Shake 'n Bake was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 1976

This year a number of acronyms were added, including: LOL, OMG and TMI.

Read the full Atlanta Journal Constitution article here.

Newsletter for American Lung Association

Newsletters Get Results and Get Through the Gatekeeper

Memorable Leads and Conclusions: Master the Art of Creating the Most Powerful Portions of Your Publication

The lead is the "hook" in your article. It should be powerful or interesting enough to compel readers to read the article. The conclusion typically includes what you want your audience to do or remember about the article.

 

Types of Leads

Summary Lead — The standard beginning of a news story, the summary lead answers the following key questions:

• What happened?
  
• Who was affected or involved?
  
• Where did the event happen?
  
• When did the event happen?
  
• Why should your readers care?
 

Blind Lead — Instead of immediately delving into the details like a summary lead, use short succinct generalizations to capture reader interest.

Delayed Identification Lead — A useful tool for personality or human-interest stories, a delayed identification lead includes a person’s name, but saves complete identification for later in the story.

Direct Quote Lead — A once-fashionable method of beginning speech stories, a colorful or emotional quote can effectively draw readers into the story.

Leading with a Metaphor — This technique involves saying that something is something else, as when Mark Twain said,” Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.”

Leading with a Simile — Because similes say that something is like something else, they are useful for opening stories that will compare items or ideas, such as, “ A pretty girl is like a melody.”

Leading with an Anecdote — Analogies help readers grasp complex concepts by placing them in a context the reader can understand. For example, stories about the federal budget deficit begin by saying, “Each American household would have to pay $X to eliminate the nation’s shortfall.”

Setting a Scene — A useful technique for feature stories, these delayed leads craft a mental picture for readers, then link the picture with the main subject of the story.

Posing a Question — As with headlines, a writer must exercise great caution in writing a lead that poses a question to the reader. To involve the reader, and effective question should require comprehensive thought and creates a cut-off point for people with short attention spans or heavy demands on their time.

Tease — A tease can effectively capture reader attention by presenting a puzzle, intentional ambiguity, insinuation or a new twist on a cliché.

Zinger — Zingers draw readers into body copy by setting them up, then “zinging” them with an effective play on words.

 

In Conclusion Common endings include:

• Summary endings, which involve condensing and repeating ideas or information.
  
• Referral endings, which make some type of reference to your lead-in.
  
• Calls to action, or a response ending, which asks the reader to take a specific action.
  

Atlanta Business Radio Interviews President and CEO of Premier Marketing Resources

Parent company of The Newsletter Factory.

Take it away boss ...

Listen here.

Start an Idea File

While you may be busy putting the current issue of your newsletter to bed, you will often times during this process uncover outstanding information for future issues. You may even find that some of the content you slated for the current publication simply won’t fit.

Keep all of this potential content neat and tidy in an “idea file.” Idea files are an excellent way to help you map out future issues of your newsletter while helping to keep track of any thoughts that might surface during editorial brainstorming sessions.

Store your ideas in a binder, accordion file or even on your computer’s hard drive. For quick reference, be sure to name your files according to upcoming issues of your publication.

Keep your idea file stocked with such items as:

• Photos
• Article ideas
• Already written back-up articles
• Web site URLs that spark ideas for content
• List of content resources
• E-mails from potential contributors

Not only will your backlog of ideas be helpful for future issues, it can also save you during any last-minute editorial upheavals. Idea files can definitely help fill any gaps!

Dates

Dates should always use Arabic figures, without st, nd, rd or th.

