Why Should Writers Blog?

A poet speaking at an event I attended cautioned that "once you post something on your blog or website, it's almost impossible to get it published in a journal or magazine."

I'm not gonna lie: he's right. Aside from the occasional reprint or spin-off article, most blog content doesn't get published in other markets. If you think about it from perspective, it seems like blogging might be a waste time and energy for an aspiring writer. Right?

Actually, no.

You can't necessarily quantify the benefits of blogging with a paycheck, but you can benefit in other ways. Here's how.

Practice writing on a regular basis. Blogging helps you stay discliplined and keeps those creative juices flowing. Even if you don't have an assignment due, you still have a creative outlet. You don't have to wait for a contract or go through editing by committee or wait six months for some magazine to appear in your mailbox. Blogs are immediate, and you can post as much as you want. Plus you get almost instant feedback when others comment.

Connect with other writers. This is huge, in my opinion. Befriending other writers ensures that you have the inside scoop on editors who are worth working with, publications that are in need of pitches, and general freelance gossip. We don't have a water cooler, so blogs and forums are the next best thing (just be careful what you write online). It's nice to see other writers succeed or grapple with the same issues as you.

Find your voice. You can learn grammar and syntax, but you have to develop your voice over time. If you post regularly and take the time to listen to your inner muse, your voice will emerge. And once you have a strong, distinctive voice, you can apply that to paying assignments and differentiate yourself from the millions of other freelancers out there.

Build your platform. Just look at Penelope Trunk. Or Jen Miller, who incorporated her blog about the Jersey Shore into her guidebook's marketing plan. You don't even have to be an aspiring book author to benefit from blogging. Whether your passion is careers, cooking, or Canadian lit, starting a blog can help you get noticed in that niche and lead to unexpected new opportunities.

Control your online footprint. There are about a million Susan Johnstons out there. Several of them write books. But I'm the top search result in Google, in part because I update my blog so much (which also links to my website). Even if you don't have this problem, I'm betting you'd rather have people find your blog when the Google you than an article you wrote in seventh grade or your college track and field times. Writing good content can help you make-over your image online.

Frankly, blogging is different from writing for traditional, and I wouldn't try to this publish something like this post in a mainstream publication. But I do like the idea of having a place to publish little musings that I find interesting in the moment. What's your reason for blogging?

Drumming Up Clients During a Recession

"Recession" is a scary word for freelancers, since we have to continually market ourselves and search for new opportunities, as well as maintain relationships with current clients. But a lot of the writers I've talked to say there is definitely still demand for their services and that they haven't suffered too much financially. Here are some of ways to nurture your writing (or other) business.

Keep in touch with former clients and editors. Maintaining relationships with people you’ve worked with in the past will help you generate more business in the future. As you complete one project, you might mention in an email to your client that you’re available for additional work or even offer suggestions on other ways they might use your services.

Even if you don’t have time to take on new projects, it’s still a good idea to stay in contact with clients or editors. Set up a Google Alert with the company name so you’ll know when something newsworthy happens and you can send a congratulatory card or email. You might also email your contacts an interesting article that they may not have seen so you stay on their radar. Or you could create a monthly newsletter to keep clients up to date on new services or special promotions you’re offering. Just make sure that you're offering useful information for your readers (instead of pure self-promotion) so that people will want to stay on your list and open your emails.

Ask for referrals. Referrals are another way to leverage your existing network. If you’re on LinkedIn, you can see the names and companies in your contact’s networks and ask for an introduction. You can also request testimonials from clients to boost your credibility and post them on your website or LinkedIn profile.

You might also ask your editors if their companies publish other magazines or manage other websites that might be a fit for you. Of course, you should be willing to offer referrals, too. Say your client needs help with SEO, but that isn’t your forte. Or they ask for new web copy just as you’re leaving on vacation. Recommend someone you trust and you’ll make everyone happy.

