Bill Kittel reports:
"Infomercial script writing requires not only a profundity, but also a strong hold. Script writing lies within the hand of the writer, they have great command over [copywriting]. Infomercial success means marketing success, marketing the fruit of labor that brings in sweet results...Gathering different ideas to come up with the perfect one is what you called brainstorming. Sit down with your team and share your ideas about the product. Think of ways you can convince the customer that this product is a 'need'...You can cite the benefits, solutions or even a miracle for them to buy the product. Get every idea that falls under the main goal and jot it down...Start writing an outline towards the goal. An outline can help in organizing thoughts, save time and [facilitate faster] writing...In [an] infomercial the outline is more likely a storyboard, a form of illustration that sequence[s] the entire script or...pre-visualizes the whole scene...After you have come up [with] an idea and written an infomercial outline, you are now ready to start writing...your first draft. Don’t rush, let yourself explore the ideas and start writing, [and] the words will come out easily with focus and perseverance. Aim to get the whole composition out of your head and write it all in the paper. Once done with the first draft, leave it. Don’t change anything. Fixing, modifying and improving will be done in the next step...Following the first draft, re-read it and make some revisions with the sentence structure, [grammar and] spelling errors. Check the content, organization, style and format. You may let your other team member read it and make comments if the infomercial script achieved its purpose. At this point, your infomercial script...should be precisely polished...[Visualizing and timing the material] means that the script written comes alive, being acted or dramatized and timed...plus the audio and video are synchronized. If you have followed th[ese] 5 steps in writing [an] infomercial script, chances are you’ll be done in no time. So, if you like the idea of writing better and faster, consider starting with infomercial consulting script writing." Heidi Cardenas reports:
"A career is more than a job, and requires careful planning. Careers require specific skills, interests, experience, training and education. You can’t wake up one morning and be a doctor or a librarian without training and education. Research and career planning are the keys to preparing for your desired career. Whether you are a high school student or a mid-career professional who wants a career change, writing a career plan will help you achieve your goals...Draft a career plan document, starting with the title at the top of 'Career Plan for (your name).' The document can be as simple or detailed as you like, but should include main sections for a specific career goal; the requirements to achieve the career goal; a list of your current skills, interests and abilities; and a realistic plan to achieve the career requirements...Choose a career. Read about careers in the areas you are most interested in, and the industries that employ people in those careers...Choose a field in which you have interests and passion and are willing to work to achieve the requirements for the career...Set a career goal, such as 'become a chemist' or 'become a paralegal'. Write 'Career Goal' as the first section under your career plan title, and write in your career goal statement after it. For example: Career Goal: Become a Licensed Registered Nurse. Elaborate on your career goal if you have more specific ideas, such as 'My career goal is to become a paralegal and work for a large law firm in downtown Chicago.'...Find out what’s required of people in the career you have chosen by researching. Start with the Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine...Look for current books about the career you want. High school students can find a lot of career information in their counseling offices or college planning centers. Find out what knowledge, skills, abilities, work activities[,] and training and education are required. List these in a section titled ['Career Requirements'] under your career goal section on the career plan document...Create a section on the career plan under career requirements and title it 'Self Assessment' or 'Current Career Assets.' List all of your current skills, abilities, interests, training and education. Use resumes, school transcripts and work records to help you list your current job skills and level of education. Personality tests can help you understand your personality type. Use this list to compare to the requirements list to identify the steps you need to take to prepare for your chosen career...Create a section on the career plan under current career assets and title it 'Next Steps' or 'Career Bridge.' List all the things you must do to make your career happen...Writing a mission or vision statement at the top of your career plan helps to focus your ideas. Use your career plan as a working document. Regularly review it, checking off things that are completed, adding expected completion dates, or revising as necessary. Share your career plan with friends and family so they know your goals and can offer encouragement, advice and support." Tim Spell reports:
