words

Why do we use oxymorons?

Perceptive campaign plays with paradox

When Perceptive Software needed to fill 130 positions — more than one-third of its existing workforce — in just three months, a contradiction in terms was just what the company needed.… Read the full article

How do you coin a word?

Change a letter, change a word

HITS HAPPEN, blares a car insurance company promoting its “accident forgiveness insurance.”

Change a letter, change a word.

How can you add, subtract, move or change letters or syllables to make your copy more creative via wordplay?… Read the full article

Scannable content makes message 34% more memorable

Also increases understanding, satisfaction

The more words on a web page, the longer visitors will stay.

But is that really the best metric to measure? What if you could engage users on a page for half the time, yet have them remember one-third more of the content?… Read the full article

The lead paragraph of a news release should be short

Get to the point faster

“‘In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.’ The creation of the universe has a 10-word lead!” writes John McIntyre, copy desk chief of the Baltimore Sun.… Read the full article

The best PR pitches are short

Limit it to 150 words or so

J.W. Elphinstone’s “Business Watercooler” feature for the Associated Press is just 200 words long. Why, then, do PR pros send her pitches that are longer than that — even PowerPoint presentations with 30 slides?… Read the full article

Reel them in with readability

Yamaha Marine Group communicator makes message 164.57% easier to read

When Austin Roebuck needed to get the word out about how a new bill in Congress would affect his audience of fishing fanatics, he first tried a traditional message.… Read the full article