Barter for more business. I know a copywriter who upgraded her website’s design by bartering with an advertising and web design firm. She wrote some copy for their website, and they redesigned hers. Another freelancer I know exchanged her editing expertise for maid services. Bartering allows you and the other person access to services or goods you might not be able to afford otherwise, especially during a recession. The exchange might also lead to referrals and more paying work.

Expand your offerings. If companies are cutting back on the services you offer, then ask yourself if some of your other skills might be marketable, too. I earn most of my income through writing and blogging, but I've done proofreading, too. Here's another idea: teach a course in your field. In addition to boosting your bank account, teaching boosts your credibility, too, so be sure to tell your clients and friends to spread the word.

Use your downtime. If your clients are on vacation, then it’s a good time to take stock of your business and improve your marketing strategy. You can also use the time to take a class, attend networking events, or target new markets for your services. By staying busy and upbeat, you’ll be able to maintain momentum and be ready for new opportunities.

Adapted from an article that originally appeared in WorkHomeYou.

What I Learned While Copywriting On-Site

The past six weeks of juggling on-site copywriting and freelance assignments have been a little crazy. Fortunately for my sanity, that project has ended (despite their attempts to bribe me with ice cream and cocktails). But I think it taught me about the dynamics of being a contractor and the craft of copywriting. Here are few pointers I picked up.

Don't get too attached to your copy. That brilliant turn of phrase you came up with could get cut for any number of reasons: it doesn't fit the design concept, it's too similar to another campaign, or it has too many characters. Working on-site tends to be more collaborative than working remotely, so it's easy to get defensive as you see your copy getting lopped off. But remember, you're paid hourly and ultimately, it's up to the client to do what they wish with your copy. You're not getting a byline, so let it go.

Don't get too attached to your computer. Oftentimes contractors are expected to play musical cubes and work wherever there's an open computer. It's a bad idea to save things to your desktop, because you might be across the office the next day and not have access to those files. Keep as much of your work as possible web-based so you can jump around (maybe even work from home once you've proven yourself). I witnessed a little show-down between a contractor who had staked a claim to her computer and another contractor who had gotten there first and logged onto said computer. It wasn't pretty. I actually got shifted around at the end of my first week, because a full timer left and they needed me to fill her shoes instead of doing my original project. For me, being flexible literally paid off.

One thing at a time. When I'm working at home, I tend to jump around a lot. I'll have a tab open with my Gmail account and one with Google reader. I might spend half an hour on a query, then read over the draft of an article before I send it in. But when I'm on the clock for one client all day, it forces me to be accountable and stay focused on their needs. I didn't stress out about the millions of other things I had to do, because I wanted to give that project my full attention when I was in the office. As it turns out, I didn't miss much by not checking Gmail compulsively every few minutes (though having a BlackBerry made it easier to keep up with email on my commute or during breaks). Now that I'm working at home again, I hope to continue some of that laser-sharp focus but still allow myself a little flexibility, too.

Remember, you have X days left. I actually loved the friendly, creative work environment and the people I was working with. Still, after six weeks it became even more apparent to me that I'm just not meant to work in an office. My insomnia returned with a vengeance. Commuting became a chore. I missed spending an afternoon at the library reading magazines for research or taking my laptop to a coffeeshop for a change of scenery. It truly reaffirmed my desire to stay freelance. If you're on an assignment that isn't quite what you expected, reminding yourself of your end date will help you keep perspective and keep free of office politics, too.

Earlier this summer, Jennifer at CataylstBlogger weighed on-site writing versus freelancing, so you might check out her post, too. Have you ever worked on-site? How do you feel about it?

This Year's Top 10 Blogs for Writers

Big thank you to Deb for alerting me about the Top 10 Blogs for Writers. I'm thrilled to be listed among such knowledgeable and respected bloggers. Thank you also to those who nominated me and who have been part of this community over (almost) the last two years.

It was a tough competition this year; in fact, the top three blogs were all within one percentage point of each other, as Michael points out. I have a few faves that weren't on the list this year, but they're in my blogroll, so be sure to check those out.

And now, without further ado, here are the other nine writers' blogs.