"You work with a lot of great people, but there is one that stands out. He/she deserves to be recognized, and you plan to make it happen. But what takes an award nomination from just 'good' to 'WOW!'? These tips are designed to help you put the wow-factor in your nomination...Take the time to understand the process behind the award-selection and commit to fulfilling every requirement. Without doing so, your nomination will be discarded without consideration...[U]se specific examples to demonstrate how your nominee fits the award category perfectly. Write about the results that came from this person’s actions...Who wouldn’t be flattered by what you are doing? Get his/her input early on to be sure you are highlighting what is important to him/her in the nomination...All award nominations should be written as a narrative. But remember, the selection committee cannot waste a day on one nomination. In short, do not say in ten pages what you could say in one...[I]f you choose a strong, appropriate word, it won’t need a crutch to stand on. A sample sentence is: 'He does a very good job at finishing his work on time' versus, 'He finishes his work promptly.' Which sounds better to you? If you have trouble with this concept while writing, don’t worry. Let the words spill out organically. Later, use one read[-]through solely to eliminate 'fluff' words and construct strong sentences...It is important to introduce your nominee through your eyes. Provide them with a brief job summary and use the aforementioned anecdotes to prove the person goes above and beyond...The selection committee doesn’t have the time to decode acronyms or look up jargon. If you want to use a word that not everyone knows, define it. Always spell out acronyms the first time you use them...The first [reviewer] should be someone that doesn’t know the nominee. After a read[-]through of the award description and your nomination, ask the reader to describe the nominee. Then ask if the nominee deserves the award and why. This should expose any serious issues with your nomination’s content or wording. The second [reviewer] should be the nominee or someone who knows the nominee well. This person should check for accuracy and completeness...I know a person who deliberately waited until 11:59pm on the night of a deadline before hitting submit. Surprise! There was a problem. Make sure you have enough time to correct any error–human or technological." Rosy Saadeh reports:
"Nowadays, it’s a given that you will place your property for sale online; however, writing a property description that sells is your first step towards selling your home in a timely manner. I can attest to the fact that, too often, the property descriptions I read could use some improvement...While you may think that writing in caps will capture a homebuyer’s attention, what you may not be aware of is that writing in caps tells the reader that you are essentially shouting your entire property description at them. Sure, you can write a catchy headline in caps for effect...but do not write the entire property description that way or people will skip over your listing...From 'walking closet' and 'wreck room' to 'stainless [steel] appliances' and 'hardware floors,' many property descriptions come chock-full of typos. Some homebuyers have a difficult time taking a listing seriously when they are busy laughing at all the spelling and grammatical errors in the listing...Using words like 'beautiful,' 'turn-key' and 'gorgeous' in your property description will capture the attention of potential homebuyers, so use them to your advantage when describing your home for sale...When people surf the web, they don’t read; they scan. Make it as easy as possible for homebuyers by listing off the great things about your property rather than write up a novella. Using bullet points is always a great idea as are sub-headers, [as] they tell the reader what the upcoming paragraph will address...[I]t is ultimately up to you to create a property description that sells your home to a potential homebuyer...Sure, there is so much about your home that needs to be revealed, but a property description should not exceed 250 words. Remember that a property description should drive the homebuyer to pick up the phone and inquire about more information...Your objective is to sell your home, so it is in your best interest to avoid words like: 'perfect for family,' 'no children,' ['Christian'] and 'close to synagogue,' as you might lose many potential buyers by trying to hone in on one type. Keep your sale neutral and provide these details only once the buyer makes a comment about having a big family or being religious...If your appliances come with the home, name dropping is a good thing. Same goes for the architect you used or the interior designer, or even the name brand of windows and window treatments. If [your] asking price is slightly higher than everyone else['s], reveal why that is...Not only should your home be ready for its closeup, [but] the pictures you take should [also] be high-quality. How many pictures should your listing have? Between 10 and 20 is fine. Make sure the beds are made, the clutter is gone and it all looks move-in ready...[M]ake sure your property description ends off with a distinct call to action. Ensure that all your contact information is correct and speak to the homebuyers in a conversational tone...Sometimes, other circumstances get in the way of selling your home quickly and efficiently, but making sure that your property [description] is not [one] of those things is a step in the right direction." Cara Batema reports:
