People assume that they began their career when they got their first professional qualification and had a certificate to prove it. I’ve interviewed many entrepreneurs and company founders and I think their working lives start much earlier than that. Toddler? Teenager? Trainee? When did your expertise emerge? Pick a skill that you use in your… Read more
How to start your blog post so that your reader stays with you.
“It drives my wife mad.” Your ears have pricked up, haven’t they? What exactly drives her mad? And why is the narrator being so open about it? Honesty and a hint of drama. You’re probably reading this because: you sense there is some sort of dilemma. You’re human and you want to get to the… Read more
Don’t dry up #6. Put your home grown content in the spotlight.
In past ‘Don’t dry up’ posts I’ve focussed on how you, and your content team, can avoid content ‘famine’ – from swapping ideas with business contacts to making the most of your leftovers. Co-publish your content. This post is about how to get maximum exposure for the content you produce. Sharing it through social channels… Read more
Don’t dry up #5. What to do when you have no ideas.
If you’re still catching up after the festive holiday and your business blog is looking whiskery, consider asking a contact to write a piece for you – as a guest. Traditional media do a lot of guest editing and article swapping in that no man’s land between Christmas and the New Year – the very… Read more
Don’t dry up #4: reminisce and recycle your highlights from last year.
When I worked for the BBC, we’d worry about how to cover recurring stories. How can you tackle Christmas in a new way? What’s the fresh angle on New Year resolutions? Is there a different perspective to Year End? I now specialise in content production for companies – unearthing the stories that demonstrate why they’re… Read more
A festive personality test for your website: is it a pickpocket, pianist or panto baddie?
I have spookily long fingers. A villain? They are so long, that the eight year-old daughter of a colleague once asked her mother, in hushed tones, whether I was a witch. A proper witch like the ones in Roald Dahl’s The Witches – with wigs, clawed hands, large nostrils and no toes. For the record,… Read more
Speed storytelling: a confidence boost for your team; compelling content for your company website.
As a BBC radio producer I loved – and yes, sometimes loathed – the adrenalin rush of being in a live studio. Guest speakers often asked, “Is there a delay button, if I say something wrong?” No. There’s no safety net. And I think the interviews benefit from it. There’s a nervous energy to live… Read more
Snapshot stories. The Community Chef.
Every time I interview someone, I come away with a ‘snapshot story’. It’s a vivid mental image, created by their words and feelings. It can hang around in my head for weeks, even months. Snapshot stories make you memorable. So if you want a message to stay with your audience, try illustrating it with an… Read more
Don’t dry up #3. Content saved from the cutting room floor.
If you make a film about your business, it’s an investment in time, money and nerves. And because web viewers are an impatient lot (myself included) most promotional videos are short and to the point. So much of what you film hits the cutting room floor. It’s never seen again. Great for internal and external… Read more
Don’t dry up #2. Use national days, weeks and months for content ideas.
In ‘Go sober for October’ I began looking at different ways to keep the content on your company website fresh. Way #1: make the most of any events your organisation is planning. Workshops, talks, conferences, away days. They’re fertile ground for home grown content. Awareness campaigns help. Way #2: keep across the national and international… Read more
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