Write your comments on the new pattern of entrance test. You can also post your query (if you have) about today's paper.........
Amit
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Friday, May 19, 2006
All the Best for Entrance Test
Hey Friends!!!!
I wish all the very very best for today.Here, you can write your experience about this blog.Thanks for making this blog a success......(950+ visitors within 2 months!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Amit
I wish all the very very best for today.Here, you can write your experience about this blog.Thanks for making this blog a success......(950+ visitors within 2 months!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
Amit
Monday, May 15, 2006
Press Release Format Guidelines
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Headline
Be creative and keep it to one sentence. Capitalize the first letter of all words but do not use all caps. Exclamation marks (“!”) only sell your release as advertising, not news.
Paragraph 1
City, State, Month, Day, Year – Begin with a strong introductory paragraph that captures the reader’s attention and contains the information most relevant to your message such as the five W's - who, what, when, where, and why. This paragraph should summarize the press release and include a hook to get your audience interested in reading more.
Paragraph 2, 3, 4, …
These paragraphs should contain more detailed important information, and make up the body of the release. Pick up with the information provided in your first paragraph, including quotes from key staff, customers or subject matter experts. Make sure you use correct grammar so as not to affect your credibility negatively.
As for content, make sure to keep in mind that you are writing a press release to grab the attention of the media. It is very important to maintain factual accuracy, make sure you are cleared to use quotes or information about businesses, and most importantly have an angle that will appeal to journalists (often by connecting your release to current events or issues). Effective releases usually utilize a strategy known as the inverted pyramid, which is written with the most important information and quotes first.
Try to keep the press release to fewer than 400 words total. Remember, succinct and to the point works best.
The body of your release should be more than one paragraph. The final paragraph should restate and summarize the key points of your release.
Additional 1
Provide avenues for the reader to obtain additional information, demos, samples, etc., but please DO NOT include Internet links. WebWire® provides special data submission fields for company/agency name, contact, telephone, email address, website location, etc. and other online connections (links).
Additional 2
Trademark acknowledgment, product or event timelines, availability, logistics, etc.
Additional 3
Background information about the company featured in the release, if appropriate, as well as any applicable safe harbor statement.
### (end with these characters)
A FINAL NOTE: With an effective release, it should be possible to cut off the bottom half of the release and still provide journalists with sufficient informatio
Headline
Be creative and keep it to one sentence. Capitalize the first letter of all words but do not use all caps. Exclamation marks (“!”) only sell your release as advertising, not news.
Paragraph 1
City, State, Month, Day, Year – Begin with a strong introductory paragraph that captures the reader’s attention and contains the information most relevant to your message such as the five W's - who, what, when, where, and why. This paragraph should summarize the press release and include a hook to get your audience interested in reading more.
Paragraph 2, 3, 4, …
These paragraphs should contain more detailed important information, and make up the body of the release. Pick up with the information provided in your first paragraph, including quotes from key staff, customers or subject matter experts. Make sure you use correct grammar so as not to affect your credibility negatively.
As for content, make sure to keep in mind that you are writing a press release to grab the attention of the media. It is very important to maintain factual accuracy, make sure you are cleared to use quotes or information about businesses, and most importantly have an angle that will appeal to journalists (often by connecting your release to current events or issues). Effective releases usually utilize a strategy known as the inverted pyramid, which is written with the most important information and quotes first.
Try to keep the press release to fewer than 400 words total. Remember, succinct and to the point works best.
The body of your release should be more than one paragraph. The final paragraph should restate and summarize the key points of your release.
Additional 1
Provide avenues for the reader to obtain additional information, demos, samples, etc., but please DO NOT include Internet links. WebWire® provides special data submission fields for company/agency name, contact, telephone, email address, website location, etc. and other online connections (links).
Additional 2
Trademark acknowledgment, product or event timelines, availability, logistics, etc.
Additional 3
Background information about the company featured in the release, if appropriate, as well as any applicable safe harbor statement.
