It’s Monday again! It’s time to send out another press release or sales letter for your business. Remember that it is important to keep on sending out information on your company, or your name will fall by the wayside in the business world. If you are having trouble with your press release, follow these simple tips:

1. Answer the questions who? what? where? when? how? These are the important questions any newspaper reporter asks when writing a story, so you should, too. Remember that you are trying to make your press release sound newsworthy rather than ad-worthy.

2. Keep it simple. Don’t jumble your copy with industry-sensitive words that no one – except those who work in your field of expertise – will understand. Even if your press release makes it into this week’s news, the readers will lose interest quickly if you use too much jargon.

3. Be concise. Remember that you are given a limited amount of space for your copy, so be sure to keep it short and to the point. Don’t lose the readers’ interest by rambling on about statistics in your industry. Figure out what you want your key points to be and then focus on those points.

By using these pointers, you will find more editors willing to publish your press release in their publication. However, if you are still struggling, don’t get discouraged! Keep sending out your release, and it will be published before you know it!

To your success,

Katie

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, you will know that I am 100% behind writing articles to market your business. In fact, I believe you are missing a key ingredient in your promotional campaign if you have not started writing articles yet.

The truth is that many successful business owners are utilizing this inexpensive tool in their own ad campaigns rather than spending thousands of dollars. Why are you missing out on this opportunity to take your business to the next level?

I’ll help you get started. Simply choose a topic that is appropriate for your target audience and start writing. Do you have any advice to give on your topic? Do you know of 10 simple “How to’s” to help your target audience? Whatever you write, remember to focus in on key points that will make your article easy to read at a glance.

Once you have successfully completed your article, find ways to distribute it. Offer to advertise another company’s services on your website in exchange for a posting on their website. Contribute your article to appropriate forums. Post your article on article distribution sites such as www.isnare.com.

Now that you have successfully distributed your article and promoted your business, don’t stop. Build on your article and continue to distribute to as many sources as you can. Don’t let your name or business fall to the wayside because you had one successful article and didn’t continue writing.

Remember that starting a business takes work, and that means promoting your business as well!

To your success,

Katie

It’s time for another business week to begin, but I’ve got to admit that it’s pretty hard to feel motivated when the weather feels so springlike here in South Carolina!! The birds are singing, the flowers are blooming, the sun is shining – I definitely have spring fever! However, I also know how important it is to get to work, so I guess I am going to have to buckle down and start writing.

Actually, spring is probably a great time to find my muse. I know there has to be some great story or poem to be found in the beauty of the day, so maybe I should spend my day outside. Or at the beach.

How motivated are you today? Have you found your muse, or do you just keep hitting that brick wall? Here’s a writing prompt for today. Imagine, whether it’s spring where you are or not, that it is a beautiful spring day. Describe what you see, hear, smell, touch. Use all of your senses to create the perfect spring setting for your next story. Once you have a setting, you may find that you are able to create a story within your setting.

I hope this helps you start your week out right!

To your success,

Katie

So it’s Monday once again. Time to get started on that novel you’ve been meaning to write or enter that short story contest for Writer’s Digest. Having trouble getting started? Don’t worry. Every writer has experienced some roadblocks that get in their way.

Simply begin with a little character development. Who is your antagonist? Your protagonist? What are some of their characteristics? Are they fat or thin? Tall or short? What color is their hair? Start envisioning your characters as real people and work from there. If you’re still having trouble, take a trip to the mall or your local park. By watching regular people, you can find ideas on creating life-like characters for your story.

The next part of your exercise is to create social situations for each character. How would they act at the movies? At the grocery store? In the park? If you’re doing a period piece, place them in situations for that time period. What would they do at a ball? In a minefield? You get the picture. Once you start giving meat to your characters, you will find it easier to develop a story involving them. When you are able to see them as real people, you will be able to put them in real situations.

I hope this helps you as you start that story on which you’re working.

Until next time,

Katie