Great Story Prompts from Joan Stewart of Publicity Hound

I kept Number 1, but I love Number 2. Check out Joan's great Publicity Hound blog here: http://www.publicityhound.com/ Why not subscribe? You'll be glad you did. 2. July Story Ideas --Tie your story idea to an "independence" theme, even if it has nothing to do with the Fourth. Examples: Independence from cigarette smoke in restaurants, messy desks, bratty teen-agers, computer problems or arguments with your spouse. Add great visuals, and you have a ready-made story for TV. --Do companies relax dress codes during the summer? What's appropriate and what isn't? --If your products or services teach people how to save money, pitch penny-pinching tips related to cars, clothing, vacations, toys, groceries and gasoline. --Gardening is booming. Pitch anything related to growing veggies, garden art, garden supplies, or children who garden. --Tie your pitch to the words "cool, sizzling, heat wave" or "heating up," even if it has nothing to do with summer. Excerpted from 103 Sizzling Story Ideas from July through December, with TV producer Shawne Duperon. No time to come up with your own story ideas? Steal ours! 1. Booze + Media = Trouble Loose lips sink ships. Generals, too. One of Gen. Stanley McChrystal's worst mistakes was one I didn't see mentioned much this past week: allowing an investigative reporter from Rolling Stone to interview him--over drinks. Media-savvy Publicity Hounds know that booze and reporters are a lethal mix, and most wouldn't think twice about letting a reporter interview them when alcohol is flowing, because it removes your inhibitions and triggers the urge to blab. But how many people drink in social settings, with reporters present? Have you attended after-work networking events where wine is served and reporters are mingling? What about awards banquets where media representatives are seated at your table? At a convention, have you ever gone out for a nightcap with a group of business associates that included people from the media? See 7 places to stay off the sauce if reporters are present at my blog.

This Gives Me Hope

You can call me a lot of things, but unremarkable isn't one of them.

Jason Fried, in his latest column for Inc. magazine--well, last month's--deplores the quotidian, the ordinary, the average in business writing.

Mostly, he deplores that it's rampant.

Oh, yeah, and way counterproductive.

The post reminded me why I should be more active on this blog, and proactive generally about selling my writing skills.

I'm not a wizard with a financial statement, planning an IPO, or even preparing a SWOT analysis.

My knowledge of HTML is strictly rudimentary. I don't see what's so simple about RSS. And my Office skills can use some polishing.

But I can write good sentences.

Jason's article reminds me how valuable a skill that is.

Thanks, Jason.

Jason Fried, who writes a column each month for Inc. magazine, recently published ReWork with his partner at 37signals.com, Heinemeier Hansson.

I spent most of today memorizing how to spell "Heinemeier Hansson," and clearly it's paid off. I've just used it in two consecutive sentences.

Sometimes the Simple Answer . . .

. . . is the best answer.

Been beyond busy lately, but wanted to let readers know just whom I was referring to in the previous post.

Lindsey Donner, of Well-Versed Creative.

Lindsey is amazing. She's helpful beyond compare, and multi-tasks to beat the band. Hey, if I were looking for someone to write copy for me, Lindsey would be my first choice. Which says a lot considering the quality of the next four candidates.

Melissa Breau, of JargonWriter.

Like Lindsey, Melissa not only holds down a full-time job as a copywriter, she is also showing off her own unique to masterful eeffect at her JargonWriter site. Like Lindsey, Melissa gets an awful lot done in a day.

Wish I could say I did. Working on finding the perfect niche.

If you need a good quizbowl coach, I'm so worth the multi-million-dollar contract!

Ty Unglebower, who writes the TooXYZ blog, asserts: "Quality is my specialty." Ty writes regularly for InFrederick monthly, covering the Arts beat in Frederick, MD, and also writes Always Off Book, devoted to an enduring passion: theater.

Kirk Norris is not only a copy writer, he's a copy writer trainer. Kirk is a great guy to have on your team, as he consistently makes those around him better. Check out his work here: http://kirkanorris.carbonmade.com/.

Annabel Candy, of GetInTheHotSpot writes that inspirational blog to help others live their dreams, and she's been remarkable at making contacts with industry leaders like Leo Babauta, Penelope Trunk, Chris Brogan, Chris Guillebeau, Jonathan Fields, Glen Allsopp. All I can say is, "Wow!"

Everyone above is a phenomenal writer. Contact any one of them today when you need incisive, insightful benefit-rich copy that clients love and customers--new and old--respond to.

Oh, and then there's me, Copywriter, Jay Hepner. I can write a little.

Win-Win-Win!

http://www.printablepaper.net/samples/tic-tac-toe.png

This is the first in a series of posts promoting other writers.

Don't think I can't do the work.

I can't.

But don't think that. You'll never hire me.

I'm kidding. Let me explain.

First, to put my more conventionally-minded clients at ease, I am, in fact, "in it to win it."

