EURSSWritingandEditing

Emoticons for brands: The dos and don'ts

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:53:59 GMT

Are you a serial emoticon user?

I’ve been known to include a smiley face or two in my tweets and Facebook posts. It’s a sign of humor, a signal to my recipients that I may be stating something a little tongue in cheek.

Emoticons have become part of the online lexicon. Whether it’s on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, you name it, emoticons show up in some way, shape, or form. As more people have used emoticons online, the trend has spilled over into business communications.

We’ve all seen it—an email or note from a colleague with a smiley face at the end. But does that mean it’s acceptable, or should be?

That depends. Let me lay out a few scenarios and when I think it is and isn’t appropriate in business.

Appropriate uses

Scenario 1: I’m sending a private message on Facebook to a partner I work with closely on a project. I want to share a funny anecdote as part of the note and include a smiley face.

Scenario 2: I write a tweet that is lighthearted and pokes fun at a mainstream trend for a fun-loving client I work with; it includes a smiley face with a wink at the end.

Scenario 3: I’m sending a text to a business colleague I know well, asking him about a potential partner I’m considering. I add a quick joke at the tail end of the note with a smiley face.

In my view, appropriate uses fall into two big camps: When you’re emailing/texting/private-messaging someone you know very well in business, or when it makes sense for a playful brand or company you represent.

Inappropriate uses

Scenario 1: You’re sending an email to your manager discussing client work and you throw a smiley face in as you make a joke about the client.

Scenario 2: You’re writing a short article for your company’s intranet, and you decide to insert a smiley face in the post to convey some humor, even though it’s a serious topic.

Scenario 3: You’re penning a short email to your client wishing a great Memorial Day weekend, and you add a smiley face to the end simply out of habit.

In general, I would probably refrain from using the emoticons anytime you’re communicating with your manager or boss, communicating with your client (unless you know them very well), or communicating with a mass audience, internally or externally, about a serious topic. The same goes for a brand that is generally more serious in its tone.

So, what do you think? When is it appropriate or inappropriate to use emoticons in work situations?

Arik Hanson is principal of ACH Communications. A version of this article originally ran on his blog, Communications Conversations.

14 elements of a personality profile

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:45:42 GMT

I am very fortunate to have access to writing resources such as PR Daily and Ragan workshops and conferences. But this year, I’ve also learned about writing and editing from an unlikely source—my son’s fourth-grade teacher.

Helping him with his assignments and reading his handouts has taught me about the eight parts of speech, traits of good writing, and how to defeat writer’s block.

This week, his assignment is to write a three-paragraph biography about a family member. The handout lists the elements he should include. Though this list is very basic, I find it helpful and will keep it in mind next time I write a brief personality profile or bio. (These types of articles are my least favorite to write. I would never make it as a biographer.)

• full name
• year of birth
• place of birth
• information about the person’s family
• childhood and school life
• early achievements
• hobbies, interests, and activities
• anecdotes/events that affected the person later in life
• career
• physical appearance (including at least two similes)
• describe how the person looks in full detail
• could I pick the person out of a crowd by your description
• describe something they like to do
• describe a goal the person has

PR Daily readers, do you have any other elements to include in a personality profile or short biography?

Laura Hale Brockway is an Austin-based writer and editor. She writes about writing at www.impertinentremarks.com.

7 errors even good writers miss

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:48:17 GMT

Listen, even good writers make mistakes, from obvious repeats to subtle misspellings. It means we're human.

If you're like most writers, you're probably making common blunders on a regular basis. Don't lose heart. Awareness is half the battle: By becoming alert to typical mistakes, you become less likely to make them.

Before you publish your next blog post or submit another magazine article, do yourself a favor and check it against this list. Below are seven mistakes that even good writers miss:

1. Accidental repeats. You know that feeling of telling a friend a story and then realizing you've already shared it? It happens in writing, too. When you're not paying close attention, you might repeat a phrase, a story, or a point without realizing it. One good way to catch these accidental repeats is by reading your content aloud; often your ears catch mistakes that your eyes don't.

2. Empty adverbs. Let's be honest. When you add "really" to a verb, what are you adding? Is calling something "very" cold better than calling it frosty, frigid, or icy? The truth is, many common adverbs are empty: They add little or nothing to the meaning of a sentence and only clutter your copy. Cut them out.

3. Dangling modifiers. Dangling modifiers are a classic symptom of writing exactly as we speak. Although casual, conversational language may contain dangling modifiers, written language should not; they muddy your message. A modifying phrase should immediately precede the thing it modifies. So, instead of writing, "Setting an editorial calendar, the blog mapped months of topics," write, "Setting an editorial calendar, the writer mapped months of topics on her blog." The blog is not setting the calendar; the writer is setting the calendar.

4. Which vs. that. The words "which" and "that" are not interchangeable. Both begin clauses, but "which" clauses are unnecessary to the meaning of a sentence (and thus set off by commas) and "that" clauses are essential.

