6/28 Webinar for Jobseekers: How to Stand Out in the Crowd

June 18, 2013 in Copywriting, Editing, Nonprofits, Writing Training with 0 Comments

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Does your job search need a boost? Not sure what to do to start getting promotions and moving up in your career?

Join me and Opportunity Knocks for Career Development Week from June 24-28!

Each day of Career Development Week, a nonprofit career professional will host a new live webinar on a different aspect of career development. Everyone, from jobseekers to happily employed nonprofit professionals, is welcome to attend any and all of the webinars.

I am the last (but not least) presenter, offering “Job Search 101: How to Stand Out in the Crowd“:

WHEN: Friday, June 28, 2013 2:00 pm ET / 11:00 am PT

DESCRIPTION: Are you looking for a new nonprofit job? Are you trying to transfer your skills from another sector, or seeking to advance your existing nonprofit career? Check out almost any nonprofit job description and you will find reference to the need for good writing skills. Your first opportunity to demonstrate those skills is with the two most essential documents of your job search: an intriguing cover letter and a winning resume.

In this webinar, we will discuss the DOs and DON’Ts of pulling together both of these key pieces to establish your position as a candidate worth interviewing. We’ll also discuss online enhancements you can add, and you will receive a handy tip sheet.

This presentation applies many of the techniques detailed in my award-winning book,  Writing to Make a Difference: 25 Powerful Techniques to Boost Your Community Impact. An e-version of the book is included in your webinar registration!

To register, and learn about all of the other webinars during Opportunity Knocks Career Development Week, just go HERE.

 

6/19 FREE Writing Wednesdays: Editing Your Own (or a Colleague’s) Work

June 13, 2013 in Copywriting, Editing with 0 Comments

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After the first draft is written, then what? Join the discussion about different levels of editing and what to look for in each. You’ll also get a copy of my Editing Checklist and, if we have time, we will do some brief editing exercises. Bring in your questions, challenges, and musings about editing!

On 6/19, at noon Pacific Time (1 p.m. Mountain, 2 p.m. Central, 3 p.m. Eastern), please call in to hear Editing Your Own (or a Colleague’s) Work.  The call will be recorded and placed on the website, so you can listen again at your convenience. You can expect the call to last 45-60 minutes.

Want to join us? Please sign up on the right-hand side of this page for the full call-in info and to get reminders.

Get Your Nonprofit Content Read, Digested & Acted On: 6 Steps

June 11, 2013 in Copywriting, Editing, Publishing with 0 Comments

Flickr: Calixto Bento[Dalya's Note: This blog post was originally published 4/24/13 by Nancy Schwartz, Strategist-Speaker-Consultant GettingAttention.org. Nancy Schwartz (nancy at nancyschwartz.com) helps nonprofits succeed through effective marketing. For more guidance like this, subscribe to her e-update at http://gettingattention.org/nonprofit-marketing/subscribe-enewsletter.html.]

It’ll take you about two minutes to read this. Do you think you’ll make it?

It’s not likely.

People usually read just 20% of any content that’s 100 words long or more. Since this post is longer than that, you’re most likely to scan it for keywords that are relevant to you, plus highlighted elements I showcase with bolding or italics.

Most of us wish, when we write, that people read every single word. But the reality is that people read far less than you think, or want.

Here are six ways to up the odds that your nonprofit’s content is read, digested and acted on: 

  1. Craft clear and compelling headlines that lead readers into the rest of your content.
  2. Structure your content with the most important elements first. The inverted pyramid is your best friend here.
  3. Use clear and accessible language that is quick and easy to understand.
  4. Edit well to keep it short. It’s always a “less is more” scenario with content creation.
  5. Emphasize keywords and phrases to make them easy to find for scanners.
  6. Use bullets and white space to chunk content for easier visual digestion.

This post is 208 words long. Did you make it until the end?

Go beyond promotion for its own sake

June 6, 2013 in Copywriting, Green marketing, Nonprofits, Social responsibility, WMD Blog with 0 Comments

[Dalya's Note: This is an excerpt from my award-winning book Writing to Make a Difference: 25 Powerful Techniques to Boost Your Community Impact.]

When you are writing to make a difference, your two-fold goal is both to promote your organization as a part of a socially responsible solution AND to educate your readers about key things they need to know in your issue area.

Constituent education is often the first step in marketing, especially if you are tackling a complex, often misunderstood problem that involves many variables, processes, or actors. Most of your readers are not specialists in your area, but their interests make them want to know more. You would be wise, then, to build an educational component into your organization’s branding.

EXAMPLE:

As a socially responsible business, you offer environmentally friendly laundry services to people in your neighborhood. While your customers obviously know their need for clean clothes, many of them may not be aware of the hazards of chemicals often used in the dry cleaning process. Your marketing, then, would need to include information about why you offer green services, as well as how you do so.

In this world of information overload, we all could use a guide to the most critical aspects of the issues important to us. We also want to hear about how we can personally get involved, presented in a way that we can relate to.

And that information is precisely what you and your organization excel at providing! Give it to your readers—repeatedly and consistently. The more value you can deliver, the more they will see your organization as worthy of their support, investment, or patronage.

Promoting your brand and appropriately educating your community go hand-in-glove.

bonus tipBONUS TIP:

Just remember that you can never be 100% objective, no matter how hard you try. While your readers know you have a perspective, they also expect you to be clear and honest with your facts and opinions, and to explain your frame-of-reference.

 

 

 

 

6/5 FREE Writing Wednesdays: Inside Scoop on Press Releases (with a special guest)

May 30, 2013 in Copywriting, Nonprofits, Social change with 0 Comments

writing_wednesdays_jpegSpecial Guest John Millen has more than 20 years of experience in media relations and has done hundreds of media interviews with prominent national and local media. Based on his close relationships with journalists, John provided insights into how to write a press release that will intrigue  reporters about your non-profit or issue. John outlined the do’s and don’ts of effective press release writing: headlines, subheads, body copy and other elements.

Other topics John covered: What to put into your press release, and what to leave out; which words and phrases to avoid; the best days to publish your release; how to design your release for maximum search engine optimization, and much more.

The recording is now available: HERE

John MillenAbout John Millen:

John Millen is the Chief Strategist for Reputation Group and a Principal of School of Rep. John mastered marketing at Procter & Gamble, corporate communications as VP at Fortune 100s and media relations in California politics. He has done hundreds of media interviews with national, regional and local media.  Working with associates around the world, he partners with clients to build and protect brands and reputations–for their organizations and themselves. John is also a coach, trainer and professional speaker. In addition, he is a husband, father, runner and cyclist. Connect with John on Twitter or LinkedIn.

 

John’s Recommended Links:

  1. John Millen’s Press Release Example
  2. Press Release Structure
  3. Press Release Writing
  4. SEO Press Release Tips
  5. Google Keyword Tool

 

 

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