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PL Style Handbook
PostLaunchLLC·702.800.21317475W.SaharaAve#103·LasVegas,NV89117
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Table of Contents
TableofContents.........................................................................................................................................2
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
WhatisthePostLaunchStyle?................................................................................................................3
WhyPLStyle?...........................................................................................................................................3
Grammar......................................................................................................................................................4
Voice............................................................................................................................................................6
MedicalVoice..........................................................................................................................................6
ProfessionalVoice....................................................................................................................................7
EngagingVoice(Activevs.Passive)..........................................................................................................8
WebPresenceMarketing..........................................................................................................................10
P.L.M.P.(akaPostLaunchMarketingProcess)......................................................................................10
P.L.M.P.2.0............................................................................................................................................11
SEO.............................................................................................................................................................12
ContentMarketing.................................................................................................................................14
SocialMedia...........................................................................................................................................14
Style...........................................................................................................................................................19
POV(PointofView)...............................................................................................................................19
SentenceVariation.................................................................................................................................20
AristotleModesofPersuasion...............................................................................................................20
Outreach....................................................................................................................................................21
SummaryofthePostLaunchStyle............................................................................................................22
Appendix....................................................................................................................................................23
BetterWords,BetterVerbs...................................................................................................................23
CTAs.......................................................................................................................................................24
Misc.GrammarThings(titles,dashes,ohmy).......................................................................................24
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Introduction
PLStylen.
AstyleguidefortheInternetandallthingsWebPresenceMarketing.
What is the Post Launch Style? Manypeopleabidetoonestyleoranother,APstyle,APA,MLA,andsoforth.Throughourdiversebackgroundindigitalmarketingandbeyond,theteamatPostLaunchlabored,slaved,andlaunchedastyleallourown,astyledesignedtobetterabusiness’swebpresence.
ThePostLaunchStyleistheformidablemodusoperandifortheInternet.ThePostLaunchStyleisdefinableandnoticeablebutadaptstotheindustrywhileabidingbySEObestpractices.ThePostLaunchStyleisgrammar,voice,andsomuchmore,optimizedfortheweb.ThePostLaunchStyleisforcontentbecausecontentrules.
PLstyleisthecollectionofSEOstarstoimproveyourcontentconstellation.
Letyourcontentsoar.
Why PL Style?
A style made for the Internet.
ThePostLaunchStyleismeantfortheInternet.PLStyleisyourgo-toguidetoallthingswordthingsforcommunicatingyourbrandacrosstheweb.Youneedastylethatincorporatestheseelementsforoptimalwebpresence:
• Voice• Grammar• Blogarticles• Onsitecontent• Adcopy• CustomerPOV• Personaimplementation• Sentencevariation• Andmore!
PLStylewasmadefortheInternet,andInternetpeopleuseit.It’stimetosetthestandardforonlinemarketing.
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Grammar
Isstillimportantontheweb.
HerearesomegrammarbestpracticesfortheInternet.
Grammar less like your Grandma’s.
GrammarinthepasttypicallymeanttheQueen’sEnglish.Whileit’sstillappropriatetousethe“Queen’sEnglish,”otherelementsexisttogrammarthatdeserveattentionandareequallyrelevanttoonlinecontent.Settingandmaintainingthestandard,Internetgrammarhasrulesforqualityassurance.
OxfordComma(Duh)
InPLStyle,we’reallaboutsavingtheOxfordcomma.Itkeepslistsconciseandcontentclear.
HereareexamplesoftheOxfordComma:
• Remembertobringyourcoffee,coffee,andcoffee.• Myfavoritethingsforbreakfastarecoffee,coffee,andcoffee.• Ilovemyparents,Beyoncé,andBonoalmostasmuchasIlovecoffee.
ThisisNOTtheplacetousetheoxfordcomma:
• Myparents,BeyoncéandBono,lovecookingmebreakfast.
