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August 29, 2010
By Dan Dillon
Research shows that you have seven seconds to engage your audience, at which point they decide whether to stick with you or bail. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons Twitter is so popular: A 140-character tweet can be consumed in about half that time. But you’re not publishing on Twitter, at least not exclusively, so how do you fully engage your reader and ensure they’re going along for the ride? One word: style.
Style, to put it stylishly, is having the proper words in the proper places. (Thank you, Jonathan Swift.) Easier said than done, right? Perhaps not. The key to developing and nurturing an engaging writing style is by always remembering that the verb is the heart of your sentence. It should never take too long for your reader to get to the heart (no long introductory phrases), and there should be a payoff for reaching it (a well structured predicate clause). The best way to achieve this rule of thumb is by omitting unnecessary words. For example, “Late for his flight, running past the gates with illuminated destinations that were not his, the jetway was just about to close when Paul made his plane with not a second to spare.” is a wandering, poorly constructed sentence. It tries to build tension and excitement, but the long set-up tires the reader and there’s no real payoff. It’s also a bit hard to read. Instead, try this on for size: “Running past gates showing destinations that were not his, Paul hopped his flight without a second to spare.” Why is this a better sentence? For one, a person, Paul, is doing the action. The verb, “hopped,” comes a bit late as the twelfth word, but putting it later in the sentence helps build that bit of desired tension. It also trusts your reader to draw quick conclusions along the way: Paul is in an airport; Paul has a long distance to cover; Paul made it to his gate.
One other key to remember: Have people doing things in your sentences. It’s much more interesting to read a story about a mother and father who have 12 children than it is to read about population growth.
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Tags: editing, style, writing
Posted in writing | No Comments »
July 7, 2010
By Dan Dillon
Think back to your elementary school days. Name the one thing you remember most vividly about show and tell. It’s the thing, the object, the show, right? You may have no recollection at all of the vivid descriptions and gripping stories your classmates told about the thing they brought in to class, but you probably can remember the thing itself. Well, not much has changed about the way you recall things as an adult. People are programmed to retain visual stimuli, and we remember pictures much more easily than we remember words. This is precisely why you want to capture your customer success stories on video.
Video productions used to be exactly that: productions. With the advent of compact, user-friendly video cameras, such as the Flip Video Camcorder, even a novice can serve as the producer, director, production designer, set decorator, director of photography, key grip and camera operator. All you need is a well lit environment and a very steady hand. OK, maybe you need a little more than that. To help you get the most out of capturing your customers’ testimonials on video, here’s a primer on how to be a one-man camera crew.
Location – Choose a quiet room where your subject’s voice will fill the space. If you shoot in an open area, such as a ballroom or a hallway, their voice tends to get lost and will sound distant during playback. Choose a simple background because It will always be in focus. Be sure the area behind your subject is free of movement, distractions, computer screens or detailed backdrops. Definitely avoid using full bookshelves, patterned wallpaper or intricate tile work as your backdrop.
Perspective – You should position the camera about two to three feet away from your subject. This may feel a little up close and personal for American tastes, but it will yield the best audio and provide a more personal experience for the viewer. A close-up shot starts at the top of the subject’s shoulders. Here’s what you should see in the frame:
While your subject may not look exactly like Natalie Portman, you get the idea. Also, your subject doesn’t need to look directly into the camera. Have them look slightly off to one side, as if they’re talking to someone directly over your shoulder. Avoid full profile shots. These create an impersonal perspective. Lastly, make sure you don’t cut off the top of the subject’s head. That’s not nice.
Stability – With any camera equipment, it’s always advised to use a tripod. You’re not trying to evoke memories of The Blair Witch Project, and your audience won’t appreciate a shaky hand. Set the camera up on a simple tripod on a level surface, and you’re ready to shoot. With the Flip Video Camera, it’s best not to zoom during shooting. In the span of a 60-second video featuring a single subject, there’s really no compelling reason to zoom. It will only distract the viewer and take their attention away from your customer’s compelling story.
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Tags: communication, customer success stories, flip, Video
Posted in Communication Techniques | 4 Comments »
June 12, 2010
By Dan Dillon
Like anything measurable, customer success stories can be ranked on two axes: level of directness and level of depth. While there are multiple types of success stories and methods of delivering them, some are more frank, credible and detailed than others. The stories that are the deepest and most direct are always the most effective.
Tip: The tactics in the bottom left quadrant should be used very frequently. It’s a volume game there. Those in the upper right should be used more selectively, for the best opportunities.
We should point out that the software company Point of Reference, which makes customer reference management software, has a slightly different take on how and where customer success stories fall. You can see their thinking on their blog and decide for yourself how best to use the voice of your customer.
