A-Z Writing Tips - Effective Press Release Writing Tips

Tips for Writing Effective Headlines

2007-11-27T18:36:00.004-08:00

Headlines serve the purpose of getting the attention of the reader. With a good headline, the reader gets intrigued to read the article, brochure, newsletter or ad. There are many techniques employed to produce effective headlines.

Create such a headline that it creates curiosity to the reader. This can be done by asking a provocative question or by making a seemingly outrageous statement in the headline. Using word play, alliteration and take-off on familiar phrases helps in creating eye-catching and amusing headlines. It is always better to avoid ambiguity as if the headline turns out to be difficult for the reader to read it is most likely that he or she may not read it at all!

The headline has to be coined in such a way that it provides an answer to the reader asking "What's in it for me?" Mention the primary benefit the reader gets from reading the article. Maybe, you could provide a solution to a common problem through the headline. Always keep the headline as sweet and short as possible. The ideal length for headlines is seven words or less. This is because shorter headlines are punchier and easier to read.

Never lie to your customers through the headline. It is very important that you provide an article that is befitting to the headline of the article. This is because on reading the headline, the reader will be expecting a story, and if the story produced is something completely different, it is most likely that the reader will feel cheated. Make sure that the first word of the headline is capitalized, as should all the other proper nouns in the headline. Do not develop the habit of capitalizing every word, as the uniformity of the headline is then lost.
Tip! Professional writer and writing instructor Deanna Mascle shares more writing tips as well as a free collection of prompts at her Writing Resources blog at http://word-craft.

The most effective headlines have been proven to be those that have logical sentence structures, active voice and strong present tense verb. It is the good verbs that always drive good headlines. Make it a habit of locating the headline of an article flush to the left of the page, unless otherwise mentioned. All headlines should use present tense for immediate past information, past tense for past perfect while future tense is used for coming events. The punctuation format of headlines is basically normal. Periods should be used for abbreviations only and single quotes should be used where double quotes would be used in copy. Make it a point to never split verb pieces in between lines of the headlines or ending lines with prepositions. This makes the headlines look untidy. Keep these pointers in mind, and proceed in producing effective headlines for your articles!

Robert is a Freelance Website Designer and Search Engine Optimizer at http://www.digitallabz.com and http://www.webdesignerhouston.com.

Tips On Writing a Successful Ad

2007-11-27T18:36:00.003-08:00

When knowledge is based on truth it is powerful!

When it is critical knowledge, its presence can drive our success, while its absence may contribute to our failure. I will attempt to convey in this report some useful and practical knowledge about how to write awesome ads for the World Wide Web. It is my sincere belief that; if you act upon the suggestions that will be presented here, you may well be taking steps which will give your ad greater pulling power.

Web advertising takes many forms; web pages, classified ads, e-mail responses, news group postings, and even your signature file. No matter which form you employ unless your advertising is seen, nothing is sold. Being seen is of key importance.

However, a less considered but equally important factor is your viewing audience. Disregarding your audience results in the problem of "selling air conditioners to Eskimos." It just doesn't generate much interest. A reader who has no interest in your advertising material is not part of a qualified audience" and is not a potential customer.

Classified ads placed in the appropriate section for your product will naturally draw a qualified audience of potential customers. Ad placement within the section is the single most important factor determining whether or not your ad is seen within the section. Secondly, the content of your ad will determine which (and if) potential customers do in fact actually read your ad. When placing classified ads on the web some rules of thumb are:
Tip! By following the resume writing tips above, you will position yourself as a strong candidate and make your resume stand out from the crowd.

1. Choose classifieds that have the largest number of ads because, this is generally a good indicator of how much reader traffic there will be for your classified.

2. Determine how the ads are ranked or sorted within the sections and attempt to be listed at or near the top.

3. Develop reader stopping ad content.

DESIGNING AN AWESOME CLASSIFIED

The four essential ingredients of an awesome classified are:

ATTENTION - INTEREST - DESIRE - ACTION

If your ad is missing any of these it is not an AWESOME Ad!

ATTENTION: You must first get the readers attention. Picture him scanning the section of the classified page in which your ad is listed. For him or her it is much like which ride at the amusement park to take next. Something about your ad must grab their attention, to directs their focus toward your product.
Tip! Job Descriptions provides detailed information on job descriptions, accounting job descriptions, free resume-writing tips, how to write a resume and more. Job Descriptions is affiliated with Executive Job Search.

