I love Pagliacci Pizza. They make a really good pie. Not the best pie I’ve ever had (that was in Florence), but a really good pie. But that’s not the reason I love them. I love them because when I call up, the phone is answered immediately. If the lines are full, I hear a recording of an extremely pleasant woman’s voice. Instead of a hollow and clichéd “your call is important … [Read more...]

Good radio advertising persuades the listener to do what the advertiser wants:  Buy my product or service. Vote for me. Contribute to my cause. Attend my event. Modify your behavior in accordance with my desires. Listen to me and do what I say. To most effectively achieve this goal, radio advertising needs to: 1. Give the listener something worthwhile in exchange for his or … [Read more...]

“Look how pretty I am,” website templates flirt. With their color. And their pictures. “Check out my rule-of-thirds and stylish block borders,” they coo. I’m warning you (and not just because I’m a writer), these Delilahs will sap the strength from your web site. They woo you with their appearance alone and tell you not only where you should put your content, but how much and … [Read more...]

The story goes that as president, Ronald Reagan insisted that memos directed to him be limited to one side of an 8.5” x 11” piece of paper. Smart. Perhaps apocryphal, there’s a story that aides to president Ronald Reagan were asked to present written policy issues on which he was to decide “double-spaced, occupying no more than one side of a standard sheet of 8.5”x11” … [Read more...]

1. Have someone outside your department read what you’ve written, and ask them if they understand it thoroughly. Chances are you’re using some term that makes sense to you, but not to your intended reader. Someone from outside your fishbowl will catch that. 2. Avoid acronyms. But if you just have to use an acronym, at least spell it out when using it for the first time in an … [Read more...]