When you want to grab attention in the media, or even just make customers sit up and take notice of your latest products by writing for your website, it pays to stick to tried and tested structures.

Here are a few tips on how to structure a news release:

A news release is cut from the bottom up

Your first paragraph has to say it all. If everything else in your new release is cut, this one paragraph should still be able to get across your story. In every news release, this is where you have to include the ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘when’, ‘why’ and ‘where’ of your story.

This is a news release, not advertising puffery

The second paragraph of a news release is where you add more detail. But it has to be written as if by an independent third party. Ideally, a news release should include facts and provide info aimed at the readers of whichever publication or website you are targeting. As a rule of thumb, if a news release of up to 250 words has more than five company, product or brand name mentions, you’re heading towards advertising puffery and the editor’s bin.

Use your news release to say something interesting

If you’re approaching a local newspaper, write a quote that shows the editor just how relevant your news release is to the community. If you’re writing for a trade magazine, use the quote to emphasise your knowledge of the sector. But whoever you’re writing for, try and make your quote as interesting as possible. Please try to avoid the clichéd “we are delighted to announce…” or “this is an exciting partnership…” It just sounds dull. You can use the quote to show authority, compassion, enthusiasm, intelligence and any other emotion that will best position your business. Remember though to make it short, sharp and pithy.

Other rules of a news release

As well as sticking to around 250 words max, keep sentences and paragraphs short. Say 25/30 words per sentence, and only two or three sentences per paragraph. Always give it an independent tone and avoid advertising puffery like the plague. Think about the needs of the website of publication you are targeting – who will be the reader, what would interest them?

Finally, I haven’t mentioned headlines, nor have I discussed how to spot a newsworthy story or a news hook. I’ve chosen just to look at structure this time. News hooks and headlines for a news release are big topics, perfect for another day.

So the email comes though, you have 4 days to plan a presentation. The angst caused by the blank computer screen drives you to the nearest coffee shop and deep into any other task you can lay your hands on. Suddenly you have 12 hours to plan a presentation.

You can easily plan a presentation in under an hour

Sounds difficult. Believe me. It isn’t. Let’s start with the good news: most people only retain a handful of facts – six is a number often quoted. But three is my favourite number, find out why below. So forget complicated details or researching for hours on end. Make it short. Make it memorable.

Remember why you are having to plan a presentation in the first place?

What do you want to happen after the presentation? What is your longer-term goal? Basically you’ll be selling something – your expertise, your products, perhaps even your ability to rise to CEO. How can you make the sale?

Putting your aims to one-side for a minute, think about your audience. Who will be listening? Why are they there? What will make your presentation relevant to them? And how might they disagree with you? Try to cover off any negatives in the content.

The key? Plan a presentation in three’s

Throughout history, we have been using three’s. Think about popular phrases – “the good, the bad, and the ugly,” or “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.” People remember best in three’s. It is the smallest number that creates a pattern. And it can describe the full range of options i.e. the cheapest, the mid-range and the most expensive.

The power of three in writing is definitely worth harnessing. And using three’s is the winning structure that helps you plan a presentation in under an hour. Once you’ve got your goals sorted, and you’ve thought about your audience, moving on to plan a presentation is easy.

This is what you do

Step 1) Which three things will you be covering during the presentation?

Step 2) For each of those three elements, which three messages will you be sharing with your audience? They might be facts or they might be points that help you build your argument or make the sale.

Step 3) Which three things will you use as your conclusion? What will close the sale or place you in the best possible light with your colleagues? But remember, these three things have to be relevant to your audience. Cover off any possible objections. And be crystal clear. This way they’ll remember your key points and you’ll be on the way to achieving your longer-term goal.

So next time you’re struggling to get your ideas down on paper, take these simple steps. Following the rule of three’s will cut the time you spent researching. It will cut the time you spend getting stressed. And it will boost the impact of your words.

Top tip: Use the rule of three’s not only when you plan a presentation, but also for blog posts, letters, emails and any other times you need to get your message across.

Here are some quick tips from co-writer on business card etiquette.

It occurred to me the other day as I was dishing out my business card to a new contact, that there might just be a right and wrong way to present these little gems. Low and behold there is a host of information all about business card etiquette on the web. There are even videos on YouTube.

So without further ado, here are some quick tips on business card etiquette:

• Keep your business cards clean and up-to-date – let the kids play with the scrappy ones
• Choose a good quality card
• Do not force your card on those who have not asked for it
• Hand them over gently, with contact details facing your recipient
• Treat cards with respect when receiving them – look at them with interest and carefully put them somewhere safe i.e. don’t just shove it in your pocket, covet it for a while
• In Japan, business cards are always received with two hands but can be given with only one
• Whereas in India you always exchange cards with your right hands
• And in China it is bad form to write on someone’s card unless they tell you to

So my recent business card exchange which, totally accidentally, ended up being rather similar to the card dealing actions of a 5 star croupier in Las Vegas, appears to have not been by the book. But I’ve taken the incident and turned it into a learning opportunity…now I feel happy in my new-found understanding of business card etiquette.