Titles
Titlescanbedifficultifyoudon’tknowwhattocapitalizeandwhatnottocapitalize.Inshort:Nevercapitalizearticlesandprepositions.ThisgoesforH2sincontent.Articleslikea,an,andthearenevercapitalizedexceptforatthebeginningofatitle.Sub-headers,oranythingsmallerthanaH2mustallbelowercaseexceptfortheletteratthebeginningofthesentenceandpropernouns.
HereareexamplesofproperPLStyletitles:
• AComprehensiveGuidetoAllThingsWebMarketing• WhatIsWebPresenceMarketing?• 7ThingsYouNeedtoKnowabouttheUniverseandEverythingaroundIt• HowtoDotheThingsThatOtherPeopleDoButBeBetteratIt
Alsonote:
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• Numbersintitlesarenotspelledout• Numbersinheadersarenotspelledout
QuotationsandSpacing
Morepunctuationtips!Andspacing.InAPstyle,youuseonlyonespacebetweentheendofasentenceandthebeginningofanother.InPLstyle,youonlyuseonespacebetweentheendofasentenceandthebeginningofanother.
HereareexamplesofproperPLStylequotationsandspacing:
• HomerSimpsonsaidtohisconstituents,“Whereareyougoing?Classisn’toveryet.”Butthestudentsleftanyway(withtheirbagsandbooks).Afterthestudentslefttheclassroom,Homersang“MyCounty‘TisofThee”softlytohimself.(Thisisnotatruestory.)
Numbers
SimilartoAPstyle,PLStylewritesoutnumbersonethroughnineandeverythingelse(10andabove)isnumerical.*
HereareexamplesofnumbersinPLStyle:
• One,three,andninearemyfavoriteprimenumbers.• 10millionpeopledisliketheword“chalk.”• 525,600minutes,howdoyoumeasure,measureayear?
*Exceptionsarepercentages,ratios,andmathexamples.
Plagiarism
Dupcon(akaduplicatecontent)isabigno-nowithoutpropercitation.Blatantlycopyingandpastingsomeoneelse’scontentoradoptinganother’scontentideasandshowcasingthemasyourownisagainstPostLaunch’sstandardsandistherebyagainstPLStyle’sstandards.Writeyourowndamncontent.
ProperPLStylecitation:
• Researchershavediscoveredtheanswertolife.It’s42.• Whenvotersdecided11:1thatthewordchalkshouldbeoutlawed,teacherseverywherewere
atalossforwords.• Readallaboutthewayscoffeecanbenefityouandyourcoworkers.
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Voice
Voicen.
Anindividualwritingstylethatcompilescharacter,wordusage,specificpunctuation,andsoforth.
Your voice says volumes about your brand.
Whyisvoiceimportant?InaworldfullofInternetvoices,youhavetomakeyoursstandoutsomehow.So…howdowedothat?First,youneedtodeterminewhatkindofvoiceyourbusinessneedsandthenapplythatvoicetoyourmessage.Everymessage.
PLStylerecognizes:
• Medical• Professional• Engaging(Activevs.Passive)• Clientpersonality(personaandbranding)
CanIuseslang?WhilefrowneduponinyourAPlitclass,it’sallowedhereinthewild,wildweb.Butuseyourdiscretion.Andwhenitcomestovoice,oneofthemostimportantthingstorememberaboutInternetmarketingvoiceis:
Knowyouraudience.
Youcanuseslang,butwouldyourcustomerbasegetit?Doesitisolatethereader?Doesitlookdownonthereader?
ToproperlyusePLStyle,youmustfirstknowwhatyourbusiness’smessageisandwhoyouraudienceisbeforeyoucanspeaktotheminavoicetheynotonlyrecognize,butalsoavoicetheywilllistento.
Medical Voice Avoicespecificforthemedicalindustry.
Medical voice has scientific weight and convention.
Scientificormedicalvoiceisdistinctduetoitsformalandsometimesdrynature.
