Jon Samsel

It’s that time of year again when we American’s reflect on our past and make optimistic (if not unrealistic)  goals for our future. 2009 was full of new-found interests, change, as well as ups and downs. The frequency of my Twitter posts surpassed my blog posts. I used LinkedIn in bold new ways to enhance my professional network–which led to many unexpected and engaging experiences such as speaking engagements, reconnecting with many old friends, interesting business propositions, a Twitterview with a European blogger, inquiries from executive recruiters, participation with charity organizations, and connecting like-minded people together.

In reviewing my year-end Google Analytics reports for JonSamsel.com, I was surprised to see which of my blog posts rose to the top of my ‘page view top 10 list.’ I share with you my top ten posts for 2009 in order of popularity.

1. 5 Ways to Take Advantage of a LinkedIn BETA Tool: Company Profiles - I had no idea when I published this post that it would be my most popular post (by far) for 2009. I think it was simply the right post at the right time, helping people figure out how to use LinkedIn in a new way. Nearly everyone I know uses LinkedIn and I love the service. So I guess when you write about a subject you are passionate about, it comes out in the final piece and people pick up on that vibe.
2. 7 Ways to Leverage LinkedIn to Expand Your Social Network -Similar in scope and tone as my number one post for 2009, this post zeroed in on the social networking capabilities of LinkedIn.
3. The Best Social Media Monitoring Tools Used by Today’s Top Creative Agencies & Brands - I had fun writing this post because it was my chance to share some of the tool I use on a daily basis with all of my readers. They responded by reading this post in droves. The other aspect about this post that I love is how it profiles several new start-up firms. It’s always nice to be able to talk about small companies before they hit it big.
4. The Twitter Effect: How 140 Character Micro-Blogging Can BeneTweet Your Company - I write this post just as I was getting up to speed on how companies could benefit from using Twitter. Obviously, many of my readers found value in the the article as well. Note to readers: I have seen the word ‘BeneTweet’ used several times since my original post, a combination of the words Benefit and Tweet. Nice to know it’s still possible to coin a term now and then. Note to self: Not 100% sure I was the first person to use the term BeneTweet, but at the time, I did think I was being somewhat unique.
5. 15 Ways to Promote Your Book -When I first started my blog back in Oct 2008, I focused more on writing and design topics than I do today, since so much of my early career was spent working as a writer and editor. I am always happy when I can assist other writers publish and promote their work. This article was my way of providing some helpful utility to scribes everywhere.
6. Retweet: Harnessing the Word of Mouth Marketing Power of Twitter - Another post about a Twitter topic, when I was fast discovering the in’s and out’s of the platform. So much has changed since then — it feels like this article is very dated even though it’s only 10 month’s old!
7. 10 Step Process for Designing a Landing Page that Delivers Results - This is another post I enjoyed sharing with my readers. Landing page optimization is such a special skill set that very few marketers have mastered, yet it’s a critical component for any online marketing campaign looking to achieve ROI success.
8. Hope Springs Eternal: An Interview with Amy Neumann - In 2009 I had the pleasure of interviewing Amy Neumann, a member of the Capital Campaign Committee for Hope Gardens, a charitable ministry of Union Rescue Mission. It was an uplifting piece, a bit out of the ordinary for my blog, but I was determined to help Union Rescue Mission in some way. I can recall telling Amy about the possible benefits of using Twitter — and recently I saw Amy had amassed a following of over 11,000! Go, Amy, go!
9. Social is the New Search - One of my favorite blog posts of 2009 made it into the illustrious top 10 list. I wrote the post after seeing first hand the impact that social media conversations were having on the SEO efforts of major brands. Unfortunately, most brands still don’t seem to have headed the message. But there is always 2010 for a time of awakening!
10. 30 Ad Agencies Ranked By Heardable Score - I really enjoyed creating this post as well. I had been turned on to a new start-up called Heardable a few weeks prior and I really wanted to put their brand scoring tool to the test. What amazed me was how poorly the top creative firms were doing in the area of online marketing. They were preaching to others but failed to practice what they advocated. The stats in the article were shocking — and I received several alarming emails from concerned agency staff who tried to refute the article. I stick by my every word.