Here are four quick tips from co-writer on writing words for business.

Most info on copywriting talks about writing for consumers. But business-to-business writing shouldn’t play second fiddle.

1. Business buyers make decisions differently – your writing needs to reflect this

For a business to buy from another business, the decision process tends to take a little longer than the standard business-to-consumer relationship. This is often due to the price and the number of decision makers involved. That said, business buyers are also consumers and so have some similar buying traits. Tackle this by outlining first how your product or service will help their business, then adding some personal benefits to show how their life will be easier as a result of their purchase.

2. Writing about benefits alone won’t wash

Business buyers tend to want more information so don’t just go for the benefits. Sprinkle your writing with a healthy dose of product or service features too. But try to avoid just listing specifications – business-to-business copy need not be dull.

3. Writing for more than one

Often there will be a team of decision makers involved. To manage this you must consider different needs in your copy. If you are writing a website, you can tailor information well using different pages, text boxes etc. For print work, think about what different decision makers need to hear – consider the accountant, the general manager, the MD etc. Tweak your writing to make sure everyone sees a benefit in buying the product or service.

4. The long and short of business-to-business writing

Much debate continues about writing long copy over short copy. The stats all suggest that long copy pulls in more responses from consumers. But whilst long copy may be the favourite of consumers, I would plump for short, tight copy every time when it comes to business-to-business writing. Decision makers are busy.

Often business-to-business writing is part of a multi-step marketing approach. So you’ll have several stages at which to give them more information and build more trust. But at each stage the offer or call to action has to be clear.

So for business-to-business writing, keep it short. And keep it focussed.

We’ve all seen them – group-buying websites offering deals that last for just 24hrs. The adverts scream 40-75% off, sometimes even more. But what exactly is it doing for your business and your clients?

Back in June 2011, NZ site 1-dayout pulled out of the market. They slammed the door firmly shut on the voucher business model and focussed instead on selling goods at a heavy discount through their other 1-day brands. They came right out and said that voucher deals are bad for customers and bad for the business offering the deal. They shook up the industry for which you have to give them respect.

In fact, Race Louden, sales and marketing directors of 1-day was quoted on Stuff as saying that the deals often attracted “the wrong kind” of customer to a business, had a detrimental effect on industry-wide pricing, and service suppliers were often not prepared for the sudden influx of customers as the result of a deal.

I’m not a fan and I’d find it very hard to recommend the process to a client. Here’s why:

1. Group-buying makes existing clients grumpy

Race Louden at 1-day gives the example of an individual massage provider who sold 500 vouchers for one hour intensive massages through the 1-dayout site. Underestimating the power of group-buying, the provider was totally overwhelmed and was unable to cope with the sudden influx of business. The constant bookings meant existing customers couldn’t be seen, and service was compromised. Race believes that this was a familiar situation.

Getting customers is one thing but keeping them is what builds a business.

2. People who find you through group-buying sites rarely come back for more

US-based Rice University School of Management reveal that just 1 in 5 will come back and purchase at the full price. And from the companies who sell through group buying websites, 82% say that repeat business is unsatisfactory according to another study by UK-based copywriting agency Cooper Murphy.

3. How do you make money?

You have to drop your prices drastically to get attention, then you hand over a chunk to the group-buying company. So hello turnover, bye bye profit. And if you don’t convert enough of those deal-hungry prospects you will have exhausted yourselves and stretched your business processes all for very little financial return.

I spoke to one businesswoman recently who was working round the clock to fulfil her voucher commitments and making very little money. Her business was new and she was delighted that she was getting such a high profile. But she was exhausted and knew that many would not come back to pay full price. In my mind the financial benefits just did not stack up and she was sending all the wrong signals about her brand to the market.

4. We’re all looking over your shoulder for the next group-buying deal

Do it once and it will be expected that there will be more discounting to come. If people want to come back for more, they’ll hang on for your next cut-price deal or one from your competitors. Group buying fails to nurture customer loyalty.

5. It labels your business as a discounter

Back to my encounter with the businesswoman. She was actually a very good saleswoman and I think she could do well. But I think she’ll have to drop her non-discounted prices significantly because the vast majority of her clients have arrived through the discount deal. I just don’t think that they will be prepared to pay for her services at 40% above the discounted price. The voucher scheme will dictate the shape of her business.

And Race is quite clear on the damage it can do to businesses and well as particular industries. In his article on Stoppress, he gave the example of the canvas photo printing businesses. Race explains “Customers can regularly find these deals online at a discount, which has meant the industry as a whole is finding it a challenging task to demand the higher margins they once enjoyed, as customers come to expect deals. Based on our feedback, we have heard this same pattern resonate across other business categories that have used group-buying.”

I respect Race and the 1-dayout team for pulling the plug. I think products discounted for one day are fine – they provide people with a strong reason to buy. But unless your business can cope with a big influx of people and you are confident you can convert enough of the deal-hungry buyers into repeat customers, stay well-away from voucher sites. Because you run the real risk of cheapening your brand, driving yourself into the ground and making very little money when using group-buying.