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Wylie’s Writing Tips archives

Missed an issue? Catch up here

What goes into a press release boilerplate?

What goes into a press release boilerplate?

Boil your company down with boilerplates

About us: Stick to the 5 W’s. And drop the marketing fluff.

June 23, 2022


How to write funny content

How to write funny content

Try self-deprecating humor

You must be joking: Add self-deprecating humor to your message.

June 16, 2022


People understand 48% less on mobile

People understand 48% less on mobile

How can you overcome the obstacles of reading on smartphones?

Reach readers on the small screen: Mobile web visitors are less likely to act on your message. So now what?

June 09, 2022


How to come up with a brand story

How to come up with a brand story

4 ways to find a good narrative

Why did my wasband switch cognacs? Brand storytelling made him do it.

June 02, 2022


5 tips for writing a great deck

5 tips for writing a great deck

How to craft the summary blurb under the headline

Double decker: Multi-deck headlines get the word out to skimmers and scanners. So don’t drop the deck.

May 26, 2022


People skim and scan text in online news

People skim and scan text in online news

Only 19% read word-by-word

Skimming along: Just 19% of participants in a Harris Interactive poll read articles word-by-word. Many more skim mostly headlines or the full article.

May 19, 2022


How to write a bulleted list

How to write a bulleted list

5 tips for crafting a good list

A list for lists: Take advantage of the last item on the list — and 4 more ways to write readable, engaging lists.

May 12, 2022


Why human-interest stories?

Why human-interest stories?

Show readers one — not 1,001

Story vs. statistics: People care more about one person they know something about than they do about hundreds or millions of nameless, faceless souls.

May 05, 2022


The easiest way to find product benefits?

The easiest way to find product benefits?

Write in verbs, not nouns

Show what readers can do differently: Write how readers can use your product, service, program or idea — not about the product, service, program or idea itself.

April 28, 2022


How people read on the web

How people read on the web

They don’t; so make webpages scannable

How do people read online? They don’t; they skim. So write skimmable web copy.

April 21, 2022


Answer What’s In It For Me (WIIFM)

Answer What’s In It For Me (WIIFM)

Position your message in the reader’s best interest

The reader cares about the reader: Don’t focus on your organization and its stuff. Write about the reader and her needs.

April 14, 2022


Why write case studies?

Why write case studies?

Because your clients are your best salespeople

Case in point: Case studies turn your clients into brand ambassadors, showing rather than telling what you can do for your prospects.

April 07, 2022


People understand 48% less on mobile

People understand 48% less on mobile

How can you overcome the obstacles of reading on smartphones?

Reach readers on the small screen: Mobile web visitors are less likely to act on your message. So now what?

March 31, 2022


‘Readers’ actually skim blog posts, content marketing pieces

‘Readers’ actually skim blog posts, content marketing pieces

They read 3.5% of the words on the page

Just say no: Your audience members read an average of 50 words in your article. So how do you reach nonreaders with words?

March 24, 2022


Make ’em sick, make ’em well

Make ’em sick, make ’em well

Lead with the problem, follow up with the solution

Tap the anxiety advantage: Show your audience members how bad life can get without your product, service or idea.

March 17, 2022


Use the Awwwww Factor

Use the Awwwww Factor

Top 3 characteristics that make posts go viral

Put on a happy face: How can you write blog content that gets readers to read your posts? Make messages positive and emotional.

March 10, 2022


How to organize writing projects

How to organize writing projects

Structure your message like Wolfe, Faulkner and Nabokov

Model the masters: By the time he’d completed his outline, Tom Wolfe’s work was mostly done.

March 03, 2022


How to overcome information overload

How to overcome information overload

Hint: Cutting copy is not the solution

Simple complexity: It’s not enough just to reduce information. To overcome information overload, you must also make messages more meaningful.

February 24, 2022


Get ready to write

Get ready to write

Prewriting is Step 1 of the writing process

Get to the top of page 1: Research your message, develop your story angle and organize your piece in the prewriting phase of the writing process.

February 17, 2022


Why write how-to stories?

Why write how-to stories?

Tipsheets get read, shared, used and acted upon

Top tips: How-to stories — aka tipsheets and service stories — move people to act.

February 10, 2022


Why is the writing process important?

