The Agony of Delete: 3 Easy Ways to Clean Up Your Content

The Agony of Delete: 3 Easy Ways to Clean Up Your Content.

Happy Tuesday!  Informative article by Susan Young, CEO Get in Front Communications, Inc about how to clean up your writing in three easy ways.   — Pete Cento, Cento Marketing Group, 07-15-14

 

The Agony of Delete: 3 Easy Ways to Clean Up Your Content

POSTED ON JUL 14, 2014 IN CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS | 0 COMMENTS

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Image of The Agony of Delete: 3 Easy Ways to Clean Up Your ContentBy Susan Young, CEO,  Get in Front Communications, Inc.

Here’s an unscientific poll that I want to share with you.

More than 80% of people who write press releases, blog posts, bylined articles, and white papers admit they struggle with how to edit content.

I’m happy to offer a few suggestions on how to approach the editing process:

Image of The Agony of Delete: 3 Easy Ways to Clean Up Your ContentWrite the main purpose on the back of a business card. In one or two sentences, summarize the reason you are writing. This brings clarity, which (usually) leads to brevity. If your purpose is too long for the business card, rip it up and start again. It must be clear in your mind before you begin to write.

Dissect your words and sentences. Slowly read each sentence, one at a time. Then read the next one. If you removed one of the sentences, would your story change? Each sentence must build off of the previous one, adding value to your story. This practice can significantly shorten your content and change the flow of your message. Translation: Cut the crap.

Consider your reader. Your word count will drop when you remove self-serving information that will be irrelevant–or annoying–to your audience. And don’t bother with jargon or rhetoric. Write to offer solutions to your reader’s challenges. Solve, don’t sell.

Finally, the words ‘very’ and ‘that’ should be used sparingly, if at all.

 About the Author: Susan Young is an award-winning news, social media, PR, and communications professional with 26 years of experience.  Her new book, “The Badass Book of Social Media and Business Communication” [Kindle Edition] was recently released.  She works with organizations that want to use digital platforms to increase their visibility, credibility, and revenues. Susan’s company, Get in Front Communications, provides consulting and coaching on all things communication. Her latest accomplishment: Being named one of the ’75 Badass Women on Twitter.’(@sueyoungmedia)

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Pete E Cento was born in Havana, Cuba. He's an alumnus of Archbishop Curley Notre Dame College Prep, Miami-Dade College, Florida International University, and U.S. Fire Administration, Emergency Management Institute, (EMI), Emmitsburg, Md. Peter Cento is an experienced film and digital photographer, and multilingual MarComm, Social Media and Public Relations strategist with more than 30 years of experience helping clients, academia, government, ​and not-for-profit organizations. Cento is the principal & founder of Wild Cats Photography (formerly Atlantis Photography & Design), The Cento Group, & Wild Cats Enterprises, Inc. Cento first made a name for himself in broadcast journalism in the late 80s as a writer, news assignment desk editor/planner/manager, news producer, special project producer and managing news editor at CBS Miami 4, ABC 7 Fort Myers, NBC/Telemundo Miami and Univision Miami WLTV 23. Cento is also a disaster survivor in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, a category 5 hurricane impacted south Miami-Dade County in the early morning hours of August 24, 1992. While working at WFOR CBS 4, he was a part of the station’s community rebuilding through Neighbors 4 Neighbors which recently celebrated its 20th Anniversary. Cento was also part of the award-winning Univision Arizona news team that was honored with a newsroom Emmy in 2003 for developing a comprehensive bilingual water safety and drowning prevention campaign aimed at educating the Hispanic/Latino community in Arizona. Cento has successfully managed crisis situations for BURGER KING® Corporation, University of Miami, BellSouth, AT&T Wireless, USACE Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan and the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority during the annual Atlantic hurricane season. From 2005 to 2013, Cento was deployed as Multilingual PIO and External Affairs Field Specialist with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) covering more than 45 natural disasters from California to Massachusetts and has managed crisis communications for numerous clients. As the face of Wild Casts Enterprises, Inc., clients are assured that Peter Cento will be heading their team and getting them the quality results they expect. Cento’s well-earned reputation, extensive multi-industry background, ability to “pitch” the media and uncanny ability to connect people, presents a great benefit to all of his clients.