Tipsheets

Get tips on how to ...
- Call me Reach readers with callouts Think of your callout as a movie trailer for your story. Movie trailers give the best stuff away for free to entice moviegoers to buy a ticket. Callouts — aka pull quotes — give the best stuff away for free to entice readers to read your story. So go ahead: Find the most provocative [...]
- Don’t practice AKK ‘All known knowledge’ obscures rather than reveals
- Resurrect a cliché Rewrite your least favorite buzz phrase
- Template your story Create fill-in-the-blanks story forms
- Better you than me Want more Twitter followers? Stop talking about yourself
- Perform communication triage Allocate your efforts based on the benefit to the organization
- Say no more Write a message statement in 23 words or less
- Get your share on Facebook Three scientific ways to get your fans to spread the word
- Take a hike Need to kick-start creativity? Try a change of scenery I think it’s time I came out of the closet: I am not an enormous nature lover. Never have enjoyed being outside. After all, there are gnats out there, and weather. For 51 years, my idea of the great outdoors has been the space between front door [...]
- End of story? The news of storytelling’s death has been greatly exaggerated
- Rhyme for reason If Bill Radke can do it, you can too
- ‘I like the profit margin on storytelling’ Chick-fil-A president admires another company’s marketing approach
- Left is right Visitors spend more than twice as long looking at the left side of your Web page
- ‘Spank those naughty little oxidants’ Creative communications from London
- Reality check Do you know who I think I am?
- Do a number on your followers Want your message to go viral? Use digits
- Notes from New York Write with your eraser
- Pull the trigger Create an environment for your message
- Kindle your creativity 'He was a human nail'
- One or 1,001? Why 'one individual trumps the masses'
- Seek higher authority Move readers to act
- Billboard your story What editors can learn from podcasters
- Mark time Try a chronological structure
- Don’t give up on traditional media Newspapers still set the media agenda, Pew study says
- Best intranets 2010 Mobile sites and social features dominate Jakob Nielsen's annual list of top internal Websites
- Find a poster person Put a face on your message
- What does ‘niggling’ cost your company? Develop a business case for reining in approvals
- Create Snappy Sound Bites New teleseminar shows communicators how to write moving quotes and memorable quips
- Alphabet scoop: Create acronyms that help readers retain information How to create acronyms that help readers retain information
- Perfect pitch: Answer these four questions for a fast, effective PR piece Answer these four questions
- Time it right: When will you get the most action on Twitter? When will you get the most action on Twitter?
- Snip your sentences: How long is too long? How long is too long?
- PRSA Alaska sells out: How to produce a chapter workshop that sells out and earns a profit How to produce a chapter workshop that sells out and earns a profit
- Top trends 2010: What to look for next, from Trendwatching.com What to look for next, from Trendwatching.com
- News Release 2.0 — Help Google find your site May 13 teleseminar shows communicators how to help Google find your site, reach readers online and more
- Share, share, share Purina Cat Chow offers a case study on bringing home the bottom line
- Rate yourself as a writer Do you have the skills and knowledge you need to write copy that gets read? Grade yourself with this handy tool
- Write a world-class release Steal these six techniques from Silver Anvil-winning campaigns
- Take the ‘numb’ out of numbers What's $700 billion like?
- Model the masters Want to improve your communications? Find a mentor in your favorite publications and Websites
- Make your copy clear and concise The easier your story is to read, the more people will read it
- Lead with the benefits To increase reader interest, focus on reader’s needs first, then follow up with your organization’s offer
- Feature-style story structure increases readership Inverted-pyramid stories take a beating in studies and trends
- Write the most important piece of copy on your web page Summary blurbs may be the only things site visitors read
- Develop an approval process that doesn’t drive you nuts How to run the review process so it doesn't run you
- Captivate your audience Three ways to make your copy more creative
- Try a feature lead Take a tip from Silver Anvil Award-winning campaigns and make your copy more creative
- ‘The shark is down’ Most approval processes just don’t work day-to-day
- Rate your writing skills New tool lets you score, improve and track your writing skills
- Five ways to improve your team’s writing skills So your writers can’t write? Join the club. How to help struggling communicators


