Make them parallel, verb-based When Mr. Wylie's Writing Tips had a hip replacement recently, he had to take a break from grocery shopping. I went searching for my new BFF, an online grocery delivery service. I found Envoy, which turned out to offer grocery delivery and a writing workshop in one. Envoy does a great job of expressing its benefits. My favorite: … [Read more...] about Lists with benefits
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Captivate your audience
Three ways to make your copy more creative Ogilvy was right. If you want someone to buy what you're selling — whether you're pitching products and services or positions and ideas — you must first engage them. And nothing engages audience members quite so well as creative material. Creative elements get attention, communicate more clearly and enhance … [Read more...] about Captivate your audience
Balance and Power
Win our February writing contest The sound your're hearing in that Oscar Wilde quote is called balance. Also known as parallelism, balance works because of the rub between similarity and difference. Balance draws reader attention to the most important parts of your message, with passages like: "... my head in the rainclouds, my heart in the sky." — Donna Tartt, … [Read more...] about Balance and Power
Serial monogamy
Why have people fallen in love with this podcast? It's been compared to The Sopranos. Before its debut, it ranked No. 1 on iTunes. When its first season was over, fans couldn't remember what people do who aren't listening to it. It's Serial, a true-crime procedural by the creators of This American Life. The podcast follows the story of Adnan Syed, who has been in prison … [Read more...] about Serial monogamy
Achieve your New Year’s writing resolutions
Reach Readers Online, Make Your Copy More Creative and Catch Your Readers in 2015 Do you need to get the word out on the Web? Write copy that moves people to act? Master the art of the corporate storyteller? Make every piece you write measurably easier to read and understand? If so, please join us at our 2015 writing workshops and master classes. You'll walk away … [Read more...] about Achieve your New Year’s writing resolutions