Search and destroy conjunctions: And, Or and So can increase sentence length. Use Microsoft Word’s “find” function to search and replace conjunctions. | Continue reading
Make messages move faster: Sentence fragments pick up the pace of your pieces. Learn how fragments can make your copy tighter and more interesting. | Continue reading
Don't get your head cut off by Google, social media channels and mobile apps. Web headlines must fit on mobile apps and more | Continue reading
Catch readers in your web. Online headlines must get found, clicked and more because to reach readers online, you need to spin some powerful headlines | Continue reading
‘Short is too long’: 4 ways to optimize long stories for phone reading. People will read long pieces on the screen. But only if they’re amazing. | Continue reading
Avoid flabby middles: Five ways to shape the body of your message. Avoid ‘the muddle in the middle’ - create a solid structure for the body of your piece. | Continue reading
Bucket list: Three steps for putting your information in order. Here are some tips for pulling your story together. | Continue reading
Bullets for releases? Yes, please, say journalists in one study. Break up releases to make them easier to skim. | Continue reading
Rethink the release: Focus on the reader, not on PR 101 approaches. Learn how to write a press release with these writing tips. | Continue reading
Stop wasting readers’ time: They ‘get visibly angry’ at verbose sites. Learn how to give mobile readers more thrills and less interaction overhead? | Continue reading
Too close for comfort? Save readers from 'screen-sightedness'. Short-sightedness from having to read from a tiny screen up close is becoming an epidemic. | Continue reading
Make sure every picture tells a story: How to write compelling captions. Captions can be workhorses of communications if you use them and use them well. | Continue reading
Keep captions short: How to sell crisp cutlines to clients who want to include too much. Use your captions to communicate a key message. | Continue reading
Colorful numbers: Startling statistics make compelling leads. Use statistics to sell ideas. | Continue reading
Start with a story: Anecdote makes a great lead. Steal a tip from these Silver Anvil Award-winning campaign leads. | Continue reading
Squeeze juicy details: Compress fascinating facts into a creative passage. | Continue reading
Turn Strunk & White upside down: Learn 3 new ways to approach classic writing wisdom. Instead of omitting needless words, try highlighting needed words. | Continue reading
Write with your eraser: Newspaper + marker = poetry. Eliminate the words you don’t need to make your copy leaner and more engaging | Continue reading
You're one in a million: Messages a year, that is. With so many communications every day, are you getting your message across? | Continue reading
Add words, paralyze readers: More information = poorer decisions. When people have too much information, they opt out of the decision-making process. | Continue reading
Info overload creates "ostrich complex": Ignorance may really be bliss. Don’t let your readers get overwhelmed by information | Continue reading
Stop stuffing keywords: Where to put search terms to get your release found. Learn an approach to optimize your release for humans as well as Google. | Continue reading
Make heads of long tails: Build your releases around long-tail search terms to help your readers find precisely what they’re looking for. | Continue reading
Linking guidelines: When and where to place links in releases. Here are some guidelines for safe linking in releases, from the pros at Business Wire. | Continue reading
Make tech terms clear: Bring complex, scientific words, phrases to life. Translate your terms in your head into the terms in your readers’ heads. | Continue reading
Make even nanotechnology accessible: Model physicist Richard Feynman’s piece. Make the complex simple using his techniques. | Continue reading
Run the B2B test: Are you using industry terms or in-house terms? Talk the talk - use terms well-known in your industry to get your message across. | Continue reading
Read all about it: Use a structure that's been proven in the lab to increase reading. The feature-style story structure increases readership. | Continue reading
One to remember: Features ‘cement main points into readers’ memories’. Help readers remember your message with the feature-style story structure. | Continue reading
Hey, neighbor!: Want your brand to seem more personable? Polish your brand image with feature-style stories. | Continue reading
Play twister: Four steps to twist of phrase. Learn a 4-step process to create a great twist of phrase. | Continue reading
Revive a cliché: Extend the metaphor to make a worn-out phrase new again. Breathe new life into old platitudes | Continue reading
Resources on playing with words: Websites, books and tools. Learn more techniques for wordplay. | Continue reading
Make size and scale visual: How tiny is tiny? How huge is huge? Help readers ‘see’ size through metaphor and simile. | Continue reading
Match game: How can you help people see 6,000?. Need to illustrate a big number? Find a way to help audience members visualize it. | Continue reading
Heads up on benefits headlines: 8 types of benefits headlines to choose from. Learn to write a command, question or testimonial headline. | Continue reading
Write colorful benefits heads: 4 steps for telegraphing the biggest benefit. Write about 'your greatest benefit for your reader’s greatest need, | Continue reading
'They laughed when I sat down at the piano …': Adapt proven benefits headlines. Steal headlines from these winners | Continue reading
Vital statistics: Numbers bring concreteness and color to your copy. Learn to paint by numbers - statistics help you quantify and specify your message. | Continue reading
Make a scene: Learn to paint a picture with description. Add color to even the most drab story, bring your story to life and take your readers to the scene. | Continue reading
Name names, number numbers: Concrete details make messages more engaging. | Continue reading
Keep your pitch short: How long is too long? Keep your pitch to the point Don’t include all known knowledge. | Continue reading
The 150-word pitch: Answer these four questions. Learn how to make your pitch short and effective with this approach. | Continue reading
Sell a story, not a product: The media's not shopping for a commercial. Want to sell your product? Sell the stories related to it. | Continue reading
Resources on clear writing. Websites, books and tools. | Continue reading
Conduct a sound check: Read your copy aloud. Hearing your words instead of just staring at them is one of the techniques of master writers. | Continue reading
Quotes on conversational writing: What writers and others say | Continue reading
'Dear Mother’: Write a letter to make your copy conversational. How would you explain your message and concept to your mom? | Continue reading