And that means having fun with it.

"Getting jiggy wit' it," as Will Smith, a fantastically successful--and funny--guy, once said.

I'm paying attention, and working to make professional copy writing/marketing/consulting a big part of my professional portfolio. I want this business to help support me and my family.

Morgan Wooten said it best: "Work hard. Play smart. Have fun."

Hard work is essential. But it's easy to work too hard. To stress and strain, and grip that putter way too tightly. To force the shot. To swing and miss because all you can think is: "Must hit with power!" forgetting it's all about connecting.

Playing smart is crucial. Knowing the boundaries. Finding the edges. Staking out claims where no one has yet. Hard work prepares you to do this well.

But having fun can get you there, too. And sometimes it needs to.

Life's a game. Just play it.

Remember who you were before you got so serious. Bring your kid to work. The kid you were when you first dreamed "Success."

Just play it.

Let the game come to you. Play your game. Enjoy.

Personally, I have many interests, and some degree of expertise in all of them. Most importantly, I take great pleasure in plowing a variety of fields, so to speak.

I like to hand-design T-shirts. I like to write fiction. I like to write songs, and accompany myself on guitar and harmonica. I like to teach kids to read, write, and think better, and to prepare them for the economic opportunities of the 21st century.

I like to teach adults, too, because the opportunities are here, and more are coming, but many are leaving.

Stay tuned.

I enjoy interviewing interesting people. I enjoy public speaking.

There, that proves it: I'm a little out of the ordinary.

I've long subscribed to the "work portfolio" career paradigm, but I know it doesn't fit everyone.

The conventional wisdom is that most clients don't want to hear this.

They want a dedicated copywriter. Someone who knows business, and knows how to talk business-to-business, as well as business-to-consumer.

I'm better at the latter than the former, not having studied business formally, and not subscribing to the conventional wisdom.

I have, however, successfully sold my services as both an entertainer and a teacher. I've been an entrepreneur, and I'll be one again.

And again.

And again.

I'll put my instinctive sense of selling, persuasive prose against anyone's when it comes to talking to Jane Q. Public about what to do with that extra dollar in her pocketbook.

In the meantime, my 2nd point: promoting friends, and the good work they do, only makes sense.

As mentioned at the Pragmatic Alternative, I'm a polymath. As my friends Barbara J. Winter and Margaret Lobenstine have said, "Ain't nothing wrong with that."

(Not a direct quote. Your mileage may vary.)

Nobody begrudged Thomas Jefferson or Benjamin Franklin their polymathematics. Back then, we celebrated the universalist, the generalist. The Enlightened. The Renaissance souls.

These days, of course, the trend is strongly in the direction of specialization. Heck, it's been that way for over 30 years.

But that don't confront you, long as you get your money next Friday.

You're looking for copy.

You're looking for content.

You're looking for words that sell, that connect, that build your bottom line.

These writers I'm highlighting can do all that.

Which brings me to Point #3, our third win, which is really the second piece of bread in my own self-interest sandwich, though the meat in the middle is the talented people I recommend.

You see, when I find good people to do the work you need, to write the copy and develop the content you want, you'll come to see me, Jay Hepner, as someone you can trust when it comes to finding talent and building stronger, more cohesive teams.
It's a win-win-win.

You win because you get the work you need, done well, by experts. My friends/experts win by getting more work, expanding their portfolios, and getting more opportunities to show their mettle in marketing and consulting as well. I win by connecting the dots and framing the big picture, establishing myself as a talent scout par excellence.

Win-win-win.

Just like tic-tac-toe, but with X's and O's intertwined, on the same team.

Everyone a winner.

It's a good thing.

12 proofreading tips for press releases, blogs

Joan Stewart has been writing The Publicity Hound blog since 2003, as she says at her Publicity Hound website: "If You Have a Publicity Problem, The Publicity Hound Has Your Solution" Publicity expert Joan Stewart shows you how to use free publicity to establish your credibility, enhance your reputation, position yourself as an expert, sell more products and services, promote a favorite cause or issue, and position your company as an employer of choice. publicityhound.com

Yesterday, Joan offered hints for effective proofreading

12 Proofreading Tips for Press Releases, Blogs & Other Copy

Before you send that next press release, or add copy to your online press room, or post something to your blog, or upload a new article to an article directory site, use Mickie Kennedy’s 8 top tips for proofreading.

His company, eReleases, writes and distributes press releases for people who don’t want to do it themselves. Several of his tips, like letting the release sit for a day or so before you return to it and edit with a fresh pair of eyes, are old copyeditor tricks I used when I worked as a newspaper editor.