Why is the writing process important?

It helps you Write Better, Easier & Faster

Get there faster: A good writing process helps you finish writing sooner and enjoy writing more.

February 03, 2022


Boost usability by nearly 50%

Boost usability by nearly 50%

Increase understanding, memory, satisfaction …

Scannable text outperformed dense webpages in one of the earliest studies on web writing, by Jakob Nielsen.

January 27, 2022


What is the writing process?

What is the writing process?

3 steps to Writing Better, Easier & Faster

The writing process, step by step: Break your work into three steps: prewriting, freewriting and rewriting.

January 20, 2022


Where web visitors look at your content

Where web visitors look at your content

Get skimmers to read deeper by understanding these 3 eye gaze patterns

Readers skim the surface of your page: But you can get them to read deeper with a few smart moves.

January 13, 2022


Stop reinventing the wheel

Stop reinventing the wheel

Save time, effort with fill-in-the-blanks writing templates

Template this! Story templates save readers — and writers — time.

January 06, 2022


8 content writing tips and tricks to try now

8 content writing tips and tricks to try now

Write better news releases, webpages and more …

Get your point across: Write more persuasive, more readable messages, with these content writing tips and tricks.

December 30, 2021


Try these 8 tips for better writing

Try these 8 tips for better writing

Get clicked, opened, read and shared — and more

Make your message stand out … Check out these techniques to improve your storytelling, blog posts, writing process and more.

December 23, 2021


8 good writing tips for corporate communicators

8 good writing tips for corporate communicators

How to tell better stories, write to persuade and more …

Point taken! Get your message across with these writing tips for corporate communicators, PR pros and other professional writers.

December 16, 2021


Writing tips and tricks to try now

Writing tips and tricks to try now

Get opened, get read — and get home early — with these techniques

Sharpen up! What writing techniques can you learn from these writing tips and tricks?

December 09, 2021


How long should your words be?

How long should your words be?

The New York Times averages 4.9 characters

Short and sweet: Why write employment when you can write jobs? Save your readers processing time by choosing short words.

December 02, 2021


Boost readability with the Flesch Reading Ease Index

Boost readability with the Flesch Reading Ease Index

The higher your score, the easier your message is to read

Hit the right target: What readability scores to aim for on three top readability tests.

November 24, 2021



How well can readers understand your stats?

How well can readers understand your stats?

Fewer than 10% of U.S. adults are good with numbers

Count them out: Just one-third of Americans have even intermediate skills at understanding stats.

November 18, 2021


5 ways to craft email preview panes

5 ways to craft email preview panes

Get opened by showing recipients a sample of your message

Window on your world: The preview pane is one of the top three elements recipients use to decide whether to open an email — or delete without reading.

November 11, 2021


Why email marketing works [Statistics!]

Why email marketing works [Statistics!]

It’s the No. 1 sharing channel in the world

Inbox is king: “Email may well be your most productive marketing tool,” says HubSpot viral marketing scientist Dan Zarrella.

November 04, 2021


Overcome information overload

‘Be a complexity reducer, not an information producer’

Do less, but do it better: It’s not enough just to reduce information. To overcome information overload, you must also make messages more meaningful.

October 28, 2021


How to write catchy email headlines

Tell the story, keep them to 1 line, & more

Heads up on e-zine headlines: Write email newsletter headlines that are clear, short and don’t get cut off on mobile.

October 21, 2021


Pass the 1-2-3-4-5 Test

How to get paragraphs read on mobile

Can you read me now? Readers struggle to read long paragraphs on smartphones.

October 14, 2021


Topple the inverted pyramid

Feature structure outperforms traditional news format

What organizing structure would make the best foundation for your message? Not the inverted pyramid.

October 07, 2021


Overcome the jargon barrier

Technical terminology hurts SEO, social, PR

Jargon makes your website harder to find, reduces media coverage — even slashes your social-media influence.

September 30, 2021


How to optimize for voice search

SEO guidelines for content writers

Can you find me now? Some 50% of searches are voice search these days, according to comScore. Here’s how to optimize for voice search.

September 23, 2021


Go beyond name calling

3 tips for personalizing email

What’s in a name? Not much. Go beyond name-calling to tailor your message to your readers’ best interests.

