Archive for March 16th, 2013

Quotability

 

I have written many, many press releases.

The first thing you have to do is forget about YOU.   There are two groups who matter.   One is the person and/or cause you are writing FOR.   The other is the person or persons who might publish it

No press release sounds at all like TOO or the usual comment here. photo obama_zpsc0b85ae0.jpg

When it came to the person I am writing it FOR, President or wildcat striker, I really looked forward to the look on their faces as a coal miner or trucker or Southie heard the exact words, in his own language, fitting precisely into the press release terminology.

Likewise, the press lapped it up.   The reporter is there like every other working person, looking forward to quitting time when he can go home to his liquor and his divorce.     He wants it to sound as if he had been sitting right there with the subject, as I had.   And that’s the way I made it sound.

Notice there is no “in other words” here.   I made it QUOTABLE.

There were over thirty replies to “Racism is a Hate word.”

I finally asked if anyone could claim their in other words was as quotable as “Racism is a Hate word.”

More replies, but not one addressed that.

The philosophy here is that of the Mantra.  It takes a lot of work to produce something people can’t help but use.

I have said many times that I got my picture on the front page of the New York Times.   I did it because the reporter had to use my picture because I wrote his article for him.    After that many quotes in the article, my picture had to be used.

All this is practical stuff.   On the work page, they hash this out because in the heat of battle you can’t be a windbag.

Attack slogans are short or the attacker is dead.

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