Since classified ads usually lack graphics, it then comes down to something about the words you use, or about the way you use them. Some web advertisers seem to think that if you use lots of !!! (exclamation marks)or *** (asterisks) or maybe MAKE IT ALL CAPS that this will draw their attention. The problem here is that:

Everyone knows it's glitter and meant to get your attention. This may often interfere with the readers ability to take your words seriously. Subconsciously he may even expect your ad to be some kind of gimmick. Right or wrong, stereotype or not, my advise is let your words speak for themselves and steer clear of such tactics. We will discuss guidelines for choosing the right words later.
Tip! If you want to get a great job, you have to have a great resume. Keep these resume writing tips in mind as you work on your resume.

INTEREST: The ad must have appeal. This is a good place to state the benefits or some attractive features of your product. Knowing the demographics of your readers or the category section your ad is placed in, helps in nderstanding their interests. What benefits of your product or service is most likely to appeal to this group? Develop a mental picture of some of the customers who would come from this demographic group, and will buy your product. What kinds of jobs do they have, cars do they drive... are they young, old, single, married...

Having a mental picture of your audience is important when you want to understand their interests and know what benefits of your product you should spotlight.
Tip! You need resume writing tips for the Internet because not all resumes are created equally. Sometimes employers will want their resumes in ASCII format only.

DESIRE: But appealing to their interest is not enough. The ad must then "further stimulate your reader." While interest can generally be obtained by the practical properties of your product, desire needs sparking by a more emotional reaction. Is there something about your product that will make them feel good, excited, confident, secure, hoperul or powerful? Think about what other emotions your product can ignite. Does your product appeal to a particular sense. Can the reader taste, hear, smell, see or hear your product. Realize that most actions which we take are sparked by desire and most desire is stimulated by feelings. We don't really desire money.

We desire the feelings that we think money will bring us, whether they be happy, secure, or powerful. Yet, the word "money" may trigger the desire that triggers the feelings which we value and want to experience.

ACTION: If your reader does not take action, then you are dead in the water. How do you get your reader to act? Believe it or not this is the simplest step. Simply use a directive. Psychologists tell us that when given a directive (unless obviously harmful) our first instinct is to comply. Turn to the person in the seat next to you, and in a slightly commanding voice say, "give me your pen for a minute"... chances are they will, and usually, without question, for no other reason than "you told them to." Don't say... "will you give me your pen for a minute" because now they have to think, and if they have to think they may refuse. In your ad simply say: "call this number now", "email me for details", "go to our website" etc. If the first three ingredients (attention, interest, and desire) have been well done, and the reader is a qualified customer.... they will most likely take the action you direct them to take.
Tip! All the journal writing tips in the world can only guide you, and in the end you must choose your style based on what works best for you. Ask yourself if you like to use only words (no pictures or stickers) or if you prefer to combine writing and drawing.

WHAT TYPE OF AD SHOULD YOU USE

There are three ad types:

Qualified - Partially Qualified - and Blind

The qualified ad is specific and includes more detail about the product you are selling. Some products lend themselves to qualified ad content better than others. Hair pieces for men is an example. If your product is particularly "person dependent" use this type. Qualified ads will receive the least response but more of the responses which are received will result in sales.

The partially qualified ad offers a special benefit, such as money or self- improvement. The readers have some idea of what you are offering, but don't know the specifics. If they are interested and desire your product they will follow your directive and send for more info. If you know where a partially qualified ad response comes from, you may be able to tailor your response to increase the percent of resulting sales.
Tip! You can subscribe to free Writing Tips to improve your writing: mailto:WritingTips-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or read numerous articles on how to write well -- for profit or pleasure.

Blind ads offer only a few details, they are short, and bring in the largest response. However, blind ads produce the lowest percentage of actual orders per reponse, they are often answered just out of curiosity.

