Split-Personality Writing

I cover the Board of Education for the town I live in--Summit, NJ. Last year, there were some exciting topics, like whether or not to change kindergarten from a half to a full-day program, and the discovery of hate graffiti in the bathrooms at the high school and middle school.

These meetings were long and lively, and the articles on them were shared widely on social media. They had lots of engaging comments; the education beat was interesting.

This year, there is a bit less excitement. Standardized testing results? Buy or lease new district vehicles? Should the high school roof be repaired? People are kind of glazing over. Heck, it's so boring that I have a tough time going back and editing my own writing.

But what is interesting is that in addition to covering the schools for the local on-line news site, I also write a column for them. That is called "Melodrama"--I do like that name! So far, I have written five columns that reflect whatever I am feeling at the moment. Folksy. Friendly. Opinionated. (They are all linked there, so let me know what you think.)

I also do the marketing for a professional theatre company in town. For them, my writing is more sales oriented, as I am trying to help them find local businesses to take out ads in the program that is distributed at the shows, find groups to host events at the theatre, and just get more butts in seats.

The style of writing for the theatre marketing differs from the columns, and again is different from that of the Board of Ed stories.

Do your web site, brochures, sales letters, and other marketing materials have a need for "salesy," "informative," or "opinionated" material? My bet is that you would have a need for all three styles.

If you remember back to your English writing class days, these are called persuasive, expository, and narrative styles of writing.

Your business messages need to be delivered to the right people at the right time in the right style to ensure that you are delivering the correct message.