I commented at his blog and offered four more tips:

* Check all numbers. If the headline says “8 tips for spring cleaning,” make sure the text includes eight tips, not seven. If the story says X is Y percent of Z, double-check it on a calculator.
* If there’s a phone number within the press release, pick up the phone and call the number, even if you are the one who typed the number and you’re sure it’s correct!
* Ditto with URLs. Make sure all URLs click through to correct web pages.
* Make sure someone’s name is spelled the same way throughout the release.

Before you hit “send,” also check to see that the release has a call to action. Some press releases I read miss that element frequently. It’s the one opportunity you have to tell readers exactly what you want them to do: go to an online catalog, call for tickets, download a free report, etc.

The call to action was one of eight items on Janet Thaeler’s checklist. for press release writers. She was my guest during a teleseminar on Keywords: The Magic Magnets That Pull Journalists & Consumers to Your Press Releases.

Do you have your own proofreading tricks? Share them here.


Posted In: Blogs, Press Releases/News Releases, Writing Articles
posted On: 3/2/2010: 9:09 am: By Joan

A Lesson in Sales and Marketing from Ken Rotcop

I'd never heard of Ken Rotcop till this evening.

You probably havnen't heard of him either.

But you've heard of Walt Disney, E.B. White, and Hanna-Barbera.

And you've heard of Charlotte's Web.

The story of how the book became the animated feature film, reprinted from The Writers Store.com is a gem whose moral is: Keep It Simple, Silly!

And know your audience, your competition, and yourself.

Enjoy.

Jay

A Personal Success Story from Ken Rotcop
by

Word had gotten out that E. B. White had gotten on in years and was ready to sell his classic book about the spider and the pig for a movie.

The bidding war came down to the Disney Studio and Hanna-Barbera.

Joe Barbera, besides being a creative genius, was a terrific salesman. But he couldn't convince White to sell the book rights to him.

So, out of frustration, Joe asked me to intervene. I was Creative Head at the studio at the time. I stared at the phone in my office wondering what I would say. Finally, I called White at his home in New England. "Mr. White, my name is Ken Rotcop. Joe Barbera asked me to give you a call."

"Mr. Rotcop, I have pretty much made up my mind to go with the Disney offer."

"Well, I can certainly understand that. I loved Walt Disney's 'Peter Pan' and Walt Disney's 'Cinderella' and Walt Disney's 'Bambi' and Walt Disney's 'Snow White'!"

"If you're trying to get me to change my mind, Mr. Rotcop, you're NOT doing a very good job!"

"Well, Mr. White, here's my point. If THEY make the movie it will be forever known as Walt Disney's 'Charlotte's Web.� But, sir, if WE make the movie, it will, for all eternity, be known as E. B. White's 'Charlotte's Web.� In the print ads, in the trailers, on the posters, all the publicity, and, of course in the movie itself: NOT Disney's 'Charlotte's Web,� E.B. White's 'Charlotte's Web'."

There was silence on the other end, then, "Have Mr. Barbera send me a contract."

WE made the movie. It was a smash hit.

And that's how I stole 'Charlotte's Web' from Walt Disney.

The lesson learned? Know something about the person to whom you're pitching, know everything about your competition, and know your craft inside and out.

With E. B. White, I took a shot and dealt with the man's ego. With Disney Studios, I knew their penchant for absorbing ownership of the material they produced. And, thirdly, I knew we could do a damn good job if given the opportunity.

The Writers Store

3 Big Reasons to Hire a Real Writer

#1 A real writer can write.

Most of us think we write just fine. And usually, that’s true, especially if we’ve achieved some measure of success. We’ve been to college, gotten an MBA or other advanced degree. We can communicate just fine, thank you.

But if you’re not getting the results you’d like from your promotional or professional literature, and your bottom line is sagging, consider hiring a real writer.

A real writer knows words have power. Power to sway, to persuade, to convince. A real writer knows the difference between a cubic zirconium of a word and a diamond of a word or, as Mark Twain put it, “the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”

#2 Real writers “got rhythm.”

Don’t laugh.

OK, do. All the way to the bank.

Because just as music has rhythm, so does good writing. There’s music to it, in it. And just as a song with a good hook and an infectious beat will work its way into your head--whether you want it to or not--so can a well-measured piece of wordcraft stick in the head of your target demographic.

That jingle-jangle you’re hearing is extra money in your pocket.

#3 A real writer frees you up to do what you do best.

You’re a numbers person. Or you like to work with your hands. You’ve got employees to manage, a budget to stick to, phone calls to make. The nitty-gritty, nuts-and-bolts work of your work day. Not to mention a family and personal life.

Simply put, there are other things you’d rather be doing.

That’s where I come in: Copywriter, Jay Hepner, a real writer.

Who’s a real writer? Here’s my favorite definition: “A writer is only a person who loves writing, and believes in it strongly enough to want to do it well.”

Let’s talk soon about how I can help you grow your market share—and your bottom line—through well-worded promotional and professional literature.

Because it’s how you say it that makes the difference.

CopyWriter Jay Hepner