September 16, 2021


Subheads take the cake

They’re ‘the most important thing you can do’ online

Piece of cake: Readers go for the frosting — aka the subheads — online. That makes it easier for them to find what they’re looking for.

September 09, 2021


Turn numbers into people

3 ways to reframe the data

Bring numbers to life: Make statistics more emotional by turning them into individuals.

September 02, 2021


Web readability by the numbers

People read 20% to 30% slower online

In a flash: Attention spans are half as long on mobile devices. Shouldn’t your content be shorter, too?

August 26, 2021


Get opened with brilliant preheader text

24% of recipients consider this element first when deciding whether to open

Are you skipping a key element that helps recipients determine whether to open? Preheader text works with the subject line to entice recipients to read your email.

August 19, 2021


4 web leads to try

Use snappy synthesis, stakeholder benefits & more

Web content’s not a newspaper story. So instead of news leads, try these four types of web leads.

August 12, 2021


What’s the average time spent reading [statistics!]?

Americans spend 16.2 minutes a day reading for fun

Tick tock: People spend 48 minutes a day reading for work, 16 minutes a day reading for fun. How much of that time are they devoting to your message?

August 05, 2021


Get content above the fold on mobile

Put the hot stuff up top with the 1-2-3-4 test

Four’s a charm: To reach mobile visitors, get the gist of your message across in the first four elements of your web page.

July 29, 2021


Get open, clicked and shared on mobile [statistics!]

Email recipients click less often, unsubscribe more often on smartphones

Get clicked: When reading emails on mobile, recipients click 40% less often, find it 48% harder to understand content and are more likely to unsubscribe. Now what?

July 22, 2021


How does screen reading affect your readers?

Reading online hurts people’s eyes, bodies, brains

Is your web content a pain in the neck? Screen reading causes nausea, vision problems and cognitive issues.

July 15, 2021


Move from event to impact

Focus on outcome, not input

We had a party, and you weren’t invited: Don’t tell me about your event. Tell me what I’ll be able to do at your event. Or focus on the outcome of past events.

July 08, 2021


Are your news release headlines really paragraphs?

Keep yours short, like The New York Times

A head for business: Want to influence editors and journalists? Why not model your headlines after theirs?

July 01, 2021


200 words and out

Journalists spend less than one minute reading releases

Gone in 60 seconds: If your release is longer than 200 words, seven out of 10 journalists won’t finish it.

June 24, 2021


Why CEO press release quotes suck

Reporters hate PR quotes

Say it ain’t so: If it doesn’t sound conversational and substantive, don’t expect journalists to pick it up.

June 17, 2021


Lead with the readers’ needs in news releases

‘I’m not interested in “new and improved”’ — Editor

Hit the target: To grab editors’ attention, steal a tip from these Silver Anvil winners. Lead with the readers’ needs — not with your products, services, programs or ideas.

June 10, 2021


Why is PR writing so important?

Because fewer than 50% of releases actually get the word out

Fewer than 50% of releases get covered. So how can you write media relations pieces that get actually the word out?

June 03, 2021


Go with the flow with freewriting

Get words on paper faster in the second step of the writing process

Watch your fingers fly across the keyboard: Fill the page with better copy faster when you freewrite.

May 25, 2021


Try WBHA, or writing by hanging around

Observational research brings your message to life

Just looking: Firsthand observation brings your message to life. So go to the scene and observe.

May 20, 2021


Why write a clever headline?

Feature headlines easier to understand, more memorable

Readers prefer clever headlines. Feature headlines may convince readers to read stories.

May 13, 2021


Think inside the box

Templates more effective than brainstorming, free association

Template creativity: Just a handful of techniques accounted for all of the ideas behind 200 top performing ads, found a team of Israeli researchers.

May 06, 2021


Model the masters

Find mentors among your favorite writers

Reverse-engineer it: After reading good writing, you can improve your writing by figuring out how the writer wrote it.

April 29, 2021


Why is a metaphor effective?

People learn through metaphor

Baby, you can drive my car: Grandpa didn’t know from automobiles; he called this a horseless carriage. Analogies help people understand new ideas by linking them to familiar ones.

