Kranz On Copy: Insights and answers on copywriting and writing copy

I believe the best public relations practice is also the best and most ethical social and business practice: focus on substance first, then work on communicating that substance clearly.

Sounds obvious, right? But in practice, it often doesn't work that way. How many times have you been frustrated by poor customer service (complicated automated voice mail, rude or incompetent floor staff) only to see that same company invest in a campaign with a "commitment to customers" or "people come first" message? And when you do, do you -- can you -- believe it?

The Olympics ended yesterday and for me, the most striking aspect of the games was the lackluster performance by major athletes, such as Bode Miller and Johnny Weir, who had made names for themselves for their "bold" statements to the media. Too bad their big words and "unconventional" postures weren't complemented by big performances or exceptional athleticism.

Lots of messaging, little substance.

But take heart: Today, I read about a little-known American athlete who's all about substance, Sarah Konrad. No, she didn't bring home any medals. But this 38 year-old (that's not a typo -- 38!), who started cross-country skiiing in her thirties, became the first U.S. athlete to compete in two different sports (30K team x-country relay and the bialthlon) in a winter Olympics.

Today's Wall Street Journal article presents a fascinating portrait of a modest, brilliant (Dartmouth gradute, PhD in geology) and down-to-Earth athlete whose determination reminds you of what the Olympics is really supposed to be about: talented athletes doing their best. Substance, not showing-off.

There's no way around it: If you want to position yourself as a thought-leading, industry expert, guru-type of consultant or professional service provider, you almost have to write a book.

Here a few things to think about while you're thinking about it:

Check out Margaret Gormley's article, Giving Them What They Want: How to Write a Book Proposal and Win a Publisher's Heart on ThoughtLeading.com. Before you write a book, you have to write a compelling book proposal; look to this article for insights.

Read my article on RainToday, 8 Things You Must Know About Publishing A Book To Promote Your Services.

Then, consider plunking down $15 to read a 12-page, in-depth interview RainToday conducted with me to capture my roller-coaster book publishing experience: Thought Leadership Through Publishing: Negotiating Your Best Publishing Deal, An Interview With Jonathan Kranz. In it, I offer some hints, tips and advice regarding what you should and should not expect in your negotiations and subsequent relationships with publishers.

What does it mean to be an advertising or marketing professional?

Here's an answer from an unexpected source, an overview of James Joyce's Ulysses by James Martin Adams. In the book, the hero Leopold Bloom (who corresponds to Homer's Odysseus) makes his living as an advertising solicitor. Why this profession? This is what Adams has to say:

"Because the art/trade of puff and publicity is a characteristic art/trade of modern society, involving cleverness but not creativity, a cliche-ridden mind and a measure of petty shrewdness, a smattering of all subjects and a mastery of none. Because it is performed under the auspices of the business, rather than the editorial department. Because it is a peripatetic, semi-bourgeois, sub-literary, pseudo-business kind of a job, entirely suitable for a small-time conniver like Bloom."

Or a small-time conniver like Kranz. Agenbite of inwit!

Want to write a more effective, higher-ranking, and popularly-esteemed website?

Join me February 22 at 1:00 PM EST for Crafting Killer Web Content, a 75-minute teleseminar in which I'll show you how to:

* Build compelling online sales copy that incites action

* Transform lifeless copy into empathetic "about you" messaging

* Apply keywords for maximum SEO effectiveness

* Create must-read content that positions you as a leader

Crafting Killer Web Content is sponsored by Communitelligence, an online meeting-of-the-minds for more powerful marketing and PR communciations. You may register for the teleseminar here.

Actually, I'm not interested in which ads were best, which were worst. (Frankly, I couldn't remember any of them after the game was over. And I only had three beers.)

What really interests me is the tone of the coverage of the ads the day after. Particularly the Wall Street Journal's survey/slash article that "ranks" the ads.

Ads are supposed to generate business. Yet the entire focus of the discussion is on how clever, cute, original or funny the ads are. Typical quote:

"Another popular entry last night was Careerbuilder.com. The online-job site's ad, following the story line of its last Super Bowl ad, showed an office run by a gaggle of chimps. Once again, it drew plenty of chuckles. 'I am a sucker for monkeys,' said Robert Rasmussen, a creative director at JWT."

These ads cost millions of dollars, a significant investment for any business. So you would expect some real careful thinking from the people entrusted with these precious ad dollars. But "a sucker for monkeys"? And this from a creative director at one of the most prestigious ad agencies in the world?

No wonder ad agencies are declining in relevance...

A couple of months ago, the people at RainToday asked me to participate in a survey of professional service providers who've published books. Now the fruits of their labor are available for everyone to read (for a price): The Business Impact of Writing a Book: Data, Analysis and Lessons From Professional Service Providers Who Have Done It.

The report reflects the input from 200 surveys and dozens of in-depth interviews with authors who have collectively published 590 books. The results are provocative and well worth reading, especially if book-authorship is something you're seriously considering. Among the findings:

* 49% of the participants said publication had a "positive" effect on their careers and another 47% credited it with an "extremely positive" influence. Almost everyone agreed that it was something they would do again.

* Sales size matters. Sure, there's the credibility of being published at all (especially if it's through a big name publishing house) but the greater the overall sales, the greater the favorable business impact.

* Apparently, there's a distinct statistical correspondence between hiring agents, PR firms and professional marketers to hawk your book, and higher earnings from advances, royalties and business leads. BUT...there's a chicken and egg dilemma (that the report acknowledges on the issue of agents): Did the authors who used these services enjoy the increases as a result of them? Or is it likely that the authors who could attract agents and afford PR/marketing support were already big league players with name recognition and a well-established networking/speaking/PR base? This issue remains a bit foggy.

* There was almost unanimous agreement that publishers will not market for you; you have to commit to doing it yourself. If you're planning to write a book, create a plan for marketing it as well. (See my article on book publishing for more details.)

One of the things the report doesn't address is the relationship between content type and success. Are there differences in business impact (leads generated, new business closed) among those who wrote technical books (WAP 2.0 Development), tactical books (Proposals: On Target, On Time) and "big" visionary books, such as Leadership Presence or Lessons From the Edge? Should they be marketed differently? Should authors expect differences in business results, or in ways they should exploit their books? This could be the subject of an interesting follow-up report...