5. Overly complex words. Using overly complex words in place of simple ones is a perfect way to alienate your readers. Better to be clear and get your message across than to be fancy and lose your audience. When reading over your content, ask yourself whether the meaning is obvious. If not, rewrite.

6. Common misspellings. Most writers understand the difference between "your" and "you're," but it's all too easy to accidentally type one when you mean the other, especially if your spell-check program doesn't pick up the error. Be on guard for common misspellings such as these:

They're/Their/There
Lose/Loose
It's/Its
Effect/Affect
Weather/Whether
Then/Than

7. Your personal "tells." A writing "tell" is like a poker "tell": It's something you regularly do—without meaning to—that gives you away. In poker, it might be the way you tap your fingers when you have a good hand; in writing, it might be the way you always use words like "just" or something else. Once you identify some of your overused words or other crutches, you need to ruthlessly cut them out. Using them once in a while is fine, but using them all the time dulls your writing.

Shanna Mallon is a writer for Straight North, a Chicago Web design firm providing specialized SEO, Web development, and other online marketing services such as website content writing services. Follow Straight North on Twitter and Facebook.

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7 books every writer should read

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:47:56 GMT

"If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot." — Stephen King

To be a good writer is to be a good reader.

I am amazed at the number of people I meet who have no education or writing background—let alone reading experience—who think they can write a book. Most talented writers are talented even without an education, but I have never met a good writer who wasn't also educated about, and addicted to, the written word.

Are you an aspiring writer with no major reading behind you? Here is your primer. (That said, there are hundreds—even thousands—of other books you can read to expand your vocabulary, mind and general knowledge.)

1. "Pride and Prejudice"

Nothing irks me more than when men scoff at the idea of reading this revered piece of English literature.

Yes, it's about a rich aristocrat and a young woman from a mouthy, lower-middle-class family. Yes, there is a famous BBC series that tells the story of Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and yes, it features Colin Firth in a wet, 18^th-century button-down shirt after a quick dip in the lake.

The story is also about, unsurprisingly, pride and prejudice. It manages to include themes that relate to social standing, vanity, love, conflict, family and first impressions. ("First Impressions" was actually the original title.)

Like a good movie (for those of you who watch more than you read), you notice new details and conjure new emotions every time you revisit this book. A truly good book changes each time you read it, and Jane Austen knew what she was doing.

Cool word from the novel: solicitude

2. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"

Like several great novels, this one begins with an orphan. He also happens to have a scar, a power-hungry nemesis, a red-headed best friend (Ron Weasley) and a bucktoothed gal pal (Hermione Granger).

This is the first novel in a series that taught children—and adults—to fall in love with books, even in the age of video games and virtual insanity. The movies made a couple of bucks at the box office, but before the films the story taught millions of voracious readers about the power of friendship, family, politics, oppression, life, death, sacrifice and, most of all, the power of choice. You go, J. K. Rowling!

The fact that I have a Harry Potter-themed bathroom is probably better off unmentioned, but it shows the power of the written word.

Cool word from the novel: wizened

3. "The Stranger"

I read this novel by Albert Camus in my sophomore year of high school and, once I read it, I never looked at life the same way again.

I wrote my honors English paper on the themes in this novel, and explored it again in college. Some of the topics may not appeal to everyone—they range from the meaninglessness of human life to death, Christianity, observation and the absurd—but they are intriguing to explore. I will never forget the first line or the last, but I don't want to ruin them for you.

Camus was brilliant, and you will feel your world open wider when you read his work.

Also see: "The Plague," "The Rebel," "The Fall" and the philosophical essay "The Myth of Sisyphus."

Cool word from the novel: gesticulate

4. "The Great Gatsby"

"Who is this Gatsby?"

The decadence of the roaring twenties seeps out of this superbly-executed novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald in such a way that you feel like you have entered his fictional world. Class, greed, the past and the future are all in play in this crazy ride of booze, babes and unrequited feelings gone bad.

Get the tissues ready and be prepared to think about your first love when you crack open this bad boy. Shake up a gin martini or sip champagne while you're at it, because tragedy is imminent. If absinthe is available, try that. The green fairy makes an appearance in this color-heavy text, as do plenty of opulent references to summer partying and expensive shirts.

Indulge in the Jazz Age and read one of the best modernist novels ever written.

Cool word from the novel: somnambulatory

5. "The Rum Diary"

Most writers would choose the more obvious "Slaughterhouse-Five" or "Catch-22" as novels that defined the 1950s and 1960s, but I chose "The Rum Diary" for its beautiful simplicity.

By gonzo author and "Playboy" and "Rolling Stone" contributor Hunter S. Thompson—more famously known for the insanity and debauchery of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"—this second novel wasn't published until 1998, and is most certainly pre-gonzo.

Partially autobiographical, the story follows a writer looking for work at a lousy newspaper in Puerto Rico. He encounters a variety of characters mostly fueled on booze instead of the ether, coke and other drugs of choice in Thompson's later novels.