I was reading a sarcastic (and slightly sad) blog post today about a gal who lost the entire contents of her blog after a catastrophic server failure happened while she was ‘upgrading’ her blog to a more ‘robust’ and costly ISP solution.

While reading, I had to cringe because I really feel her pain. Something similar happened to me once when I lost 90% of my blog content when some lowly server administrator inadvertently deleted the content on a remote hosted server because he thought that shiny piece of hardware wasn’t being used.

Needless to say, upon hearing the news, I was devastated!

Thankfully, I had set up an RSS feed to my own blog via Google Reader, so I had an electronic copy of all my entire site content (plus all my images) for every blog post I had published over the prior 18 months. Yes sir, there is a God.

With a little technical assistance, I was able to export all my blog posts and import them back into Wordpress as soon as my new server (on a different ISP) was up and running. All I had to do was go in and reassign dates for each post, plus add back deleted hyperlinks. A pain, no doubt, but something I was more than happy to do considering the circumstances.

Who knew Google Reader and RSS feeds were every blogger’s secret backup weapon? I didn’t. So now I pass this nugget of knowledge on to you, my young padawons (Jedi backup apprentices). If you need an inexpensive backup and archiving service for your blog, set up an RSS feed and save it into a reader and you may just thank your lucky stars one day.

Quick announcement…

Be sure to catch Jon at The Digital Symposium at the Harvard Club in New York City, NY, October 7th, 2009, an event that will play host to 100 of the most senior level marketing executives in the country. Jon will lead a round table titled, “Mastering Your Online Marketing Strategy by Being More Sociable, Findable, Portable, Usable, Actionable, Shareable and Measurable.”

To learn more about the event: http://www.digital.marketingforum.com

Recently I was on LinkedIn and came across the following SEO question:

“Looking for one of the best SEO companies in the world. Can anyone recommend one that has amazing track record / recommendations?”

I read through the Q&A thread. Over 20 people responded by providing SEO tips, as well as the names of SEO firms to follow up with. Some were big name SEO companies, some were creative agencies, and some were unknown to me.

I decided to do a little detective work. You see, from my experience, not all search optimization firms practice what they preach. So I thought of a quick way to gauge which SEO consulting firms were legit and which ones are full of bologna–run a Websitegrader report on each firm’s URL and then compare the results.

Why use Websitegrader? There are lots of free tools online that measure this and that. I like Websitegrader.com because it looks under the hood of a company’s URL to uncover what developers are doing well and where they could use improvement–mostly from an SEO point-of-view. They also provide a score so you can compare one website against another.

Websitegrader is not foolproof, mind you, but the results are very insightful. And as long as Websitegrader applies the same algorithm to the each website they grade, a user should be able to benchmark the good from the bad, from the ugly.

I looked at 30 SEO firms mentioned in the LinkedIn Q&A thread. The results were somewhat surprising. Here is how these companies ranked by Websitegrader on a scale of 0-100, 100 being best:

99.9 - www.bigmouthmedia.com
99.7 - www.6smarketing.com
99.7 - www.primevisibility.com
99.6 - www.bruceclay.com
99.6 - www.webadvantage.net
99.5 - www.vizioninteractive.com
99.4 - www.submitawebsite.com
99.3 - www.seo.com
98.9 - www.oneupweb.com
98.2 - www.webmetro.com
97.9 - www.netconcepts.com
97.6 - www.iCrossing.com
97.3 - www.thinkseer.com
96.5 - www.purevisibility.com
96.3 - www.seojunkies.com
95.9 - www.increasevisibility.com
95.5 - www.reprisemedia.com
95.5 - www.rustybrick.com
95.0 - www.seop.com
94.0 - www.nowspeed.com
93.0 - www.ilikesem.com
92.0 - www.usawebsolutions.com
91.0 - www.tmpdm.com
90.0 - www.iprospect.com
85.0 - www.360i.com
85.0 - www.razorfish.com
71.0 - www.ip-seo.com
67.0 - the-ccg-group.com
43.0 - www.asenyo.com
27.0 - www.wsiim.com

Who would have thought BigMouthMedia would outperform so many larger competitors? Of course, these results don’t mean that any of the above-rated SEO firms are not good at doing search optimization for their clients. I am pretty sure many of them are just busy doing client work…so busy that they have neglected their own website optimization efforts. However, for prospective companies considering doing business with any of these firms, wouldn’t a prudent client take a close look at an SEO company’s track record–both client results AND the quality of the SEO firm’s website as well? I think so.