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Tags: communication, customer success stories
Posted in Communication Techniques, writing | 2 Comments »
January 21, 2010
By Robert Holland
David Murray, a consummate writer and the editor of CW’s sister publication/website, Vital Speeches of the Day, waxes nostalgic on his personal blog about the glory days of print.
He misses those days not just because they were, in many ways, more fun (the tactile nature of shepherding a publication to press, the thrill of committing something to print) but also because he believes we editors have lost some of our influence in our “society” — whether that mean society as a whole or the micro-society within an industry or organization.
I find his observations particularly interesting in light of the 2009 ContentWise Budget Survey. It found that spending on print publications in the custom publishing/content marketing industry rose 32 percent over 2008 (which was a dismal year in terms of spending), but less than a half percent over 2007. In addition, most companies anticipate that their spending on print will stay the same or decrease in the year ahead.
Of course, organizations need to use the media that are most effective at communicating their messages, and perhaps print is no longer among the most effective. (I believe there’s still a role for print and will address that topic in a future post.) As David points out, it’s nice to know that many of the skills we veterans of print learned in days gone by still translate well to online media.
But there’s still something special about print.
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Tags: 2009 ContentWise Budget Survey, David Murray, editing, online media, print, publications, Vital Speeches of the Day, Writing Boots
Posted in Communication Industry, Custom media industry, Publication management | No Comments »
January 18, 2010
By Robert Holland
WRITING: Avoid Jargon
The only time jargon is OK is when everybody in your audience knows what it means. Even then, there’s usually a better way to say things. CW Editor Robert Holland talks about how you can avoid jargon in order to make your content as clear as it can be. (3 min.)
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Tags: jargon, writing
Posted in Podcasts | No Comments »
January 8, 2010
By Robert Holland
WRITING: Writing with Purpose
What are the three things about an audience your content can influence? And how can you make sure the purpose of your content isn’t lost in the storytelling? ContentWise editor Robert Holland shares a few tips to make sure you are writing with purpose. (3 min.)
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Tags: influence, purpose, reader motivation, writing
Posted in Podcasts | No Comments »
January 7, 2010
By Robert Holland
On his personal blog, Writing Boots, sister website editor David Murray complains about a university that advertised for a writer who can “crank out exciting ad copy, then turn around and ink an article for the alumni magazine.”
David’s objection to the characterization of professional writers is well taken.
Yet, on the other hand, we writers often find ourselves backed up against a deadline with few words committed to paper (or the screen) and even less inspiration to fix that problem. Sometimes we just get stuck and we can’t construct a compelling story, much less “crank out” the necessary copy.
This reminded me of a time when I was editor of a company employee magazine, facing a deadline and lacking the ability to make the words flow from my fingers. I’d write a lead, then rewrite it, delete it and try again. I just couldn’t get past the first paragraph, after which I was sure the words would begin to come more easily.
The vice president of corporate communications noticed I was having trouble and made a suggestion that was so simple and made so much sense that I was embarrassed by the narrowness of my focus.
“Why don’t you start in the middle of the story?” she asked. “Don’t worry about the lead right now. It will write itself once you get the rest of the story underway.”
Such an obvious solution, yet I had completely overlooked it.
What tricks do you have that get you past the roadblocks in your writing?
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Tags: David Murry, Vital Speeches of the Day, writer's block, writing, Writing Boots
Posted in Communication Techniques, Publication management, writing | No Comments »
December 17, 2009
By Robert Holland
Working with a group of communicators at a financial services company this week, I shared some of the essential skills for our profession. The ability to write well is at the top of the list.
The technical aspects of writing such as spelling and grammar are important, but our conversation soon turned to an aspect of writing that is sometimes overlooked but is just as important: the ability to tell a story.
Storytelling is the essence of communication. From the beginning of time, people have told stories in order to pass along vital information, to reinforce cultural values and norms and to give succeeding generations a sense of who they are and where they come from. People like stories because, when told well, they are relevant, compelling and personal.
No matter what kind of content you write, storytelling should be at the center of it. Often we believe that storytelling is a creative art and therefore it doesn’t have strategic value. In reality, the opposite is true. Storytelling enhances strategic messages. Yes, it is important to develop content that supports or relates to a business goal, but the story is the vehicle for delivering the message in a way that will attract and retain readers’ attention.
Through stories, our messages become more powerful and more enduring. And in the era of social media, stories will be repeated, which is the greatest compliment that can be given to a writer.
Examples, anecdotes, quotes and well-spun tales should populate our content. Dig for those stories that deliver your client’s or organization’s messages in ways that will be remembered.
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Tags: messages, social media, stories, storytelling, strategic content
Posted in Communication Techniques | 1 Comment »
December 8, 2009
By Robert Holland
WRITING: Using Style Guides to Make Writing Easier
ContentWise editor Robert Holland tells you how style guides can make your job as a writer and editor easier. (3 min.)
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Tags: editing, style guides, writing
Posted in Podcasts | No Comments »
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