Wordstoavoid:
• Proven• Apparently/Evidently
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• Appears
Wordstoleanon:
• Possibly• Potentialresults• Studiesshow• Reportssay• Atpresent• Seems• Mayimprove• Canimpact
Examplesofmedicalvoice:
No:“TheSixPillarsofBrainHealthhasproventobetteryourbrainhealth.”
Yes:“TheSixPillarsofBrainHealthmayhelpimproveyourbrainhealth.”
Professional Voice Avoicespecificforaprofessionalindustry.
Professional voice has a serious and competent tone.
Althoughoftenreferredtoas“white-color”innature,theseriouscadenceofprofessionalcontentcanhelpabusinessofesteemedstaturerelaytheirprofessionalism.Youwouldnotuseslangifyourcompanywantstobranditselfinscholarlyorearnestexpertise.
Unprofessionalwordstoavoid:
• Gonna• Ain’t• Awesome• Freebie• Allcursewords
Examplesofalternative,professionalwords:
• Triumphant• Baffling• Ambitious
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• Aspiration• Innovative• Goingto
Examplesofprofessionalvoice:
No:“Ain’tnothing’betterthanalawyertohelpyouthroughadivorce.”
Yes:“Ourlawyersprovideourclientswithbafflingresults.”
Engaging Voice (Active vs. Passive) Avoicemeanttokeepareader’sattentionthroughentertainingorinformingwhimsically.
Engaging voice is the most common voice—and the most fun.
Contentthat’slesspromotionalandmoreconversational.Talklikeahumaninadialoguewithanotherhuman.Don’twritelikeaKingJamesBible.
Wordstouse:
Prettymucheverythingisfreegame.Exceptcursewords.Thosearestillfrownedupon…forthemostpart.
Active voice vs. Passive voice
Afterwritinginprofessionalormedicalvoice,weallcanfallintobadhabitsofwritinginpassivevoice.PassivevoiceisONLYacceptableinthepreviousvoicesandwhenthesubjectisunknown.
Howtoidentifypassivevoice:
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Shewasattacked(byZombies).Ifyoucanadd“byZombies”toyoursentenceeasilylikethisexample,it’spassivevoice.
Examplesofactivevoicevs.passivevoice:
Passive:Mostthingsinlifeareshapedbyyourviewpoints.
Active:Viewpointsshapemostthingsinlife.
Passive:Duringtheprocessofinvitrofertilization,theembryoisfertilizedinthelabofafertilityclinic.
Active:Duringtheprocessofinvitrofertilization,thefertilityclinicfertilizestheembryointhelab.
Client personality (aka persona)
Everybusinessneedsapersonality.Unlessyourbusinessisrunbyrobots.Personadevelopmentisacrucialparttomakingyourbusinessstandout.
Whatpersonais:
Animageoridentityofpersonorbrand.
Whatpersonaisnot:
Writingstylethatcompilescharacter,wordusage,specificpunctuation,andsoforth.
Howtoapplypersona:
Youneedtoputanactual“face”toyourcompany.Thismeansthecolorsyouuse,thewordsyouemploy,andpersonalityyouembodymustreflectacharacterperceivablebyothers.Buildingyourcompanypersonaiseasy.Applyingittoyouraudiencetendstobetrickierbutherearesomeofthebasicstepstodevelopthepersonaofyourcustomer.
• Knowtheirjoborwhattheydoondailybasis• Understandtheirdemographic(howoldarethey,salary,etc.)• Uncovertheirobstacles(Whatdailychallengesdotheyface?)• Learnabouttheirvalues(Whatdotheyvaluemost?)
Incorporatingthiswithinyourvoiceandmessagecanimpactyourcontentonaninterstellarscale.
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Thisiswhyvoiceissoimportant.Throughtonalityandcontent,wecanshowcaseapersonalityandwhyanaudienceshouldchooseabusinesssimplybythewaytheycommunicate
themselves.
Web Presence Marketing
Webpresencemarketing(WPM)n.
Aholisticapproachtoprovideonlinevisibilityusingevery(andany)platform,tool,orchannelpossible.
Web Presence Marketing is THE marketing choice in the digital age.
