Read a thriller novel and the style is fast-paced and loaded with action. Cozy up with a romance and you're spellbound by a budding relationship that struggles to grow and blossom. Review an academic paper and you expect to find an intelligent argument based on solid research and analytical thinking. Every writing genre has its own style, and marketing writing is no different.  Continue reading...

I wish all advertising, publicity and marketing communications were truthful and not deceptive in any way. But, alas, that just isn't the case. In fact, the bestselling author Seth Godin even titled one of his books "All Marketers Are Liars." It was an in-joke because the book was actually about using storytelling techniques in marketing, and not about lying. But the fact that he joked about it on the cover of a major book shows there is a problem.

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Every marketing writer knows the importance of focusing on the benefits. Your product or service may have a whole smorgasbord of amazing features -- but, unless you explain how those features benefit the prospect, your marketing piece is doomed.  Continue reading...

When writing a marketing or publicity piece, such as a landing page or press release, you have to know the ins and outs of the product you're writing about. That's a given. However, it is equally important -- if not more so -- to thoroughly understand the target audience as well. That's not always easy.  Continue reading...

One of the toughest jobs in marketing and PR communications is getting your target audience to read what you have written. After all, if your press release, brochure, web page, sales letter or newsletter article isn't read, it fails totally.  Continue reading...

You have an e-mail, direct mail letter, web page, or other promotional piece to write. How much copy is required to do the job? One paragraph? Five? Twenty?

Most marketing writers struggle with this question. And for good reason. There's a lot of misinformation out there. One so-called expert claims that all marketing and PR copy should be long and involved. Another insists that short and concise works best these days.

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