WRITING IS AN ART

Hi -

For all the thousands (okay, hundreds... well, all right, two or three) of you who read my blog, please note that it has now moved.

You will find it at www.philallcock.wordpress.com.

Hope to see you there!

Phil

WRITING IS AN ART #12

HAVE YOU GOT A BEAUTIFUL BODY?

In previous blogs, I've covered the importance of having a good start to an article, case study or press release. I now want to move on to the main body text.

In shorter items, your first paragraph needs to contain much of the 'guts' (to use another body term!) of what you want to say. Remember that many readers will only look at the start and end of an article unless they are really interested in it.

If you are writing any type of marketing copy, you need to focus on benefits, benefits, benefits. Don't confuse features with benefits (which is very easy to do). Ultimately, the customer wants to know what's in it for them - how your product or service will save them time, money, trouble etc.

From then onwards, use separate paragraphs for each main thought you want to get across. Try not to waffle, or you will lose your reader. Avoid sudden changes of direction. Link paragraphs wherever possible to keep the text flowing. Creating your body copy can be a bit like a chain - each link is important. Without strong links, the whole chain could fall apart!

Whatever you do, keep writing - practice makes perfect!

Have fun

Phil
Freelance copywriter

Web: http://www.phila.co.uk
Email: info@phila.co.uk

WRITING IS AN ART #11

BAITING YOUR HOOK

How the time flies! Last time, I looked at how to start an article or a press release. This time, I want to focus on five different types of journalistic leads. Each of these can help to 'hook' the reader by grabbing their attention in different ways:

Query - an abrupt question, such as: "Why has Blogg Widgets expanded when other companies are going bankrupt?"

Factual summary - as mentioned last time, this starts off reviewing the critical information: "Blogg Widgets has enjoyed a period of unprecedented growth, due to the introduction of a highly innovative product, the Whizzy-wang."

Anecdote - this tells a short story that illustrates the whole theme of the article: "Everyone remembers the story of Brenda Brewster, the young girl who started life on the streets of Derry. Within ten years, she was a multi-millionaire, thanks to her rugged determination, a stroke of good luck and a wonderful new invention. Her story is now being echoed by Joe Blogg, the North Country orphan who formed Blogg Widgets eight years ago..."

Quote - an attention-grabbing comment: "'By this time next year, every machine in the world will be powered by a Blogg Widget!' That's the confident prediction of Joe Blogg, Head of Blogg Widgets..."

Echo - a theme at the start that is repeated at the end: "Like a modern day King Midas, Joe Blogg of Blogg Widgets has been turning brass into gold..."
"If Joe Blogg can retain his Midas touch, there's little doubt that his company will continue to enjoy local, national and global success for many years to come."

Why not try one or two of these, and see how you get on?

Phil
Freelance copywriter

Web: http://www.phila.co.uk
Email: info@phila.co.uk

WRITING IS AN ART #10

UNDER STARTER'S ORDERS...

In my last blog, I talked about structuring your writing. One of the key points to remember is the need to get off to a good start.

The first sentence is crucial. You have to grab the reader's attention so that they will keep on reading. In a shorter item such as a press release, you really need to be able to summarise everything you will be talking about in the rest of the copy. You should also include the name of the company and/or product you are covering.

So, do you think you can squeeze all of this information into the first sentence without making it too long? Unfortunately, precis (the art of shortening text) is gradually becoming a lost art...

For longer articles, it's often best to start with a general overview of the subject before launching into specific details.

In my next blog, I'll be taking a look at five different types of journalistic leads. These are used at the start of a written item to 'hook' the reader so that they will want to know more.

So, I'll leave you now with that little hook...

Until next time

Phil
Freelance copywriter

Web: http//www.phila.co.uk
Email: info@phila.co.uk

WRITING IS AN ART #9

ORDER! ORDER!

Whatever you're writing, you need to make sure that the final item has a good structure. It may seem obvious to say that articles need a beginning, a middle and an end, but I'm still surprised by how many features I see that seem to ramble around aimlessly. At the end, you are left thinking, "What was all that about?!"

Whenever I'm writing a work of fiction, I make sure that I have a skeleton - a rough map - of what is going to happen in the book. (Some authors, such as Jeffrey Archer, can apparently write without knowing what is going to happen in the rest of the book but such people are probably few and far between). Having formed my skeleton, I can then 'flesh it out' with details as I start to write.

Order in articles
This approach may be over the top for a short or medium length article - but it doesn't hurt to have some rough notes of the structure of your article before you start. What are the main points you want to cover? (Write them down so you don't forget any of them!) I've already mentioned the importance of good planning in Blog #6.

How are you going to start your feature? (I will be looking at this in my next blog!) How are you going to end it? If readers aren't sure whether they're going to be interested in an article, they'll often look at just the beginning and the end - and if they're sufficiently interested, they may go back and read the bits in between! That's why you need to ensure that you put the important details first - and perhaps sum them up again at the end.

So, keep your writing in order and you'll hopefully find that people are more interested in reading it.