Theprocessofmarketingacompany,brand,service,mobileapp,canbeadaunting—time-consuming—process.TheInternet,agalaxyyetexploredsotospeak,isacomplexspaceofopportunitiestonavigate.AtPostLaunch,wetakethetimetounderstandwhatworksandwhatdoesn’twithrespecttoonlinemarketingandadvertising.
P.L.M.P. (aka Post Launch Marketing Process) HowdoesPLStyleapplytoP.L.M.P.?EachelementwillbeaddressedthroughoutthisPLStylehandbook,butwe’llgooverthevitalcomponents.
Blogtemplates:Includetitle,summary/meta,targetkeyword,LSI,image,alttextandcreativecontent.
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Contentcalendartemplates:Includedates,days,titles,meta,wordcount,alttext,contenttype,andblogandsocialcontent.
Reportingtemplates:Days,dates,months,titles(proposedandposted),links,keywords(proposedandused),andcampaigngoals.
P.L.M.P. 2.0 HowdoesPLStyleapplytoP.L.M.P.2.0?EachelementwillbeaddressedthroughoutthisPLStylehandbook,butwe’llgooverthevitalcomponents.
Emailtemplates:Aninformalgreeting,introductionofyourself/companyyourepresent,howyoucameacrossthem,whatproposalyoubothcanbenefitfrom,contentsamples.
Syndicationtactics:Blogcomments,guestblogging(internallyorexternallywithapprovedindustries/sites),socialengagement,PBN,pressoutreach,Stumbleupon,competitoranalysis.
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PLStylemustbeemployedwhenusinganyoftheestablishedsyndicationtacticsorsendingemailsforoutreachandpotentialcollaborationefforts.
SEO
Searchengineoptimization(SEO)n.
Makingownedmediaproperties“delicious”tosearchengineslikeGoogle.
Delicious content needs its garnish: PL Style.
Searchengineoptimization,thoughsometimesmoretechnicalinnature,requiresitsqualitystandards,too.Thosestandardsfallintotheseprimaryareas:
Metadescriptions:Requirethetargetkeywordaswellasstaybetween120and155characters.
Alttext:Musthaveproperspelling,describetheimageaccurately,andincludethetargetkeywordsifrelevant.
Anchortext:Theclickabletextthatconnectstoadifferentwebsitewithincontentfurtherdescribingthetextthat’sbeenanchored.Anchortextmustbepithyandlinktoanactiveonsitepage.(TherearedifferentkindsofanchortextbuttheonesthatshouldbeusedthemostoftenarethebrandedandLSIanchortexts.)
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Backlinks:Backlinksarethelinksothersitesgivetoasite.Theseareusedforcitingasourcebutalsolettingsearchenginesknowthatothersitesfindawebpageorarticleusefulandqualitative.Backlinksshouldalwaysbeusedtociteasourceandneedstobeusedatleastonceperarticletoprovideanarticlewithsearchenginecredibility.
Keywords:Thetargetkeywordswhilementionedinthebody,meta,andalttextmustalsobecomplementedwithLSIkeywords(keywordssimilartothetargetkeyword.)Thosemustbeincludedandmustbecompetitivewithotherarticlesusingthesametargetkeyword.Forexample,ifyou’rewritingablogaboutthebestcookierecipes,youmayhavetohavealongerrecipetoincludeallofthekeywords.Keywordsmayhavestopwords(prepositionsmostly)butarenotnecessaryinthebodyofthecontent.Keywordsspeltincorrectlyinresearchmustbespelledcorrectlyincontent.NOKEYWORDSTUFFING.
URLs:AcreativeagentneedstoreviewtheURLofanarticleoronsitepagebeforepublishing.Notjustforspellingbutthelinkitselfmustmakesenseandnotobnoxiousinlengthorambiguity.
Headers:ThepurposeofheadersisnotonlyforSEObutforbreakingupsectionsofcontentandintroducingcontentandtopicsinanefficientmanner.H2relaylargertopicswhileH3relayssubtopicsand/orthemes.Headersshouldbetrickledthroughoutcontentandmustbeusedmorethanonce.
