VOLUME 23, ISSUE 6 – JUNE 2024
THIS MONTH’S MENU:
I. LANDSCAPING LESSONS
Backyard Cleanup Project Yields Multiple Teaching Moments
II. GOT “ONLINE NEWSROOMS”?
PR Copywriting Pro on Overlooked, Lucrative Project Category
III. TOO MANY CLICHÉS?
Creativity Pro: Clichés Clutter & Age Your Work
I. LANDSCAPING LESSONS
Backyard Cleanup Project Yields Multiple Teaching Moments
I had an independent landscape guy do some cleanup at my house recently, and interestingly, it yielded several relevant lessons for folks like us.
For starters, he was pretty late, and didn’t message me about it until I pinged him. When he arrived, I said, “I’m not going to dwell on this, but when you’re an hour late, you throw off your customer’s schedule for the day.”
Said it before, but I’ll say it again: If you show up/call/deliver when you say you’re going to, you absolutely will set yourself apart from the competition. AND…
Doing that takes ZERO experience or track record.
In the end, he did a great job, and impressed me several times:
1) He took before/after pictures of his work, to post on his website.
Proactively ask for samples of your work, and load them up to your site.
2) He made great detailed suggestions on sprucing up my patio, showing me photos of similar completed projects, and quoting me a price.
Visit clients’ websites, and see what they’re doing, not doing or not doing well, and make suggestions.
Clients have a tendency to cubby-hole folks like us in the project types they hired us to do, and it’s up to us to let them know the full scope of our work.
II. GOT “ONLINE NEWSROOMS”? Part 1 of 2
PR Copywriting Pro on Overlooked, Lucrative Project Category
This solid info on a little-known copywriting category comes from CT FLCW (and regular E-PUB contributor), Jennifer Mattern—PR writer and founder of the acclaimed All Freelance Writing site. Thanks, Jenn!
When you think of PR writing as a commercial freelance writer, chances are you think of press releases. But there’s a related project type that can lead to big money and repeat work: online newsrooms.
What is an Online Newsroom?
An online newsroom is like a media kit or electronic press kit (EPK), but it can be more comprehensive.
It’s a section of a website dedicated to members of the media, providing resources they might need before reaching out for an interview or story.
Here’s a partial list of content types an online newsroom might host:
- Press-release archives
- Executive bios
- Company backgrounders
- One-sheets (ex. product specs)
- Media contact information
- Event details
- Prior media mentions
- Downloadable media (ex. high-resolution photos)
Online Newsrooms as Freelance Writing Projects
A perk of helping clients build online newsrooms as a freelance commercial writer is each newsroom requires several different types of content or copy.
These are broad-scope projects that are completely customizable based on the individual client.
The bigger perk? This content must stay up-to-date.
That can lead to ongoing work like writing new press releases, updating company backgrounders, adding new one-sheets as new products launch, and writing bios for new key staff members as they join the company.
If you’re interested in PR writing but haven’t stretched beyond press releases yet, consider online newsroom content. They can provide nearly endless freelance writing opportunities.
In Part 2 next month on online newsrooms and media kits, we’ll explore the reasons why you might want to build an online newsroom for your copywriting practice (and there are more than you’d think…). Stay tuned…
III. TOO MANY CLICHÉS?
Creativity Pro: Clichés Clutter & Age Your Work
Got this useful reminder from Sam Harrison, ad-industry veteran and creativity pro. While originally written for those making presentations, the advice is just as applicable to writers.
Dig a little deeper creatively (maybe with thesaurus handy) to avoid tired, overused words. And check out the cool origin of the word “cliché at the end!
Couple of years ago, I attended an investor presentation given by leaders of a startup firm.
The three presenters were smart and personable. And their content was basically solid. But, wow…they set a world record for clichés per minute.
“Win-win situation.” “Push the envelope.” “Actionable.” “Optics.” “Paradigm shift.” “Take it to the next level.” “Low-hanging fruit.” “Sharpen our pencils.” “Elephant in the room.” “Peel the onion.”
They even threw in “Thinking out of the box.” Twice.
So, what’s so bad about a cliche-ridden presentation?
In addition to being annoying, cliches make what might otherwise be an imaginative presentation seem ordinary—or even dated, if the cliches have been around a while.
Audience members subconsciously think: “I’ve heard this before”—even if content is new.
To help make sure your presentations (or writing!) come across as fresh and energetic, hunt down and kill habitual clichés.
Where did the word “cliché” originate?
“Cliché” is a French printer’s term going back to when type was set by hand. When a phrase showed up over and over, a printer would solder the type pieces together so they’d be at the ready the next time that phrase was needed.
Printers heard a clicking sound when putting the individual type pieces together, which gave birth to the onomatopoeic word “cliché.”