Top 20 AP Style Rules

The Associated Press provides consistency in the world of business communications by establishing a universal set of rules for writers. And in writing newsletters and other business communications, it seems there are always a few words and rules that are frequently problematic. The following are the AP rules for some of the most commonly used business words and phrases:

1. website is one word and lower case.
2. webmaster is one word and lower case.
3. Internet always has a capital I.
4. Months — capitalize in all instances and spell out when using alone or with a year only. When using a specific date abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. When providing a year and month only, do not separate with a comma — April 2008 was exceptionally warm. Month day and year, use commas — March 17, 1984, was the date of the event.
5. Online is one word with no hyphen.
6. Co-workers is hyphenated.
7. Percent should be spelled out.
8. Time — 9 a.m. until noon and not 12 noon. 12 a.m. is midnight and not 12 midnight.
9. Age — use hyphens for ages expressed as adjectives before a noun or as substitutes for a noun — the 35-year-old woman was appointed to the committee.
10. Spell out numbers one through nine.
11. Health care is two words.
12. Caregiver is one word.
13. Boardroom is one word.
14. Titles — capitalize only when utilizing a formal title such as former President George W. Bush.
15. Nonprofit is not hyphenated.
16. Businessmen is one word.
17. Decision-maker is hyphenated.
18. Countrywide is one word with no hyphen.
19. Multicultural is one word with no hyphen.
20. Regions — capitalize when referring to regions such as the East. When referring to compass directions use lowercase, as in heading west on the highway.

The AP Style Guide adds new entries frequently. In addition to having a hard copy of the guide handy, consider purchasing a subscription to the AP Stylebook Online. Along with having a more comprehensive resource easily accessible, you’ll also receive updates to the guide via e-mail.

Marketing During Uncertain Times

Ken Hilderhoff, president of Premier Marketing Resources, parent company of The Newsletter Factory, shares his expertise in this Q&A on maintaining and gaining business momentum during a troubled economy.

CC: Many companies consider marketing as a “nonessential” during uncertain economic times. Why is this a mistake?
KH: Marketing is more essential in a poor economy than during the good times if you plan to maintain or increase sales. It is an opportune time to take market share from the competition that is not advertising or marketing their products and services.

CC: What are the most cost-effective ways to market today?
KH: Focus, focus, and focus. It is imperative that you re-evaluate your core competency to determine how to achieve the greatest return on investment. Strategically narrow your market focus and determine where you have enjoyed the greatest success and examine the market to determine what market segments are still growing in the downturn, i.e. health care. It is important to measure your efforts and results to manage the process with the greatest success.

CC: What are some tips to help ensure continued sales in a down economy?
KH: First, pay attention to your existing customers. Customer retention is paramount. Second, develop a systematic selling process that is designed to bring in clients based on your reassessment of the marketplace and your strengths. Make calls to qualified prospects — potential clients that are most likely to pay for your services based upon their profile and need. Be persistent with follow-up and present the best “value proposition” that is centered on achieving their objectives.

CC: What are some ways to keep your current clients happy?
KH: Maintain service and quality! Equally important is staying in contact with them. Let them know that they are important.

CC: How can you expand business with your current clients in this type of economy?
KH: If you don’t have all of their business, go after the other guy’s share. Determine what other products and services that they need that you can provide. First ask for it — then get creative. Consider offering a package for all of their business.

By making marketing efforts one of your business’s top priorities during this volatile time, you’ll not only solidify your current position in the marketplace, you’ll also lay the foundation for expansive growth once the economy improves.

Until, Till and Til

'Til versus until and till is often argued about in most style guides

–conjunction

1. up to the time that or when; till: He read until his guests arrived.

 

2. before (usually used in negative constructions): They did not come until the meeting was half over.

 

–preposition

3. onward to or till (a specified time or occurrence): She worked until 6 p.m.

 

4. before (usually used in negative constructions): He did not go until night.

 

Till is considered to be the abbreviation of until. And 'til, according to some style guides, is a mistake although it still shows up in advertising and on TV.

To stay safe, I'd stick with till or until.

Get Your Very Own QR Code

Here.

Our Very Own QR Code

A QR Code is a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and camera phones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data.

Common in Japan, where it was created by Toyota subsidiary Denso-Wave in 1994, the QR code is one of the most popular types of two-dimensional barcodes. QR is the abbreviation for Quick Response, as the creator intended the code to allow its contents to be decoded at high speed.

The Hyphen, The En-dash and the Em-Dash ...

The hyphen, the n-dash (en-dash) and the m-dash (em-dash).

Use a hyphen to indicate word breaks when a sentence wraps at the end of a line, to connect compound words like "pig-headed", or to connect grouped numbers (for example: phone numbers).

