Wylie’s Writing Tips archives
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2017 issues
Benchmark readability against the BBC
How does your clarity stack up?
Aug. 15, 2017
Get to Aha!
Creative process helps you write better, easier and faster
Aug. 08, 2017
Stop We-We-ing on the reader
Talking about ourselves — better than sex?
Aug. 01, 2017
Readability helps everyone
You’re not dumbing it down; you’re lifting it up
July 25, 2017
Avoid alphabet soup
7 ways to get the acronyms and abbreviations out
July 18, 2017
Is it live or is it metaphor?
‘Kick the habit’ lights up the brain’s motor cortex
July 11, 2017
6 tips for writing lists
People look at 70% of lists they encounter online
July 05, 2017
Turn numbers into things
When writing with statistics, ask ‘What’s it like?’
June 27, 2017
Blog post structure | Try a temple
New approach increases reading by 520%
June 20, 2017
Come to your senses
Analogy helps readers experience your story
June 13, 2017
Out of sight, out of mind
Keep paragraphs even shorter for mobile screens
June 06, 2017
Pass the 70-20-10 test
Create social media messages that engage readers
May 30, 2017
A bear’s tale
3 steps to a great story
May 23, 2017
The cost of bad writing
It’s a $37 million problem a year at one organization
May 16, 2017
Eyes on you
Page view time is not a magic number
May 09, 2017
Craft snappy sound bites
List, rhyme and twist
May 02, 2017
The long and the short of it
Build drama, create rhythm by varying sentence length
April 25, 2017
Don’t get your head cut off
Make web headlines fit on mobile apps and more
April 18, 2017
Avoid flabby middles
Five ways to shape the body of your message
April 11, 2017
Rethink the release
Focus on the reader, not on PR 101 approaches
April 04, 2017
Stop wasting readers’ time
They ‘get visibly angry’ at verbose sites
March 28, 2017
Make sure every picture tells a story
How to write compelling captions
March 21, 2017
Colorful numbers
Startling statistics make compelling leads
March 14, 2017
Turn Strunk & White upside down
Three new ways to approach classic writing wisdom
March 07, 2017
You’re one in a million
Messages a year, that is
Feb. 28, 2017
Stop stuffing keywords
Where to put search terms to get your release found
Feb. 21, 2017
Make technical terms clear
How to write about, say, spectroradiometers
Feb. 14, 2017
Read all about it
Use a structure that’s been proven in the lab to increase reading
Feb. 07, 2017
Play twister
Four steps to twist of phrase
Jan. 31, 2017
Make size and scale visual
How tiny is tiny? How huge is huge?
Jan. 24, 2017
Heads up on benefits headlines
8 types of benefits headlines to choose from
Jan. 17, 2017
Vital statistics
Numbers bring concreteness and color to your copy
Jan. 10, 2017
Keep your pitch short
How long is too long?
Jan. 03, 2017
2016 issues
Conduct a sound check
Read your copy aloud
Dec. 27, 2016
Write cliff-hangers
External transitions move readers from section to section
Dec. 20, 2016
If I’ve told you once …
The deck should expand on the headline, not repeat it
Dec. 13, 2016
Tell your process story
‘How we make it’ can be a compelling narrative
Dec. 06, 2016
End with a bang
Leave a lasting impression in the kicker
Nov. 29, 2016
Aim for one-syllable words
Churchill was right — short words are best
Nov. 22, 2016
Metaphor at work
6 reasons analogy is more persuasive than literal language
Nov. 15, 2016
Get the words out
Write tight sentences, like the Times
Nov. 08, 2016
Six secrets of persuasion
Robert Cialdini shares his principles of influence
Nov. 01, 2016
Turn programs into people
Bring stories to life with human interest
Oct. 25, 2016
‘Say Goodbye to the 60-hour Work Week’
Steal techniques from this great WIIFM copy
Oct. 18, 2016
Made you look
Captions get 16% more readership than text
Oct. 11, 2016
No more excuses!
How to spot hidden measurement resources
Oct. 04, 2016
Top 10 measurement mistakes
How to avoid these research problems
Sept. 27, 2016
Start making sense
Convince reviewers to abandon jargon
Sept. 20, 2016
Here & there, now & then
3 ways to measure how your message changed behavior
Sept. 13, 2016
Take me to your reader
How to write tweets that go viral
Sept. 06, 2016
Thank you for sharing
Features go viral more often, says Reuters Institute
Aug. 30, 2016
The Goldilocks Conundrum
Write links that aren’t too short or too long
Aug. 23, 2016
Make it F-A-B
Translate features to advantages to benefits
Aug. 16, 2016
No budget? No problem!