ADDING WORD POWER TO YOUR CLASSIFIED AD

Some words are more powerful than others. Saying, your ad must "spark your readers interest," is more powerful than saying, your ad must "get the readers attention." Why? because by using "spark," you can see something igniting within the reader, flaming their interst, and sense they are feeling some excitement. Yes, getting them to have feelings about your words is what you want to accomplish. It is the feelings that are attached to the words that give them power. Look at the list of words below and see if you can recognize the feelings behind the words, that give them power. If you are haveing trouble finding power words to use in your ad, it is probably because you are conce trating to hard on what words you want to use instead of what sorts of feelings you want the reader to feel. Decide on the feelings first and then experiment with the words that best convey them.
Tip! Science and technology students need to be able to demonstrate scientific writing ability. Taking writing tips from college professors that teach correct formatting and usage, including APA style, and improving your proofreading and editing skills will result in quality writing assignments.

Researchers at Yale University say that the twelve most POWERFUL words in the English language are:

1. DISCOVER

2. EASY

3. GUARANTEE

4. HEALTH

5. LOVE

6. MONEY

7. NEW

8. PROVEN

9. RESULTS

0 SAFETY

10. SAVE

11. YOU

12. FREE - ( I just had to add this one in ! )

The above list contains the type of attention getting words that you should try to include in your classified advertising ad title. Scan a bunch of classifieds (as many as necessary), picking out other such words from the title of the ads that attracted your attention. Do this until you have a list of about 50 words. Try to pick out the individual words and not the phrases. Phrases will come later. Keep this list at hand when you are designing your classified ad. Glance at the list occasionally while writing down possible titles for your ad. The title is the most important part of the ad. You may need to spend 90 percent of the time it takes to design your ad, just on the title alone.
Tip! Professional writer and writing instructor Deanna Mascle shares more writing tips as well as a free collection of prompts at her Writing Resources blog at http://word-craft.

Now write down every word that you can possibly think of which describes a particular feature or benefit of your product. What do you always tell the customer about your product? Benefits - benefits -benefits! Features - features- features!

Verbs and adjectives are great. Verbs because they show action and adjectives because they are descriptive. Active and descriptive words tend to have more enertia and cause us to react with feelings.

Now let's put it all together and create a simple classified car ad.

Want a Dependable Used Car that Looks Fantastic and Drives Great? 1994 Olds Cutlass - low mileage - automatic transmission - radio plays CD's -- tinted glass - factory air - great gas mileage - So "cherry" people will stare with envy when you drive by - Call today 555-5555 ask for Joe.
Tip! Job Descriptions provides detailed information about job descriptions, accounting job descriptions, free resume-writing tips, how to write a resume and more. Job Descriptions is the sister site of Personal Time Management.

Well, this one I did quickly. Maybe you can make it better. Anyway, now review the ad. Does the title grab the reader's attention. Does the ad offer features or benefits of interest to car buyers? Is some emotional desire created to further stimulate the reader? Does the ad direct the reader's action?

Now go to it! Create your own awesome classified keeping the above thoughts in mind. Review your ad and check to see that all the important ingredients of a good ad are present. Find a classifieds site on the web with plenty of ads in a category related to your product. Get your ad listed first if you can. And wait for the response. "If you are not getting responses, then either change the title of the ad, change the wording, or Advertise in more locations!

I hope this helps in your future marketing decisions.

About The Author

David Bell

http://www.wspromotion.com/

Advertising research and development center

The Internet and Beyond - 12 Tips on Writing Better Brochures

2007-11-27T18:36:00.002-08:00

Every year thousands of online businesses fail. None of them begin with the idea they'll fail, in fact they have high hopes of success, but they fail all the same. One of the main reasons for the high failure rate is an over reliance on one marketing channel…the Internet.

Marketing isn't about using one medium. It's about getting and keeping customers. Yes, Internet marketing can help you can do that but only if you use it in conjunction with other tactical tools. In addition there are thousands of potential customers that are extremely cautious about placing important business or buying an expensive item from an unknown online vendor. That's one of the reasons why, in order to succeed, EVERY online company must have brochures and other forms of printed sales literature to hand out to customers and prospects.

An online company needs printed sales literature for two reasons:

1. Credibility: People expect a "real" company to have printed sales literature. It's easy to afford spending $60 on business cards, letterhead etc. and call yourself a corporation. But if you want to look like you mean business, you need a brochure of some sort.