If you are thinking about hiring an SEO firm to assist your company optimize its website for search engine rankings, you might want to run a Websitegrader report on the SEO agency first. Not only will the resulting grades be useful in evaluating two SEO firms against each another, but you can use the scores as a conversation starter when talking to the sales manager from an SEO firm trying to sell you their services. It really trips them up when you ask them why they scored so poorly next to competitor X!

Did I just say that?

Good luck.

1. Apple’s design process revealed!
2. Hilarious video about ‘Death By Committee’ group decision making processes. Love the logo designs!
3. Naming tools to help get your creative juices flowing.
4. The Components of a Writing Business Plan.
5. Website up-time tool.
6. What every web designer needs: A handy Lorem Ipsum generator!
7. An online font tester!
8. 100 things on the Internet that might be of interest to you.
9. Type in a word to find rhymes, synonyms, definitions, and more.
10. Life of Pi - Interactive promo. The mood that this creates is almost like a movie. Awesome.
11. The website is down: Sales guy vs. web dude. Funny!
12. ZeFrank’s song about social networking
13. Good site for hiring freelancers to work on social media gigs or web dev projects.
14. Quantcast - Free, competitive website analytics.
15. See every mouse movement and every click on your website. Record & more.
16. Fun brain teasers and exercises.
17. Need to quickly translate text into another foreign language?
18. Nice gift idea - give a personalized book to your child or relative.
19. SEO tool. How many desired .edu or .gov links does your site have?
20. Over 1,500 stories about coffee’s impact on real lives. Very cleaver marketing.
21. Social search engine. Pretty cool.
22. Where’s WaldObama? 1,474 mega-pixel picture of the Inauguration. Wow.
23. Mint or Rudder - which is best online tool to manage your money?
24. Runners. Track your distance, pace, progress & calories with this cool NIKE tool.
25. Looking for the perfect Web 2.0 domain name? Try Dot-o-mator.
26. Download free Web 2.0 logo designs!
27. UGC traffic to triple by 2012, according to Cisco.
28. UGC / user reviews are critical. See latest Nielsen findings.
29. “The Crying Game” of viral marketing. So well done. Click till you see the surprise ending!
30. U.S. real estate prices from 1980-present plotted to a roller coaster ride!
31. I just love Howcast - learn about almost anything!
32. Creepy girl. Watch as her eyes follow your cursor.
33. Amazing interactive simulation by Motorola.
34. Heatmap simulation for any image you upload. Sweet.
35. Design for Emotion and Flow.
36. Website User Journeys, Needs, and Trust: A Volkswagen Case Study.
37. Very helpful usability blog site by Craig Tomlin.
38. Net Promoter Score: Pro’s? Con’s? Full of bologna?
39. Get Elastic’s landing page optimization webinar recap.
40. Consumer purchase preferences by zip code.
41. Free version of the Word of Mouth Manual Volume II.
42. Social media marketing case study: Will It Blend.
43. Free 34 page ebook - The New Rules of Viral Marketing.
44. Social Web Analytics eBook 2008.
45. Introduction to Good Usability - Free PDF Ebook.
46. How to think virally w/ Jeff Benjamin, the creator of  Subservient Chicken.
47. Customer Feedback Usability Insights.
48. 5 new skills for the future of marketing.
49. Bring Holistic Awareness to Your Design.
50. Long live the Cluetrain Manifesto! 95 theses ahead of their time.

Source: http://twitter.com/jonsamsel

James Carr just self-published his own book, Will My Daddy Ever Work Again? It’s based on his experience as a child enduring a difficult period of unemployment in his family’s life. The book delves into the family’s trials and tribulations as seen through the innocent eyes of a child.

The story is written gender neutral so that boys and girls alike can identify with the 1st-person storyteller because of their own family’s difficult situation. It is a new and unusual way of telling a children’s story. And, according to the author, “That is why the child outline looks as it does on the cover and on every first chapter page–empty.”