April 22, 2021


Master the 5-step creative process

Develop more creative ideas with this system

Bright ideas: Need some creative juice? Come up with brilliant solutions to real-life problems when you use a creative process that works with — not against — your brain.

April 15, 2021


Your brain on story

Excuse me, are those your neurons flashing?

Like being there: When you read a vivid story, your brain lights up as if you are performing the character’s actions yourself.

April 08, 2021


How to write news headlines

3 ways to polish your traditional heads

Break the news: Tell the story, don’t tell about the story, in your news head.

April 01, 2021


Why creative content writing is important

Grab attention, keep it longer, communicate better & more

EnLightening: Creative material enhances credibility, gets shared, gets people to read longer — even slashes burnout and boosts performance.

March 25, 2021


Why worry about your readability level?

Save money, make money and more with readable messages

That’s ROI: Get your message read and shared by boosting your readability level.

March 18, 2021


3 ways to find balance, or parallelism

Take a tip from Charles Dickens

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times: Repeat and reverse, add and or so and other ways to bring balance to your message.

March 11, 2021


Avoid background leads

Don’t start with the blah blah blah

Background — also known as the blah blah blah — is no way to draw readers into a piece. Instead, leave the definitions, history lessons and broader context for the third paragraph.

March 04, 2021


What’s the best length for a blog post?

Are you writing about Brussels sprouts or brain surgery?

How long should your blog post be? Experts recommend 1,500 words, 2,000 words, 2,500 words and longer content. The right answer: It depends.

Feb. 25, 2021


‘What’s it like?’

How to hunt down numerical comparisons

Apples to apples: Find the numerical comparisons you need to help readers understand your stats.

Feb. 18, 2021


How can you get readers to read?

Increase expectation of reward; reduce effort required

Follow me: How do you catch readers’ attention and persuade readers to read? Tap Wilbur Schramm’s Fraction of Selection model.

Feb. 11, 2021


Invite readers in with the imperative voice

Let people know what they can do with your Whatsit

Just do it: Imperative voice gets clicked, opened, read and shared.

Feb. 04, 2021


How to use acronyms, abbreviations and initialisms

Avoid drowning readers in alphabet soup

NNCBTPSNBRTASTSAFW: “Names not commonly before the public should not be reduced to acronyms solely to save a few words.”

Jan. 28, 2021


Focus on the findings in survey stories

Don’t lead with study— or the methodology

The results are in: The best survey results press releases and blog posts focus on the results, not on the survey itself.

Jan. 21, 2021


Measure readability with STORYToolz

Get 33 metrics about your clarity

The right readability tool for the job: Input a chunk of copy, click “Check Readability,” and STORYtoolz will run 7 readability tests on your message.

Jan. 15, 2021


3 email newsletter formats that work

Lists, headlines & blurbs, single stories most valuable

Format for attention: Choose an email newsletter format that’s short and focused, and stick with it issue after issue.

Jan. 07, 2021


Top 8 writing tips for 2021

Ring in the New Year with these approaches

Want to write better? Start with these top 8 tips.

Dec. 31, 2020


8 of my favorite writing quotes

Enjoy these on your holiday break

Here are eight other favorite quotes about writing. I hope you enjoy them with your cocoa and kugel this holiday season.

Dec. 24, 2020


How to structure an email invitation [Example!]

Sensus goes to the science museum

Midnight at the museum: Focus on what people will be able to do at your event, not on the event itself.

Dec. 17, 2020


Why write relevant email blasts, newsletters?

Irrelevant content No. 1 reason readers unsubscribe

You’ve got mail: In the battle for attention in the inbox, only the most relevant, valuable email newsletters and promotions will survive.

Dec. 10, 2020


How to write clever email subject lines

72% share email because it’s entertaining

Try a little cleverness: Entertainment is the No. 1 reason people share email, according to Chadwick Martin Bailey. “To get a laugh” is No. 2.

Dec. 03, 2020


How to write a case study [example]

Zimmer Inc. uses the P-S-R format

What’s the problem? Use this story template to make your next case study, testimonial or narrative more dramatic and powerful.

Nov. 25, 2020


3 ways to polish your message

How to write copy that’s an inch wide, a mile deep

Short and sweet: One way to write short content is to polish your message.