2. Time-saving. People want printed material to take home and read at their leisure. Yes, you can direct them to your Web site, but a brochure adds a personal touch, tells your prospect what the product or service can do for them and why they should buy from you. Brochures also support other advertising, direct mail, online promotions, and can be used as a sales tool by distributors. In short, a good brochure sells.
Tip! By following the resume writing tips above, you will position yourself as a strong candidate and make your resume stand out from the crowd.

Here are 12 tips on writing a brochure that will support your online marketing efforts, and increase your sales.

1. Know What Your Reader Wants

You must write your brochure or leaflet from the reader's point of view. That means the information must unfold in the right order. Begin by analyzing what your reader wants to know. An easy way to do this is by assessing the order in which your reader's questions will flow. For example, imagine you own a medical spa facility offering Botox and other anti-aging treatments. You are interested in encouraging your readers to make an appointment for a consultation and/or schedule a treatment. Now, given the nature of your business, your reader will have a lot of questions they'll want answered before they'll consider making an appointment. Your brochure should answer their questions in a logical sequence following the reader's train of thought. A good way to organize your points is to write down the questions you think a potential customer might have, and the answers your brochure might supply.
Tip! You can subscribe to free Writing Tips to improve your writing: mailto:WritingTips-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or read numerous articles on how to write well -- for profit or pleasure.

2. Motivate your reader to look inside

The first page your reader will see is the front cover. Get it wrong and you've as good as lost the sale. Don't make the common mistake of couching your services in technical jargon. Think benefits or thought-provoking statements that motivate the reader to pick up the brochure and open it. Add a flash that tells the reader there's something inside that will interest them - an exclusive invitation, a free report, special discount or advance notice of sales. Don't be tempted to put only your company logo or product name on the front. It won't work.
Tip! You need resume writing tips for the Internet because not all resumes are created equally. Sometimes employers will want their resumes in ASCII format only.

3. Contents Page - What's in it

In brochures of eight pages or more, a list of contents is useful. Make your list in bold and separate it from the rest of your text. Use the contents to sell the brochure. Don't use mind-numbing words like "Introduction" or "Model No A848DHGT". Pick out your most important sales point and use that in your heading.

4. Describe Your Product

To help you describe your product draw up a list of product features (facts about your product) and add the words "which means that..." after each point. For example, "The cake is made from an original recipe, which means that...it tastes better." Or, "The car has a 300 horse-power engine, which means that...it goes faster." Remember that the purchaser of your product is not always the user so there may be more than one benefit for each feature.
Tip! If you want to get a great job, you have to have a great resume. Keep these resume writing tips in mind as you work on your resume.

5. Make it a Keeper

Putting helpful information in your brochure will encourage the reader to keep it, refer to it often or pass it on to other people. If you're selling paint you can provide hints on color schemes, painting how-to information, tips from the pros etc. If you're selling skin care products you can give your readers tips on how to combat pimples, dry skin, fine lines and wrinkles.

6. Alter the Shape

Who says a brochure has to be A4? Selling sandwiches? You can design a brochure in the shape of a sandwich. Season tickets to soccer matches? Design it in the shape of a soccer ball. Using your imagination when designing your brochure can produce better than average results. According to Direct Magazine, a recent mailing by CSi, a company that conducts customer satisfaction surveys for automobile insurance firms and repair shops, got a 15% response rate with a brochure delivered in a 32-ounce squeeze sport water bottle. The headline read, "Thirsty for more repair orders?"
Tip! Job Descriptions provides detailed information about job descriptions, accounting job descriptions, free resume-writing tips, how to write a resume and more. Job Descriptions is the sister site of Personal Time Management.

Try tall and slim, square, oblong. Whatever you like. The only limitation is your imagination, and, of course, your budget.

7. Make it Personal

An experienced speaker talking to a large audience will pick out a face in the crowd, and talk to that face. This connection with one person allows the speaker to make his talk more personal than if he were merely addressing a mass of faces. In a similar fashion, the words in your brochure should use this technique and zero in on one imaginary single person. Why? Because writing in a direct "I'm-talking-only-to-you" style will increase response.