This novel is more pure, honest and simple. It's a modern novel that conjures the world of greats like Ernest Hemingway, and the imagery of Fitzgerald (in this case, crappy hotels, beautiful beaches and ramshackle bars). In fact, it is said that Thompson actually typed the entirety of "The Great Gatsby" to get a feel for the words of a master.

"The Rum Diary" is a splashy option for the curious reading novice. Don't miss the party dance scene; it's a powerful trigger for anyone with a visual imagination. Simplicity in text allows a reader to create his own imagery, and that is an important lesson for any would-be writer.

Cool word from the novel: slovenly

6. "Great Expectations"

Like Harry Potter after him, Pip is a boy who finds himself going from an unappreciated nobody to a character everyone knows. Social standing and class are prevalent themes in this novel, as are ambition, crime, love, wealth and the loss of innocence.

At once a love story (with a cold-hearted temptress), a detective story (who provides the dough?) and a descriptive jewel (Miss Havisham's house alone will have your mind disturbed and enchanted), this novel brings London and the natural beauty of the marshes of Kent to miraculous life. Remember, appearances are deceiving.

Cool word from the novel: ignominiously

7. "Lord of the Flies"

Civilized young boys turn savage when they are stranded on an island and forced to fight for food, friends and survival in this allegorical work by William Golding. Themes include the power struggle towards leadership and the loss of innocence. Golding explores conflict deeply in this text, forcing a reader to look at his personal beliefs and motivations. The young men in this novel have to grow up too quickly, which results in disastrous consequences.

"Lord of the Flies" illustrates the ability of any person to turn to evil, conjuring emotions and experiences of World War II and the true nature of humankind.

Cool word from the novel: ebullient

What novel do you think every writer should read? Share in the comments.

A version of this article first appeared on the Straight North Internet Marketing blog.

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Writers, stop turning verbs into nouns!

Tue, 14 May 2013 13:45:31 GMT

It's worse than we feared.

We at Ragan.com warned you about "vampire words" that suck the life out of your copy.

Now it turns out that other forms of undead abound in writing. We're talking about nominalizations: verbs or adjectives that have been transmogrified into nouns, to ugly effect.

In a frightening echo of our own warning, writer Helen Sword states that these words "cannibalize active verbs, suck the lifeblood from adjectives, and substitute abstract entities for human beings."

Sword stated this last summer in The New York Times and a terrifying video, and this spring the Newspaper of Record twice revisited the topic, lamenting "Those Irritating Verbs-as-Nouns."

In the latter piece, author Henry Hitchings cites these examples:

"Do you have a solve for this problem?"

"Let's all focus on the build"

"That's the take-away from today's seminar"

and, quoting from a British hit,

"Would you let me see beneath your beautiful?"

(Then again, I'd rather not.)

Sword shows how to conduct a de-zombification—er, to clean up—a sentence:

Bad: The proliferation of nominalizations in a discursive formation may be an indication of a tendency toward pomposity and abstraction.

Better: Writers who overload their sentences with nominalizations tend to sound pompous and abstract.

OK in small doses

Hitchings says that "nominalizations aren't intrinsically either good or bad. Yet, used profusely, they strip the humanity out of what we write and say."

He notes two types of nominalization:

A. Those that add a suffix, so that the verb investigate becomes investigation (and nominalize yields nominalization).

B. "Zero derivation," in which a word is switched from verb or an adjective into noun without the addition of a suffix, such as the examples above.

When future bards someday sing of the heroes who defended beleaguered mortals against the zombies, they will remember Dr. Annetta L. Cheek, board chair of the Center for Plain Language. I reached her by phone in her car, and, after swerving to run over a flesh-eating noun, she warned that nominalizations are a common problem in bureaucratic writing.

"We can't just 'analyze data,' we 'conduct an analysis of data,'" Cheek said. "We can't just 'manage' something, we 'assist in the management of.'"

Verbs are the strongest part of speech in English, Cheek said. "To the extent that you take your verbs and turn them into nouns, you're making your writing weaker," she added.

Tapping other braaaaaaaiiiiiiiinnnnnssss…

Still worried about the shadowy un-nouns lurking on our streets after dark, we sought out the word warriors at Grammarly.com. Head of Communications Allison VanNest asserts that "nominalizations tend to make writing more difficult to understand. However, it is not wrong to include nominalizations in your writing if they help to make it more concise or reinforce your main idea."

VanNest cites Brian Wasco of The Write at Home Blog, who states:

"One reason nominalization makes for flat, bland writing is that it leaves out people. Nobody does anything in a sentence like: 'Taxation is subject to the potentiality of intentional misrepresentation.' It's both clearer and more interesting to say, 'I am tempted to cheat on my taxes.' Good writing contains actions and actors."

Ragan.com Executive Editor Rob Reinalda is known as the Word Czar and regularly banishes employees to Yakutsk, Siberia, for style and grammatical goofs. Reinalda also carries a sawed-off shotgun on his commute to deal with zombie nouns.