Have a good week.

Phil
Freelance copywriter

Web: http://www.phila.co.uk
Email:info@phila.co.uk

WRITING IS AN ART #8

READY? STEADY...

The start of your article or press release is arguably the most important part of the whole piece. It's the bit that will attract or lose the reader's interest, so it needs to be strong.

Traditionally, writers tend to use one of five approaches as a lead-in to a story. Here they are, along with examples to show how they can be used:

AN INTRODUCTORY QUESTION TO STIMULATE THOUGHT: "Why has Blogg Widgets expanded when other companies are going bankrupt?"

A SUMMARY OF THE KEY INFORMATION: "Blogg Widgets has enjoyed a period of unprecedented growth, due to the introduction of a highly innovative product, the brass fandangle."

AN ANECDOTE THAT ILLUSTRATES THE MAIN THEME: "Everyone remembers the story of Brenda Brewster, the young girl who started life on the streets of Derry. Within ten years, she was a multi-millionaire, thanks to her rugged determination, a stroke of good luck and a wonderful new invention. Her story is now being echoed by Joe Blogg, the North Country orphan who formed Blogg Widgets eight years ago..."

AN ATTENTION-GRABBING QUOTE: "'By this time next year, every machine in the world will be powered by a Blogg Widget!' That's the confident prediction of Joe Blogg, Chief Executive of Blogg Widgets...

AN ECHO (the starting theme is repeated at the end) - (Start) "Like a modern-day King Midas, Joe Blogg has been turning brass into gold..."
(End) "If Blogg Widgets can retain its Midas touch, there is little doubt that it will continue to enjoy local, national and global success for many years to come."

Have fun experimenting!

Phil
Freelance copywriter

Web: http://www.phila.co.uk
Email:info@phila.co.uk

WRITING IS AN ART #7

KEEP A CLEAR HEAD


For press releases, case studies and articles, the first piece of copy that customers will usually see will be the headline you have chosen. It therefore needs to be strong enough to attract and hold their attention. But what is the best way of achieving maximum impact?

Obviously, that will depend partly upon your subject matter. Ideally, you will want to get a very concise summary of the subject within your headline - unless you are using hunour or shock tactics to gain the reader's attention.

Practise distilling the main topic down to just six or seven words (this is a good discipline anyway, as it will focus your mind on the message you are really trying to get across).

A good headline will usually be:

• Precise - Remember KISS ('keep it simple, stupid')? This also applies to headlines. If yours is more than ten words long, try reducing it. Six or seven words is ideal!


• Punchy - Use puns, humour and 'power words' to increase its impact.


• Personal - i.e. if it's about your company, try and work your company's name (or the product name) into the heading, so that even if someone is just scanning the magazine that contains your item, your organisation's name may still register with them.

Next time, I'll take a look at how to get your item off to a good start.

Until then, take care!

Phil

Freelance copywriter

Web: http://www.phila.co.uk/
Email: info@phila.co.uk

WRITING IS AN ART #6

START FROM MARS

A strange title! But what is Mars? A planet! And that's exactly what you need to remember with any writing - you need to PLAN IT.

First of all you need to know your main objectives (as mentioned last week). Make sure that you know the key messages you want to get across, or your writing will be impotent.

When you start to plan your article, there are three key areas you need to focus on:

• The content
• The structure
• The style

I have already talked about the content - those key messages. The structure will vary according to the type of collateral you're writing: a press release, article, case study, website etc, etc. I will cover the different types of collateral in more detail in later blogs.

Similarly, the style can also vary. For instance, some newsletters may be written in a crisp but informal style (akin to the Daily Mail, Express etc), whereas others may be more stiff and formal (like the Times). You need to know your audience so you can adapt the style to their specific needs.

So, before you start writing - start planning!

Have a great weekend.

Phil
Freelance copywriter

Web: www.phil.co.uk
Email: info@phila.co.uk

WRITING IS AN ART #5

LEARNING TO LET GO

If you're not very technical and you need to upgrade your computer, the most sensible solution is to call upon the services of someone who has experience in this area. Similarly, if you're not an expert communicator and you need to get a message across, it makes sense to call upon the services of someone who has experience in this area.

You are the expert when it comes to your product or service. That doesn't mean that you're necessarily the best person to write about it. I have known some MDs who know their product inside out, but can't communicate its strength simply and clearly - because they can't see the wood for the trees. They can't see the bigger picture. They get bogged down in unnecessary detail.

So, if you want clear communication, let a copywriter do the writing whilst you focus on your core business activities.

If you insist on writing marketing/PR material yourself, at least make sure that you get someone else to read through it - someone who isn't quite as close to the product as you are. Focus on the key things about your product that are special - and particularly the benefits they offer.

If in doubt at all, learn to let go - and let someone else do the writing. Someone who knows how to portray your solutions in the best possible light.

Have a good and productive 2008.

Phil
Freelance copywriter

Web: www.phila.co.uk
Email: info@phila.co.uk