When Bad Jokes Happen to Good People

by My Web Writers

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “A difference of taste in jokes is a great strain on the affections.” While a bad joke with friends and family can be forgotten, with potential customers you might have just one chance to win them over.  Because senses of humor vary, using humor cautiously is in your best interest. That said, good comedy can evoke emotions that connect people to your purpose.

A Little Goes a Long Way

When writing funny copy, a little humor goes a long way. You know that person in your circle of friends who overuses bad puns, as though by telling every joke, eventually he or she will get a laugh? A little bit goes a long way, especially in marketing copy. Not only do you not want to overload your writing with humor and detract from the credibility of your content, subtle humor often reads better, showing your sophisticated skills.

One way to simplify your humor for a bigger impact is by choosing a consistent style. Consider the Allstate “Mayhem” commercials. The ads each feature actor Dean Winters as different embodiments of “mayhem”–a teen driver, heavy winter snow, termites, and so on.

The phrasing in the commercials features eloquent and funny descriptions of the disasters about to befall drivers or homeowners, but the humor lies most in the deadpan delivery. Further, the consistency of the different ads emphasizes the humor and creates strong branding for the company. In your copy, you can employ these same strategies by devising a unified comedic tone or running gag to use along with your stylesheet.

Consider Negative Reactions

If you consider your customer demographics, hopefully you can avoid a joke that offends unanticipated readers, but you should still consider how your writing might be read as distasteful rather than funny. For example, last year KIA ran a print ad that intended to depict the two sides of their new cars. The ad featured a cartoon strip of a teacher talking to a student and seeing her on one side as a little girl and on the other as a sexualized teenager. The company faced a big backlash because a large number of people thought the ad was inappropriate at best. In this case, failing to consider the implications of the joke forced KIA to deal with an offended public. Especially when joking about gender, race, politics, or religion, think through how others might read your humor, or avoid these jokes altogether.

Keep it Positive

All told, using comedy that is on the light side is most likely to make your readers and potential customers smile. By using jokes that refrain from making fun of a particular person or group of people, you depict your company as friendly and trustworthy rather than gossipy or mean. Upbeat jokes also work well with call-to-action marketing copy, so you can draw the reader in with humor and use active writing to bring in a sale.

Finally, remember to read your humorous copy aloud. Your writing should capture the tone and timing of the joke as though you were telling it to your reader in person.

~Kasey

Make a Company Video – Why YouTube is Worth My Investment

Understanding the Need to Make a Company Video

Recently, the upward trajectory of my business dramatically improved. And while I don’t believe in accidents, the game changer was not strategic. I met the owner of My Web Writers for coffee simply because we’re friends. We talked about our families, our businesses, and specifically, my aspirations to take my blog to the next level. As a web content specialist, she has valuable insight on how to earn top rankings in search engine results. After catching up, we got down to business. She offered one piece of advice:

“Make a video”.

No way! Not interested – not at all.  I don’t need video. And even if I did, I’m not 25. I’m not even 35. So I can’t do video – for sure.

My Web Writers’ asked one question: “Do you want your voice to be heard?”

Yes! But my voice isn’t carrying ten extra pounds.

Why My Business Needs to Make a Video

My business began as a novice endeavor that quickly gave root to professional purpose.  I launched Waking Up Vegan to raise awareness of the damage being done by our current way of life. Challenging the status quos with the unsustainable consequences they bestow is the only way to heal our health and save our environment.

And my message resonates. In short time, I have established myself as an expert and created a brand with potential. But while my diligence has led to impressive reactions, I’ve not been able to capture the search engines’ approval.  Sometimes it seems Google doesn’t easily differentiate between intelligent information and meaningless commentary, and there are a lot of both out there.

Why Your Business Needs To Make a Video

Accessibility is granted to pages that are searchable, and searchability is more of a science than an art. Millions of pages are added to the Internet every day; but with ever-changing Google updates, the sure fire way to be seen is with a grassroots message that goes viral. And most of those that do are delivered via video through Google’s very own – YouTube.  The bottom line is that if you want to drive traffic to your website, video content is essential.

My friend proposed a synergistic endeavor. Together, we would create two short videos that would showcase My Web Writer’s production capabilities and Waking Up Vegan’s brand. I would choose the content; she would develop the process. I wrote the script and prepared the materials and props.  She worked the production – the shot storyboard, the shoot, and the editing via Final Cut Pro.

Lights, Camera, Action! Why YouTube Videos are Easy and Complicated to Make!

The process was far more involved than I expected, which is why the end result was so dramatic. I envisioned a three-minute performance where I delivered an Oscar-award winning account of how to make laundry detergent and yogurt. I practiced in the mirror and consequently broke out in hives. But My Web Writers incorporated my script into a formal storyboard and deconstructed each scene one line at a time.  Seemingly inconsequential hand movement, eye contact and voice inflection were skillfully directed as lighting, sound and tempo were monitored. Desired effects, background sound and screen texts were considered in advance.

The day we posted the first video, the overwhelming response was not something I could have predicted. The video has gained traction with each passing day. Overall website traffic has steadily increased. Thanks to My Web Writers and YouTube, Waking Up Vegan  has found a momentum that is now bringing attention, opportunity and most importantly, action. When people know better, they do better.

A Good Message Won’t Be Heard Unless it is Seen: Make a Video!

A well-written article captures my attention, and I assumed that my target demographic would appreciate simplicity. But everyone processes information differently, and having video content opens the door to a much larger audience. If a picture says a thousand words, a well-done video might just be worth a million. Literally.

~Colleen Towner, CEO of Waking Up Vegan

How to Write an Advertorial

by My Web Writers

Gone are the days of “Buy this!” and “Try us!” advertising. People today want information. They want to be educated on their purchases. Thus, comes the advertorial- a cross between an advertisement and an editorial. Check out these tips on how to write an advertorial:

DON’T sound like an advertisement.

Clearly, an advertorial IS an advertisement, but it offers more than just information about a product. If your advertorial sounds too much like used car salesmen, few people will stick around to see what else you have to say about your product or service. Advertorials are often placed beside other content for the magazine, newspaper or television show. Your advertorial should blend in with the actual content of the program or publication and not appear commercial.

DO engage them with advertorial content.

Instead of talking about how great your furniture is, explain low-cost ways for designing on a budget. Show young women how to put on makeup for a night out on the town. Know your audience and what it wants to know. In advertorial writing, the content is even more important than the product itself.

DON’T present your advertorial to the wrong market

An advertorial on how to catch freshwater fish using live bait isn’t well-suited for a fashion magazine. And you certainly wouldn’t put content about baking a gluten-free cake on a racing website. Know your market and where the advertorial is best suited. If you don’t, your time and energy will have been wasted.

DO explain why your information is important

Again, explain why the content you are providing is important, not necessarily why your product or service is important. Your hope is that the advertorial will have such a great impact that your audience will want to purchase from your company- and you didn’t even have to beg or plead with a commercial sales pitch.

DON’T be deceptive

An advertorial isn’t written to fool consumers. Your company logo and information should appear somewhere in the advertorial. Deceiving potential customers creates distrust, and that’s the last thing you want. The advertorial should offer sound advice or information that the customer can use and trust.

DO your research on advertorials

Read other advertorials. Research those that have been successful and also learn from others’ mistakes. Some good articles with more information on writing advertorials include Advertorial 101 and 10 Pointers for Crafting an Effective Advertorial.

~Natalie