### (end with these characters)
A FINAL NOTE: With an effective release, it should be possible to cut off the bottom half of the release and still provide journalists with sufficient informatio
The 21 Most Powerful Copywriting Rules of All TimeThe 21 Most Powerful Copywriting Rules of All Time
1. Know your USP.
USP = Unique Selling Proposition = a one line statement (proposition) that explains (sells) how your product or service differs (unique) from the competition. You can't know it unless you research your product as well as your competition. What does Federal Express say? Dove soap? You must know your basic offer before you can begin to persuade anyone to accept it.
2. Use layout that supports copy.
Graphics, fonts, and layouts don't sell, but they can help bring attention to your sales message. Use proven formats.. Consider an advertorial style. It can get 80% more attention than any other ad layout. You must know the form your sales message will take before you begin to draft your actual message. Knowing you are about to write a classified ad will lead you to write differently than if you were about to write a sales letter or a display ad.
3. Create a riveting and relevant headline.
Round-up your prospects with a headline that makes them sit up and take notice. Best place to see good headlines is on the cover of Reader's Digest. See my AMA advertising book for 30 ways to write headlines. A headline calls out your readers. A change in headline can bring 19 times more response.
4. Write simply, directly, and in the conversational style of your prospects.
Who are you trying to reach? Housewives, business executives, children? You must know the type of person you are writing to. Write to one person from that group and you will speak to all people in that group. Forget trying to impress people, win writing awards, or please a past English teacher. Good copy often violates the rules of English but still makes the sale.
5. So that -- ?
Write of the benefits, not the features. A feature generally describes a product; a benefit generally explains what the product does for you. A good way to write about benefits would be to keep saying you get this...and the product does this...so that you get.... Look at Kodak. People don't buy film for the pictures they create. They are buying memories. Look at their advertising and you'll barely see film anywhere. What you will see are family reunions, graduations, weddings, etc. You get film which helps you take pictures so that you get memories. Keep asking So that -- ? to dig up benefits. For example, This computer is a 486...so that...you get a computer that is twice the speed of other computers...so that...you can get twice the work done in the same amount of time...so that....you are free to have longer lunches, make more calls, or focus on something else.
6. Use emotional appeal.
People buy for emotional reasons and justify with logic. Gene Schwartz wrote an ad that ran for 20 years and sold so many flowers it exhausted nurseries. It's packed with emotional appeal. It read in part:
When you put this into the Earth, and you jump back (quickly), it explodes into flowers. And everybody in your neighborhood comes and they look. And people take home blooms because you've got so many you could never find a house big enough to put them. And you've become the gardening expert for the entire neighborhood.
7. Demolish the five basic objections within your copy:
• A. I don't have enough time.
• B. I don't have enough money.
• C. It won't work for me.
• D. I don't believe you.
• E. I don't need it.
8. Activate your writing.
Whenever you write the words "is," "was," "are," or "to be," train yourself to stop and change them to something more active. "The meeting is tonight" sounds dead; "The meeting starts at 7 PM sharp tonight" feels clear, direct and alive. "Clair Sullivan is the finest promoter in the country" doesn't convey the excitement that "Clair Sullivan creates corporate events better than anyone else on the planet" does.
9. Tell them something they don't know.
Fascinate your readers. The more you tell, the more you sell. Long copy usually works better than short copy, as long as the copy holds interest. After all, people read whole books. They will read your copy IF it interests them.
10. Seduce the reader into continued reading.
Keep your reader reading any way you can. Questions, unfinished sentences, involving statements, sub-heads, bulleted points, quizzes, all work. These techniques also handle the skimmers who just glance at your copy, as well as the word-for-word readers.
11. Say collie.
Be specific. Whenever you write something vague, such as "they say," or "later on," or "many," train yourself to stop and rewrite those phrases into something more concrete, such as: "Mark Weisser said...", or "Saturday at noon" or "Seven people agreed." Don't say dog when you can say collie.