"The double-back nature of reverse poems plays tricks on their audience. These poems mean one thing when read from top to bottom, but the meaning or sentiment changes when you read each line from bottom to top...Before attempting to write your own reverse poem, look at some examples to get an idea of how other writers pulled off the style. First, read the poem from top to bottom. You might notice a particular theme or mood in the poem. Next, read the poem, line by line, from the bottom line to the top line. You should notice a shift or complete opposition of the mood when you read the poem forwards...To create your own reverse poem, think of a concept that has opposing viewpoints or emotions...You might choose to write about your classmates in school. You could also write about something as weighty as world politics, or even as simple as a family pet. Write your subject down in the middle of a piece of paper and circle it...Print out a copy of a reverse poem and highlight phrases you think make the poem work...both [from] top to bottom and in reverse. You might notice that every other line tends to be a generic statement, such as 'I tell you this.' Also take a close look at the end of lines. Many of them end with words like 'that' or 'and,' which forces you to look at the next line to get the whole picture of the statement. This tool is called enjambment, which means the sentence continues to the next line. Enjambment is useful in reverse poems because when the poem is read forward or backward, one line feeds into the next line. On the paper where you wrote your topic idea, write down complete phrases about that subject and circle each one. Find words like 'that' or 'and' and place a '/' slash mark after those words to indicate where you can create enjambed lines. Think of phrases that can show either a negative or a positive outlook about your subject...Since the reverse poem can be a tricky form to write, use a few tricks to organize your phrases. Write each phrase on a [notecard] or small white board. Write phrases you broke out with the slash mark on separate cards. Now, arrange the cards so that it means one thing when you flip through the cards from top to bottom; the poem should have the opposite meaning if you read the cards in the reverse order...Write your poem on a piece of paper to ensure it makes sense. Revise it if necessary...If it makes sense to move a word or two onto its own line, create the extra line. Re-read the poem again to see if it is clear both forward and backward. Once you've tried writing a reverse poem, you can also attempt a palindrome poem, also called a mirror poem. It's a similar style to the reverse poem, but you use the same words in the first half of the poem as you do in the final half, but you reverse the word order." Kelly Chester reports:
"Current event essays are assigned to inform students about important occurrences around the world. Students will learn to reflect and form opinions about social justice while also learning how to look for publication bias. As an academic skill, current events essays enhance reading comprehension skills and allow students to strengthen their argument writing skills...Choose an article from a reliable source, such as a major newspaper or periodical either in print or online, that best fits the current events assignment your teacher assigned you...After choosing an article, read through the article several times and highlight important points within the piece. Use a dictionary to define difficult words and read the article aloud to aid in reading comprehension. After reading, use your highlighted notes to jot down who, what, where, when and why. This will enable you to determine the angle of the article. Once you have an angle, develop a thesis statement that you can support using your article...In the first paragraph, introduce your article by sharing the title of the article, the author and publication. Then briefly summarize the article and state your thesis. Refer back to your highlighted article and use the body paragraphs to explain how the article proves your thesis statement...After you have completed the body of your current events essay, move to complete the conclusion. Be sure to reaffirm your thesis once more and make any other final thoughts or observations in your conclusion. The conclusion is a suitable place to discuss the possibility of bias in your article...Use the final moments of your essay to reflect on how bias informs you of the way in which your article was created." Thomas Metcalf reports:
"Regardless of what you sell, writing articles can help build your reputation and boost your sales. Having your name in print can convey an aura of authority, making you more believable and your products more buyable. Writing articles is also a good way to keep yourself current in your market and easy to do if you know your content...Articles should be compelling, easy to read and relatively short...Articles written for the Internet should include keywords in the content to get your search ranking high. Be careful not to make it sound contrived, however, or your readers will see it as a subterfuge and move on. Most readers will find a length of 400 to 600 words comfortable. If you have more to say -- and you probably do -- offer readers a free downloadable white paper. The request form, of course, includes the reader's contact information...Write to inform, relating the content of your article to the functionality and benefits of your product or service. Most people will stop reading if an article is a blatant sales pitch. If you are stuck for ideas, start with a catchy title and work from there. 'How to...' is a natural lead for an instructional article. 'Seven Reasons Why You Should...' can present information that will lead the reader toward the conclusion you desire. 