The Truth About The New Rules Of Business Writing Part 14

And a different example: Young, profit-oriented advertising professional with 8+ years of solid experience and a successful track record. Well-organized, self-starting team player with excellent communication skills and ability to stimulate increased productivity.

When you create the right opening profile, it tells you what content to focus on in the rest of the resume. It also tells the reviewer how to read the rest of the resume, setting him or her up to take the slant you want.

Stress your accomplishments-Employers aren't interested in a laundry list of your former jobs and tasks-they want to know what you've accomplished. So translate your job responsibilities into achievements and quantify your accomplishments. This is worth a great deal of thought.

Rather than saying, "I redesigned a warehouse," say, "Transformed a disorganized, inefficient warehouse into an efficient operation by totally redesigning the layout, saving an estimated annual $50,000 in recovered stock."

Use strong, meaningful words such as managed, conducted, coordinated, directed, and supervised. "I handled marketing issues" is less impressive than "I coordinated marketing campaigns."

"I entered information into a database" sends a completely different image of you than "I coordinated customer databases and upgrades."

Here's a sample list of accomplishments from a marketing executive: Exceeded forecast net income by 14% in first 12 months Grew an industrial account base from zero into a segment producing more than $16 million in sales revenue in the first 12 months Developed a formal sales program identifying objectives and strategies, deployment of resources, qualification guidelines, sales incentive programs, and support plans Using bullets-They work beautifully for doc.u.ments like resumes, but don't overdo. Who wants to read two pages of bulleted information? Use them to make separate points, or list examples, but create the generalizations that tie them together and make them meaningful.

Should you include-"References available upon request?" No, because it's taken for granted. Should you list your hobbies or sports achievements on your resume? Maybe. If you had been captain of the college hockey team, that might give you a conversation starter. But if you had headed a partisan political club, it might not be a good idea. Should you cite honors and awards? Members.h.i.+ps? Yes, if they relate to the position you're seeking.

How about charitable ventures, community activities, and the like? Sure, but call them "Community Service" rather than "Volunteer Activities." If you've written articles or books, given speeches or presentations, or taught courses in the field you're applying for, by all means indicate them on your resume.

Think future-The good part: When you get the resume right, the phone rings-and even better, you're prepared to answer it. Hammering out your personal statement helps you know who you are and how to present yourself with clout.

Truth 44. Fliers are easy all-purpose promotional tools.

You may write fliers to promote your business, a new product, a special sale, an event, or even yourself. You may want to get word out that you're available as a speaker, for example; or you may need a one-pager to hand out if you're giving a presentation or exhibiting at a convention. Fliers are an easy and inexpensive promotional tool.

Fliers can be produced on paper and distributed by mail, at conferences and events, or even door to door. They can also be distributed electronically, as an e-blast. An e-blast can be sent out from a Web host or through a company that specializes in doing this. If you work on your own, you can probably send out e-blasts through your own e-mail Internet service provider, but need to know the limits of how many you can send simultaneously. (Some providers offer service upgrades that allow larger e-mailings for additional fees.) Fliers are ubiquitous, but they aren't always as effective as they should be. Here are some ways to produce good ones, using event promotion as an example: 1. Put your business or professional a.s.sociation name and logo near the top so readers know where the message is coming from-If you send out monthly meeting announcements or periodic event invitations, this will set up the recipients to "hear" your message, especially if they already have a relations.h.i.+p with your company or group.

2. Use a limited number of words and large type-Fliers are not letters and should not look like them. They're meant to be read and absorbed quickly, and the more words on the page, the fewer of them will probably be read. Appearance is important, so if it's a do-it-yourself project, spend time experimenting on your computer or get help from a graphic-minded friend. Aim for lots of white s.p.a.ce, short paragraphs and sections, and not too much variation in type. Use headlines, subheads, and boldface to enhance readability. And, of course, apply your best tight-writing skills.

3. Put the bottom line on top so that it won't be missed-For example, if you're producing a flier inviting people to attend a company trade show, make the name of the show and the date the most prominent words on the page. The date should include the day of the week.

4. Create a strong t.i.tle or headline-It should be specific and as compelling as possible. "Announcing a Trade Show for the Magic Business," for example, is less effective than saying: We invite you to THE FIRST TRADE SHOW FOR MAGIC-MAKERS AND RETAILERS.

THURSDAY, APRIL 9 AT NOON.

Another example: Rather than t.i.tling a flier "Price Reduction at A-1 Hardware This Month," it's more interesting and specific to say: OCTOBER SPECIAL: IT'S FALL CLEAN-UP MONTH AT A-1 HARDWARE Take 25% off all leaf blowers, gardening tools, rakes, and more 5. If you're promoting an event, describe it briefly but in terms your reader can identify with-Remember the "what's in it for me?" principle: Why should the audience care? Tell people what they will learn or how they will benefit from what you're promoting. Questions can work well. For example, if your event is a trade show, "Want to learn the best tips for selling more widgets?" is more effective than "We'll give you tips for selling your widgets." If you're selling yourself, think in terms of, "What problems can I solve for you?" If it's a new-product flier, "What can this gizmo do for you?" should be addressed.