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Content Marketing Thenetworkingsideofmarketing.Itisanunobtrusivemarketingstrategywhereacompanyprovidesadefinedaudienceuseful,informationalandqualitycontenttheyareinterestedin.Therearemultiplegoalsofcontentmarketing,butthemaintwoareasfollows:retainingamarket’scurrentaudienceandattractingnewclientstotheirbrandandtoprovidequalityandconsistentcontentpopularsearchengineslookfor.Content that doesn’t provide value to an audience or a search engine is
crap.
Contentmarketingandcrucial,initialrequirements:
• Minimumof300wordsforallonsitecontentandblogs• Strategicplacementofkeywordsandlongtailphrasesincontent• Mostimportantly,credibilityandquality
ContentmarketingisthenecessaryandcreativelyexhaustingbeastthatwarrantsmostofPLStyle’sattention.We’vebrokenitdownforthemostpartintheabovesectionsbutgointomoredetailbelow:
Inversepyramid:Thismethodisoftenusedinjournalism.Themetaphorisusedpracticallyinwritingbykeepingthemostimportantinformationinthefirstparagraphandpossiblyintroducinganchortextearlyoninthecontent.Supportingdetailsthenfollowthetopicparagraphandsentenceafterwhichbackgroundelementsfillintherestoftheplotholes.
Introparagraph:Introparagraphs,dependingwhetheryouusetheinvertedpyramidornot,mustincludeakeywordandprovidethepurposeoftheentirearticle.Introparagraphsarealsovitaltobringingthereaderinandkeepingthemonthepageorsitelonger.
Paragraphs:ParagraphsinPLStyleshouldbenolongerthanthreeorfoursentences—dependingonthelengthofthesentences.Paragraphs,however,needtohaveatleasttwoorthreedensesentences.Onesentenceparagraphsshouldbeusedsparinglyandtoemphasizeapoint.
Closingsentence:Shortandsweetwithaclearcall-to-action.Don’tdelaytheCTA!
Calls-to-Action:Short,clear,andvariousphrasespointingareader/usertodosomething,e.g.Buynow.Contactustolearnmore.Submityoursocialhere.
Social Media Yup.There’sastandardforsocial.Someofthemareobvious(likedon’tbeatroll).
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Don’t be the d*** #who puts a #thousand #hashtags in a 140-character #tweet. #Milliennialisms
Socialmediaisonthemove.Withvisualcontentbecomingtheonlycontentpeoplepayattentiontoanymore,conciseandclearlanguagebecomescrucial.Forthesakeofsocialmedia,we’llkeepthissectionshortandfocusonthemediagiants:
Facebookposts:JustbecauseFacebookismorelenientwiththeircharacterlimitdoesn’tmeanyouneedtogocrazywithalifestory.KeepingFacebookpostsunder140charactersisalsobestpractices.
Google+posts:“PeoplestilluseGoogle+?”Apparently.UseFacebookbestpracticesandyou’llbegood.
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Tweets:KeepyourTweetsunder138characterswithalinktothewebsite.AvoidASMUCHASYOUCANsacrificinggrammarandpunctuation.Wedon’twantnosillysloppiness.
Instagram:Okay,you’reallowedtousemorehashtagswithInstagramposts.BUT,don’tgooverboard.Linksaren’tclickableinInstagrampostsbutyoucanlinkyourwebsiteinyourprofile.
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PLStyle’sengagingvoicestillapplies.
Linkedin:Again,similartoFacebook.Linkedindoesallowhashtags,sortof.Butusesparinglyandintentionally.
YouTube:TitleofvideomustbePLStyle.Descriptionmustbeover100words,keywordrichandusingproperPLStylegrammar,etc.
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Anatomytoagoodsocialpost:
Content
• Cleargoalofthepost.• Makethereaderdosomething(Shareyourideas,etc.)• Askaquestion.• Keepitsimpleandbrief.• Don’tbesale-sy.• Includea#ifrelevant.• Tagrelevantindustriesorpages.• Becleverorinspirational.• ALWAYSincludealinkANDanimage.