How to measure with little time and money
Aug. 09, 2016
Top 10 reasons to write listicles
They’re the most shared type of content
Aug. 02, 2016
When the boss is wrong about measurement
Slip the measures he needs in with the ones he wants
July 26, 2016
7 tips for tipsheets
How to write how-to articles
July 19, 2016
Five reasons not to measure
Don’t try measurement – unless you want to prove your value to the organization
July 12, 2016
One more thing that’ll kill you
Screen reading causes nausea, eyestrain, more
July 05, 2016
Avoid creative incest
Don’t model executive quotes on executive quotes
June 28, 2016
Lead on
Write better release openers
June 21, 2016
Does not compute
16% of adults are technologically illiterate
June 14, 2016
Think like a reporter
Make your release relevant to the reader
June 07, 2016
Secrets for successful subheads
Keep readers reading, skimmers scanning
May 31, 2016
Snowed under
Journalists — more overworked, still underpaid
May 24, 2016
Avoid multisyllabic pileups
Long words are stuffy and hard to read
May 17, 2016
Combat fatigue
Are you using a 150-year-old story format?
May 10, 2016
Extreme Makeover — News release edition
How to find the story within a stodgy bank report
May 3, 2016
Pleading for shorter sentences
Reach the period sooner
April 26, 2016
It’s all about you
Write about the reader, not about us and our stuff
April 19, 2016
Numeracy counts
88% of adults worldwide are incompetent at math
April 12, 2016
Less is more
The longer your piece, the less readers will read
April 05, 2016
Polish your deck
It’s the best-read element on your Web page
March 29, 2016
Start with a bang
Show, don’t just tell, in the lead
March 22, 2016
A world of hurt
Global literacy is falling. What’s a communicator to do?
March 15, 2016
Move from event to impact
Focus news stories on MOI
March 08, 2016
A head for news
Seven ways to polish your traditional headlines
Feb. 29, 2016
Think outside the pyramid
The traditional news structure fails readers
Feb. 22, 2016
Made you look
Want to keep readers reading? Keep paragraphs short
Feb. 16, 2016
Catch a reader
Focus on the reader’s needs, not on ‘us and our stuff’
Feb. 10, 2016
Color me fascinated
Colorful details make a great lead
Feb. 01, 2016
Your brain on description
To the sensory cortex, reading is the same as doing
Jan. 25, 2016
From diddleman to nominatrix
Open readers’ minds by creating your own words
Jan. 19, 2016
Tap the mind-changing magic of metaphor
If crime were a wild beast, we’d be more likely to cage it
Jan. 13, 2016
‘From Tina Turner to Taylor Swift’
Concrete details bring tedious topics to life
January 2016
2015 issues
An eggcellent idea
The American Egg Board chooses tipsheets
December 2015
Say it ain’t so
Reporters shoot down PR quotes
November 2015
The release is dead
Long live the release
October 2015
Details make the difference
Silver Anvil winners get particular with their PR leads
September 2015
Readability smackdown
Master Class attendees boost reading ease by 226%, 230% — even 300%
August 2015
Color bind
Yes, Communicator, you can make your copy more colorful
July 2015
Take me away
‘Transporting’ stories change readers’ minds
June 2015
Paint word pictures
‘You’ll have your hand on your head with a knot under it’
May 2015
Write by number
Stop reinventing the wheel, use story templates
April 2015
Writing in the right direction
Create written communication guidelines
March 2015
The best of Times
The U.S. newspaper of record runs 33% feature leads
February 2015
Serial monogamy
Why have people fallen in love with this podcast?
January 2015
2014 issues
30-3-30 redux
What does Clay Schoenfeld’s rule look like today?