"A major problem is that people today write blog posts, 'professional' emails, and other official missives with the same casual tone as they do their Facebook updates," Reinalda wrote. "Striving for the conversational has resulted in the reckless slapping together of words without regard for parts of speech or even proper usage."

A troubling trend

A piece in About.com praises the flexibility of the English language in constructing nouns from other speech parts. Yet it cites a quote that suggests that something bigger is going on.

"At the present moment, everybody seems to be going a bit nuts with noun creation," Ben Yagoda, author of "When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It," is quoted as stating. "Journalists and bloggers seem to believe that a sign of being ironic and hip is to coin nouns with such suffixes as -fest (Google 'baconfest' and behold what you find), -athon, -head (Deadhead, Parrothead, gearhead), -oid, -orama, and -palooza."

Then again, writing "at the present moment," would surely get Yagoda in big trouble with the Word Czar, as would dropping the timorous "seem[s]" twice into two subsequent sentences.

Let us allow a final word to Sword, whose very name fills us with optimism that the forces of good will slay their evil enemies:

A paragraph heavily populated by nominalizations will send your readers straight to sleep. Wake them up with vigorous, verb-driven sentences that are concrete, clearly structured and blissfully zombie-free.

RELATED: Irritated writer says turning verbs into nouns in a 'slovenly' practice

Russell Working is a staff writer for Ragan.com.

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5 top traits of good press release writers

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:46:24 GMT

Being a good writer doesn’t automatically mean that you can be a good press release writer. Press release writing is its own beast, and while there are certainly some skills from other types of writing that will help you write great press releases, there are also some traits unique to press release writing that you need.

Here are five of the top traits I’ve noticed that good press release writers share:

They have a knack for identifying the news angle. The first thing you have to do with your press release is grab your readers’ attention. The best press release writers are able to take all of the relevant information and pick out a compelling, newsworthy angle that makes reporters take notice.

They don’t waste words. Reporters (and other people who may be reading your press release) are busy and don’t have time to read a long, drawn-out press release. Great press release writers get to the point, cut the fluff, and deliver the story in as few words as possible while ensuring the major points are covered.

They understand the journalistic tone. I’ve said it before: a lack of journalistic tone is a big reason many press releases fail. The best press release writers know how to tell a story like a reporter, not a marketer.

They possess excellent attention to detail. News writing is all about details. If you get the facts wrong, your story is useless and your credibility is tarnished. Similarly, if you send out a press release filled with typos, no one will take you seriously. The best press release writers focus on the details, ensuring their press releases are accurate and mistake-free.

They know how to make the reporter ask for more. When you send out a press release, your goal is to get the media to contact you. You want them to reach out to you so they can get more information to write a story or set up an interview. That means your press release needs to leave readers asking for more. Great press release writers know just how to do this.

A version of this article first appeared on PR Fuel.

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‘Snikcers’ teams with ‘Googel’ for latest campaign effort

Thu, 09 May 2013 13:49:47 GMT

For once, human error has worked to someone’s advantage—or at least Snickers’.

As part of the candy maker’s “You’re not you when you’re hungry” campaign, the brand turned to Google and a quirky innovation.

Snickers worked with the SEO giant to identify the top 500 most commonly misspelled words that people enter into the search engine. After the two companies came up with an algorithm for common misspellings of those words (25,000+), Snickers then bought online ads based around those misspelled search terms.

When people misspelled any of those words while using Google, they were presented with an ad reminding them that “yu cant spel properlie wen hungrie,” so “Grab yourself a Snikkers.”

According to BBDO, half a million people saw the campaign. (I saw it, and I remember thinking that some poor SEO copywriter was going to lose his job.)

For more on how the campaign worked, check out this video:

New Tumblr crushes ad creatives one put-down at a time

Wed, 08 May 2013 13:51:06 GMT

The 90s called. They said “’Yo mama’ jokes are so dumb, they took a consumer survey and failed.”

In today’s modern world, one might think that the advancement of our technology would also extend to an upturn in the level of intellect behind our playground-inspired insults.

It hasn't.

Case in point: The Daily Ad Put-Down, a new Tumblr account chronicling “all the witty, sharp, nose bleedingly funny, spirit crushingly truthful put-downs that you wish you said” to young, industry hopefuls, “but never did.”

Let the professional public shaming begin. Check out more here.

RELATED: Clever PR Tumblrs to waste time on

(via BuzzFeed)

3 tips for recovering from a social media typo

Fri, 03 May 2013 13:45:20 GMT

Hi, my name is Gessenia Votta, and I am a PR social media manager.

My last typo was over two months ago, while sharing a blog on Facebook discussing (from a PR perspective) how the Vatican had announced the pope was stepping down—and my mistake was caught by a Facebook user.

I deleted the comment entirely within three minutes of the initial posting, which also removed the user’s snarky comment calling out my mistake.

I woke up the next morning filled with shame. The commenter had taken a screen shot of this mishap and posted the image on every other major social media channel—Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn—exposing my mistake and, even worse, my cover-up. I have been typo-free ever since.

