Thursday, November 28, 2013

So Many Ways To Say Something



I recently skimmed a book, 50 Literature Ideas, by John Sutherland. It lists, with examples, dozens of writing approaches one can take. I think many of them could be used in your press release writing, such as the following:

Irony- saying one thing, but meaning another. (a bit of hypocrisy or coincidence is involved).

Allegory- saying one thing by means of saying something totally different.

Critical Authority- say something with command and judgment.

Paradigm Shift- unleash a game-changer and shake things up.

Closure- helps us conclude or wrap up unresolved or unsolved matters.

Narrative- tells a story to tell a story.

Ambiguity- doesn’t confuse, but shows conflict by failing to commit to a side.

It also covered things like libel, obscenity, blasphemy, sexual politics, and postmodernism. The book made me realize there are so many methods one can employ in his or her arsenal to get a point across. Couple that with a dictionary that exceeds 1.5 million words and you have endless combinations of ways to sway another.

People may think of PR as hype, bullshit, style over substance, images over words, and headlines over details- and there is some truth to that perception --but PR is like any other form of writing or communication. You need to get one’s attention, be convincing, and able to close the deal.

The next time you’re not sure how to write a headline or present your book to the media, consider calling upon the writing devices shared in 50 Literature Ideas. The best story is yet to come -- your own.


DON’T MISS THIS!!!

Here is my 2014 Book Marketing & Publicity Toolkit: Based on 20+ years in publishing --

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, Media Connect, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2013

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