December 2014
Crack the case
How to organize a case study
November 2014
Take a tip from Norm MacDonald
#RIPRobinWilliams tweets show how to serialize your story
October 2014
Numbers count
Numerals in headlines quantify value, draw readers
September 2014
Crumple PR convention
Toyota takes on feature releases
August 2014
Survey releases, step by step
How to organize research stories
July 2014
Master of metaphor
PNNL science writer shows how to communicate complex concepts
June 2014
Measure what matters
Hint — It’s not page views
May 2014
The Awwwww Factor
How to make content marketing messages go viral
April 2014
Bring strategy stories down to earth
Make them more concrete, creative
March 2014
Change the subject
Focus your subject line on the readers’ needs
February 2014
Draw readers in
Start intranet articles with storytelling
January 2014
2013 issues
Can you read me now?
14% of U.S. adults have below-basic reading skills, says PIAAC 2013
December 2013
Anatomy of a feature
See the structure at work in this financial piece
November 2013
Avoid the ‘muddle in the middle’
The body needs structure, too
October 2013
Anatomy of an anecdote
See story elements at work in this healthcare narrative
September 2013
This list is made for twisting
Wordplay techniques to steal from ‘Kinky Boots’
August 2013
Start with the snake
Find the ‘inciting incident’
July 2013
June writing contest: Now on tap
Try this new format for mobile storytelling
June 2013
May writing contest: One-sentence stories
Can you finish your piece before you reach the period?
May 2013
Dialogue do’s and don’ts
Leave room for the pictures!
April 2013
Features first
WCB-Alberta writer transforms article through story structure
March 2013
Pad prowess
How to write and design for tablets
February 2013
Stroke of editing
In which Ann audaciously takes on Jill Bolte Taylor’s bestseller
January 2013
2012 issues
Lead on
Write better release openers
December 2012
Clicking takes a counterpunch
Communicators slug it out for scrolling
November 2012
Extend your metaphor
Explore the base
October 2012
Spread yourself thin
Self-reference is not retweetable
September 2012
Put people first
Optimize for readers & Google
August 2012
‘I’m so excited’
Executives are in a tizzy over their announcements
July 2012
And … action!
Descriptive verbs paint a picture
June 2012
We are the world
And we’re not very literate, according to an OECD study
May 2012
Strength in numbers
STORYtoolz’s facts & figures make copy more readable
April 2012
Haiku masters
Readers offer writing tips in 17 syllables
March 2012
Poetry in motion
New York City launches haiku street safety signs
February 2012
Write for the ear
Read your copy aloud
January 2012
2011 issues
Now you see it
Graphic storytelling teaches better than text
December 2011
Don’t commit verbicide
Streamline syllables with action words
November 2011
Paint the schnauzer
Find examples to illustrate your point
October 2011
Pleading for shorter sentences
Sentence length one of top 2 predictors of readable copy
September 2011
Take the (other) Flesch test
Make your copy measurably more interesting
August 2011
Can you read me now?
21% of U.S. adults have trouble using a street map
July 2011
Do sweat the small stuff
Find the telling detail
June 2011
‘Obstinate popinjays swarm the airwaves’
Communicators model Loren D. Estleman
May 2011
Model the masters
Make a mentor of your favorite writer
April 2011
Inside the box
To reduce unsubscribe rates, send more email
March 2011
Make it about me
Focus news stories on MOI
February 2011
Avoid alphabet soup
Alphabetical structure isn’t as easy as ABC
January 2011
2010 issues
Spray, delay and walk away
Try a triad of rhyming words
December 2010
Find your focus
Tighten your angle
November 2010
The Weakest Link
You’re not still writing ‘click here’ and ‘read more,’ are you?
October 2010
Make ’em laugh
Three ways to get more humor into your writing
September 2010
Chain reaction
Links distract readers; embed them anyway
August 2010
Template your story
Create fill-in-the-blanks story forms
July 2010
End of story?
The news of storytelling’s death has been greatly exaggerated
June 2010
Give great verb
‘Spank those naughty little oxidants’
May 2010
Pull the trigger
Create an environment for your message
April 2010
One or 1,001?
Why ‘one individual trumps the masses’
March 2010
What’s the cost of ‘niggling’?
Do all those tweaks really add value to the bottom line?
February 2010
Snip your sentences
How long is too long?
January 2010
2009 issues
Readers want less
Establish copy length limits
December 2009
Streamline your sentences
Add a word, reduce comprehension
November 2009
Do readers skip your paragraphs?
Paragraph length is a visual cue for readers
October 2009
In your own words
Become a recreational word coiner
September 2009
