creative+writing's tag archives

Get Your Share on Facebook

Posted by Ann Wylie in June 16th 2010

Three Scientific Ways to Get Your Fans to Spread the Word

Dan Zarrella does it again.

The social and viral marketing scientist who brought you the science of retweets has turned his attention to what makes blog postings and articles go viral on Facebook.

Here’s what he’s learned:

Keep it simple.

The lower the reading grade level of the article headline, the more likely it is to get shared on Facebook, Zarrella’s research shows. For instance, headlines written at the:

Fifth-grade level got shared 15 percent more often than average.

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under: Corporate Communications and Public Relations, Professional Development and Training, Techniques & Tactics, Webinars, Writing
Tags: creative+writing

Mark Time: Try a Chronological Structure

Posted by Ann Wylie in March 10th 2010

The work I’m doing on a client’s new Web site has me thinking about navigational structure.
Whether you’re organizing a Web site or a magazine article, a museum exhibit or your family’s letters and memorabilia, there are only five ways to structure information. Richard Saul Wurman, author of Information Architects, uses the acronym LATCH to define them:

Location
Alphabet
Time
Category
Hierarchy

For your Web site’s structure to work, each navigational component should fit one of these approaches.

Take time.

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under: Corporate Communications and Public Relations, Professional Development and Training, Techniques & Tactics, Writing
Tags: creative+writing, social+media+writing

Master the Art of the Storyteller

Posted by Ann Wylie in May 27th 2009

Anecdotes make your messages easier to believe, understand and remember.

“Stories are the most powerful form of human communication.”

— Peg C. Neuhauser
Author, Corporate Legends and Lore

If you want to win the hearts and minds of your audience members, you must be a master storyteller. Stories can help you:

Get and keep reader attention. It’s no secret that our audiences suffer from information overload. Each day, Americans face an average of 5,000 attempts to spark their interest — that’s nearly 2 million messages a year. In this environment, communicators must cut through the clutter to grab our audience’s attention. The best way to do that is through storytelling.
Bring your mission, vision and values to life. These are arguably some of an organization’s most important messages. Yet in most companies, they’re relegated to laminated cards in employees’ wallets or to the back of the annual report — in six-point type. But storytelling can bring these defining statements to life. In fact, there is no other way to adequately communicate these big-picture elements.
Enhance credibility. People who are cynical about statistics — and who isn’t these days? — find stories credible. It’s the Peer Principle of Persuasion: Our audience members believe that if it worked for someone else, it will work for them.

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under: Professional Development and Training, Strategic Planning, Techniques & Tactics, Teleseminars, Writing
Tags: creative+writing, writing

Make Your Copy More Creative

Posted by Ann Wylie in May 11th 2009

Engaging Elements Sell

“Nobody ever sold anybody anything by boring them to death.”

— David Ogilvy, advertising genius

Ogilvy was right.

If you want someone to buy what you’re selling — whether you’re pitching products and services or positions and ideas — you must first engage them. And nothing engages readers quite as well as creative material.

Creative elements grab attention, communicate more clearly and enhance credibility. They paint pictures in your audience members’ minds so they understand your points faster, enjoy your information more and remember it longer.

Creative Components Are Crucial

Creative material is essential — not a luxury. Alas, it’s a necessity that many writers forget. After I presented a workshop on “Making Your Copy More Creative,” one attendee pulled me aside and said:

“The speeches I write are just 20 minutes long. I can’t afford to make room for anecdotes, metaphors and human-interest illustrations.”

I told him he couldn’t afford not to include creative elements — that those were the only parts of his speech his audience listened to!

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under: Professional Development and Training, Seminars, Techniques & Tactics, Writing
Tags: creative+writing, creative+writing+tips

creative+writing's tag archives

Get Your Share on Facebook

Mark Time: Try a Chronological Structure

Master the Art of the Storyteller

Make Your Copy More Creative

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