The fact that James, the budding author, is currently unemployed is especially ironic, but also hopeful, as it shows he’s not the type of person to sit and wait for life’s opportunities to come at him–he’s out there taking destiny by the horns and opening up new possibilities for himself. It’s a story of hope through creative expression. It also demonstrates the power of the Internet as the publishing and marketing platform of the future.

Q:  Jim, tell me about your decision to self-publish.

A: Because of the current economic downturn, I believed my children’s story had value. The story is one that can help families experiencing long-term unemployment and financial issues. With the economy and housing markets becoming worse, the job market shrinking, and parents possibly not knowing how to discuss their family’s economic difficulties with their younger children, I believed my book could help with that very personal family conversation. I did not want to wait any longer to be ‘discovered’ by book agents or publishers so I published the book myself.

Q:  Did you utilize any online services to help you publish your book?

A: Yes. I used Lightning Source, a publish-on-demand (POD) self-publishing company based in Tennessee.  And I am selling my book on Amazon.com and through other online bookstores.

Q:  How did you settle on the retail price for your book?

A: I researched different types of children’s books available at Borders and Barnes & Noble booksellers to decide on the best retail book price.

Q:  Are you doing anything to promote your book?

A: Well, I am being interviewed by you–does that count?  Ha! Although I have been approached by several book marketing companies to represent my book, I am using my experience in corporate communications and as a newspaper reporter to create a personalized marketing strategy.

Q:  What lessons did you learn about the business of book publishing?

A: Paying attention to details is everything. Every word, every phrase, every punctuation mark, every piece of art, every laid out page, and every step in the process is critical. Self-publishing your first book can be an anxious experience because you want everything done correctly, with no mistakes, and you are learning the process to boot. I would advise new authors not to rush. Take your time. Ask questions of the people you are working with to accomplish your publishing goal. If you feel overwhelmed–take a break. You can come back to your work a little later. The only deadline is the one you set, and that could work against you if you rush yourself and your project into production.

Q:  Did you learn anything about yourself by writing this book?

A: I learned many things. But the most important thing I learned was: never quit, never give up on your dreams. Everything written is evergreen. Persistence and personal fortitude are what count.

Q:  Any advice you’d like to share with budding writers out there in the world?

A: Because of computer technology and the Internet, the legacy publishing industry is going through tremendous changes. If you pursue the traditional publishing channel, you need to secure an agent and a publishing deal, plus you will still need to market your manuscript. I would recommend not waiting for other people to discover your work. You may wait a very long time. If you believe in your work, invest the time and money to make it available to the public. It may be a gamble, but the outcome may be worthwhile (and personally satisfying).

Five Benefits of Self-Publishing

1. Authors have greater control (and responsibility) over their work
2. Results can be immediate (instead of waiting for a publisher to pick up your title)
3. High return on satisfaction
4. Your book can be used as a calling card to secure additional work
5. Success is limited only by an author’s tenacity and hard work

So you have a wonderful idea for a new interactive game. How do you transform that raw idea into a fully finished product? Writers, designers, programmers, content experts, and project managers usually start by creating a written document that describes the project in detail–as a way to sell the concept to investors, producers, and distributors.

This document can take the form of a proposal, an elaborate treatment, a complete design document, or even a screenplay. Design proposals, in particular, allow each member of the financial, development, creative, and marketing teams to review the idea, its characters, its settings, its game play and its potential marketability prior to investing hundreds of thousands of dollars and several years to produce. A written document may also serve to demonstrate your ability to produce a concept.

Here are the basic elements that make up an interactive design proposal:

1. Story summary
2. Character descriptions
3. Interactive design structure
4. Viewing matrix
5. Sample screenplay pages
6. Technical specifications
7. Creative team bios
8. Production timetable
9. Marketing plan
10. Budget and/or Profitability forecast

Here is a sample story summary for “Subterfuge,” an interactive sci-fi series created by author, Darryl Wimberley.

SUBTERFUGE

The Premise

It is the year 2139, an age of transitional technologies, of rapid advances in cyberspace and near space, in biogenics and nanotechnology. But technology never brings Utopia in its wake and human nature remains the same. The streets of New Las Vegas are as familiar to us as The Strip of today. And JAKE STRYKER, our lead protagonist, is familiar too.