12. Overwhelm with testimonials
Get as many testimonials as you can. The more specific, the more convincing. In short, deliver proof that your claim is for real.
13. Remove the risk!
Give a guarantee. Less than 2% of your customers will ever ask for their money back, so offering a guarantee is a safe risk. Here's the guarantee from my book, The Seven Lost Secrets of Success:
Use these seven principles for six months. If you're out of work, you'll find a job. If you're employed, you'll get a raise. If you're in business, you'll see a whopping 25% jump in revenues -- or return this book and your receipt for a full cash refund!
14. Ask for the order
Too much copy these days never asks anyone to buy anything. Sales copy should SELL. Use a coupon as a way to signal readers that you want their business and to remind yourself to always ask for the order (or at least to ask people to contact you or remember you).
15. Use magic words.
There are certain words which have been proven to help get attention. If you just string these words together, they sound like fluff. But weave them into your sentences, along with your facts, and they become powerful:
Announcing, astonishing, exciting, exclusive, fantastic, fascinating, first, free, guaranteed, incredible, initial, improved, love, limited offer, powerful, phenomenal, revealing, revolutionary, special, successful, super, time-sensitive, unique, urgent, wonderful, you, breakthrough, introducing, new, and how-to.
And consider the connotations of the words you use: workshop sounds like hard work while seminar sounds easier. Read sounds hard while look over sounds easy. Write sounds difficult while jot down sounds easy. Be aware of the psychological implications of the words and phrases you use.
16. Get pumped up!
Show your excitement for your product. If you aren't pumped up about it, why not? Enthusiasm sells.
17. Rewrite and test ruthlessly.
Test. Test. Test. A change of one word can increase response 250%. Sackheim tested his famous ad at least six times before he found the headline and format that worked. Most copy isn't written in one day. You have to write, rewrite, edit, rewrite, test, and test again. Keep asking yourself, Would I buy this product? and Have I said everything to make the sale?
18. State a believable deadline.
Most people won't take any immediate action unless there exists a sound reason to do so. Deadlines help, as long as your deadline sounds credible.
19. Instantaneous satisfaction!
Everything should be nearly instantaneous because we want instant gratification. Toll-free numbers and fax numbers help. If you're marketing on the Web, include a link or a button that makes it easy for your readers to order.
20. Sincerity sells.
Don't offer fluff, mislead, or lie to your prospects. Tell them the truth.While rarely done, it actually helps sales to admit a weakness or a fault. Remember the ad, These neckties aren't very pretty, but they're a steal at a nickel each! Tell the truth in a fascinating way.
21. Copy your copy from the best.
Read excellent copy, write it out word-for-word in your own hand to get a feel for its rhythm.
USP = Unique Selling Proposition = a one line statement (proposition) that explains (sells) how your product or service differs (unique) from the competition. You can't know it unless you research your product as well as your competition. What does Federal Express say? Dove soap? You must know your basic offer before you can begin to persuade anyone to accept it.
2. Use layout that supports copy.
Graphics, fonts, and layouts don't sell, but they can help bring attention to your sales message. Use proven formats.. Consider an advertorial style. It can get 80% more attention than any other ad layout. You must know the form your sales message will take before you begin to draft your actual message. Knowing you are about to write a classified ad will lead you to write differently than if you were about to write a sales letter or a display ad.
3. Create a riveting and relevant headline.
Round-up your prospects with a headline that makes them sit up and take notice. Best place to see good headlines is on the cover of Reader's Digest. See my AMA advertising book for 30 ways to write headlines. A headline calls out your readers. A change in headline can bring 19 times more response.
4. Write simply, directly, and in the conversational style of your prospects.
Who are you trying to reach? Housewives, business executives, children? You must know the type of person you are writing to. Write to one person from that group and you will speak to all people in that group. Forget trying to impress people, win writing awards, or please a past English teacher. Good copy often violates the rules of English but still makes the sale.