Copyblogger
Men With Pens
Freelance Writing Jobs
Write to Done
Confident Writing
The Renegade Writer
Remarkable Communication
Writing Journey
Freelance Parent

Congrats to the other top 10 blogs. And thanks to you for being part of The Urban Muse community!

Win a Free Copy of My So-Called Freelance Life

A few weeks ago I sent out the first issue of The Urban Museletter. So far, the feedback has been great, but producing the newsletter was a bit more work than I expected (I wanted to customize the link color and had to hand-code that part).

Those of who are on the list already know that I have teamed up with Michelle Goodman to offer readers a copy of Goodman's new book, My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire. I'm now offering that same opportunity to blog readers. Here's the deal: email me with 1-2 sentences of the best freelance advice you've ever gotten (or given) as well as a link to your blog or website (if you have one) by the book's release date of October 1. Please be sure to include "Freelance Advice" as the subject line. I will compile this information for the October Museletter and one lucky contributor will be chosen at random to recieve a free copy of the book.

For a taste of what you'll find in My So-Called Freelance Life, check out my interview with Michelle for Wow! Women on Writing. And be sure to sign up for The Urban Museletter so you'll be first to hear about future giveaways and other announcements.

Murphy's Law of Freelancing

I think Lori is reading my mind. Kathy, too. Over these last few weeks, as I'm preparing to take off for some much-needed R & R, clients and editors have practically come out of the woodworks to offer me assignments. At least one person per day. Has anyone else noticed this? It's actually a good problem to have, but I do feel guilty passing on projects and not all of them are easily outsourced. However, knowing that I'm nearing my limits, I've said no to all but the juiciest assignments.

I'm finishing up six weeks of on-site copywriting and for the last few weeks between my contract work and freelance work I've been putting in 50-60 hours. Basically, I'll get up and answer client emails, go to work and write some copy, come home and write some more, then go to bed and start the cycle again the next day. My Dad believed in hard work, not excuses, and I took his wisdom very to much to heart when he died. Now this girl needs a break! I used to be able to work at warp speed, but right now I just don't the energy to sustain that kind of schedule.

Fortunately, my boyfriend and I have a trip planned next week.

My post-vacay plan was to ease back into freelancing: reconnect with editors I've worked with in the past, go through my idea file and transform those ideas into queries, finish a few personal essays I have in the works, and take the time to plan my long-term freelance strategy. Despite my efforts to clear my calendar, it's looking like I may have a full plate when I get back.

Now that I know I can make a living as a freelance writer, I'm trying to shift my focus away from low-hanging fruit (e.i. projects that fall into my lap) and set my sights higher, really think about where I want my writing to take me. But while thinking strategically should pay off in the long-term, it can be hard for me to justify spending a lot of time on that instead of paying gigs. Still, I know that this is a necessity. I'm even thinking about hiring a business coach to help me figure out next steps and formalize my goals.

So, how do you balance the need to plan for the future with the need to pay the bills? Have you hired a business or personal coach? Do you have a long-range plan or are you just trying to keep up with deadlines on a day-to-day basis?

10 Tips for New Bloggers

Last week I blogged about terms that bloggers should know. Now I'll touch on tips for building a successful blog.

1. Find a niche and stick to it. Most successful blogs focus on a single topic. Some rely on the blogger's unique voice and charismatic personality to unify otherwise unrelated posts, but this is hard to do. Whether you're blogging about writing or relationships or something else, it's must easier to find an audience once you tap into that community.
   
2. Put your personal spin on the topic. I've found that what works well for me is to cover an aspect of writing (maybe it's dealing with editors or brainstorming for ideas) and work in personal anecdotes. I try not to dwell too much on the specifics of my situation and include takeaway points that readers can apply to their own writing careers. People usually read blogs because of the blogger's personality, so let yours shine through.


3. Commit to posting regularly. Like training for a marathon or practising a musical intrument, blogging gets easier the more you do it. You'll develop a writing style, get into a schedule, and pretty soon the ideas will be flowing out of you at 1 o'clock in the morning (or maybe that's just me). Bonus: readers will keep coming back for more if they see that you update regularly.