Moving forward

We've all read stories about major corporations that have pushed the “publish” button and suffered great public scrutiny for a typo, or for a post lacking in good judgment. Luckily, in my personal PR crisis, the following on all these channels was significantly less, and the mistake was simply a matter of a misplaced letter. Regardless, it goes to show that no matter what account—however big or small—social media is live and people are tuned in.

Accidents are going to happen, and you will learn from them, trust me. But the sign of a true PR professional is in how you respond to a given mistake. PR professionals need to practice what they preach to their clients. As my old PR professor would say, "Tell the truth. Tell it all, and tell it fast."

Here are three ways to recover from a typo on social media:

1. Own it, quickly. As much as I hated admitting it, the likelihood of that user’s posting my mistake on all the other channels like a wall of shame would have been smaller if I had responded directly, rather than deleting the post. Though the user’s comment was ugly, a simple “thank you for pointing that out” would have sufficed. If I had addressed the comment right away, the user wouldn't have felt the need to go to such lengths to prove his/her point.

2. Keep it short and keep it sweet. Though an answer was most certainly warranted, less is more. A big explanation would have left me equally vulnerable. Not to mention, in my case the user was under the impression that the content I’d shared was derogatory toward the church, when in fact it discussed the strategy of how the church communicated its recent news from a PR perspective. (The user obviously didn’t read the post.) If I had tried to justify that statement, it would have led to even more conversation in the public eye. Not a good idea.

3. Accept it. Even if you didn’t make a mistake, what’s published on social media is fair game and everyone has different tolerance levels (especially when it comes to hot topics like religion and politics). Although you invite people to comment, “like,” and tweet, you take the risk of getting an answer you might not like. Don't take things personally; keep your head held high.

Now it's your turn to share (anonymously or not): Have you made a big “uh-oh” on social media? How did you survive?

Gessenia Votta is an associate account representative at Lois Paul and Partners. (@LPP_PR). She blogs for Beyond The Hype, where this post originally appeared.

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Adjectives from A to Z

Wed, 01 May 2013 13:52:01 GMT

“Which word provides a better description of a puppy: ‘brown’ or ‘cute’?” — writing guru Ann Wylie

In last week’s post I wrote about “dangerously ambiguous” adjectives and how the use of indirect and unclear descriptors can cause readers to ignore or misinterpret your message. The lesson here is to practice precision when you select your descriptors.

What follows is a list of some precise, meaningful adjectives. Consider using these for your next writing assignment.

• abrasive
• abrupt
• abundant
• adamant
• auburn
• bawdy
• bewildered
• bitter
• boorish
• cerulean
• coarse
• colossal
• combative
• crimson
• crooked
• dashing
• deafening
• determined
• diligent
• draconian
• elegant
• enchanting
• empty
• flaky
• flawless
• frantic
• frosty
• gabby
• guarded
• gutsy
• habitual
• hapless
• harmonious
• hollow
• hulking
• hypnotic
• ill-informed
• immense
• incandescent
• inflammatory
• inquisitive
• insolent
• judicious
• jumpy
• kindhearted
• languid
• lavish
• lilac
• ludicrous
• lyrical
• maddening
• makeshift
• mammoth
• measly
• melodic
• miscreant
• muddled
• murky
• narrow
• neighborly
• nimble
• noiseless
• noxious
• obedient
• onerous
• overconfident
• overwrought
• parched
• petite
• placid
• poised
• prickly
• puny
• purring
• quarrelsome
• quirky
• rabid
• raspy
• receptive
• repulsive
• resolute
• rigid
• rustic
• scarce
• scrawny
• shallow
• shaky
• somber • sordid
• sparse
• spiteful
• subdued
• succinct
• superficial
• swift
• tart
• tasteless
• tenacious
• thundering
• tiresome
• unbecoming
• unkempt
• unrefined
• unsightly
• unsuitable
• unwieldy
• vigorous
• volatile
• wasteful
• whimsical
• wide-eyed
• wiggly
• wry
• yielding
• youthful
• zealous
• zippy

Perhaps you don’t recognize some of these words; all the better. Grab a dictionary and make a new friend.

PR Daily readers, do you have any other favorite adjectives to share?

Laura Hale Brockway is an Austin-based writer and editor. She writes about writing at www.impertinentremarks.com.

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How to cope with writer's block: Begin with 'Dear Mother'

Wed, 01 May 2013 13:47:49 GMT

You sit in front of your computer staring at a blank screen.

You try one sentence, then delete it. You try again; still nothing. Panic rises, and you begin imagining that your colleagues have found you out.

"How did she get this job? She's not a writer!"

There's a name for this condition, this feeling of helplessness when words won't come.

Writer's block.

In the April issue of The New Yorker, the 82-year-old essayist and Pulitzer Prize winner John McPhee shares the advice he's given to former students and to his daughter, the novelist Jenny McPhee.

Say you're writing about a grizzly bear and the words won't come, writes McPhee.

Type this salutation across the top of the page: "Dear Mother..."