5. So that -- ?
Write of the benefits, not the features. A feature generally describes a product; a benefit generally explains what the product does for you. A good way to write about benefits would be to keep saying you get this...and the product does this...so that you get.... Look at Kodak. People don't buy film for the pictures they create. They are buying memories. Look at their advertising and you'll barely see film anywhere. What you will see are family reunions, graduations, weddings, etc. You get film which helps you take pictures so that you get memories. Keep asking So that -- ? to dig up benefits. For example, This computer is a 486...so that...you get a computer that is twice the speed of other computers...so that...you can get twice the work done in the same amount of time...so that....you are free to have longer lunches, make more calls, or focus on something else.
6. Use emotional appeal.
People buy for emotional reasons and justify with logic. Gene Schwartz wrote an ad that ran for 20 years and sold so many flowers it exhausted nurseries. It's packed with emotional appeal. It read in part:
When you put this into the Earth, and you jump back (quickly), it explodes into flowers. And everybody in your neighborhood comes and they look. And people take home blooms because you've got so many you could never find a house big enough to put them. And you've become the gardening expert for the entire neighborhood.
7. Demolish the five basic objections within your copy:
• A. I don't have enough time.
• B. I don't have enough money.
• C. It won't work for me.
• D. I don't believe you.
• E. I don't need it.
8. Activate your writing.
Whenever you write the words "is," "was," "are," or "to be," train yourself to stop and change them to something more active. "The meeting is tonight" sounds dead; "The meeting starts at 7 PM sharp tonight" feels clear, direct and alive. "Clair Sullivan is the finest promoter in the country" doesn't convey the excitement that "Clair Sullivan creates corporate events better than anyone else on the planet" does.
9. Tell them something they don't know.
Fascinate your readers. The more you tell, the more you sell. Long copy usually works better than short copy, as long as the copy holds interest. After all, people read whole books. They will read your copy IF it interests them.
10. Seduce the reader into continued reading.
Keep your reader reading any way you can. Questions, unfinished sentences, involving statements, sub-heads, bulleted points, quizzes, all work. These techniques also handle the skimmers who just glance at your copy, as well as the word-for-word readers.
11. Say collie.
Be specific. Whenever you write something vague, such as "they say," or "later on," or "many," train yourself to stop and rewrite those phrases into something more concrete, such as: "Mark Weisser said...", or "Saturday at noon" or "Seven people agreed." Don't say dog when you can say collie.
12. Overwhelm with testimonials
Get as many testimonials as you can. The more specific, the more convincing. In short, deliver proof that your claim is for real.
13. Remove the risk!
Give a guarantee. Less than 2% of your customers will ever ask for their money back, so offering a guarantee is a safe risk. Here's the guarantee from my book, The Seven Lost Secrets of Success:
Use these seven principles for six months. If you're out of work, you'll find a job. If you're employed, you'll get a raise. If you're in business, you'll see a whopping 25% jump in revenues -- or return this book and your receipt for a full cash refund!
14. Ask for the order
Too much copy these days never asks anyone to buy anything. Sales copy should SELL. Use a coupon as a way to signal readers that you want their business and to remind yourself to always ask for the order (or at least to ask people to contact you or remember you).
15. Use magic words.
There are certain words which have been proven to help get attention. If you just string these words together, they sound like fluff. But weave them into your sentences, along with your facts, and they become powerful:
Announcing, astonishing, exciting, exclusive, fantastic, fascinating, first, free, guaranteed, incredible, initial, improved, love, limited offer, powerful, phenomenal, revealing, revolutionary, special, successful, super, time-sensitive, unique, urgent, wonderful, you, breakthrough, introducing, new, and how-to.
And consider the connotations of the words you use: workshop sounds like hard work while seminar sounds easier. Read sounds hard while look over sounds easy. Write sounds difficult while jot down sounds easy. Be aware of the psychological implications of the words and phrases you use.
16. Get pumped up!
Show your excitement for your product. If you aren't pumped up about it, why not? Enthusiasm sells.