4. Link to other like-minded (or unlike-minded) bloggers. This is a good way to get the conversation going and show that you're a good citizen of the blogosphere. When you're stumped for a post idea, you can find an interesting post written by someone else in your niche, link to them, and write about why you agree or disagree with their opinion. Voila!
   
5. Get your own domain name. As previously discussed, it looks more professional to have your own URL without wordpress.org or blogspot.com attached to the end. When I bought my own Blogger domain, the transition was pretty seamless, but it isn't always that way. Save yourself a giant headache and buy a domain now. That way you won't lose traffic or incoming links later.


6. Do a "soft" blog launch. In other words, wait until you have at least a handful of posts and you've worked out the blogging software before you announce your blog to the world. I made the mistake of sending out the URL to a couple of editors, then deciding to change the name so that the original URL didn't work. Once you've been blogging for a few weeks, then you can add your blog to your email signature, Facebook profile, LinkedIn page, and so on.
   
7. Invite more experienced bloggers to contribute. You can invite them to guest blog or do it Q & A-style. I used to do this with a nifty little feature called 5 Q's (check out the archives). The incentive to the other person is that they get to promote their book, blog, or other projects, so be sure to give them some link love. Often they will return the favor by plugging the post or interview on their own site. It's also a good way to pick the brains of people you admire.
   
8. Set realistic expectations for your blogging success. Realize that you probably won't become the next Dooce or Wonkette overnight. Though you may not land a six figure book deal or generate millions of page views right away, you can connect with cool people and open up new opportunities by starting a blog. Be patient.
   
9. Keep a few posts in your drafts folder. At any given time, I probably have five or six ideas percolating. Blogger's drafts feature is a beautiful thing, because it allows me to start writing a post and go back to it later. Some posts come to me in a burst of inspiration, but others (like this one) require me to write a little and come back to them later. Plus, having a few drafts ready to go gives me something to publish even when I'm too busy to write something from scratch.


10. Realize that you can't read everything. When you're just starting out, it's tempting to want to read the archives and sign up for the feed of every single blog in your topic area. This is admirable, but it's just not realistic. Choose a few blogs that are well-respected and that you enjoy reading. Sign up for their feed, but devote the bulk of your time to developing your own blog instead of following the pack.

What advice do you have for aspiring bloggers? Would you agree or disagree with this advice?

Strategies for "Man on the Street" Interviews

Last night I ventured out in the streets of Boston to do a "man on the street" article for a women's magazine (so, in this case, it was more "woman on the street"). Even if you don't recognize this term, I know you've seen this type of article before. Basically, they publish photos and quotes from random people on the street on a given topic. It could be their opinion on politics, sports, fashion, anything really.

I've seen so many of these in newspapers and magazines over the years that when the opportunity presented itself, I thought, "how hard could it be?"

Answer: harder than it looks.

Maybe I'm at a disadvantage being in Boston, since the stereotypical New Englander can be a little cold and stand-offish (blame it on those harsh winters and our Puritan roots). But it was tough finding people in the magazine's target demographic who were willing to chat for a few minutes, have me take their photo, AND share their email, age, and phone number for fact-checking purposes.

Honestly, I can't blame them. I knew someone in college who actually posed as a reporter for Seventeen magazine to get college boys to dish about dating (which they were more than happy to do in... in graphic detail). Maybe I shouldn't have said that, because now you won't want to help some poor writer who just needs to make her quota of quotes so she can go home. I might be skeptical, too, if the sandal were on the other foot. Here's what I learned...

Location, location, location. It helps to choose a location that gets a lot of foot traffic to up your odds. I should have scoped out my location in advance, because though it does get a lot of people passing through, part of it was partioned off. But I'd already gotten this location approved by my editor and my editor's editor, so I didn't want to admit defeat too easily. The background setting (for photos) was another key considerations when we chose the location.