"And then you tell your mother about the block, the frustration, the ineptitude, the despair....You outline your problem, and you mention that the bear has a fifty-five-inch waist and a neck more than thirty inches around but could run nose-to-nose with Secretariat. You say the bear prefers to lie down and rest. The bear rests fourteen hours a day. And you go on like that as long as you can. And then you go back and delete the 'Dear Mother' and all whimpering and whining, and just keep the bear."

This is terrific advice, and it thrills me that it comes from one of our greatest living writers.

I have often taught the same technique in my Advanced Writing and Editing workshops with longtime colleague Jim Ylisela.

Replace "Dear Mother" with any friend or colleague, and the solution is the same: Stop thinking about your essay or story as an essay or story, and you’ll lift the burden of importance that you've placed on it.

McPhee also suggests a solution that Jim and I would teach in those classes: "Allow yourself to write pure crap."

Stop obsessing about your lead and just get something—anything—out of your head and onto the screen. Good writing is always the result of good rewriting, but you can't rewrite a blank screen.

Here's how McPhee puts it:

"For me, the hardest part comes first, getting something—anything—out in front of me. Sometimes in a nervous frenzy I just fling words as if I were flinging mud at a wall. Blurt out, heave out, babble out something —anything —as a first draft. With that you have achieved a sort of nucleus. Then, as you work it over and alter it, you begin to shape sentences that score higher with the ear and eye."

In our instruction to write "pure crap," Jim and I would recommend the addition of a simple cooking timer. Set the timer for one hour, and "heave out" the words before time runs out. Like a climber who never looks down, the writer should never look back at the lead or even the previous sentence.

There will be time for such a thing: when you edit, polish, revise, edit again, and revise again.

Praise be to McPhee for sharing this advice and for doing so, as always, so engagingly.

It comforts us all to know that all writers, even the legendary McPhee, struggle with the same demons, whether they're lonely publication editors facing a looming deadline, or novelists and essay writers.

Writes McPhee: "The adulating portrait of the perfect writer who never blots a line comes express mail from fairyland."

Are marketers allowed to break grammar rules?

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:46:44 GMT

I won second prize in a really difficult grammar contest against a room full of PR agency owners and CEOs. I talk about that as frequently as possible.

I almost didn't get married because in our very first argument in the first month we were dating, I interrupted Patrick to tell him "also too" is redundant. He became so infuriated that he almost walked out the door never to be seen again.

So when the client I'm working with suggested a tagline that uses the word "less" when it should be "fewer," I got ready to put up a fight. Then they asked me whether it's really important to be grammatically proper. Look at Apple and "Think Different." Look at all the signs in the grocery store express lines that state, "15 items or less."

I stopped to think about it and thought I'm going to be twitchy for months if we use this. How can I stand by it?

So I talked to colleagues and friends I respect, and I turned to Facebook. (If it's spoken on Facebook, it must be truth.) I received a mixed bag of feedback, but some of the sticklers—the ones just like me—responded, "Break the rules if it makes sense."

And she flip-flops

I love language. So I'm all for preserving it and abiding by the rules. However, I also like to start sentences with "and," although I draw the line at ending a sentence with a preposition.

We bemoan losing our language to texting and social media with hashtags and acronyms because we're communicating with different limitations now—limited characters and a faster pace.

There's a difference between losing our language and evolving it. I don't know where that line exists. Adding LOL to the dictionary might be on the wrong side of the tracks. Taking the hyphen out of email is on the right side. But who gets to decide?

Then there is the idea of just plain breaking the rules because you're more concerned with moving product than making us English geeks feel happy. Why not bend a rule if the flow is much better?

My friend Jon Goldberg of Reputation Architects said he chuckles every time he sees the "15 items or fewer" sign in his grammatically proper grocery store.

Rules are meant to be broken

What I love about language and writing is the flow—putting words together and the sound and stories they elicit. There is a rhythm, and that's why it's always important to read your writing out loud.

Creating a positioning statement might be one of the greater language challenges. You have to make an emotional connection with the audience in a split second. When you have four to six words to tell the story of your service or product, grammar be damned—let's get the word across at all costs.

Ken Mueller pointed out Pennsylvania's slogan, "You've Got a Friend in Pennsylvania." I had to stop and read it a second time—it didn't sound wrong—until I realized the error. Then I thought, "Ow!" but it's speaking the language of the consumer and it gets the point across. How about, "Got Milk?"

Our language is evolving because we use it differently, and it must therefore adapt. Just as religion, antiquated laws, and Blockbuster Video should be adapted, our language must be modified to serve our current needs and challenges.

So we write in shorter sentences and paragraphs. We use a more informal, conversational lexicon. Contractions become the norm. We start paragraphs with the word "so."

We have to get a message across in fewer words to an easily distracted, very rushed audience who probably won't even notice we said "less" rather than "fewer" and certainly won't boycott the product over it. Although it will give some the pleasure to point out our error, in which case we can be happy we provided them that experience.

My twitch will subside soon, and I tossed my vote in the hat for "less." In this sense, it just has better flow and rhythm.

