Interesting infographic on common blogging mistakes – I like the part about not forcing yourself to post every day and am really glad that after years of telling people to stuff the copy with key words, conventional wisdom now suggests writing for your audience.  What a concept!

Even in business-to-business marketing, emotions drive sales and engagement.  Here's a quick read with some emotion-laden words to improve your writing.  

We're so used to certain phrases, we don't realize what they mean or that they're redundant.  This listcicle will help you sharpen your prose.  Some are "blatantly obvious," others surprised me.  

Interesting article on crisis management – 

Good advice, presented a new way.  Check out this article.  

Here's a definitive piece on when and how to use parentheses, dashes and brackets.  I'm posting it so I can easily find it when trying to decide whether a { }, [ ], —   — or ( ) will do. I had never heard that dashes are used to accentuate a phrase – makes sense. 

Sometimes the people who have the most to offer are reluctant to talk to the media. It may be a sense that everyone already knows the information (they don’t) or a fear of being misrepresented.  

Some sources say that they had a 20-minute interview and only one line was used in the story or they weren’t quoted at all.  This happens.  Writers end up discarding information that doesn’t fit the story’s direction.  It’s possible that another source said basically the same thing or the journalist altered the direction of the story, making portions of the interviews irrelevant. 

Some things are beyond your control, but here are some ways to improve your chances of being quoted as the savvy expert you are.

• Before the interview, read recent articles the reporter has written to get a feel for their style and interests.
• Ask about the story’s direction, how the interview will take place (many are via telephone). You can also see if the reporter can send over some questions.  (Some do, and some don’t. Plus, they can’t really send you all their questions; something you or someone else says may spark new ideas.) 
• Research the topic and make notes.
• Anticipate questions. Put yourself in the reporter’s shoes and think about what their audience wants to know. How will X affect your industry? What is the upside? What could go wrong? 
• Think about who else is likely to be interviewed.  What can you say that’s different and will reflect well on you and your company? 
• Write key messages – these are the ideas you’d like readers to takeaway. They’re two or three sentences long and can be delivered in 30 seconds or less and they should reflect your personal or corporate brand.  Then review your company’s key messages and try to connect this story’s response to your company’s brand statements.  
• Keep your written responses in front of you during the interview and bridge to them when it makes sense.   
• During the interview, kill all distractions. Turn off your computer screen, ignore texts, and close your door–treat a phone conversation as if the reporter were there in person.

It may sound like a lot of work, but it’s well worth it.  You’re potentially reaching thousands of readers, influencing how people think about the story, and reinforcing your position as an industry thought leader.

I've posted several tips for speakers, but this is the first I've seen for the more common panelist position.  Number 2 is particularly good – Panelists often waste time trying to correct a statement that isn't central to the presentation.  Decide if it's worth the time before you jump in.