6. Include all the important details-These include how and where to register, the cost of the event, and either directions to the venue or where to find directions to the venue. These items can be shown in smaller type, but they're essential.

7. Include a telephone number that people can call to get more information-Add a Web site address if the site will list the event or if you want people to know more about your organization.

8. If you're sending out an e-blast, be sure the subject line is clear, self-contained, and has a must-read flavor-For monthly meeting announcements, for example, you might include the name of your organization and the topic: "DMA December: John Ash on the 10 Best Ways to Find Customers." The object is to get people to open the e-mail, of course, and there are various ways of doing this. A follow-up e-mail could have the subject line, "Last chance to register for John Ash on Dec. 12."

And perhaps most important of all: Speak directly to your reader at all times. "You are invited," "We invite you to join us," "You'll find out...," and all the variations, according to your purpose, will focus your flier properly.

Truth 45. It pays to think PR and send news releases.

If you run your own business or consult for a living, add news releases to your repertoire. They can earn you editorial coverage that is a lot more credible than advertising, and moreover, you need only invest a little time.

Writing releases is a skill valued by most professional a.s.sociations, too. Practice your know-how on behalf of a professional group, and you'll fast become a valued member. What's worth a release? First and foremost, have something newsworthy to communicate-a story. Many events are worth capitalizing on.

Look for opportunities to announce a new product or service, significant staff addition, office relocation, business success, and awards or honors for yourself, a staff member, or your business. You can also announce an appointment as a nonprofit board member. Through press releases, invite the public to attend a special meeting or event, and invite readers to join a contest or compet.i.tion. Use historical milestones, such as an anniversary, to gain attention for the company, and give the organization a human face by, for example, publicizing good deeds of the company or employees-food drives, donations, toy collections, work in food pantries, scholars.h.i.+ps, and so on.

Moreover, you can generate information to give you a reason to write a release. For example, you can collect some statistics or conduct a simple survey-which can be done via e-mail-on something relevant to your industry. If you sell bicycles, you might survey your customers about whether they wear safety helmets. "Local survey finds that only 38 percent of bike riders wear helmets" makes a good story that might be picked up by a local newspaper. This gets your business's name out there.

Scan your business regularly for connections to the news or things that might interest media and readers. You can identify seasonal tie-ins or find opportunities that offer human interest or visual potential. For example, a children's toy store runs a fas.h.i.+on show for dolls; the young owners dress them up and do "runway" commentary. The owner's simple release drew the editor of the community newspaper to cover the event and take pictures.

Look beyond the obvious to figure out what will interest people. What's special or unique about the event? With a product or service, the most promising angle lies in what it achieves. A new piece of medical equipment may not sound important in itself, for example, but if it helps people monitor their blood pressure more easily, you've got a story to tell.

Most publications prefer to receive releases by e-mail. To get it read, use specific, informative subject lines. With social media releases, make information readily usable for online bloggers, reporters, and editors by chunking (breaking content into short, easily read pieces); and more findable by search engines via "tags," words that identify the content generically. Whatever the media target, always try to address the release to the current editor.

Plan the release.

Start with the goal. Generally, it's to gain favorable publicity for your business and raise its profile, to support marketing. Consider audience: While you're aiming to reach the general public or the segment that might buy your product, you must first win the approval of the "gatekeeper"-the editor. Since the editor's job is to find interesting stories for his or her readers, make your release relevant to the publication's audience.

Preferred writing style-Try for objective-sounding, third-person, newspaper-style reportage. Begin by crafting a good headline, one that crystallizes the message and captures attention. Use short, crisp leads that appeal to the readers' interests. Write in "inverted pyramid" fas.h.i.+on: Start with the most important facts and work down to what is least important.

Use simple, straightforward, "sayable" language: short words, sentences, and paragraphs. Eliminate most adjectives, all jargon, cliches, and empty phrases. Use active, lively verbs. Minimize the number of words ending in -ion and -ing and the number of times you use the words on, of, and to. Edit with particular attention. Publication gatekeepers notice every spelling error, and they care.

Content and format essentials-At the top: Say whom the release is from and include complete, reliable contact information, including your cell phone number.

Body of the release: Cover the journalist's core questions. For example: What is the event? Who is the sponsor? Where and when will it take place? Why is it newsworthy? What's the event's purpose? How can the editor get more information?

Keep the release short: In print format, one page total is preferable, and one and a half pages are okay. Your goal is to provoke interest. Keep paragraphs short and use s.p.a.ce between them to make the release more readable.

