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copywriting :: Internet Marketing :: Copywriting
Writing Suitable Copy for the Press
Success with Affiliate Marketing, or Internet Marketing in general, depends on a lot of factors; the product
you decide to promote, the type of advertising you use, the size of your advertising budget, etc. One product
in particular has been around since the dawn of the World Wide Web. It has in the past, and still is making
small fortunes for many Internet Marketers. The product I am refering to is information. Throughout this site
you will find an abundance of information on affiliate programs, marketing, website building, advertising and
so much more. Enjoy!
So what is marketing really all about? The following report includes
some fascinating information about marketing--info you can use, not
just the old stuff they used to tell you.
Summer is finally here
and school is out, but learning for the rest of us continues. Whether
you're a seasoned PR professional working for a top agency, a novice
just beginning a career, or a mid-level manager working in-house at a
small business, the time comes when we all could use a refresher course
in properly writing suitable copy for the press.
My lesson occurred recently upon reading an interesting interview
with retired Wall Street Journal assistant managing editor, Paul R.
Martin, Sr., in The Bulldog Reporter, a public relations trade
newsletter. Reporters and public relations professionals alike greatly
admire Mr. Martin's experience, and they should because his advice for
avoiding common writing mistakes is the best primer available for
writing great press releases.
Allow me to share with you what I learned: ·
Keep your press release short and simple. Try to use one word
instead of two, and ask yourself if what you've written is redundant.
If in doubt, have a colleague or friend read your release. Reporters
want to understand your key points immediately. They don't want to call
you multiple times for clarification. ·
Write plainly and avoid company-insider phrases, clichés or
industry-specific jargon. Unless you are targeting the trade press,
avoid all jargon because it has have no meaning outside of the company
or industry. An example phrase would be "state of the art." ·
Do not capitalize titles to elevate your boss or company. Never
capitalize titles like "President" or "Chairman". Capped titles should
only be applied to things like the names of countries or political
heads of State.
Refrain from creating new words or phrases. Instead of
saying, "grow the economy" verbs like 'expand,' or 'increase,' still
work just as well. ·
Write in active voice. Remember that no one likes to read poorly
written copy. Brush up on your grammar and never use the passive voice,
which is boring.
Whether you are a PR professional or a small-business owner writing
press releases in-house, you must know how the media writes. Keep in
mind that journalists expect the quality level and same attention to
detail in your copy that their editors demand from their own stories.
If you violate these rules, here is yet another instance where your
release will receive a one-way trip to the reporter's trash can.
Notable PR Resources:
The Bulldog Reporter
Steven R. Van Hook's All About Public Relations
PR Newswire
About The Author
Carolyn Davenport-Moncel is president and founder of Mondave Communications, a global marketing and communications firm based in Chicago and Paris, and a subsidiary of MotionTemps, LLC. Contact her at carolyn@motiontemps.com or by phone in the United States at 877.815.0167 or 011.331.4997.9059 in France.
It never hurts to be well-informed with the latest on
marketing. Compare what you've learned here to future articles so that
you can stay alert to changes in the area of marketing.
We hope you found the information on this page useful and will return often to browse
the many articles throughout our site. We will be adding new material on an ongoing
basis in order to keep our visitors up to date on the latest promotion and marketing
information and tools that allow so many marketers to earn a full time living on the
internet.
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