8. Add Atmosphere

Don't let your brochure sound aloof. Let your reader share your feelings. There's no reason why a brochure about a wood burning stove has to go into the ins and outs of how the stove works. Tell your reader about rain swept winter evenings and snow-bound afternoons. Let your words show them how warm and snug and they'll be when they purchase one of your stoves.
Tip! Science and technology students need to be able to demonstrate scientific writing ability. Taking writing tips from college professors that teach correct formatting and usage, including APA style, and improving your proofreading and editing skills will result in quality writing assignments.

9. Get Selling...Fast

Remember, not everyone wants to be educated on every aspect of your product or service. Nor does everyone want to know the manufacturing details of your widget. Don't waste their time telling them about things that don't convey a benefit.

10. Talk about your reader's needs

Don't get carried away with your own interests. Talk about your reader, not yourself. Here are the first words in a brochure from a company selling insurance:

"Insurance is a complicated business. Our company was formed in 1975 to help our clients deal with the process of finding the right insurance to suit their needs. In the last 20 years we have been selling insurance to a wide range of customers from many different walks of life. Our company's reputation is unsurpassed in the industry..."
Tip! Job Descriptions provides detailed information on job descriptions, accounting job descriptions, free resume-writing tips, how to write a resume and more. Job Descriptions is affiliated with Executive Job Search.

Yawn...This is the bar room bore in print. Instead of telling you how the company can help solve your problems, it's more interested in telling you about itself.

11. Give Directions

Every brochure should be organized so the reader can flip through the pages and easily find what they want. Provide clear signposts or headlines throughout the brochure and make sure each one says: "Hey, pay attention to me!"

12. Ask for Action

Regardless of how you organize your brochure, there's only one way to end it. Ask for action. If you want your reader to respond include an 800 number, reply card, or some form of response mechanism. In fact, to increase your brochure's selling power you should include your offer and a response mechanism on every page.
Tip! Professional writer and writing instructor Deanna Mascle shares more writing tips as well as a free collection of prompts at her Writing Resources blog at http://word-craft.

About The Author

Julia is an independent copywriter and consultant specializing in advertising and search engine marketing services. To learn more about how Julia can help boost your company's profits visit her site at www.juliahyde.com. You may also like to sign up for Marketing Works! Julia's monthly ezine. Visit www.juliahyde.com/form.html to sign up or email Julia for details.

info@juliahyde.com

Free Resume-Writing Tips

2007-11-27T18:36:00.001-08:00

With the growing number of free job sites on the Internet, plenty of opportunities appear to be available to the qualified candidate. Essential to clinching that dream job is the way an applicant's resume is put together. Using free resume-building websites and examining free online job descriptions will help hone resume-writing skills.

To write a resume, the job applicant needs to give a sub-title to each part of their education and work experience, followed by a more in-depth description of their skills. Focus also must be given to explaining extra-curricular activities, as sometimes the employer may be looking for a person with additional qualifications. This must be accomplished in a logical order; such a well-structured resume gives all the meaning the candidate wishes to convey to their prospective employer. This resume should make the employer want to select the candidate immediately over all the others.

The resume should be cross-checked for any spelling mistakes, as these make a bad impression. Free resume tip websites or resume-builder websites can also be explored. These sites provide a wealth of information to job seekers on how to improve their resumes for submitting them to the employers.

Once the information is checked, the job seeker must include a solemn pledge that the contents are true, and they must clearly mention their stated objective in sending their resume to the employer. The free job descriptions contained in the resume-builders help young people to highlight some of their skills that they might otherwise fail to give prominence.
Tip! You need resume writing tips for the Internet because not all resumes are created equally. Sometimes employers will want their resumes in ASCII format only.

Jobs that are being advertised on the Internet get lot of attention from job seekers. Online advertising makes it possible for many to apply instantly. But job seekers do not know how many others will be applying for such jobs or what their qualifications are. Since the Internet is an open platform, job seekers must explain their level of awareness about the job, educational and other qualifications, and their willingness to take up the task seriously.

Presenting a true, detailed, well-structured resume to an employer will catch their attention, and should get the immediate response it deserves.

Job Descriptions provides detailed information about job descriptions, accounting job descriptions, free resume-writing tips, how to write a resume and more. Job Descriptions is the sister site of Personal Time Management.