17. Rewrite and test ruthlessly.
Test. Test. Test. A change of one word can increase response 250%. Sackheim tested his famous ad at least six times before he found the headline and format that worked. Most copy isn't written in one day. You have to write, rewrite, edit, rewrite, test, and test again. Keep asking yourself, Would I buy this product? and Have I said everything to make the sale?
18. State a believable deadline.
Most people won't take any immediate action unless there exists a sound reason to do so. Deadlines help, as long as your deadline sounds credible.
19. Instantaneous satisfaction!
Everything should be nearly instantaneous because we want instant gratification. Toll-free numbers and fax numbers help. If you're marketing on the Web, include a link or a button that makes it easy for your readers to order.
20. Sincerity sells.
Don't offer fluff, mislead, or lie to your prospects. Tell them the truth.While rarely done, it actually helps sales to admit a weakness or a fault. Remember the ad, These neckties aren't very pretty, but they're a steal at a nickel each! Tell the truth in a fascinating way.
21. Copy your copy from the best.
Read excellent copy, write it out word-for-word in your own hand to get a feel for its rhythm.
Friday, May 12, 2006
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE WRITING AN AD
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE WRITING AN AD
• What are you trying to say?
• What is it you are trying to sell?
• What is your proposition?
• What will you put in the ad?
• Where will you put the ad?
• How do you extend the ads results to the point of sale?
PRINCIPLES OF GOOD ADVERTISING
• Command attention, but never offensively.
• Be imaginative, but never misleading.
• Tell the truth.
• Be altruistic by selling service.
• Keep it simple.
• Offer the privilege of buying.
• Never seek favor or profit for yourself.
• Never advertise negatively or put a competitor down.
QUALITIES OF GOOD ADVERTISING
• Instead of telling a customer how good your product or service is, tell them how good your product or service will make them.
• Graphics must support the main idea without cluttering.
• Be sure headlines and subheads are brief and to the point.
• You can overestimate the public's knowledge, but never their intelligence.
• If an ad is profitable, don't change it by trying to make it better.
• Sell the results of a product, rather than the product itself.
• What are you trying to say?
• What is it you are trying to sell?
• What is your proposition?
• What will you put in the ad?
• Where will you put the ad?
• How do you extend the ads results to the point of sale?
PRINCIPLES OF GOOD ADVERTISING
• Command attention, but never offensively.
• Be imaginative, but never misleading.
• Tell the truth.
• Be altruistic by selling service.
• Keep it simple.
• Offer the privilege of buying.
• Never seek favor or profit for yourself.
• Never advertise negatively or put a competitor down.
QUALITIES OF GOOD ADVERTISING
• Instead of telling a customer how good your product or service is, tell them how good your product or service will make them.
• Graphics must support the main idea without cluttering.
• Be sure headlines and subheads are brief and to the point.
• You can overestimate the public's knowledge, but never their intelligence.
• If an ad is profitable, don't change it by trying to make it better.
• Sell the results of a product, rather than the product itself.
WHAT MAKES FOR GOOD ADVERTISING?
From a technical point of view, advertising is a means of communication with the purpose of delivering a worthwhile message to a specific audience of one. It is important to recognize, regardless of the medium, that your message is always targeted to one person. You must direct what you have to say to someone who has every reason to listen. If your message is clear to the individual, then anyone who has a legitimate reason to be interested will want to get involved to learn more. If you try to write the ad for everyone, you risk reaching no one. You may even try to write the ad as one would talk. The closer you can come to everyday language the better.
Good ads do not just circulate information they penetrate people's minds with desires and beliefs. You must pinpoint and approach benefits emotionally and rationalize them logically. It has been a long-standing rule that most advertising is rejected consciously and accepted subliminally
Good ads do not just circulate information they penetrate people's minds with desires and beliefs. You must pinpoint and approach benefits emotionally and rationalize them logically. It has been a long-standing rule that most advertising is rejected consciously and accepted subliminally
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