Allison Nazarian Just another WordPress weblog

Sometimes, when I find myself in a not-so-desirable business situation (usually the kind I might view as a “teachable moment” somewhere down – way down – the road), I am quick to chastise myself for “doing business like a woman.”

Inevitably, I find something to take issue with with, well, myself. And more often than not, it is something that I relate back to being a woman and continuing to do business too much like a woman.

Recently I was interviewed for the IAS (Intl. Association of Solopreneurs) site.

My interview will be available on OCTOBER 1 (this week!), so check it out.

According to Donna Amos, the organization’s founder, over the next 30 days, you will be able to access interviews from other successful solopreneurs on the just-launched site. They will also be giving away a bunch of prizes. 

Do you ever get those e-mails from people who have all kinds of colorful and decorative fonts and styles built in to their e-mail text style?

The worst is when you reply to their e-mail, your fonts/colors/styles then automatically mirror theirs. I don’t know….I like to stick with the good-old standard Times New Roman 12 (sometimes my replies and forwards default to something like Arial, which is fine too).

Some people like their forwards and replies to be a color that isn’t black, and I understand why, especially when those back-and-forth threads go on and on. But the magenta and bold Comic Sans? My kids may use those looks with their friends, but looks weird in business communications, in my humble opinion.

Just a reminder that DIYCopywriting.com has been combined with my main blog, www.GetItInWriting.biz/blog.

This merging of expertise and wisdom (said humbly, of course) was done with you, my reader, in mind. Instead of splitting tips and info for business people who choose to/want to/must write their own copy aand having you visit multiple blogs for the same or similar information, I am now combining it all in one easy place.

You may know or have heard the acronym “TMI” — Too Much Information.

It’s what you have done/given when you’re just telling, writing or sharing way too much. It could be with a friend or in business or anywhere, for that matter.

Like when the person in front of you in the grocery checkout line takes about 3.2 seconds, without any prompting from you, to tell you how much she hates her husband and why she needs the lactose-milk instead of the regular? I know my kids enjoy telling their friends when one has given TMI on any given matter (and my kids, without a doubt, give me way TMI all the time! That’s probably a whole new blog in and of itself.)

In my line of business, I am, thankfully, able to work with and serve clients who are physically located anywhere. Such is the beauty of the virtual nature of today’s business and today’s world.

In fact, there are very few services (medical care is one that comes to mind) that must, by definition, be administered entirely (or almost entirely) in person, hands-on or face-to-face. (And even some kinds of medical care, diagnostic services, healing and other related areas are delivered virtually these days.)

So, for me, it is always a red flag when a potential client tells me that I must meet them in person, that I must come to their premises (“you have to see our new offices”) and/or that they can’t convey what they need to convey through e-mail or the phone.  I wish there were hours in the day for this luxury, but there aren’t.

Thank you to blogger Lea Swenson for the mention – and for ”getting it” when it comes to blog ghostwriting and blogging in general. (By the way, Margie Fisher and Nate Whitehill are two of my favorite people, so I am honored just to be mentioned in the same breath with them!).

If you are serious about getting the most out of your copywriting, you need to know how to write a press release.

Editors sift through press releases hoping to find a newsworthy story. The thing is they don’t have to use any of them, so how do you make yours stand out? An easy to follow layout is a good start. While there are variations, this template offers a basic starting point.

Press release template basics

• business name, address, phone numbers, email address and web address.
• the words PRESS RELEASE at the top of the page in capital letters
• contact person’s name and position
• indicate if for IMMEDIATE RELEASE (all capitals) or include a release date
• powerful headline with a promise and benefit or solution

Have you been asked to do blog ghostwriting?

Businesses are realizing that a business blog is a great way to connect with customers online. Many business owners don’t have the time or skills to write their own blog posts.

But all blogs need blog content.

Regular content. Relevant content. Updated content.

When I ask you “Are you are DIY copywriter?”, I’m likely to get a “Yes”, “No” or “Working on it” type of answer.
This closed question asks for a “right” or “wrong” answer, or at least, a specific response. An open question invites a more open-ended response: How is your job going?

The Kipling Questions
Rudyard Kipling, author of The Jungle Book and the Just So Stories was a journalist before he became famous. Writers refer to the Kipling questions –
• What?
• Why?
• When?
• How?
• Where?
• Who?
These are all open-ended questions used to encourage discussion, commentary and reflection.