At the bottom: End with a statement that briefly says what your company or organization does; include your Web site address. If you're trying to get a reporter to cover the event, or are inviting the public, include brief, clear directions.

If you have a good photograph: Including it multiplies the chances that a release will be used. To lure coverage, specify the photo opportunities and when they'll occur.

If you're trying for television coverage: State the visual element and exact time frame.

Use the results-Circulate a hit wherever you can: Enlarge and frame it to hang in your office, post it on your Web site, print it in your newsletter, mail or e-mail it to your customers and prospects, send it to your professional a.s.sociations (who may rerun it in their newsletters) and to any group that might help your cause or product. Consider running an ad incorporating the coverage.

Some of the sharpest PR people we know see events as excuses to create great press releases. They'll even create or adapt an event to justify a release and media interest. It's a good, entrepreneurial way to think.

Truth 46. Writing articles boosts your career.

Why write articles? Ask Ben. He's a lawyer who specializes in tax strategies for small businesses. An editor overheard him talking about his favorite subject at a party, and asked him to write a brief article on tax questions for her regional business publication. The article evolved into a monthly column on taxes for small businesses. The pay? Zilch. But Ben is reaping big benefits from establis.h.i.+ng himself as his region's leading expert in his field.

Ben was lucky, but the fact is, there's a world out there hungry for content. Print and online media just can't keep up with the demand to fill their actual or virtual pages. Consider trade and professional magazines; a.s.sociation newsletters; newspapers (dailies and weeklies); local magazines; pennysaver-type publications; national, regional, and local publications for parents, art lovers, antique collectors, tourists, boaters, and so much more.

Most of these publications also publish online, demanding scads more material, not to mention all the resources that are virtual-only. It adds up to an insatiable appet.i.te for new material. So, when you don't care about the money or a byline in a compet.i.tive newsstand magazine, your chance of getting published and making yourself an authority in your field is surprisingly good.

Where do you start?-With what you know. Maybe it's one main thing-like auto insurance, or beauty products, or new technology. If you've worked up any solid, specialized knowledge, you might write for fellow professionals. Or you can adapt your expertise to "consumer" interests. For example, a dentist could write for a local publication about the best oral products for home use. An interior designer could advise readers on good color schemes. A landscaper can write about how to make better use of shrubs around a house or how to maintain gardens without pesticides. A banker might explain how to teach children to budget.

You might also have hobbies you can write about, in which case you can and should include your company or professional affiliation with your byline or bio. Next, research for opportunities that line up with your list. Be open-minded. An editor we know left her job at a big-circulation daily newspaper but offered to write a column about pets, her favorite subject. To everyone's amazement, it was a hit with readers and never seems to run out of subjects.

It's better to "pitch" one or more specific article ideas to an editor rather than just saying, "I'm an authority on such and such; may I write for you?" Brainstorm about ideas you'd like to see a publication cover, a national trend you can bring down to the local level, questions you're most often asked, an event you can illuminate, and subjects you yourself would like to know more about.

Another way: Start with the publication you want to write for. Study three or more issues to understand its viewpoint, its editorial niche, what it has covered lately, and the number of words a column usually runs. Once you're tuned into the editorial thinking, ideas will come. Professional freelancers use this method.

Writing your article for print media-Let's figure out how Ben could have approached his article on the new tax law for small businesses. He knows the audience will have varying levels of knowledge and that he needs to explain why reading this article matters, what the law says and means, implications for small businesses, advice on how to work with the law, an example, and how to get more info-ask me!

The lead-Professional writers spend a lot of time crafting good leads because rarely do you have a captive audience. A lead must capture interest, represent what is covered, and make it appear worth reading. Here are a few techniques journalists use that work well for business subjects. Adapt them as models-some smart professionals keep files of favorite leads they run across to adapt as needed.

The rhetorical question: Will Regulation 444 help or hurt small business?

The new law will govern how small businesses can deduct expenses, and this April, everyone is expected to meet the new guidelines or face stiff penalties. Here's what you should know.

The anecdotal lead: Ann March, owner of a women's boutique and my client, couldn't believe it when she'd finished a run-through of her taxes for the last quarter. Returns and expenses had been similar to the last year's third quarter, but she owed $4,200. What was wrong? she asked. In fact, she just didn't know that...

String of declarative statements: Since 1994, small business owners have used a simple calculation to calculate the year's expenses. Record-keeping was also relatively simple, and the required backup could be loosely interpreted. On January 1, all that will change. Regulation 444 will come to life. Every small business owner will be directly affected.

Direct quote lead: "I'd calculated my taxes in advance the usual way, before I knew about Regulation 444," says Mary Green, owner of a three-employee local business, MG Clothing Repair. "Then I got the new forms and figured it out again," she says. "I absolutely couldn't believe the difference."

