Copywriting UK | TENFOUR blog

Sometimes ‘tat’ sells. It’s funny, memorable, and gives people something to talk about at the pub.

With this firmly in mind, have any of you seen the website for the new Borat Film? It reminded us of the ‘real’ website written by that Eastern European fella a few years ago (can’t remember the name or site now). Then there’s Michael Winner in those truly horrible e-sure adverts; Barry Scott advertising Cillit Bang, and the king of all tat: Ferrero Rocher television commercials.

Then, on the opposite end of the scale is the Evening Standard which is trying to add the quality tag to what it does. TENFOUR noticed last night that the paper now carries the legend ‘London’s Quality Newspaper’. Has this been added in response to all the new freebie sheets on London’s streets (see our ‘Give it away now’ article)?

So, you’re thinking of writing a press release and wondering how? Here’s a one-to-ten list we hope will help.

1. Question whether you have a story: OK, we’re taking the risk we’ll offend some people here. But, thinking about whether you have a story is really important. If you were the man or woman on the street, would you be interested in the words you’re about to commit to paper?
2. So, what is the story?: What’s the most interesting bit about what you’re saying - for the reader rather than your buisiness? A good journalist will always think about the person who’ll read the final article, and so should you. Does whatever you’re writing about mean you’re doing something different to the average? If so, that’s where the story should start.
3. Who is your audience?: If you get the chance to look through the publications or websites you’re sending your release do, you really should. You’ll get more of an idea about the stories they run. And you might pick up a relevant section… or, better still, a contact name to send your release to.
4. Important information upfront: What are the vital bits of information? Some people talk about the ‘what, when and where’ of a press release. Or, if you’re writing about a topic or issue, what’s the main hook (interesting part of the story)? The ‘what, when and where’ or the hook should always come in the first paragraph - which, itself, should be no longer than 30 words.
5. Think about newspaper articles: Take a look at a newspaper story and how its first paragraph sums up what’s to follow. Journalists are not patient, so make sure they know what’s going on as soon as possible. All important information should be in the first paragraph, even though it might take time to shoehorn it all in.
6. A catchy title: A good title catches can catch someone’s eye. But, be careful it’s not confusing. Clarity is more important than cleverness, however funny you find your play-on-words.
7. A quote or two: Soundbites work for all media. It makes sense to include a quote from a member of your company. Better still is a quote from a third-party who’s tried your product or service and can explain why it made his or her life so much sweeter.
8. Editing: Edit, edit, edit. Once you’ve written the release, try and cut around a third of the words. You’ll be amazed if you try… and it really will make your story more saleable.
9. Contact details: Make sure you include your contact details at the end of the release. A journalist might want to get in touch with you for a number of reasons - not often to tell you how good your release is… but you never know.
10. Notes to editors: You don’t need to fill your press release with background information. Add a section at the end called ‘Notes to editors’ and drop it all in there. Journalists can read the background if they need more, but it won’t get in the way of what you’re trying to say.

Here at TENFOUR we’re quite taken by the UK advertising campaign for the new Vauxhall Corsa. Whatever you do today, you should have a peek at their site: www.thecmons.co.uk. It’s great fun.

Whether you like the promotional style or not, it’s not your average automobile fare: smug, groomed guy sitting at the wheel; car sweeping around the bends of a distant mountain trail. It’s none of that… no thank you. The advertising and website are both based around five freakish puppets who go by the names of blue, white, red, moo… and a female one we can’t find the name of. It’s all a bit like the Spice Girls, really. One ‘puppet’ for every possible taste.

What we like about the Corsa C’mons! is the personality and fun it adds to the brand. We wouldn’t put Vauxhalls at the top of the list when it comes to fun and young brands. So, perhaps this is an attempt at tapping into that market? A good attempt at that…

First they asked us what was in our wallets. Now, the question is what’s in our schedule for life…

TENFOUR was flicking through The London Paper yesterday (see Give it Away Now article) and noticed an advertorial sponsored by Capital One credit cards. It was a piece written by a life coach on how you could achieve your goals.

Tip #1: Write down at the top of a piece of blank paper: “the sky’s the limit”.

OK, so we could be cynical. Rack up your debts, the sky’s the limit. We even queried whether the site url they were promoting was packing a certain subliminal punch: We-make-changing-easy-dot-com.

But we’re not cynical at TENFOUR writing *cough*. It’s an intriguing marketing partnership, don’t you think? Take a look at the site and let us know what you think…

So, Google has gone all TV and video on us, buying up YouTube - arguably the best invention since the internet itself… and sliced bread, obviously. If you haven’t been on the site already, take care. It’s addictive. It’s very addictive. 

Whether or not we should be pleased that Google has snapped up YouTube, it’s got to be pretty good news for the site’s co-founders who must have pocketed a fair portion of the £883m sale price.

It got us to thinking - again - what an amazing marketing tool the internet is. YouTube has the formula just right, of course. Users can get creative, present themselves to the world in all their glory, and reach the heights of Y-list celebrity. But, for a ‘business’ to grow such a following in two years is just immense.

Anyone interested in buying our copywriting agency? We’ll start the bid at £3. Do we hear £3?