Resume Writing - Tips and Advice

2007-11-27T18:36:00.000-08:00

Job-hunting is not the most exciting thing in the world but you can make it easier. The key is organization. Keep a record of companies you have applied and any contacts that may or may not have with them. One of the first things you need to do be creative in your resume writing.

The appearance of your resume is of paramount importance. The most obvious fact is it needs to be neat and all items must be spelled correctly. Correct information is of paramount importance especially if the interviewer decides to check out your information. The format should be simple and plain. It should highlight your accomplishments.

The quality of the paper you use to send out resumes should be of professional quality. Most job seekers use a paper that is not glossy and is a 20-weight paper. You should use the same paper for your resume, your cover letter, and the envelope. It comes across as being more professional.

The font should be clear and easy to read. The size of the font is important. Personally I prefer a font of 12. It is clear and the letters are not blurry as they can be with some fonts. The suggested font to use in your resume is a Sans Serif font such as Arial or Verdana. They are clear and stand out better in faxes.

When describing your skills in particular, use strong action words. Instead of starting a sentence with a noun use a strong verb. When using numbers use percentages, dollar amounts when describing money, and the number of people you supervised if this is applicable.

Your resume should be one page only. The information should be presented as concisely as possible. There will be a place in the cover letter and possibly an interview to expound on your skills. Resumes that are too long are often put aside because employers simply don't have the time to read through lengthy dissertations. If it doesn't fit on one page try paring it down to the bare minimum. The information must be relevant to the position you are applying for. Do not forget to attach your cover letter.
Tip! Job Descriptions provides detailed information on job descriptions, accounting job descriptions, free resume-writing tips, how to write a resume and more. Job Descriptions is affiliated with Executive Job Search.

There are two types of resume formats that are used. The functional format will put your skills into categories. Your titles are listed on the bottom. This format is used by people who are changing careers and who don't want to draw attention to gaps in employment or a possible lack of direct experiences. The chronological format is used by those on a career path. Your employment and education are listed in reverse chronological order. Outline your skills to show your best accomplishments. The categories that you include on your resume must be relevant to the position for which you are applying.

Your resume will be different if you are fresh out of college and unemployed, if you have been out of the work force for an extended period of time (i.e. to raise your kids), or if you are a teenager going for the first job. A resume is one the most important tools you have to use in your job search.

The categories will be similar for all manner of people seeking employment. The purpose of your resume is to give employers the maximum amount of information in as few words as possible. Some companies receive hundreds of resumes at any given time. Your resume should standout but not be outlandish. Professionalism is the key. Below is a figure showing what a professional could look like. Remember the information is to be clear and concise. It should be easy on the eyes and professional.
Tip! All the journal writing tips in the world can only guide you, and in the end you must choose your style based on what works best for you. Ask yourself if you like to use only words (no pictures or stickers) or if you prefer to combine writing and drawing.

JANE DOE 5 Main Street Anywhere, Any state 00000 jado521@anysite.com (000) 111-2233

Job Objective: to obtain a position as (name the position)

Education: Any School University B.S. in Anything 2000 -2004 111Any Road Any-town, USA 88888

Somebody High School High School Diploma 1995 -1999 East Highway Road Anywhere, USA 88888

Employment: Here list your employers putting the current one first. If you haven't had experience let them know that. If you were a babysitter you can add that to your resume. It at least will show them your work ethics.

Skills: List some of the thing you do reasonably well that are relevant to the position. Are you going for a position as a teacher's aid? List your duties you had in baby-sitting or if you tutored anybody, list those duties as well
Tip! Job Descriptions provides detailed information about job descriptions, accounting job descriptions, free resume-writing tips, how to write a resume and more. Job Descriptions is the sister site of Personal Time Management.

Related Volunteer Experiences: Here be as descriptive as possible and be as descriptive and exact as you can. Remember be descriptive but concise.

References: Will Be Furnished Upon Request (Be prepared with a list of three to five people that have consented to give you a recommendation. Include who is familiar with your work as it relates to the position.

Finally the resume is about selling yourself. Give them just enough information to have them come back and want more details. Good Luck!
Tip! Deanna Mascle shares more writing tips and writing resources with her online Writing Workshop at WordCraftOnline.

About the Author Martin Smith is a successful freelance writer providing advice on a variety of subjects.

Visit his website Resume Writing for more tips and advice.