All in the timing. My first attempt was on Saturday morning. I really wanted to get this article done and wow my editor with my efficiency, but there just weren't many people out and about. And the ones who were out weren't into talking to strangers. Yesterday was a nice day, so there were more people walking around and the vibe was more friendly. But I should have started earlier, because by the time I'd snapped my last photo, the light was already a little lacking.

Wear comfortable shoes. One nice thing about this type of interview is being outside and walking around. I defintely got in a workout doing laps around the perimeter and scouting out sources. I wanted to look cute (after all, I'm representing the magazine), but blisters do not make a stylish fashion statement. Trust me on this.

Choose your words carefully. I found that people did not react well when I invited them to take a "survey for X magazine." I thought the word survey would convey that it wouldn't take up much of their time, but instead they felt like they were just giving me meaningless data or that I was someone soliciting for a political party. Then I switched strategies and told people I'd like to "interview you for X magazine." When I tried this, the person's face lit up as if I'd chosen her specially for this article (which I had). Some were still uncomfortable having a stranger snap a photo, but others loved the idea of being in a magazine.

Bottom line: make the person feel special, don't get discouraged, and allow yourself plenty of time to get the job done. Oh, and if you ever run into a vivacious redhead who asks to take your photo, be nice to her.

How Often Do You Invoice?

Freelance Switch just published an interesting article touting the benefits of weekly freelance gigs over longer-term projects. I'm not sure that I agree with this. As I said in the comments, right now I'm finishing up a project that pays me weekly (which is awesome, don't get me wrong), but most of my regular clients pay monthly. And when I'm writing for a website or magazine, I get paid even less frequently than that.

This makes my budgeting a little less predictable, but it also gives me greater flexibility. If I had a regular gig with mini-deadlines every day, then it would make it a lot harder to write queries or pursue other projects. Right now I have three clients who pay me for a set number of blog posts per month, but it's up to me when I write and publish those blog posts (though I try to spread them out evenly over the course of the month). This arrangement works well for both of us, because they don't have to worry about blogging and I can schedule it around my other projects. Or I can take a day off without much interruption.

Invoicing (and the follow-up email that it often requires) is probably one of my least favorite parts of the job, so invoicing monthly makes more sense for me. I'm betting that my regular clients wouldn't want to deal with weekly invoices either, because they're busy running other aspects of their company.

Bonus! Kristen King at InkThinker is giving away 3-month accounts with Infotrak Invoicing and Steph Auteri at .Freelancedom* reviews 7 invoicing applications.

So, how often do you invoice? Do you use an online invoice service or just good ol' Word documents?

Finalists - 3rd Annual Top 10 Blogs for Writers

Google Alerts alerted me this morning that Michael Stelzner recently announced the finalists for his 3rd annual Top 10 Blogs for Writers. It's a pretty impressive list this year, and I think Michael is going to have his work cut out for himself evaluating over a dozen writing blogs. The criteria for the winners includes quality of posts, frequency of posts, reader involvement, and Technorati rating (in other words, how many other blogs link to you).

I was happy to see The Urban Muse listed among the finalists again this year but even happier to see some old favorites getting recognition and find some new blogs ripe for discovery. Check out all of the blogs that made the first cut.

5 Terms Every Blogger Should Know

This week I got an email from an aspiring blogger, so I wanted to share a key terms that new bloggers need to know as they enter the world of web 2.0. Sometimes I see questions like this pop up on writer's forums, too. You regulars will probably know most of these terms already, so humor me.

1. Blogroll: a list of related blogs. Some people don't like to have too many outgoing links, because they are afraid to lose the traffice. But it's good blogging karma to link to bloggers you admire. Many of them will return the favor if you ask nicely and some will do it automatically.

2. Domain name: this is the name of a website. For instance, in the email address info @ somewebsite.com, some website” is the domain name and that’s what you’d type into a web browser to find the website. My blog domain is UrbanMuseWriter.com, but it used to be theurbanmuse.blogspot.com, because I let Blogger host. Generally, it's considered more professional to have your own domain (and it's dirt cheap, so there's really no excuse).