Nov. 19, 2020


Email overload by the numbers

Recipients have too much to read, no time to read it

Some 306.4 billion emails are sent and received each day.

Nov. 12, 2020


8 new writing tips to try now

Get opened, get read — and get home early — with these techniques

As we plan our upcoming Master Classes, I’ve been creating a lot of new slides. Here’s a sneak peek at some of my favorites:

Nov. 05, 2020


Reach three types of web visitors

Get the word out to lookers, skimmers & readers

Reach all of your web visitors, whether they’ve come to your web page for a bite, meal or snack.

Oct. 29, 2020


Try snappy synthesis, stakeholder benefits and more

Write web leads that lead readers into your message

The opening paragraph of your web page should lead readers into your piece.

Oct. 22, 2020


Does the fold still matter?

And where is the fold, anyway?

Above the fold: People spend most of their time on the first screen of a web page — in a newspaper. So put your most important content where their eyes are.

Oct. 15, 2020


Can they read you now?

Overcome the obstacles of reading on mobile

Reach readers on the small screen: People spend half the time with your message on a smartphone than they do with a laptop or desktop.

Oct. 08, 2020


One more phrase to avoid

Enough already with the ‘at XX, we …’ construction

It’s not about you: Can we agree to drop the ‘At xx, we …’ construction?

Oct. 01, 2020


Overcome information overload

Can your message cut through the clutter?

Americans receive the data equivalent of 174 newspapers a day — ads included.

Sept. 24, 2020


Catch Your Readers with benefit headlines

5 ways to draw people in

Heads up on benefit headlines: To write a benefit head, seduce your readers by showing how your product, service or idea will make their life better.

Sept. 17, 2020


Readability helps everyone

(Yes, even your audience)

Thumbs up: Even highly literate people read messages faster, understand them better and enjoy them more when they’re readable, according to this Nielsen Norman Group study.

Sept. 10, 2020


5 ways to avoid flabby middles

Build a better body for your content

Strengthen your core: Avoid ‘the muddle in the middle’ when you create a solid structure for the body of your feature article.

Sept. 03, 2020


What’s the ideal press release length?

Can you get your story across in 1 minute or less?

Gone in 60 seconds: If your release is longer than 200 words, seven out of 10 journalists won’t finish it.

Aug. 27, 2020


Think Like a Reader

Write to and about your reader

Are you trying to reach your reader by writing about us and our stuff?

Aug. 20, 2020


Six press release leads to avoid

How many of these have found their way into your releases?

Lead the way: Write press release leads that engage readers, instead of these PR 101 approaches.

Aug. 13, 2020


Avoid marketing fluff and ‘pouffle dust’

5 reasons to cut the hype from your copy

Minimize modifiers: They make journalists cry ‘hype’ & more.

Aug. 06, 2020


How long should your PR headline be?

Keep news release headlines short

PR pros: Your head is too big: Want to influence editors and journalists? Why not model your headlines after theirs?

July 30, 2020


They snooze, you lose

Reporters hate PR quotes; here’s what to do about it

Say it ain’t so: If it doesn’t sound conversational and substantive, don’t expect journalists to pick it up.

July 23, 2020


Put the reader first in news releases

Lead with the reader

The reader is always the topic: The best way to write attention-grabbing news release leads? Write about the reader.

July 16, 2020


Get words on paper — better, easier and faster

Go for the flow with freewriting

Creative explosion: Fill the page with better copy faster with freewriting.

July 09, 2020


Find your focus in writing

4 quick steps to Writing Better, Easier & Faster

It’s all about focus: Want to spend less time on your next writing project? Start by finding your focus.

July 02, 2020

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June 23, 2022

Master the Art of Storytelling - Ann Wylie's creative-content workshop on July 11-15

Save upto $100 with our group discounts.

Register for Master the Art of Storytelling - Ann Wylie's creative-content workshop on July 11-15
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Upcoming Workshops

Master the Art of Storytelling - Ann Wylie's creative-content workshop on July 11-15

NOT Your Father’s PR Writing - Ann Wylie's PR-writing workshop on Aug. 15-19

Rev Up Readability - Ann Wylie's tight-writing workshop on Sept. 19-23

Think Inside the Inbox - Ann Wylie's email-writing workshop on Oct. 17-21

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