Images
• Findrelevantimages.• Don’tuseanythingoffensive.• Uploadseveralonestousemorethanonce.• Researchnewpicturestouseatleastonceaweek.• Usethesameimageyouusedforyourblogpost.
CTA
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• AvoidsayingthesameCTAoverandover.• Avoidusingtermslike“blog”or“website”unlessabsolutelynecessary.• UsenewandengagingCTAs(Discover,educate,etc.)• Useasenseofurgency.• KeepyourCTAclearandconcise.• Usecolonsforthelastsentenceofyourpost.• Usecolonswithashort,clearCTA.
Style
Stylen.
Adistinctappearanceorpresentation.
Content’s dressing gown.
StyleinPLStyleisprettttttysimple.Everypersonhastheirownstyle.Everywriterhastheirownstyle.Everybusinessmusthavetheirowndrawerofstylefromwhichtopull.
POV (Point of View) Whenwritingonbehalfofsomeoneelse,youhavetobecarefulaboutwhatpointofviewyouuseinyourmessaging.WHOissharingthemessage?Justyou?Yourwholeteam?Or,areyouputtingsomeoneonamission?
AcceptablePOVs:
• Third-personplural• Firstpersonsingular• Firstpersonplural(TheRoyalWe)• Second-personplural(implied)
Examples:
• Webelievethatwebpresencemarketingisthenumberonesolutiontoimproveaclient’sonlinesuccess.
• Ilovewritingaboutmyselfbecauseit’smyopinionthatI’msharingonthispointandnotnecessarilythecollective’s.
• YoumustreadthiswholehandbooktoreallygetahandleonproperPLStyle.
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Sentence Variation Subjectverb.Subjectverb.Thosesentencescanbecomedulltowriteandtoread.PLStylelikestovarysentencestokeepthereaderengaged.Hereareeightsentencevariations.
• Preposition–Thereare150prepositionsintheEnglishlanguage.Usethemtostartyournextsentence.(Withthat,let’smoveontothenextsentencevariation.)
• Pastparticiple–Pasttenseverbsthattypicallyhavethe“ed”attheend.(Exhausted,shewrotethisexamplehalf-heartedly.)
• Presentparticiple–“Ing”verbs.(Talkingsoftly,sheexplainedtheuniverseandallitssecrets.)• Subordinateconjunction–Youusethisoneallthetime.Youjustdon’trealizeit.(However,here
aresomesubordinateconjunctions:although,since,because,etc.)• Subject/verb–Iamthesubject.Theverbistheaction.• Simile–LikegazelleacrosstheplainsofAfrica,herfingerflewacrossthekeyboard.• Appositive–PostLaunch,awebpresencemarketingfirminLasVegas,recentlyreleasedanew
stylebookmeantspecificallyforthewebandeverythinginit.• Adverb–Incidentally,HoldenCaulfieldlovedadverbsalmostaslittleasStephenKing.
Aristotle Modes of Persuasion Inrhetoric,theartofeffectiveorpersuasivespeakingorwriting,nonewasmoreinfluentialthanAristotle.Inwebpresencemarketing(andguiltybyassociation,contentmarketing),persuasivewritingiskeytoconvincingaudiencestotrustyouonatopic.
Aristotle’s Modes of Persuasion in PL Style is meant for enticement. Thepersuasivewritingcomesinhandywhenyouneedtoansweraclient’sobstaclebetter—andmoreeffectively—thanacompetitor.Hephilosophizedthreemodesofpersuasionforeffectiverhetoric.Thethreemodesarelogos,ethos,andpathos.Logos
Thisispersuasionbyappealingtotheaudience’ssenseoflogic.Anexampleofusinglogosinmarketingwouldbeusingstatisticsorevidencetogivevaliditytoaproductorservice.
