Writing Advice Archives - Page 7 of 12

Me and that grammar thing

June 15, 2017 by Scott Flood

Because I write for a living, many people assume that I’m an expert on the subject of grammar. Some go so far as to consider me a grammarian. Others assume that I must have been an English major back in college. Yes, I wrangle with grammar every day, but I’m no expert. And no, I … Read more

Should you repeat repetition repeatedly?

May 31, 2017 by Scott Flood

Many people have an aversion to repetition in marketing communications. At times, repeating yourself isn’t a good thing, such as when you’re writing a blog post or an ad and you need to make a quick impact. Or when you’re writing something like an ad or a blog post. Oops. In those situations, you have … Read more

Should you compliment someone or complement them?

April 19, 2017 by Scott Flood

Many words that are similar carry very different meanings, but that doesn’t stop people from misusing them. Generally, they’ll accept a correction in the intended spirit, but that isn’t always the case. I remember one situation in which a client was so convinced that his misunderstanding was actually correct that I lost his business. He … Read more

HOW CAN YOU INVOLVE READERS?

April 29, 2015 by Scott Flood

Looking for a way to catch the attention of your audience and focus their full concentration on your message? Instead of telling them what you want to hear, ask them a question that matters to them. You may have heard that asking questions in headlines and opening statements is a bad idea. For example, I … Read more

JUST WRITE SOMETHING, ANYTHING

October 15, 2014 by Scott Flood

One of the most commonly expressed frustrations about writing is the inability to get started. Whether someone has to write something for work, for school, or for any other purpose, nine times out of ten, their struggle begins with the first words they need to put on the page. Some people call it writer’s block, … Read more

USING SIMPLE EXAMPLES TO CONVEY COMPLEX CONCEPTS

May 14, 2014 by Scott Flood

There are times when writers need to convey complex, difficult concepts to audiences that may not have the same level of knowledge as the organization that is sending the message. A simple solution that works wonders in those situations is the use of analogies, similes, and metaphors. When you can distill something complicated into something … Read more

A BULLET POINT IS ONLY A STARTING POINT

April 2, 2014 by Scott Flood

When creating a website, a brochure, or an ad, many people believe that the best approach is to be as simple and straightforward as possible. And, for many of those people, being simple and straightforward means using brief bullet points instead of sentences and paragraphs.

“The only thing that matters is the facts” they say. “Nobody has time for fluff” they insist. “All anyone cares about is the down and dirty” they declare. “We’re far too serious and too busy for anything else,” they aver. “People make decisions by using facts,” they assert.

CONNECT THE UNFAMILIAR TO SOMETHING FAMILIAR

April 25, 2012 by Scott Flood

At a time when new technologies seem to appear every day, most folks are becoming overwhelmed. While they’re impressed by all the new features and opportunities, and while many can see at least some of how these new advances will benefit them, the sheer volume of information is pushing a growing number of people into overload.

How can you help people understanding something new and unfamiliar without overwhelming them? A tried-and-true tactic is to connect that unfamiliar object or process with something that’s very familiar and quite simple. It’s a tactic effective copywriters have used for decades, and it’s even more applicable today, because it can help to overcome resistance to new ideas.

START WRITING IN THE MIDDLE

April 11, 2012 by Scott Flood

One of the most common questions I hear from non-writers is “How do you get started?” They have something that they want to put down on paper, or something they have to write for a job, and they sit and stare at that unfriendly cursor, unable to type the first word. They assume that someone who writes for a living would know some sort of magic trigger to get that first sentence underway.

I don’t, but I’ll let you in on a secret: I don’t usually start at the beginning. No matter what I’m writing — whether it’s an article, a website, an ad, or a blog post — I usually start somewhere in the middle.

TODAY’S READER IS A SCANNER

March 28, 2012 by Scott Flood

Busy, busy, busy. We’re going this way and that way, and it seems that we have less time for everything. That effort to cram more into every day has had a pronounced effect on the way people read. A generation ago, people tended to read at a more leisurely pace. They’d start at the beginning, finish at the end, and savor everything in between.

The shortage of time and the speed of finding information on the internet has fundamentally changed the way people read nearly everything. Instead of savoring, readers are skimming; breezing through articles, books, and documents at a pace that would have been considered speed-reading in the past. They look for what matters in a document, and zero in only on those points that seem to be most important.