The interactive series will weave Jake’s active story from his alcoholic beginnings in orbit above a suffocating Earth to his salvation beside Saturn’s rings. The Solar System is Stryker’s beat. But even that place, large as it is, is no larger than the human heart.

The Period and Place

The interactive episodic series takes place in the year 2139. The action ranges from a man-made station near Jupiter to the series’ primary location in the red-light district of New Las Vegas. There are no gimmicks here. Jake can’t warp-drive to distant galaxies. He can’t beam himself out of jeopardy. There are no force fields in Jake’s world which can deflect a handy shotgun. It’s not that people have given up on these ideas, of course. In fact, the opening script features a power-hungry man in a global corporation who puts big bucks on the line to make a futuristic technology possible.

But Jake isn’t much impressed. Stryker feels a strong sense of nostalgia for the old vices—Cigarettes. Hamburgers and fries. Whiskey straight from a bottle. And, no thank you, an hour of cybersex just isn’t the same as the real thing.

Story Summary

The opening episode for this interactive series introduces JAKE STRYKER, a one-time rocket jock no become an alcoholic with a dead end job loading cargo and contraband on a space station falling apart at the seams. The brutal murder of Jake’s lover and one-time partner, SANDY AIMES, brings Jake quite literally down to Earth. Sandy’s reputation is sullied in death, her murder being claimed by authorities to have resulted from Sandy’s involvement in a criminal consortium stealing nuclear-fusion technology from TERRA-SOL, Inc., based in New Las Vegas.

Jake doesn’t believe for a moment that his one-time love would steal a dime from anyone. He cannot abide the notion that Sandy’s killers are of no concern to the Cops on Earth sooo….Jake quits his job, grabs his last hundred credits, his antediluvian .45 automatic handgun and drops to Earth. Reaching New Las Vegas, Jake teams up with an illegal android, ROLO DEX, and a shady casino owner, BELISE SHAFFRON, to redeem sandy’s good name. In the process, he unearths a major corporate scandal and a host of bad guys on a home planet which, in the 22nd Century, is reaching a social and ecological crisis. Jake does find Sandy’s killer and in the course of saving her reputation finds redemption himself.

To read part one of this article, click here.

As I stated in my previous post, every article writer can use a helping hand now and then to come up with ideas for an article. An external stimulus, for example, can often jump start the creative process.

Here are another twenty tips to ponder when you’re searching for new article ideas:

21. The characteristics of a geographic area. This is similar to that of creating an article based on a place, but with a larger area in mind. Examples: “The Charm of Living in Aspen,” “Basking the Beaches of Ibiza,” “Cape Hatteras: Graveyard of the Atlantic.” Consider or study various geographic areas. When you travel in a new geographic area, be thinking of possible articles at all times; they are all around you.

22. A key historical figure from the past. Examples are “The Staggering Achievements of Benjamin Franklin,” “Billionaire Businessman Howard Hughes,” and “Dreaming in Color: Josephine Baker.”

23. Various statements of command. You see these commands daily on billboards, in magazines, greeting cards, newspapers, and many other places. The ‘‘you’’ (meaning whoever reads the command) is implied in each one. Examples of command statements: “Hang in there,” “Brace for unrest,” “Keep your chin up,” “Make someone happy,” and “Go out and make it a great day.”

24. A saying or proverb. Here is an example: “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link,” or “Put your best foot forward.”

25. An angle on how to do something. Example: “Professional Sales Presentations with PowerPoint,” “Eliminate Foggy Bathroom Mirrors Using Shaving Cream,” “Increase Your IQ Through Music.”

26. A title. You can easily prove this to yourself by glancing over titles of various published articles. Some may suggest variations for new articles. In other words, the title of an article can lead a writer to see other possible titles and thus eventual articles. Example: “How Washington Wastes Your Tax Money.” This title might lead to articles on how people waste time or how the natural resources of a nation are wasted.

27. A basic truth. Here is an example: There is an old, popular saying that “truth is stranger than fiction.” Events that occur in real life are often stranger, more curious, and more incredible than the stuff of fiction. Example” “Man Shot For Making Noise During Movie.”

28. A specific personality or celebrity in mind (alive or deceased). Examples: “Brad Pitt: Myth in the Making,” “Elvis Presley Predicted He Would Die Young,” “Heather Graham Boogies Her Way to Stardom.”

