The rise of the blogosphere has given prominence to the absolute necessity of communicating with authenticity. The infamous “Cluetrain Manfesto” called out this point long before the blogosphere gained traction: “Business is being transformed, but not by technology. The Web is simply liberating an atavistic human desire, the longing for connection through talk. That’s the one …more
OK, it’s not exactly Shakespeare. But it does raise a question for communication professionals. Namely, should cleverness or search engine optimization be the guiding principle in writing a news release headline? I pondered this question after reading the interview conducted by Brian Pittman from the Bulldog Reporter with Meredith Artley, executive editor of LATimes.com. Specifically, Artley shared: “We have a graining …more
There’s nothing like contrast to accentuate the telling of a story. In our “art of storytelling” training I like to discuss the difference between “what was” and “what is.” The greater the delta between these two points the greater the drama in the story. There’s a terrific example of contrast in Monday’s USA Today profile on Teresa …more
Certain storylines never go out of style. People love to see bullies get punched in the nose (like when Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly clocked Biff in “Back to the Future”). Perseverance overcoming all obstacles is another can’t-miss theme. But there’s no story quite like coming back from the dead to spike the ratings. Such was the …more
I’ve been thinking about the headline of the Scoble post I addressed last week: “What do the freaking tech bloggers want?” Specifically, does the periodic cuss word (or derivative) enhance storytelling or at the very least command attention? I think the power of a cuss word can come from the element of surprise. If Martha Stewart drops …more
Robert Scoble, the poster child for escaping corporate cubedom for the virtual pulpit, penned a post titled “What do the freaking tech bloggers want?” It’s a convincing view. A bit longwinded perhaps, but if “Scobleizer” is etched in your masthead, you get a pass to periodically pontificate. An earlier Scoble quasi-rant emphasized that through customers, not the PR function, is the …more
You don’t think B2B trade publications have a sense of humor? Think again. SmallBusinessComputing recently covered a new storage device from Fabrik with the following photo and caption: Pass the Wasabi: What looks like an elegant way to serve sushi is, in fact, Fabrik’s eco-friendly, bamboo-encased external drive. The juxtaposition of the wasabi and a hard …more
Forget the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. The China Olympics will essentially offer up a Petri dish for stories that transcend sports. I was in Hong Kong back in 2001 when China was officially awarded the Olympics. I managed to snag a copy of the Beijing Youth Daily newspaper commemorating the milestone, which was …more
The typical news release offers less drama than watching Aunt Bee on a rerun of The Andy Griffith Show. For those under 50 not familiar with the sitcom just listening to the show’s theme song tells you all you need to know. Of course, I recognize that companies need to announce products and other types of …more