“Inthe35yearsofsailingtheseas,I’veneverseenabeautifulmermaid.”Ethos
Thisispersuasionbyappealingtotheaudience’ssenseofhonestyorauthority.Anexampleofethosinmarketingwouldbehavinganexpertoranofficialinhisorherrespectivefieldstatinghisorheropiniononthetopic.
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“PatrickMcVegan,ahealthguruinveganismandfitnesstrainer,statesaveganlifestylecanhelpyoulosemoreweightandmakeyoumoreenergetic.”
Pathos
Thisispersuasionbyappealingtotheaudience’ssenseofemotion.Anexampleofpathosinmarketingwouldbepresentingheartbreaking,romantic,orhappyimagestoprovokethefeelinginpeople.
“Thinkofthechildren!”ApplyingAristotle'sModesofPersuasion
WheneverapplyingthesemodesofpersuasiontocontentmarketingorWebPresenceMarketing,creativeagentsmust:
• Considertheaudience(e.g.medicalaudiencesappealtomoreethosorlogos)• Considerthetopic(e.g.atopicondogswouldappealtoaudiencesthroughpathos)
Outreach
Outreachn.
Theactofreachingout.
Content worth writing must be worth sharing.
BuildingrelationshipswithothercontentcreatorsacrosstheInternetisnotessentialtocreatingbacklinksanddomainauthorityforawebsitebutalsocriticalforcollaborationandopeningthedoorsforpartnershipsandmeaningfulconnection.Theoutreachtosimilarcreativeagentsinsimilarindustriescreatingsimilarcontentisthatfinalsteptoextendingandoptimizingawebpresence.
Andyes.Evenyouroutreachhastoreflecttheproperstyle.Yourbranddoesn’tchangewhenyouchangeplatformssoneithershouldyourstyle.
EmailWhensendinganemailtoabossofabrandoracontentcreatorlikeyourself,yourvoiceandstyleshouldstillreflectthecontentyouproposebecausethewayyouintroduceyourself—thefirstimpression—willhelpdictatewhetherornotacontentexchangewilloccur.Anatomyofanoutreachemail:
• Casualgreeting(usefirstnameifprovided)
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• Giveaquickintro(whoyouare,whoyourepresent)• Introducebrieflywhyyou’rereachingout(complimentwhereyoucantoshowyoudidyour
research)• Offersomethingofvalue(attach/linkablog)• Tellthemwhatyouwantandwhytheyshouldcare(bringintheirmissionorhowyourgoalsare
similar)• Concludewithcontactinfoandwhenyoulookforwardtohearingfromthem(timelinesset
expectation)
SocialSincesocialismorelaxinnature,don’tgocrazywiththetoneorlengthoftheoutreach“DM”ofFacebookmessage.While,ingeneral,theperimetersofanoutreachsocialpostmaybesimilartotheemail,dependingontheplatform,youmayneedtobeevenmoresuccinct.Anatomyofasocialoutreachpost:
• Complimenttheirworkrelevanttoyourindustry(notethepiecespecificallyandwhyyoulikedit)
• AskaquestionorgiveaCTAtoyourownpiece(don’tforgettolinkit)• Keepitsimple(overtpanderingwillonlygetyouignored)
Outreachshouldbedoneoftenbutshouldneversupersedeyourongoingeffortsinternally.Ifyoudon’thaveasolidcontentcreationsystem,voice,andstrategy,itwon’tmatterthatyoureachoutbecauseyourhouseisbuiltonsand.
Summary of the Post Launch Style
Nowyouhaveit.LanguagefortheInternetandsomerulesthereof.Butremember:
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PLStyleisnotmeanttobearulebook.PLStyleisalaunchpad.PLStyleisforthosewhomaketheInterneteveryday,laboringawayatkeyboards,smartphonesandtabletstomaketheirpresenceknownandheard.PLStyleisthecommunicationtooltoconnectyouwithyouraudience,yourcustomer,andothers—justlikeyou!Sharewithyourfriends.AndstaytunedmonthlyforPLStyleupdates,tips,andtricks.AbouttheAuthor(s)
AnneE.:LikescoffeeandSuperman.
