
- Listen to what your customers, staff and colleagues are grumbling about. If you have any kind of answer or just want to discuss the grumble then it would make a great blog post. Keep a notebook full of customer comments, grumbles and frequently asked questions - and use the blog to address these in a positive way.
- Spin a hot topic into multiple posts. If there's an important topic that you know your readers are interested in write about it from different standpoints. If your readers are interested in painting their kitchen, for example, blog posts could be: a beginner's guide to painting your kitchen; how to prepare your kitchen for painting; the top 10 best painted kitchens ever, a video on how to paint your kitchen; the best tools for painting your kitchen. Spin one topic into many blog posts. As a tip here's some angles: beginner's guide; top 10; worst ever and mistakes; instructional video; how the experts do it; new technology and gadgets for the job; celebrity versions, reviewing products needed, problem solving, best way to, etc.
- Breaking news in your industry. This is a great way to create compelling content. You are well placed to know what's the latest, hottest topic in your news. So scan the trade press in your industry for ideas.This also positions you as an authority figure in the eyes of your readers.
- Revisit previous blog posts and go into more detail. Looking at the subject matter covered in this blog post, for example, I could definitely go through and pick out a topic that could be looked at in more detail in its own post. Perhaps 'How to blog about news stories in your industry' or 'How touse customer comments as inspiration for great blog post.
Google+
Friday, 12 July 2013
An effective practical exercise to help you with keyword research for your website
I have just attended a day's training on SEO with Duncan Johnson
at www.yodelay.com.
Here's a snapshot of what we learned about how to find what key words people might be using to find our websites...
Google have revealed that...
Duncan told us the stunning fact that apparently 80% of all search queries entered into Google in any six month period are completely unique.
This is despite the fact that there are billions of searches every day.
"This amazing fact revealed by Google reveals what a huge challenge it is to work out the key words people might be using to find your website.," Duncan told the delegates.
"This is a staggering admission by Google and shows how individual we all are," he added.
However, keyword research is still the cornerstone of any SEO campaign. It helps establish what is on the mind of your target audience when they are looking to fulfil a particular need.
How to: keyword research exercise
The training delegates were a mixture of small and medium businesses based in Norfolk. Everything from pest killers and commercial kitchen installers to web developers and car hire brokers.
Duncan directed us in a highly effective practical exercise to get us thinking about keywords and SEO for our websites.
We paired up randomly. One of us briefly described our business then the other fired a load of search terms they might use to find your business. We scribbled them all down for two minutes then swopped.
We then moved round the room pairing up randomly again with other businesses until we had several pages of search terms.
What was immediately obvious when we debriefed was how different each person's search terms are for the same business.
It showed how individually people use Google.
Here are some of the search terms for my journalism, content consultant, PR business that people came up with...
And so it went on. Every partner individual in their search terms and dramatically different from the last. It became clear that people had pet ways of searching. They might use 'step by step' or 'help me find' and they would impose this on anything they were looking for.
It was a fascinating exercise and one you could easily do with friends, family, colleagues, a random group of people.
Duncan Johnson suggested that these search terms were some of the most valuable information we would take away from the training day.
Google+
at www.yodelay.com.
Here's a snapshot of what we learned about how to find what key words people might be using to find our websites...
Google have revealed that...
Duncan told us the stunning fact that apparently 80% of all search queries entered into Google in any six month period are completely unique.
This is despite the fact that there are billions of searches every day.
"This amazing fact revealed by Google reveals what a huge challenge it is to work out the key words people might be using to find your website.," Duncan told the delegates.
"This is a staggering admission by Google and shows how individual we all are," he added.
However, keyword research is still the cornerstone of any SEO campaign. It helps establish what is on the mind of your target audience when they are looking to fulfil a particular need.
How to: keyword research exercise
The training delegates were a mixture of small and medium businesses based in Norfolk. Everything from pest killers and commercial kitchen installers to web developers and car hire brokers.
Duncan directed us in a highly effective practical exercise to get us thinking about keywords and SEO for our websites.
We paired up randomly. One of us briefly described our business then the other fired a load of search terms they might use to find your business. We scribbled them all down for two minutes then swopped.
We then moved round the room pairing up randomly again with other businesses until we had several pages of search terms.
What was immediately obvious when we debriefed was how different each person's search terms are for the same business.
It showed how individually people use Google.
Here are some of the search terms for my journalism, content consultant, PR business that people came up with...
- Partner A (male, a web developer) : blog consultant, content consultant, print media consultant, blog advisor
- Partner B (female, a car hire broker): blog advisor, content specialist, Norfolk content, content specialist in Norwich.