29. A cliché or overused expression. Clichés should be avoided within the article itself, but may hold the seed of a possible thought or phrase that could lead to a new article. Example clichés: “When the cows come home,” “You eat like a pig,” “Happy camper,” and ”Cheer up, it’s not the end of the world.”

30. The signs of the zodiac. Each sign may yield several possible articles. Examples: “10 Ways to Catch a Leo Soulmate,” “My Sister, the Libra.”

31. Patriotism (an individual’s, a group’s, or a nation’s). Thinking about patriotism in general can lead to a variety of articles. Example: “The Sleeping Soldier at Arlington.”

32. The tool of curiosity. Everyone is curious about something. You have only to decide what you think might wet the appetite of your readers. Be guided by what you find curious. Examples: “What Will Colonies On Mars Be Like?” and “Why Dogs Chase Their Tails.”

33. Some aspect of change and its effects. One way to get started is to list the changes ahead in the next century, then think about the effects of those changes, and what people can do to be ready for them. Examples: “Social Media Divas Starts Twitter Cat Fight,” “The Vanishing Garage Inventor,” “Realdolls: Wives of Tomorrow?”

34. A special promise or appeal to the reader. Simply ask yourself what kind of article readers would find appealing. What articles hold promise of being an extra-good read? Examples: “The Road To Success In Affiliate Marketing,” “Swimming Pool Landscaping: Secrets To Success,” “Nine Green Gift Ideas for Christmas,” and “A Slimmer You in Thirty Days.”

35. A key contemporary person (someone in the news daily). Suri Cruise. Sarah Palin. Daniel Craig. Barak Obama. Victoria Beckham. Plenty of examples can be found on TheDrudgeReport.com, TMZ.com, or Politico.com.

36. A dream or a nightmare. Keep a journal next to your bed and keep a record or your nighttime visions. A few of them might spark article ideas. Examples: “Monsters in the Closet and Other Childhood Fears,” “The Strangest Sleep Disorders,” and “The Boogeyman is Real and He Lives on the Web.”

37. One of the major professions. Articles about doctors, lawyers, teachers and clergymen can be quite effective. Example: “Do Doctors Have the Right to Play God?”

38. Common, everyday things. Examples: “Eight Proven Ways to Save Money,” or “Relieve a Sore Throat in Five Minutes or Less.”

39. Historical, economic, political, cultural, or military influences affecting a nation. Examples: “The Ultimate Defense: The Case for a National Missile Defense System,” or “Will a Fierce Battle Over Gay Rights Split the Anglican Church?”

40. The answer to a question. An example is “Why Clocks Tick Clockwise,” or “The Coldest City in America May Surprise You.”

You may want to read over this list of suggestions for jumpstarting ideas for articles from time to time. As a writing exercise, select one of the suggested 40 topics and write a practice article. The process of writing will surely trigger other new ideas for articles.

To read part one of this article, click here.

Whenever you are stumped as to how to start an article, you need not dispair. All you have to do is think of this magic phrase—the five W’s. Immediately your mind will be set into motion, asking who, what, when, where and why.

Nobody has ever counted them, but thousands upon thousands of articles have been started and completed via the help and use of the five W’s. Bloggers and journalists live by them. Newspaper stories and blog posts, Tweets and emails must get to the point fast, report the key facts or newsworthy angle, and entertain, educate and/or inform.

The five W’s are basic, but effective, rules of writing engagement. Let’s take a look at each one.

WHO?

Leave the who of your article out, and your article is dead in the water. Readers want to know who it’s about, or who did what, or who said what. A great many articles obviously hit the who question fast.

Take the published article, “Money Making Entrepreneurs,” for example. No doubt at all is left in the reader’s mind as to the who of the article. It is clearly meant for entrepreneurs:

“Are you willing to take risks? If so, then you have the major characteristics of an entrepreneur, and possibly a money—making one.”

The opening of the article continues to define and explain what it is to be an entrepreneur, making it even more clear that anyone who has ever thought of launching his or her own business will find the article stimulating and helpful:

“By its very nature, entrepreneurship means being willing to think, originate, and then execute your objectives and conclusions. Risk is involved throughout the process.”