'What You Need to Know About...' suggests you will provide the reader with solid information about a situation that relates to your product or service...If you are selling products produced by others, resist the temptation to copy and paste product information from their catalog or website. Write your product descriptions to differentiate you and your website from the countless others who use the copy-and-paste method. You can turn your product descriptions into articles by elaborating on how they work, offering tips on using them and other details. Write product reviews so that prospective customers will learn to depend on you as a reliable source of information. Turning product descriptions into articles will demonstrate your knowledge and generate a higher conversion rate...For people who sell professional services -- CPAs, insurance agents and attorneys, for example -- articles in newspapers and magazines can be a powerful draw to attract clients. Before you write your articles, request author submission guidelines to be sure you meet the publications' editorial requirements. Even if your target audience does not subscribe to the publications in which your articles appear, you can include copies in the mailings you send. You can also include them on your website, creating a library of information relating to your product or service." Tracy S. of WriterAccess reports:
"The hospitality industry is one that is constantly growing and changing, but will never go away. Establishments like restaurants, coffee shops and hotels all need to get the word out about the services they offer and what sets them apart from the crowd. Because of this, there are many jobs out there for skilled hospitality industry writers. Freelance hospitality bloggers can nearly always find work that allows them to express themselves about the industry...The hospitality industry is based on making personal connections with customers...[T]he goal is to make the customer[s] feel like they are important. Writing for the industry has the same goal, to connect with the potential customers and turn them into actual customers. This means that you are generally writing with a personal touch...When you write for the hospitality industry, you may have to handle several different styles of work. Articles are often larger, broader pieces. With these, you may take on a list format or a more traditional article. Articles are not normally created directly as marketing tools, but instead wind up taking a softer-sell approach. Blog posts are usually more condensed pieces. They are quite often posted on the website of a hospitality industry company and give readers a glimpse in the business or industry itself. Sometimes, but not always, these pieces are SEO-based, so there may be keyword requirements. Other documents you may find yourself working on include product descriptions, website content and press releases. Writing about the hospitality industry is a great challenge, but rewarding and enjoyable at the same time. If you enjoy traveling and discovering new places and things, this could be your dream writing job. Your biggest goal is to make readers feel enthusiastic about a place that they have never been and services they have not yet received; your words can take them there." Tim Eisenhauer reports:
"For businesses that first got their start during the dawn of the digital age...the ways in which customer support is approached have changed dramatically. Today, customers most often want to utilize the Internet for all or most of their needs without having to make unnecessary, time-wasting phone calls. This being said, it's never been so important in the past for businesses to create a compelling knowledge base for customers in need of support to sift through, but how do you go about doing so?...A knowledge base is essentially a group of informative articles culled together in a single location on the Internet that your customers can utilize in order to solve any issues they might be experiencing with your company's products or services. It takes the place, in many ways, of live customer support – that is, if it is well[-]constructed. The key to any decent knowledge base is having an arsenal of well-written, informative articles for your customers to peruse when they have a question. If the right information isn't there, the knowledge base is essentially useless. Fortunately, writing an excellent knowledge base article is less complicated than many people realize, and requires little more than the right amount of time and effort...There's nothing more essential when creating a knowledge base article than understanding the way your customers think. Demographic, user habits and everything in between can play into this, as the cornerstone of any well-constructed knowledge base article is having it be relative to your customers['] needs. The good thing here, though, is that most business owners already have a good handle on who their audience is, especially if they've been in operation for years. Still, taking the time to reevaluate your audience and map out a few core ideas to stick to will only make your knowledge base articles that much better...There's simply nothing worse on a customer or client's end than having to attempt to decipher a highly technical document. Unless you're truly trying to appeal to a crowd that eats schematics for breakfast, you'll generally do best by keeping things as general as possible while still relaying the necessary information. This doesn't mean you have to dumb things down – think more along the lines of omitting things that might be considered [superfluous] by the reader. If it's not absolutely necessary to know something in order to solve a problem, leave it out...If a client or