Angela:Neveragreedtodothis.
Appendix
Better Words, Better Verbs Don’tsettlefortheeasyword.Pursuetherightone.
Noisy Deafening,boisterousOften Frequently,continually,Checkout Discover,uncover,learnPretty Resplendent,beautiful,alluringOpen Transparent,unequivocal,patentPainful Excruciating,agonizingPale Ashen,pallidPerfect Flawless,consummatePoor Destitute,penniless,deficient,haplessQuick Brisk,swift,expeditiousPowerful Compelling,cogent,commandingQuiet Hushed,tranquilRainy Drizzly,pouringRich Lavish,prosperous,opulentGood Superior,substantial,benefit/beneficialSad Dejected,woebegoneScary Frightening,spine-chillingSerious Consequential,momentous
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Sharp Keen,cutting,distinctShort Diminutive,LilliputianSimple Elementary,unpretentiousOld,old-fashioned Ancient,antediluvian,antiquated,archaic
CTAs AstrongCTAstandsoutandcompelsareadertotakeaction.
Discover Learn UncoverCheckout Book SeeRead Understand FindoutStudy Look SignupCall Visit RegisterFollow Gather NoticeKnow Appreciate TeachFamiliarize Take NoteGive Reachout HollerRequest Schedule PlanPrepare Develop Outline
Misc. Grammar Things (titles, dashes, oh my) AssimilatedbelowaresectionsandmiscellaneousthingsthatwerenotaddressedintheabovesectionsofPLStyle.
Titles
Alltitlesshouldbeinquotationsunlessinthetitleismentionedwithinaquotation.TVshowsandmoviesdonotrequirequotationsbutbooks,shortstories,andpoemsdo.PublicationsliketheNewYorkTimesandonlinemagazinesdonotrequirequotationidentifierseither.
Examplesinclude:
NetflixhasstreamingdowntoaT.JustlookattheirsuccesswithDaredevilandtheiradaptionof“Daredevil:TheManwithNoFear.”
Time,dates,andstates
SimilartoAPstyle,timesshouldbedictatedina.m.andp.m.withthecolononlyusedtoidentifyifthetimeisnotonthehour.DatesandstatesarealsosimilartoAPstylewiththeexceptionthatyoualwaysspelloutthecityandmonths.
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Examplesinclude:
• OnThursday,November26,Thanksgivingstartsat5:15p.m.inLasVegas.• WhattimedoesyourplanelandinDallas?Monday,January15,2017,at9p.m.?
Punctuation
Commasarecommon.Butwhataboutthoseotherkeysonthekeyboard?Let’stalkaboutthat.
• Nospacingbetweendashes(seriously—like—nospacekeyhere)• Ellipsesareonlythreeperiodswithnoextraspacing(fordramaticeffect…)• ExclamationpointsbettermeanyouaresoGOSHDARNexcitedthattheonlywaytodescribe
thisexcitementisthroughthatpunctuationmark(oneshallsuffice)• &shouldonlybeusedifit’spartofclient’sbranding/name• @onlybelongsinTwitterhandlesandemailaddresses(lazinessisnotanexcuse)• Parenthesescanbeusedtorelayinformationthatisnotcrucialtothesentenceasawhole
(almostlikeaninnerdialogueescaping)• Asterisksareusedforclarifyingpurposesonly• Thepound/hashtagsymbol(#)onlybelonginsocialandtalkingaboutsocial• Downwardslashesareallowedbutshouldbeusedsparingly(sparingly/occasionally)• Semi-colonsmayonlybeusedCORRECTLY(butdon’tbeasnob)• Bracketsareusedforchangingaquotetomakemoresense(“[She]saidthatIcouldeather
lunchoutofthefridge”)• %USEIT• Punctuationusenotmentionedheremustbeusedwithdiscretion(^~>)
E-commercerequiresthehyphen.Internetisalwayscapitalized.