Here's one of the two half-day workshops I often recommend to companies and agencies hiring me for the first time. The other of the two is called "Being Your Own Best Editor."
“Create Compelling Content”
“Create Compelling Content”
This class comes in three parts, with each part spiraling up to fuel the next, resulting in a powerful new point of view that makes it easier to find the best content and present it in the most compelling way.
1. How to be newsworthy
Two hours including 15-minute break
What to bring
Bring your own team’s collateral, no matter who wrote it. We’ll use it as source material during the workshop. Each person should bring different information, but it’s also OK if there’s some overlap. Best choices: PR pitches, speaker abstracts, case studies, contributed articles, press releases, executive memos and fact sheets.
Biggest takeaway
What’s the internal landscape of a journalist’s mind when he or she is assessing a situation and choosing which information to lead with? How does that same framework apply to an executive's decision-making process?Participants will learn to package information for greater usefulness and higher appeal, even when a first glance suggests it might be bit of a yawner.
In this session, we'll:
· Process information the way an experienced journalist does on deadline
· Make faster decisions about what nuggets to move up and which to bump down or leave out altogether
· Recognize hidden opportunities
2. How to be compelling
90 minutes including a 10-minute break
What to bring
Similar to the recommendations above in that you don't have to be the author (though that's often best, when possible). But in this case, it's best to bring somewhat longer, more complex PR documents. Best choices: award entries, contributed articles, NAPS releases, blog posts, op-eds and pitches.
Biggest Takeaway
What are the seven elements that glue a reader’s eyes to the page? How can they help you radically reduce word count while boosting appeal?
In this session, we'll:
· Objectively identify the seven elements
· Discover what’s missing and how to go get it
· Rearrange information for higher impact
3. How to be relevant
Half hour
Half hour
What five questions will keep you on track and help you gain traction?
In this session, we'll discuss:
· Turning excessive background into as-needed backstory
· Balancing your agenda with readers’ “north star”
· Breaking old habits and using new tools in future work