- Partner C (female, a commercial kitchen supplier): small business Norwich, content writing Norfolk, blogging Norfolk, recent examples of press releases, examples blog, step by step press releases.
- Partner D: (male, contemporary card publisher): access to editorial EDP, copywriting local press, advertising Norfolk.
- Partner E: (female, office supplies): help me write my blog, website content help, PR help.
And so it went on. Every partner individual in their search terms and dramatically different from the last. It became clear that people had pet ways of searching. They might use 'step by step' or 'help me find' and they would impose this on anything they were looking for.
It was a fascinating exercise and one you could easily do with friends, family, colleagues, a random group of people.
Duncan Johnson suggested that these search terms were some of the most valuable information we would take away from the training day.
Google+
Friday, 21 June 2013
Video clips can be a powerful communications tool
Video customer testimonials are a powerful but often underused tool for websites.
I make short video clips - mostly interviewing customers or business owners in less than two-minutes and I've found my journalism training invaluable for executing these. Journalism teaches you to spot instantly what will capture attention and interest - just what you need when deciding content for a short clip.
Tory business mogul (just so you know where he's coming from) Doug Richard had a lot to say about these kind of clips when I heard him speak at one of his business seminars in Norwich. http://www.webfuelledbusiness.com/
Indeed, he is a huge fan of using short video clips on websites. "It solves multiple problems simultaneously," he said at the seminar. They can be used at points where a customer may hesitate to respond to a call to action - such as buying, paying, signing up for something. Indeed, they can act as a call to action in themselves.
He says the most effective use of video clips is customer testimonials. "We trust word of mouth almost more than anything else we do which is why video testimonials are so powerful," he said.
Indeed, the less professional it it the more he thinks we are likely to believe it - so you don't need a high-end film company to make your clips. For example, look at the TalkTalk singing clips between the X factor filmed by real people, lower quality than an ad and seemingly all the more convincing for it. "Customer testimonials should be as naturalistic as possible," said Doug.
Doug Richard suggested that a clip inserted at those moments when a customer has to act can be incredibly powerful. Hence, a customer testimonial saying why a product is so great can be positioned right by the 'buy now' button - just in case they are hesitating at point of sale.
He likes the kind of almost amateur clips where a camera is pointed at a real customer and somebody almost shouts at them 'tell them why you bought from us?'
"These are by far the most powerful and effective sales tool," he said. "Short videos used at decision-making points and specific calls to action."
Or you could have a link that says 'click here to find out why people love us' which links through to video customer testimonials.
Since the seminar I've been keeping an eye out for the use of such video clips and they are actually few and far between. Those that use them are obviously capitalising on their rarity factor at the moment which makes them all the more believable. One of the best I've spotted is the impresive Nutmeg site - an online financial consultancy which uses them to explain why people have invested with the company.
http://www.nutmeg.com/who-its-for
I make short video clips - mostly interviewing customers or business owners in less than two-minutes and I've found my journalism training invaluable for executing these. Journalism teaches you to spot instantly what will capture attention and interest - just what you need when deciding content for a short clip.
Tory business mogul (just so you know where he's coming from) Doug Richard had a lot to say about these kind of clips when I heard him speak at one of his business seminars in Norwich. http://www.webfuelledbusiness.com/
Indeed, he is a huge fan of using short video clips on websites. "It solves multiple problems simultaneously," he said at the seminar. They can be used at points where a customer may hesitate to respond to a call to action - such as buying, paying, signing up for something. Indeed, they can act as a call to action in themselves.
He says the most effective use of video clips is customer testimonials. "We trust word of mouth almost more than anything else we do which is why video testimonials are so powerful," he said.
Indeed, the less professional it it the more he thinks we are likely to believe it - so you don't need a high-end film company to make your clips. For example, look at the TalkTalk singing clips between the X factor filmed by real people, lower quality than an ad and seemingly all the more convincing for it. "Customer testimonials should be as naturalistic as possible," said Doug.
Doug Richard suggested that a clip inserted at those moments when a customer has to act can be incredibly powerful. Hence, a customer testimonial saying why a product is so great can be positioned right by the 'buy now' button - just in case they are hesitating at point of sale.
He likes the kind of almost amateur clips where a camera is pointed at a real customer and somebody almost shouts at them 'tell them why you bought from us?'
"These are by far the most powerful and effective sales tool," he said. "Short videos used at decision-making points and specific calls to action."
Or you could have a link that says 'click here to find out why people love us' which links through to video customer testimonials.
Since the seminar I've been keeping an eye out for the use of such video clips and they are actually few and far between. Those that use them are obviously capitalising on their rarity factor at the moment which makes them all the more believable. One of the best I've spotted is the impresive Nutmeg site - an online financial consultancy which uses them to explain why people have invested with the company.
http://www.nutmeg.com/who-its-for
Wednesday, 29 May 2013
Ludicrous journalism prizes...