3. Social bookmarking: allows users to search, store, and organize favorite links and access them from any computer. Examples include Delicious, Digg.com, and StumbleUpon.com. If your article or website makes into the homepage of one of these sites, it can significantly increase traffic (some sites even crash thanks to the “Digg Effect”).

4. UGC: user-generated content (this is sometimes called citizen journalism if it's a news site). Examples include TripAdvisor.com, Yelp.com, and Zeer.com. About a year ago, a newspaper launched in Boston with the idea of bringing bloggers to print audiences five days a week. It died within a year. Magazines like Budget Travel have tried this, too.

5. Widget: third-party online applications that can be embedded in your website. If you've ever been on Facebook, then you've seen about a million and one widgets. I can't explain it very well, so here's a definition of widgets from someone who's more tech-savvy than I am.

Next week I'll write about tips for new bloggers, so if you have tips or questions, be sure to leave them in the comments!

Writing for Print vs. Web

It's not enough to simply add a few links to a print article and call it a day. Online writing requires a different mindset and a different approach. Here are a few of the major differences.

Length: Since online publishers don’t have to pay for printing, you would think that web-only articles would be longer than those in traditional media. But usually they’re shorter, because most people don’t have the time or inclination to read a 5,000 word masterpiece on their computer monitor. Most of my online articles are 500-800 words, but I often write 1,200-1,500 words for print. Sentences and paragraphs for the web must also be short so that readers can scan.

Turnaround time: Print publications can take a long time to put together (most glossy magazines plan at least six months in advance). Not so with online publications. If you’re writing on a blog, you can publish things instantly. If you’re writing for a website, you’ll sometimes see your article published within a week or sooner after you send it to your editor. Instant writing clips!

Format: Even when you have a long article online (say, on Salon.com or Bankrate.com), it will almost always get broken into small bite-sized portions on multiple webpages. That way, readers with short attention spans won’t get overwhelmed by a huge block of text (like those deceptively short lines at Disneyland). Many websites and magazines use sub-headings to break up their articles. Lists, bullet points, or bolding key phrases are other favorite strategies. I would not underline text unless it’s a link, because that could confuse readers.

Titles: A title that includes carefully chosen keywords helps users find relevant content and boosts search engine rankings. For instance, a headline for a print article might use a pun (for instance, Exercising Self-Discipline appeared in The Boston Globe in January, 2008), but online titles tend to be more literal. That same article appeared on the writer’s blog as 5 Ways to Meet a Very Big Goal. Online readers (and women’s magazine editors) like lists because they’re organized and easy to read. Search engines and social bookmarking sites like them, too.

Multi-media: Magazines can illustrate their articles with photography or graphics, but websites often include interactive quizzes, slide shows, podcasts, web links, videos, forums, and countless other features. Generally, you don’t need to be a tech wizard, but understanding each of these items is helpful.

Any other differences you've noticed? Do you prefer writing for print or the web?

What Losing a Parent Taught Me About Freelancing and Life

I hope none of you have to lose a parent prematurely (my Dad was 55), but the past several weeks have taught me a bit more about life and freelancing.

Saying no can save your sanity. I had a client email me with a new project a few days after my Dad died. Part of me said, "take the money, because it could be awhile before you feel like marketing again." The other part said, "you don't really want this project, and now you have a really good reason to say no." The latter part won. Losing Dad empowered me to be say no to projects I'm not excited about. Of course, most freelancers have to suck it up and take on high-paid, low-passion projects every once in awhile to beef up their bank accounts, but in this case, I'm glad I said no. Since I've been extra busy juggling funeral preparations and freelance work, I've also had to drop some of the less important day-to-day stuff. One of these days I need to get back to filing check stubs, but I've realized skipping a few or two of paperwork isn't the worst thing in the world.

What you don't say can speak louder than what you do. As the funeral home collected information to write my Dad's obituary, one of the issues that came up was how much information to offer about cause of death. Someone suggested that we omit that part altogether (MSA is not a pretty disease), but the funeral director pointed out that leaving it to the imagination might cause people to assume the worst. Copyediting the obit was not fun, but I felt we owed it to him to make sure that his legacy was free from comma splices or dangling modifiers.

