Miranda Birch Media

Stories that change attitudes and reach new audiences

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Write memorable content, with help from your childhood holiday.

Taking a beach holiday this summer? It could teach you something about writing vivid and memorable content. Whenever I go near a beach, it short-circuits to my childhood. Why? Because it triggers memories from all 5 senses: Touch: the comforting feeling of warm sand; the uncomfortable feeling of bobbly pebbles. Sound: seagulls clamouring; children shrieking;… Read more

Filed Under: Effective communication Tagged With: visual stories, writing that hooks you, writing tips for the web, writing web content

How do you measure business success? It’s the emotion, stupid.

(With apologies to James Carville, Clinton’s campaign strategist.) I remember when I first started my business, I’d put on my best ‘brochure’ face when I went to networking events. When asked how my fledgling enterprise was doing, I’d give a stock answer, “Fine, thank you”. Normally my questioner would respond in kind, “Me too”. This… Read more

Filed Under: Story branding Tagged With: how to tell your company's story, personal stories in business, stories about entrepreneurs, stories about scaling up

Don’t see eye to eye with your team? Tell the story of why you care.

(Telepathy’s not an option.) Before I set up my own business, I used to think the idea of ‘values’ and ‘mission statements’ was a bit of stuff and nonsense. Empty words that rang hollow. (Blame my BBC scepticism.) But now that I have immersed myself in the entrepreneurial world, interviewing people who put everything on… Read more

Filed Under: Effective communication Tagged With: how to communicate your company values, stories about business ethos, stories about business values, vivid storytelling

It’s OK to get carried away. What I learned from my SiteVisibility interview.

Last week I was unnerved. I was a guest on the Internet Marketing Podcast. Produced by Site Visibility, it is one of the most popular internet marketing podcasts around. It’s been going since 2006, gets around 500-700 downloads every day and the total number of downloads has passed the 1 million mark. Turning the tables…. Read more

Filed Under: Effective communication Tagged With: audio stories, content marketing, genuine storytelling, human interest, natural storytelling, stories at live events, stories in presentations, story branding, storytelling tips, video stories

Get your company noticed. Bring a new perspective.

When you take an audience by surprise, you grab their attention. Challenging assumptions is a good way of getting your business noticed. A couple of caveats: be sincere in your opinions and, if they are particularly controversial, make sure you can back them up. Here’s an example of how a conversation gave me a new… Read more

Filed Under: Effective communication Tagged With: audio stories, be memorable, challenging received wisdom, how to write memorable copy, reverse opinion, stories in pictures, Stories that change minds, the five senses in stories, visual imagery, vivid storytelling

Be better understood. What school lessons can teach your website.

I was a demanding member of the audience in physics and chemistry lessons. I wanted the materials to put on a spectacle for me. And unless the teachers were good narrators, things like Einstein’s special theory of relativity would glance off my brain, never to be seen again. It’s science show time. So the stars… Read more

Filed Under: Effective communication, Storytelling tips Tagged With: communicating complex ideas, get your audience to listen, how to explain complex topics, how to write memorable copy, writing tips for the web

Nervous about networking? Try a journalistic approach.

Miranda Birch Media

This is strange but true. I am happy to interview a business leader in front of an audience of 200 people. But put me in a room where I have to network face-to-face and – horror of horrors – sell my skills… Well, then, it’s time to skedaddle. At least, that’s how I used to… Read more

Filed Under: Effective communication Tagged With: how to cope with nerves, how to listen, how to network successfully, networking tips, open questions

Don’t dry up #7. Think glorified tweets.

A former President (I am binge-watching House of Cards, so I like writing sentences with the word “president” in them) once made a fleeting remark to me: Write some of your blog posts as if they were glorified tweets. The former president in question is Julia Chanteray, founder and MD of The Joy of Business,… Read more

Filed Under: Creating web content Tagged With: how to create new content, how to write regular blog posts, keep your blog going, Tweet-sized blog posts

Be clear about your company’s future. Tell your stages story.

Miranda Birch Media

When you’re running your own company it sometimes feels like you’re hacking your way through a jungle. You’re not quite sure where you are or what you will encounter next. It would be nice to have a scout who knows the route and could warn you about the low-hanging snake 500 metres ahead. Even though… Read more

Filed Under: Effective communication Tagged With: how businesses grow, personal stories in business, stories about entrepreneurs, stories about scaling up

How to write memorable copy. Try mnemonics.

My daughter is at primary school. She’s navigating her way through the Kingdom of Rote. Learning by heart endless combinations of numbers and letters. I feel for her. When I was that age, I never relished my 9 times table. Or my 7s or 8s, for that matter. (To see how I overcame my jittery-ness… Read more

Filed Under: Effective communication Tagged With: flesh out your profile, how to write an about page, how to write an online profile, storytelling tips, visual stories

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    Recent posts

    • Company values. Are they a match for you?
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    • Win that business. Write as you speak.
    • Have you told your ‘before’ and ‘after’ stories yet?

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