In another published article, I tried to make it very clear in the opening paragraphs that the who of the article was the founder of Coca Cola. Actually, there were three founder-leaders that made up the WHO in this case:

“Countless millions the world over would never think of letting a day go by without a nice cold bottle, can or fountain drink of Coca-Cola. Three founder-leaders were behind the launching, early growth, and development of the legendary soft drink: Dr. John S. Pemberton, Asa G. Chander, and Robert W. Woodruff.”

WHAT?

Remember the old film, with Michael Caine in the lead, titled “What’s It All About, Alfie?” That same question is in the readers’s mind; they want to know what your subject and article are all about. Don’t make them wait several pages or half-way through the article before it’s clear what it’s about. Tell them fast in the early paragraphs.

In the published article, “Coping with Customer Skepticism,” notice how the very first sentence spotlights the “what’s it all about” question, making the subject clear to the reader:

“A problem that most sales professionals face continually with certain prospects, customers, and clients is that of skepticism. This problem is in effect a thief because it can rob your chances for many sales. By knowing how to handle it, you are certain to sell more in the years ahead.”

Here is another example, from the published article titled “How Do You Face Crucial Moments?” Again, the very first sentence reveals the WHAT instantly, and then the second paragraph poses a question and proceeds to analyze the what more:

“What do you do when the unexpected strikes? Do you blow with the wind or stand firm?

Ever watch a racing car come off the track in apparent sudden trouble? Up till then, the driver may have had the race in the bag.”

In the third and next paragraph, an effective analogy is made:

“Isn’t life a lot like a race track? As babies we’re cared for much like a new racing car. We take to the track in our teens, and really begin to hit the laps on the “young adult stretch.” Then, as mature adults, we become “freeway flyers.” From the start, we never know when we’ll have to face a crucial moment, or how we will react to it.”

WHEN?

When something happened, took place, or somebody did or said something are all important. It’s part of the team members that build the article. Again, a film is a good example here. Remember Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve in the classic love story, “Somewhere in Time?” The viewer or film-goer needed to know when, how far back in time, Richard Collier (Reeve) was trying to get to, which was made clear, soon in the story, to be 1912. By the same token, article readers want to know when an event took place, when someone’s life changed, when the family moved, when so-and-so hit the lottery. Let them in on the when question, and you will keep them reading.

Here is a WHEN example from a published article titled “Reward Yourself Now and Then.” Notice how clear the when is in the opening paragraph:

“A few months ago, an elderly millionaire killed himself by weighting his body then shooting himself.. .just before jumping into the cold waters of Long Island Sound. He jumped from his own $200,000 three-bedroom yacht.”

Even illustrations and examples from the middle of an article should make the when clear for the reader. Look at the following example from a published article on the life and times of Walt Disney:

“From the day he arrived in Hollywood in the early 1920s, Disney’s career covered a 43 year period. Disney could not have picked a better time to make his move. During these golden years, the motion picture grew into an established and widely popular American art form. Walt Disney did much to help it attain this growth.”

WHERE?

This one is like a close friend to WHEN. Readers also need to know where the monument stands, where a war ended, where an accident took lives, where the number one vacation spot (currently) is, and answers to other WHERE questions. Remember the novel and film titled “The Bridges of Madison County?” When you think about it, that title is the WHERE being answered. The entire novel is centered in the WHERE question.

Here is a WHERE example from the published article titled “57 Ways to Sell a Pickle:”

“Success was no quick arrival in the life of Henry John Heinz. He started a vegetable garden in the 1860s outside his family’s home, in Sharpsburg, Pennsylvania, and showed a talent and sense of soil and seed, which led to a surplus.”

Notice how the second sentence of the opening paragraph states exactly where the subject of the article launched his career and revealed his talent.

WHY?

Last but not least is the Why. Why did the teenager leave town? Why has the weather gone berserk in recent months and years? Why are Labrador Retrievers so much sweeter and friendlier dogs than others? There are hundreds of why questions waiting to be answered. Your reader wants to know the why answers that relate to your article subjects.

In the published article, “Counseling the Bereaved,” directed at ministers and clergy, you can see how clear the when is communicated:

“When those in your congregation lose a loved one, and are devastated by grief, the way you can help them most is simply to get to their side as soon as possible. Just your presence, your being there, will help them more than any words of comfort you may wish to offer.”