Could this be the most ludicrous annual journalism prize awarded? Yes, it's the award for the best writing about, er, ceramic tiles. Listed below is the blurb for the 2012 award - keep an eye on the link below for the 2013 details which will be uploaded soon.
If you write about bathroom furnishings, and there can't be all that many of you, then this award could be the one for you. Just for info in 2010 the prize was awarded to Anthony Stock for his feature Slim line tonic, or the thin edge of the wedge? published in (ahem wait for it...) Tile Today. Too much excitement for one day...
If you write about bathroom furnishings, and there can't be all that many of you, then this award could be the one for you. Just for info in 2010 the prize was awarded to Anthony Stock for his feature Slim line tonic, or the thin edge of the wedge? published in (ahem wait for it...) Tile Today. Too much excitement for one day...
Ceramic Tiles of Italy Journalism Award 2012
Competition Rules
Ceramics of Italy are pleased to announce the sixteenth competition for the Journalism Award. This award will recognize the best published article/report on Italian Ceramic Industry and / or Cersaie 2011, the International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings (Bologna, Italy: 20 - 24 September).
1) The competition is open to all journalists outside of Italy. Journalists may submit up to four articles. Only single author articles will be eligible.
2) To be eligible for the competition, articles must have been published by April 30, 2012 in magazines outside of Italy. All applicants must submit at least three copies of the magazines containing the article, a short description of the features of the magazine, as well as background biographical information by May 15, 2012 to:
How blogging can help your SEO
Good news for disheartened journalists - your training and skills may soon be in high demand again on the web because quality content is becoming increasingly important in SEO.
For several years now, journalists have felt undervalued as it seemed like any old content, created by anybody with a keyboard, would be good enough to fill up the pages. It has seemed as if nobody really cared about the quality of the writing. Instead, it's been all about quantity. Now it seems things are radically changing.
I've just had a meeting with an SEO expert - Jim Drew at Business Revolution, in Norwich www.bizrev.co.uk I am editing the website content for my client, who runs a hockey coaching business, and he is designing and hosting their website.
I asked the inevitable: "So what can we do to make this website appear higher in the Google rankings?"
His reply was: "Start with a list of the terms people might use to search for you - and make sure you include those in your content. Make sure your writing is good quality."
What? Did he say - "Make sure your writing is good quality". So the quality of the writing and the content actually matters at last.
As a journalist, feeling a little out of sorts at the overwhelming amount of free but poor quality content that's now on offer on the web, this was proverbial music to my ears.
"Make sure it is well-composed and not just a load of search terms. Make sure you are giving people quality content. The best advice is definitely to add good content. Every time you blog or add content, this is updating the site and Google will re-index everything," he added.
What a relief. After a few years of rubbish-content and an anybody-can-write ethos prevailing on the web - things have finally come full circle. Now SEO experts are talking about 'inbound marketing' - or offering such great content that people come and find your business rather than you searching them out.
Maybe journalism, in its new form of 'content' may survive albeit in another form as it becomes the latest weapon in the SEO battle.
Google+
For several years now, journalists have felt undervalued as it seemed like any old content, created by anybody with a keyboard, would be good enough to fill up the pages. It has seemed as if nobody really cared about the quality of the writing. Instead, it's been all about quantity. Now it seems things are radically changing.
I've just had a meeting with an SEO expert - Jim Drew at Business Revolution, in Norwich www.bizrev.co.uk I am editing the website content for my client, who runs a hockey coaching business, and he is designing and hosting their website.
I asked the inevitable: "So what can we do to make this website appear higher in the Google rankings?"
His reply was: "Start with a list of the terms people might use to search for you - and make sure you include those in your content. Make sure your writing is good quality."
What? Did he say - "Make sure your writing is good quality". So the quality of the writing and the content actually matters at last.
As a journalist, feeling a little out of sorts at the overwhelming amount of free but poor quality content that's now on offer on the web, this was proverbial music to my ears.
"Make sure it is well-composed and not just a load of search terms. Make sure you are giving people quality content. The best advice is definitely to add good content. Every time you blog or add content, this is updating the site and Google will re-index everything," he added.
What a relief. After a few years of rubbish-content and an anybody-can-write ethos prevailing on the web - things have finally come full circle. Now SEO experts are talking about 'inbound marketing' - or offering such great content that people come and find your business rather than you searching them out.
Maybe journalism, in its new form of 'content' may survive albeit in another form as it becomes the latest weapon in the SEO battle.
Google+
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)