An en-dash is slightly longer than a hyphen and used to describe a range in numbers or time like 2002–2010 or July–October, 2011.

An em-dash is slightly longer than an en-dash and separates a unique idea or separated thought from the rest of a sentence.

TOP 10 Reasons You Should Have a Newsletter

Happy clients and satisfied customers convey that message to their friends and business associates, and that presents a good image for YOU. Because newsletters generally are read by many more people than just those who initially receive them, your good image will be widespread.

A newsletter:

1) Is the most effective, most attractive way of getting your message to your current and potential clients.

2) Provides valuable information about your business and services.

3) Are relevant, timely and welcome, and remind your clients that you are concerned about their interests.

4) Restate the benefits your clients receive by doing business with you.

5) Are a dignified subtle way to promote your business.

6) Give your clients and prospects the opportunity to find out what they may want to know via Q & A columns.

7) Are a good way to introduce new services and products to current and potential clients.

8) Are a welcome handout at meetings and seminars.

9) Are not canned and impersonal and perceived as junk mail.

AND

10) Demonstrate the performance, reliability and consistency of YOU and your company.

Our Art Director

Our Art Director, Kyle Sox, has more creative ideas up his sleeve than any designer I've ever worked with.

Kyle on the weekend.

It's versus Its

It's is a contraction for it is or it has.

For example: It's up to you. It's been a long day.

Its is the possessive pronoun meaning, more or less, of it or belonging to it.

For example: The company lost its assets

Here is a simple test:

If you can replace it's in your sentence with it is or it has, then your word is it's; otherwise, your word is its.

And there is absolutely, positively, no such word as its'!

Ten Essential Tips to Generate More Leads, Sales and Profit From Your Website

Tips to Generate More Leads

View more documents from The Newsletter Factory

Interviewing with Ease

It’s no secret that a good quote can significantly liven up a mostly mundane article. However, conducting the necessary interview is often considered to be a real chore for many writers. Changing your thinking about this essential writing skill is pretty easy by keeping these tips in mind:

• Do Your Homework. With most companies (and many individuals) having a Web site these days, obtaining fundamental facts for the article is almost effortless. Other possible sources of information include media kits, press releases, and previous stories written on the article subject. Establishing basic information makes the fact-checking aspect of the interview go more quickly so that more time can be spent on more probing questions.
• Develop a list of questions. Finding out as much as possible before the interview helps in developing questions beyond the basic who, what, when, where, why, and how. Try to craft questions that will provide new information on the topic and will result in a different story angle. Also have a reasonable time frame in mind to help keep the interview on track.
• Make an appointment for the interview. Call or e-mail the interviewee to set up an appointment. Don’t catch the person off-guard by expecting answers to your questions on the first contact, but have them ready in case the interviewee prefers to answer them at that time. Be sure to provide your contact information in case the interviewee thinks of something later to add to the article.
• Consider providing the questions in advance. Being interviewed makes many people feel a bit uncomfortable. Furnishing the questions in advance often helps in easing apprehensions about the interview. And more time to think about the questions often results in more thorough responses.
• Keep it Conversational During a Phone or In-Person Interview. Although the subject matter may be serious, the interview process doesn’t have to be rigid and uncomfortable. And be open to the idea of the conversation taking a different direction than what you may have originally thought. Asking open-ended questions will give your story its unique approach and will often raise questions you may not have anticipated.
• Take the Time to Get it Right. If you need a moment to write down a quote during the interview, ask the interviewee to pause a moment. It’s understandable that you’re just trying to make sure that it is written correctly. Also, review your notes as soon as possible after the interview. It’s a good idea to rewrite them, clarifying any points that you may have jotted down that could be difficult to “interpret” later. 
• Mind Your Manners. If you choose to use a tape recorder, get consent prior to the interview, and make sure the machine is in good working order.

After the interview send a thank you note either by mail or e-mail, and arrange to have a few copies of the publication sent to the interviewee.

Interviewing is a great way add a more depth to your stories. With a little less dread and little more practice, they’ll soon become second nature.