It's OK to be human. I usually work well in advance, so when things slowed down a bit one of my steady clients emailed me to check in. I admit it: I fell a little behind schedule. I emailed him briefly explaining the situation and saying that I'd do my darndest to get caught up this week. He was fine with that, because the project wasn't pressing and I already had a good track record with him.

It's OK to accept help. If I took bereavement leave from an office job, then other people would be able to fill in some of the gaps. As a freelancer, I have less of a safety net (though fortunately I didn't have anything major that week). The first person I called after I got the news was a fellow writer who offered to take over any writing projects with impending deadlines. I didn't take her up on the offer, because I didn't think I'd need the help (plus, I'm a lousy delegator). But now I realize that it's OK to accept help. Should I ever need reinforcements in the future, I'll know who to call!

6 Ways to Liven Up Your Copy

Today I'm starting week four of my on-site copywriting gig. Despite being literally surrounded by designer handbags, jeans, dresses, and other goodies all day (not to mention coming up with clever ways to describe these products), so far I have not succumbed to the siren’s call of a sale. I haven’t picked up any of the merchandise (yet), but I’m definitely picking up some new ways to spin copy.

See, I’m used to writing short copy, but in magazine or blog land, short means 250 words. With marketing copy, it’s closer to 250 characters. Capturing a duvet set or a rug in that tiny amount of space forces a sort of linguistic agility. It’s like writing a modern day haiku. It can be a challenge to write something interesting in such a short amount of space, so here are a few of the strategies I’ve been using:

1. Parallelism. A popular rhetorical device that dates back to ancient China and Greece. Remember the old phrase, "Veni, vidi, vici"? Translation: "I came, I saw, I conquered." More recently, JFK immortalized the phrase “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” I incorporated parallelism into a tagline for a postcard I wrote: "Good copy gets your point across... Great copy gets results."

2. Juxtaposition. Try combining opposite elements. For instance, there's a documentary about Walmart whose tagline is "the high cost of low price." Schlotzky's Deli has the tagline "Funny name. Serious sandwich." Target's slogan is along same lines: "Expect More. Pay Less." When writing taglines, headlines, or body copy, you could juxtapose things that are light and dark, big and small, new and old, and so on.

3. Alliteration. This can get a little cutesy if overused, but I like a alliteration. A lot. Have you noticed? Gap, Inc. has a good, simple tagline it uses for recruiting materials: “fashion your future.” According to Gerber, "babies are our business." Both are simple, but highly effective.

4. Old phrase, new way. Take an old cliché and turn it inside out or combine two phrases in an unexpected way. Take the word “break.” You could go on a “coffee break” or “break in a pair of shoes.” There’s also “back-breaking,” “record-breaking,” and “breaking news.” These ideas could be creatively merged together to make a clever little statement. My gym has a sign that says they offer "two ways to tighten your belt" (the secondary copy explains that they're offering a discount on gym memberships). H & M had a window display that reads (and I'm paraphrasing here) "breathtaking fashions at prices that let you breath easier." Love those!

5. Rhythmic variety. As one of my colleagues reminded me during an email exchange about newsletter subject lines, “you don’t have to write in complete sentences.” Short sentences can be effective. Like this. I’d forgotten how powerful it is when you really break up the rhythm of your writing! Try it sometime.

6. Sensory details. I spent much of my first week on the job writing product descriptions of watches and rugs. After about ten or so items, they all start to sound the same. But by going beyond the obvious ("this watch has a black dial" or "pink flowers adorn this rug"), you can incorporate other details that play on the senses. Perhaps that green lamp has the shiny finish and round shape of a freshly picked apple. Or the colors in those curtains are reminiscent of summer breezes on the Cape.

Tagline Guru has a list of famous taglines, which could offer a little inspiration (some of them are already mentioned in this post). Any strategies that I've missed? Let me know!