Lisa Gerber is a digital marketing strategist, owner and founder of Big Leap Creative. A version of this article first appeared on her blog.

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17 types of content people love to share

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:49:42 GMT

In building my blog over the last four years I have discovered some insights and important principles about creating content that people want to read.

Here are some ideas for creating shareable content:

1. Lists

I can hear some of you yawning. The reality is, in a time-poor world, giving people a list of things to do—for example, 10 tips for creating a great video—is the type of headline and article people click on. Packaging and chunking information tells your readers you won't waste their time. Lists are also easy to read and view. This type of content works well.

Example: "10 Powerful Tips to Increase Fan Engagement on Facebook"

2. Negative stories

It's sad but true: Most people prefer to hear bad news, or things they shouldn't do. Take the negative angle of a story, and you'll be surprised by the traffic.

Example: "Personal Branding on LinkedIn: 10 Mistakes to Avoid"

3. Infographics

The last two years have seen the rise of infographics—complex data and information presented as a combination of text and images. Infographics have a propensity to get shared on Pinterest and Twitter.

Example: "23 Hints for Creating Content Google Loves—Infographic"

4. Curated content

Take a topic and find some of the best articles on it when you do a Google search. Package it up and serve it to your readers. By putting all that information in one place, you'll save them time and effort.

5. How-to articles

The appetite people have for simple, step-by-step instructions never ceases to surprise me. Provide a how-to framework that's easy to read, understand and implement.

Example: "How to Verify Your Pinterest Account and Why You Should"

6. News

People want to know what's happening, whether it's in their industry, city or the world. Help them find it quickly and easily.

Create, publish and promote this content fast. It has a nasty habit of becoming outdated and irrelevant very quickly.

Get it right, and the news will stream over the Web in a torrent of tweets. The Huffington Post and Mashable are successful because of this.

Example: "Apple Makes Huge Announcement About Twitter"

7. Research

Provide research-backed facts in a well-structured article. Many people want proof before they take the first step.

Example: "How 5 Prestige Brands Innovate and Market on Facebook"

8. Case studies

Research is great, but real-world case studies are proof something works. Provide a list of case studies, and your online advocates will lap it up and share it.

Example: "5 Successful Facebook Marketing Campaigns—Case Studies"

9. Evergreen content

The Web demands fresh news and content every minute of the day. In this frenzy of information, people often forget to tap into the power of evergreen content—content that will be just as relevant in two years as it is today. It is content you can continue to promote and share with your readers for a long time. Create content that offers a framework or covers principles, and you will give it longevity and endurance.

Example: "10 Ways to Launch and Promote a Product Using Social Media"

10. Images

Create content that uses screenshots or images to convey an idea, concept or story. Images provide an emotional impact, and see more shares on Facebook than any other content type. Images can take your content from average to awesome.

A tool that helps me do this is Snagit. It is now an indispensable part of my content creation and optimization toolkit.

Example: "A Powerful Two-Step System to Increase the Value of Your Facebook Community"

11. Video

When creating content, you can share your story and ideas in many ways. Online video now streams easily on the Internet, and you need to include it in your content marketing mix. Direct-to-camera video, a video that captures your screen (such as with the Camtasia software) or videos sourced from YouTube can enhance your story.

12. SlideShare presentations

SlideShare is like YouTube for PowerPoint presentations, and is often underestimated as a way to make your content accessible and attractive. SlideShare is a visual platform that displays ideas and concepts quickly and easily. You can put your articles, research papers and blog posts into a PowerPoint and upload it to SlideShare.

I've used SlideShare more extensively in the last year, and views of my SlideShare account now average 25,000 to 35,000 views a month. Total views are now more than 400,000.

You should seriously consider this format for your content.

Example: "How to Get Started with Social Media Marketing"

13. Top 10 lists

People love to know who or what is on top in any category or sector. Create content about this and watch your traffic spike.

Example: "10 Top Pinterest Boards"

14. Tool or application reviews

Everyone is looking for tools and apps that make life easier. Make it easy for your readers to find and download the software.

Example: "10 Must-Have WordPress Plugins Every Blogger Should Know About"

15. Stories that solve problems

Provide step-by-step instructions about the major issues that plague your industry. This content offers enormous value to your readers, and content creation is always about adding value.

Example: "20 Ways to Increase Your Facebook Likes and Engagement"

16. Statistics and facts

Content that outlines the latest statistics and facts is always an option that produces clicks and shares. People are intrigued by the bigger and better, and articles about this are always a hit.

Example: "72 Fascinating Social Media Marketing Facts and Statistics for 2012"

17. Quotes

Put a quote on Twitter or Facebook and watch the likes leap. There's nothing like an inspiring quote to put a gleam in someone's eye.

Example: Stephen King on what it takes to be a good writer: "If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot."

A version of this article originally appeared on JeffBullas.com.

