Is Stating the Obvious Over?

 I think that depends.

When pitching to the media, it’s most important that the first few sentences of a pitch don’t make the audience zone out. Or worse, press delete.

There are PR professionals who argue meaningless throwaway phrases like “for immediate release” and “media advisory” are redundant. Potentially boring; causing a journalist’s eyes to glaze over.

I recently read an email pitch that lead with: “Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this request.” And I immediately thought I was in for a bore. For a start, it didn’t compel me much to continue reading. Dullsville! A classic example of an attention span killer.

In public relations it is still relevant to state if a release is under embargo or if the pitch is exclusive. These are important determiners to point out to media early on in a pitch.

The story that got me thinking about ‘what to say’ and ‘what not to say’ in a pitch and/or advisory is here: http://www.ragan.com/Main/Articles/81f8c716-bb0f-484b-ae0b-3b779b506df3.aspx  The comments section is the best; readers debating it out!

Takeaways:

• If you start to hit the snooze button on your own work in the first few lines, then don’t expect it to be an eye-opener with anyone else.
• Stating the obvious is often essential, but don’t let boring verbiage slow the reader down.

PR Imperative!

Fail to prepare, prepare for omnishambles!

FYI > Oxford University Press has crowned the word — defined as “a situation that has been comprehensively mismanaged, characterized by a string of blunders and miscalculations” — its top term of 2012.

Let’s see you use this original (and slightly ridiculous) new word in a sentence, LOL! 

Source doc: http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/omnishambles-gif-named-words-of-the-year-by-oxford-university-press-1.1036238#ixzz2CAQEEygd

Post Time (not toast time)

~ Best times to post to Twitter, Facebook & Tumblr

“Tumblr likes to party!” says recent report.

According to a Bitly analysis, Tumblr posts updated between 7PM and 10PM Eastern Time – especially on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays – get the most action! A great time to post is Friday night – party on dudes!

Best time to get your Twitter on is early in the week, from 1PM to 3PM, Monday to Friday. Avoid posting after 8PM. Blow the weekends.

Avoid Facebook posts before 8AM, and after 8PM, and on weekends. “Links posted from 1PM to 4PM result in the highest average click throughs,” Bitly reports. “The peak time of the week was on Wednesday at 3PM.”  Note that Facebook traffic peaks mid-week.

Read the full Bitly analysis here.

Thanks to prdaily.com for source doc. You can read full story here: http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/Study_Best_times_to_post_to_Twitter_Facebook_and_T_11607.aspx

 Image of Toast Clock sourced here: http://www.coolbuzz.org/entry/toast-clock-time-to-eat/

Digital content is in high demand, and so are writers who understand writing for the web.

How can you become stronger in the writing department?

Here’s some Top Tips to help you:

Don’t be random – start composing with a plan of how you are going to take your story from beginning to end. You might want to bullet point your ideas to start.

Write for a Grade 8 reading level – Don’t be verbose and ponderous in your writing style. Nobody will like you or your writing style. The Internet audience skims more than reads in-depth – so keep it simple stupid!

Make your point – make sure the main point is clear right away. Define your call to action clearly. Your key message should be easy to understand, preferably at a glance.

Give credit where credit is due – if you are lifting good ideas from someone’s blog or quoting people, for example, remember to link back or give credit to the original source.

Summarize don’t plagiarize – yup, almost the same stuff as the above point. If you are taking content from another source don’t just cut & paste. Switch it up! Also, give credit for ideas that are not totally your own.

Don’t rush – sure the digital deadline is always now! But make sure you proofread and get a second pair of eyes on your work if possible. Invest in Caps and Spelling reference book. Don’t hit send right after you type last word. Rushed work is never brilliant.

Normal gets you nowhere – your writing should reflect a bit of your attitude. So be yourself and let your personality shine through your words. It will make the writing more fun, and hopefully make you stand out amongst other dull, no-name writers.

 Idea for this post via PR Daily

See link here: http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/11023.aspx#

Photo…. obviously Calvin and Hobs :P