Like Mark Twain, reports of the death of print continue to be exaggerated, though, like the Black Knight in “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” print has suffered considerably more than a flesh wound.
But the recently launched “Magazines, The Power of Print” campaign underwritten by leaders of five major magazine companies—Charles H. Townsend, Condé Nast; Cathie Black, Hearst Magazines; Jack Griffin, Meredith Corporation; Ann Moore, Time Inc.; and Jann Wenner, Wenner Media—is betting $90 million worth of ad space on assuring advertisers (and readers) that magazines remain a vital — a necessary — medium.
To those who scoff, we can point to Dr. Samir Husni, aka “Mr. Magazine,” who recently reported there were 170 magazine launches in 1Q 2010 — the same number as 1Q 2009 and more than in either 2007 or 2008.
“Call it what you want,” writes Dr. Husni, “but yet again the innovative media companies and entrepreneurs have shown a resiliency against all odds, and for that matter against the prophets of doom and gloom.
If your content marketing plan incorporates online reviews of your product or service, don’t fake them.
One of the biggest keys of successful Internet marketing is posting fresh, original content as often as possible. But do you ever struggle with doing this day after day? If you’re feeling uninspired, give these 5 R’s of content creation from BharatBhasha.com a try:
1. Research. Before writing, use Google to research phrases that people use to search for your topic. This will give you ideas about hot topics as well as keywords to use in your content. Visit popular forums to get an sense of what people want to know about your topic.
2. Rearrange. Develop an outline to help you organize your thoughts and set the tone of your piece. Start with bullet points and then flesh them out into full-blown paragraphs.
3. Reveal. Humanize your content by sharing anecdotes or adding personal touches. Share stories or offer examples that help your readers connect your content to their situation. Don’t be afraid to get visual, especially with technical topics.
4. Read. It’s always good to have someone else proof and critique your content, but if you’re the sole editor, print out a copy and read it out loud. This will force you to double-check every word instead of letting your mind “autosuggest” words that aren’t there. If a word looks funny, look it up, especially if it’s a term spell-check wouldn’t catch!
5. Revise. Be as creative as you want when you sit down to start writing and save your critical side for later—when it’s time to polish your first draft.
Once you’ve followed these steps, you’re on your way to becoming a professional copywriter!
[Part 4 of a Series: See: Introduction. See: Links to other posts in this series.]
Journalists and librarians are each, in their own ways, devoted to the recording and dissemination of information (or, more precisely, those things we all hope result from such activities: wisdom, insight, knowledge, understanding, truth). However, at the same time, journalists and librarians are quite different in the ways they approach the craft and science of organizing information so the rest of us can access it. Indeed, thinking of what they do as a craft or as a science is one of the ways in which they differ.
Ever wonder how all the puzzle pieces come together to create a bimonthly publication? Take a peek into the process for American Spirit, a history- and preservation-focused magazine Hammock publishes for the Daughters of the American Revolution. The upcoming May/June issue is a special one, as it will be distributed to all DAR members to commemorate the three-year term of President General Linda Gist Calvin. No two cycles of the magazine are the same, but here are roughly the steps the editors and designers take from initial story ideas to the magazine landing on the coffee table:
As kids, most of us loved listening to stories, and as adults, we’re still suckers for a story well told. Since the beginning of time, people have used stories to entertain, educate and inspire. Stories that used to be carved into stone, written on parchment or recited around a campfire can now be shared through a podcast, told through a Tweet or portrayed through an interactive slideshow or video. All you need is one great story. If you have that, you can find dozens of different ways to tell it, depending on your audience and your outlet for sharing it.
Storytelling, at its most basic definition, is using words, images and sounds to convey events. In print, this often takes the form of telling or explaining; in video, showing; and in online media, demonstrating and engaging. But whether you’re conveying your story through a simple blog post or a multimedia package complete with clickable graphics, live video streaming and Flash animation, you’ll succeed at captivating your audience if you follow these five tried-and-true storytelling principles:
How do you view your newsletter—whether e-mail or print? Do you see it as separate from your website? If so, you’re potentially overlooking a huge opportunity to maximize your content marketing impact, says Newt Barrett on Web2journal.com.
In his post, Barrett shares seven ways to get more for your newsletter buck. Depending on your business, all seven of his ideas might not apply, but on his list are a few must-dos to make your newsletter work harder for you:
The word content today means many things: Writing, photography, video, illustrations, design, interactive games, apps and data. Content can refer to a wide variety of media, also, from beautiful coffee-table magazines to how-to videos appearing on the web.
Because marketers are discovering that the difference between success and failure is often the quality, strategy and measurement of an organization’s content, we’ve decided to more clearly define our services by using the term “content marketing” to stress the solutions and support we can provide our clients.
Among the many weird Facebook groups springing up every day—“I bet this pickle can get more fans than Nickelback” is a recent gem—one grabbed this editor’s attention: “’Let’s eat Grandma!’ or, ‘Let’s eat, Grandma!’ Punctuation saves lives.”
As long as punctuation continues to make a difference in Grandmas’ lives everywhere, good proofreaders will be necessary. But how do Hammock editors and designers keep our proofing wits about us, especially if it’s something we’ve read, edited and commented on a hundred times? From the well-proven strategies to the unusual ones, here’s how we keep those proofing pencils sharp.
Those logophiles at Lake Superior State University have unleashed their 2009 list of words deserving of banishment, and as one might expect, the surfeit of “green” terms has them seeing red. So does “it’s that time of year again,” which is how I might have started this post.
“Green,” “carbon footprint” and “carbon offsetting” were among the most off-putting terms nominated by thousands of language guardians. “WallStreet/Main Street,” “Bailout” and “maverick” also boarded the list from the political-social commentary side of the street.
Ironically, the school could use a bailout, as falling enrollment has led to layoffs.
The list, with samples of comments from those who nominated them, can be found here. Located in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., LSSU is already accepting nominations for its 2010 list.
Meanwhile, CNN.com contributor Frances Cole Jones published her list of 10 phrases not to use around the office (or at home, in my opinion). The list parallels a longer one appearing in Britain’s Daily Mail.
And the Irish Parliament is reviewing its banned word policy after discovering that the so-called “F-bomb” or “F-word” isn’t (I’m nominating “Blank-bomb/-word to LSSU).
So at this time of year, here’s wishing fewer cliches and old chestnuts for the New Year.
