Josh Myatt on work experience at Changeworks

During the first week of December, Changeworks had the pleasure of giving Josh Myatt, a student at Walton High School, a week’s work experience to show him the ropes of being part of a busy PR and Marketing team. Here, Josh journals his time spent at Changeworks.

5/12/11

Monday
Today it was my first day and it was just me and Sue (employer) and me in today, I got into work for 9:00am and I started on completing the account spreadsheet for income, invoices and expenditure. That took me most of the day really, after I completed that I watched the employer edit a video and how to put that accomplished video on to an actual CD.
What I liked about today was how not to be in a routine and listening out for bells, its a change from school with giving you more freedom. There was nothing I really disliked about today and it’s a huge difference from school.
6/12/11
Tuesday
Today everyone was in the office and I got on with the competitor clippings which is the main project of the week, competitor clippings are when I had to search through magazines and look out for competitors for their clients and write down a bit of information for them of course having the usual breaks and lunch which last 30 minutes roughly. Also today I had a briefing about a press release what it is and why it’s used etc.
What I liked today was how I got to meet the team in the business and learning a few new things about the office atmosphere and what kind of work goes on in an office. There was nothing I really disliked again today really, it’s a welcome change and enjoyable at the same time.
7/12/11
Wednesday
Today I was set to come into work at 10:00 and Sue was off ill today so I was in with Tiffany and Jenny in the morning but Tiffany had a meeting to go to. So it was just me and Jenny in most of the day. In the morning I continued with the competitor clippings but moved onto the doing a newsfeed for the changeworks website and published it on the actual website then I had lunch and came back and answered the phones while doing the making of cheques and posting them to their correct address. I then, ironically, did a blog post so far for the business using this diary to finish the day.
What I learnt today was how to post updates on an actual website and also how English can be useful in businesses by summarising an article for example, I also learnt how a company answers the phones usefully.
8/12/11
Thursday
Today most people were in the office and I came in at 10:00 again, once I got in I continued with the competitor clippings once again moving on to create another news feed for my blog posts that I’m currently working on. I then moved on to a briefing about how to follow other company’s or relevant people on twitter. I then had my lunch and got on to do the twitter followings with mixing with the competitor clippings so I didn’t get to bored, I finished at 4:45 today. What I liked about today was how to use twitter considering that I’ve never used it before and just the day really. I never disliked anything again that was set for me or what I had to do.
9/12/11
Friday
Today I continued with the twitter following, competitor clippings and the news feed uploading. Then I went for lunch with the team to a pub. When I came back I completed all the competitor clippings and shortened an article to put it on facebook and also I did another news feed and posted that onto the website and completed the blog posts. What I have learnt today is how the length of time people has to complete their tasks which are very quickly and even more about what the office at atmosphere is like.
What I liked about today was how everyone was in the office and also the work that I was given for today. Again I disliked nothing about today and I finished at around 5:00.

Ever wondered why the excellent story you had to tell didn’t get published while magazines seemed to fall over themselves to use something that you considered to be nowhere near as interesting?

The answer is all in the presentation. And we don’t mean fancy logos or italicised intros. In short, whether a journalist is happy to top and tail a press release or wants to do his/her own research, getting the essence of the story over to them as quickly as possible is the key.

Journalists are not lazy but they are busy. Often they simply don’t have the time to wade through a press release to find the story hidden half way down page two (or even three if it’s that long).

The formula is very simple. If the headline and the first paragraph don’t tell the story, your release stands a very slim chance of being used. You cannot expect a journalist to read through a paragraph describing what a company does and when it was formed before learning in the second paragraph – later in many cases – what the purpose of the release is.

If you have a point to make, a product to promote, a message to get across, make sure the information is in the headline and first paragraph. The reality is that this tends to be how journalists assess the value of a story.

Of course, another factor is how the release is written. While nobody would suggest sending ‘dumbed down’ information to trade and technical magazine editors, you should not be attempting to impress them with unnecessarily big words either.

Don’t fall into the trap of a police officer who famously used the phrase “I was proceeding along the highway when I observed an individual imbibing from a drinking vessel”. What he meant was he was going along the street when he saw someone drinking from a bottle. But he wanted to impress so he headed for the thesaurus.

Anyone writing a press release should not make the same mistake. As a simple example, they should ask themselves, how would I speak to a friend?

1. “Very recently I travelled by public transport to the hub of the city to purchase some footwear” or

2. “I went to town earlier and bought some shoes”?

You’re more likely to keep your friends if you choose option 2 – unless, of course, your friends are very odd. Likewise, if you keep the language in a press release easy to understand you stand a much better chance of getting your news published.

Master the Art of Writing

We can all get bogged down by the pressures of work – having to meet sales targets, needing to generate new leads and having to retain existing customers, but mastering the art of writing can help you achieve all of the above for a more easier and stress-free life.

This is because you can communicate with your audience effectively and efficiently to ultimately generate new sales.

To write well; whether for a press release, newsletter, feature, brochure etc, you need to be able to ‘speak’ to your reader and attract them quickly. Always focus on:

‘What’s in it for them?’

Look at how your product or service is going to really benefit your audience. If you are writing for business to business companies, focus on ‘speaking’ to them as individuals rather than to their ‘roles’ within the company. This also applies for business to consumer companies.

A great example that I came across that taps into audience’s needs regards the selling of ice cream. Other than being absolutely delicious with lots of variety to choose from, what else is ‘in it for them’?

10 minutes of peace and quiet when you have screaming children.

Rather than focusing on the benefits of the product itself, look deeper into the needs of the consumer. People purchase for the outcomes of products/services not the items themselves.

Other tips for writing well include:

• Focus on one single-minded message
• To get people to remember your message, repeat it three times in your piece in slightly different ways
• Give your reader a personality not just a job title or part of a socio-economic group

If you would like to speak to one of us here at Changeworks, please call us on 01785 247588 or email info@changeworkscom.co.uk

There are lots of different variations of Enewsletter templates but how do you know which one will be the most effective for your target audience?

eNewsletter templates for digital marketing

Enewsletters can be long, short, visually led or a simple plain text file that are predominantly viewed on computers and laptops. However, with the increase in smart phone sales, more people are now accessing their emails via their mobiles and not all newsletter templates are ‘small screen’ friendly.

Quick tips for designing Enewsletter templates:

• Single column newsletters work best for mobile phones
• 20% of emails will not automatically load images, therefore, ensure your headings and main benefits are text so that they appear straight away in the email.
• Only 0.2% of people read introductory text. You’re best getting straight to the point with your main product/service benefits
• People receive lots of spam everyday and are eager to clear their inboxes. You have just 1.5 seconds to grab their attention.
• Viewers tend to look at the top right area of an enewsletter first – use this space well particularly for your sales messages.
• Enewsletter templates should be no longer than a page and a half. Stick to a maximum of 3-4 paragraphs of copy.

These are just a few tips to help you create the most effective enewsletter templates. In Part 5, I will focus on the technical aspects of e-newsletters by exploring the most effective ways of sending your enewsletter out.

If you can’t wait for Part 5 and you would like to speak to one of us here at Changeworks, please call us on 01785 247588 or email info@changeworkscom.co.uk