Surprise/interesting fact lead: The Internal Revenue Service looked at its own books two years ago and concluded that the government was losing $400 million per year because of the way small businesses are allowed to calculate their deductions. The IRS invested in planning a new system-and in January, small business owners all over the country will discover the result.

The rest of the article-Where do you go from here? Just as with e-mails, write the middle, with all the basic information, following through on your content list, logically sequenced; and as you do this, keep an ear out for a good ending that circles back to the lead. For example, in the case of our invented subject: "Understanding the new regulation and using these strategies will minimize the new law's impact on your business-and may save you quite a bit of money."

Truth 47. The virtual world offers self-publis.h.i.+ng power.

Today, we all have the power to be publishers, which presents an extraordinary set of opportunities. If you're a businessperson, consultant, or entrepreneur, posting articles on your own Web site or blog is one of the most effective ways ever imagined to build a reputation, position yourself as an authority, and support the marketing of a service or product.

To search engines, an article with useful information is "original content" that moves your site up the rankings in its category. This means it will be found early on the list that comes up when a search term is entered. (Ideally, you want it to come up on the first page because few people look farther.) Many Internet gurus feel that detailed, well-done articles on specialized subjects do much more to accomplish business goals than random blog posts that comment on the issue of the moment (or, typically, argue about it).

Also, an article you put on your own site can be recycled endlessly, just like one that is printed in a traditional publication. You can e-mail the link to customers and prospects, and enclose printouts in mailings. You can use printouts as conference and trade show handouts. You can add the link to your signature on e-mails, like savvy nonprofits do with positive press coverage, and to any promotional material you produce. You can draw attention to your article via your social media of choice.

Your writing strategy for e-media is essentially the same as for print media. However, generally speaking, you need to write tighter and take online reading habits into account: the dive-for-information mindset, the reluctance to scroll, and so on. Especially if you want to interest the "general public," it's best to write short pieces based on a single idea.

But if you are targeting a knowledgeable audience, such as other specialists or aficionados in your field, it works better to deliver a detailed, comprehensive treatment of a subject that is of true value to those readers. Even for detailed material, though, build with short words, sentences, and paragraphs. Formatting devices will promote readability-subheads, bold lead-ins, graphics, color hyperlinks, bulleted lists if applicable, white s.p.a.ce, and the like.

Get to the point.

Online articles do need headlines and leads that get to the point quickly. They should also be "searchable," meaning that Google and the other search engines can identify the subject matter with the opening words. While a print-media audience needs to be captured with interesting heads and leads, this doesn't much apply online: A virtual audience already knows what it's interested in, and is actively looking for it; people just want to locate it as fast as possible. So it pays to think about how your target audience would look for your material and build in the searchwords, just as for a Web site.

For example, an online version of the new tax law article explored in Truth 46 might begin: Tax Law Change Affects Small Businesses Regulation 44, the new tax law for small business, radically changes the way expenses must be recorded and filed.

This matter-of-factness should be reflected in the body of the article as well. You're delivering useful information to people who want it, comprehensively but concisely. Examples work especially well online, because they are reader friendly. Of course, ideas and opinions are also perfectly legitimate subjects to write about. When that's what you're doing, be sure to detail your reasoning, the relevant facts, and whatever else is appropriate to make your case. Let's try a product-related example.

Suppose your company, or you yourself, developed new software to foil hackers and you want to get the word out. If you're aiming to get published in a print magazine on technology, you'd try for an intriguing lead, such as a rhetorical question: What common threat plagues almost every company in the world today, from the biggest international corporation on down?

In a word, security: safeguarding critical computer systems from hackers. Now BBA is introducing a new product that can solve the problem.

It's called Hacker Tracker...

But online, this would work better: Computer hacking in the corporate world is a huge threat and a constant fear. A new product called Hacker Tracker offers a solution.

Organize your virtual article very clearly, section by section. Don't spend a lot of time summing things up; a brief ending will do the job. Make sure to include your real name, contact information, and a brief statement of your credentials and position. Do proof and edit carefully: Challenging language, grammatical errors, and misspellings always undermine your credibility. Eliminate every trace of empty rhetoric and hype-you're making a real contribution to your subject here, and overt selling should be totally low-key or missing. An apparent absence of self-interest is much more convincing.

Advice on how to write effective headlines is covered in Truth 48, "Good headlines help your writing work-a lot."

Writing articles can be an extremely useful career-booster, and if you take it step by step, you may find it a lot easier than you think.

Can you write a book?

Why not? If you don't find a publisher or prefer not to try, self-publis.h.i.+ng in the digital age is amazingly fast and inexpensive. It has also become eminently respectable. If you work in a consulting or service capacity, a book-even a short, practical how-to-can give you a powerful marketing tool. Just think of it as a really big writing project.