Although the Internet has changed the world, good business practices are still the same or should be. Unfortunately, the Internet has provided snake oil salespeople a new way of fleecing unsuspecting, naive customers. By taking advantage of the fact search engines are not very smart, sleazy marketers have created a new technique designed to feed search engines and starve legitimate business endeavors. If you want to work as a writer, avoid the song of the sirens. Commit to good writing. You won’t regret it because there will always be a market.
If you’re writing a press release or creating a marketing strategy, the old-fashioned, time-tested methods still work. While there are some unique considerations having to do with contemporary methods of communication, the task is still the same. You want to get the word out in an engaging, entertaining way that gives the potential customer a reason to become your current customer.
The Press Release Challenge – Ask the Right Questions
Press releases are the same as they have always been. Each media outlet has its unique requirements. Some publications want articles short and to the point. Others want longer submissions that include some sales encouragement and plenty of information. A press release can run between 150 and 500+ words. The most effective way to write one is to check out others that have been published by the outlet you want to use. Use an existing press release as a template, and substitute your own information.
The Webby Award, an honor designed to recognize and reward excellence on the Internet, issued a press release identifying a current recipient that was about 400 words long. On the other hand, ABC has a listing of daily press releases that range from fewer than 200 words to more than 400. The point is, after including the basic who, what, when, where, why, as well as the dateline and traditional words identifying the article as a press release, the best approach is to conform to the expectations of the publication you’re using.
If I pick up an assignment for a press release, I ask the client what the guidelines are and where it will appear. If the answer is, “You should know,” I let the job go. There’s no point in getting aggravated. I also ask for all the information that is to be included. If I feel important facts are missing, I ask for them. When the client does not have the information to give me, I can choose to do the best I can, or I can return the job to the pool.
I did have a problem like this. I picked up a PR assignment. I did the best I could with what was available. I did not know to ask questions at the time. I just accepted my assignments “as is.” The client kept sending it back for revision. I tried to explain I needed more information. Finally, the intermediary company got involved. After looking at the assignment and correspondence, I was told I was correct. There was no way to do any more with the information provided. Now, I make sure I have everything I need before I accept a PR assignment.
The Marketing Article Challenge
Please forgive me, but I must discuss an “expletive deleted.” The word is… “SEO.” It’s an acronym for Search Engine Optimization and it has, single-handedly, transformed the Internet and created one of the most fertile territories for the old-fashioned charlatan. These individuals create fast web sites with boilerplate designs and articles that change a few images and words. The goal is to get high on the first page of results for the search engines.
Once on the page, most people leave. The ones who stick around are sold a bill of goods that might be disguised as how-to books; products that will grow it, shrink it, or make it the best it’s ever been; and other items that will never be used but will break if they are. You have to have it and, if you order now, you’ll get two for the price of one and only have to pay separate S&H. Yeah, right. In the end, words are the sacrificial lambs. They are abused by article spinners and programs dedicated to spitting out, well, spittle.
So, what’s a writer to do? Don’t take those assignments. You might have to start there, but you don’t have to stay. If you’re just beginning, take what you can, but don’t write junk. You can get creative enough to shine even amongst the 3-4% SEO garbage. If you write well, people will notice. Clients will request your work and give you more artistic freedom. It may take time, but it will happen, eventually.
Slowly, I am picking up long-term clients. Every word I write matters. These clients will only stick with me if I give them a reason to. I treat every article like the audition piece it is.
When I write, I am mindful of the terms used to find a web page that fits the search criteria. I have no problem with 1% or less SEO. I prefer using synonyms, so the read is thought-provoking. I believe when search engines start including synonyms for the most common terms pertaining to the subject, writing will get interesting again. Is such a thing possible?
LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing), Salvation in Terms of Meaningful
This is a new approach to making the Internet a more interesting place. It offers hope. Simply, the developing algorithms let search engines learn more about a web site by looking at the relationship between words on the page. This means synonyms and descriptive terms are useful as opposed to extraneous as they are with SEO. Good writing is rewarded. Real businesses will find themselves at the top of the search engine results not because of trickery but because they provided information about legitimate services and products.
As LSI algorithms mature, good writers will find their skills in demand. That’s why I work hard to hone my writing expertise. I am writing for the day it happens, and there’s no doubt it will.
This is one of the many true Career Stories as told to LatPro.com, who will organize the 2012 Diversity Jobs Fair for bilingual professionals in cities throughout the USA.
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