customer is looking to gain some information to get themselves out of a jam, they likely don't have the time to sift through mountains of information. Add to this the fact that the Internet has created an age of short attention spans, and it stands to reason why you would want to keep things to a bare minimum when putting together a knowledge base article...If an article is too long for you to read in one sitting without getting a headache or getting lost, you can go ahead and bet that the same can be said for your customers. Keeping things short and to the point is an essential aspect of writing a great knowledge base article...It's not uncommon to run into repeat questions and issues from your customers and clients, especially in the wake of releasing a new product or service. Instead of simply handling these on a case[-]by[-]case basis and moving on, you can use them to help flesh out your knowledge base. Devoting an entire article to each issue that begins to pop up commonly may seem labor intensive, but it will help to better ensure that your customers don't run into the problem repeatedly any longer, and it will actually save you quite a bit of time in the long run...Sometimes, knowledge base articles can be relatively information-heavy, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. If you don't take care in how you structure them, however, they could end up being exceptionally confusing to the reader. Proper organization is, in many ways, just as important as the content inherent in the article. Try to structure things in a rational, linear manner whenever possible. The idea should be for the reader to learn everything necessary to solve an issue from point A to point B by the end of the article...For many people, visual learning is more effective than anything else. If your knowledge base articles are too text-heavy, you may end up losing the attention of your clients and customers. Creating infographics, screenshots, charts, graphs, tables, and using images is a great way to get the best of both worlds, as you can juxtapose them with text to make for a cohesive learning experience. There [is] a great deal of templates available online (many of which are free) that can help you to create infographics quickly and easily, even if you aren't entirely familiar with them. Creating one infographic per article is a great way to tie up loose ends, and can increase the chances [th]at the reader will come away with the solution they're seeking...You may want to start small and create articles that address simple issues, as the more complicated a solution is, the more thorough the article will need to be. Take your time, and it will all fall into place." The Leonardo blog reports:
"While a picture can tell a thousand words, just a few words can change its entire story. Having unique and ‘snackable’ descriptions will make your already-stunning visuals even more attention-grabbing!...Personalization is probably the most important point when it comes to creating descriptions for your hotel’s wide array of media content. It is imperative that every single visual (whether it’s a photo, video or virtual tour) has its own, unique caption – no matter how similar they may seem. Your hotel’s rooms with one king-size bed are not identical to the rooms which hold two queen-size beds, so why should your photo descriptions be? Vividly explaining the benefits of staying in an upgraded room can even entice travel shoppers to upgrade! Yes, writing a unique text description for each piece of visual content may be time-consuming, but it generally only has to be done once. When you have all your personalized descriptions written and posted alongside your visuals, from then on, you can just sit back and reap the benefits that they will provide to you – like driving positive attention and bookings...[U]sing bullet points and bolding/italicizing key words, to highlight important points, is encouraged and recommended – as it makes the text more [visually appealing] and easy-to-read, something travel shoppers that are [on the go] appreciate...[I]nternet users typically leave websites in 10-20 seconds, so it’s important to succinctly mention your top selling features. Remember to only include information that is important and relevant to the visual. Think: [W]ill adding this piece of information make the travel shopper more inclined to choose my hotel over others? If you don’t think it really will, don’t include it...A beautiful picture does show many things to a travel shopper[,] but can it show free high-speed Wi-Fi? Not really. Descriptions are a great tool that a hotelier can use to further describe their hotel’s unique and captivating story to the travel shopper. Christine Hopkins, Director of Communications for Hotel Galvez & Spa and The Tremont House, which are both Wyndham Grand Hotels, and Harbor House Hotel & Marina...said in our webinar, 'We want to be able to effectively tell our [hotel’s] story. One of the ways we set our hotel apart from the competition is by trying to tell this story and we do this through compelling rich media which is, of course, photos and videos, with accompanying text descriptions. We all know that a good picture is important[,] but the accompanying text description help[s] frame our hotel’s story and it also allows travel shoppers to learn what we’re about and what we can offer them.'" |
Writing and editing can be pretty rigorous processes if you want to do them well, but that's what this page is here for. Check out the latest tips here. Archives
March 2024
CategoriesJ.D. Parsons
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