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‘Dangerously ambiguous’ adjectives could cost you money

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:56:19 GMT

I pick up writing advice in the oddest places. Most recently, I learned a valuable lesson about the power and fragility of adjectives while reading “Freakonomics.”

In a chapter on real estate agents, the authors, Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, explain how commission structures create different incentives for agents and their clients. Your interest and your real estate agent’s interest are not always aligned. “When she sells her own house, an agent holds out for the best offer,” they write. “When she sells yours, she encourages you to take the first decent offer that comes along.”

How does a real estate agent encourage you to take the first decent offer without overtly appearing to do so? The agent uses “dangerously ambiguous” adjectives in for-sale ads, according to Levitt and Dubner.

“Certain words are powerfully correlated with the final sale price of a house. This doesn’t necessarily mean that labeling a house ‘well maintained’ causes it to sell for less than an equivalent house. It does, however, indicate that when a real-estate agent labels a house ‘well maintained,’ she may be subtly encouraging a buyer to bid low.”

What kind of words (and one punctuation mark) correlated with a lower sale price?

• Fantastic
• Spacious
• !
• Charming
• Great neighborhood

What kind of words correlated with a higher sale price?

• Granite
• State-of-the art
• Corian
• Maple
• Gourmet

As writers and editors, we can guess why certain words were associated with a higher sales price. “Granite,” “Corian,” and “gourmet” are specific and straightforward terms that describe physical attributes of a house.

“Fantastic” and “charming” are meaningless. “And an exclamation point in a real-estate ad is bad news for sure, a bid to paper over real shortcomings with false enthusiasm,” write Levitt and Dubner.

The lesson here is to use precise, direct adjectives or don’t use them at all. To do otherwise may send your readers an ambiguous message that is, at best, ignored, at worst, misinterpreted.

PR Daily readers, care to share your favorite specific, straightforward adjectives?

Laura Hale Brockway is an Austin-based writer and editor. She writes about writing at www.impertinentremarks.com.

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12 most dehumanizing jargon to ditch

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 13:49:39 GMT

"Can you tap a resource to execute the next project? Make sure you get it on his radar screen and really sweat the asset to get it done."

Business jargon is somewhat incomprehensible, and always dehumanizing, demoralizing and demotivating.

We hear people utter these phrases all the time in offices all across the United States. These phrases make employees feel less human and more like replaceable parts in a massive corporate machine.

However, it is simple to rehumanize that dehumanizing business jargon.

1. Resource

One of the most dehumanizing words in corporate jargon is "resource." It can refer to a copy machine, paper clip or person.

If the resource you're referring to breathes air, talks and has a name, it is best not to use the word "resource."

2. Human capital

This is a close cousin to "resource," but at least it acknowledges that people are different from staplers.

The people who spend 40-plus hours a week working for a company are more valuable than this term implies. A company can't survive without people.

3. Tap

"We'd like to tap your brain for this upcoming project."

Ouch! You mean stick a metal object in my brain to drain out my intellect like I am a maple tree? No thanks. But I am happy to help you with the project.

4. It is what it is

This translates into "I have completely given up trying to solve this problem," or "I am completely powerless to help."

Try listening, talking and coming up with solutions to see if you can change whatever "it is" into something better.

5. Radar screen

"You need to put this on your radar screen."

I don't have a radar screen. Am I being promoted to an air traffic controller? Use "be aware of" or "take note."

6. Take it to the next level

"We need to take our deliverables to the next level."

Apparently we are playing Super Mario Brothers at work and I didn't realize it. I will get to the next level and save Princess Peach!

Instead of this meaningless and overused phrase, outline goals for the future and how the company will get there.

7. Bleeding edge

"There has to be bleeding edge thinking on this project."

This phrase conjures up an image of a bloody knife, which is not what I want to think about if I want to push my thinking forward.

How about using "creative thinking" or even "leading edge"? Anything is better than blood in the cubicle.

8. Execute

"How are we going to execute the project?"

This overused word brings more violent images to mind and makes me wonder what the poor project did to deserve this treatment.

Try using the simple word "do" instead.

9. Bandwidth/cycles

"I'll see if she has any bandwidth for these additional duties."

As much as I wish I was HAL 2000 refusing to open the pod bay doors, employees are not computers. Try this fantastic word instead: "time."

"I'll see if she has time for these additional duties."

10. Sweat the asset

This refers to a company getting every last drop of value out of its resources, whether they are people or machines.

Let's stop using this phrase when we refer to employees, OK?

11. Cross pollination

"By bringing together the two teams, we are hoping you can cross-pollinate."

Are we getting bees in the office? Oh, you mean "share ideas."

12. Flight risk

"I think Joe's a flight risk."

Have you ever thought that Joe might be a flight risk because you talk about him like a prisoner? I'd want to quit, too, if I felt like an inmate at my job.

Replacing dehumanizing language in the office is easy-just talk like a human. Use plain language that builds relationships rather than demoralizes them.

Dr. Michelle Mazur is a public speaking coach and communication expert, and blogs at Relationally Speaking. This article is republished with permission, courtesy of 12 Most.

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