Archive for the ‘copywriting’ Category

Our latest blog post discussed the multi-tasking of community newspaper journalists. The Publisher – a publication from the Canadian Community Newspaper Association – recently featured an article discussing this model, and the importance of journalism students to learn entrepreneurial skills as well as practiced reporting abilities. It reads, “Today’s newsrooms are looking for journalism school graduates who can write, photograph, tweet, text, and generally move in and around the new news ecology with ease, style and skill.”

Jeff Jarvis, associate professor and director of the Interactive Journalism Program at City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate School of Journalism, has created a program focusing on just this. He believes that young journalists will face careers different from those in the past and, as such, schools should reflect this by providing tools to create one’s own opportunities and deal with the evolving nature of newsrooms and the media.

For community newspapers, this wide base of training promises a new era of journalism and forward-thinking that can create even stronger community connections and news-telling opportunities, both on and offline.

Saving money by using CommunityClassifieds.ca to advertise is a great way to reaching to a wide community of relevant customers for a competitive price. However, it’s important to ensure that your classified advert is as effective as possible. We’ve put together some tips on how to increase the success of your advert:

1) Include correct contact information

Ensure interested parties can contact you in a method most convenient for them. Add a phone number – with area code – at the end of your advert and include an email address you regularly check. Make sure this contact information is the last piece of information in your advert.

2) Use a ‘Call to Action’

With few words available, it’s important to make each of them work to sell your product or opportunity. Use words with positive connotations and include phrases that encourage the reader to do something. For example, a luxury travel company may use phrases such as ‘Call now’ or ‘Save money’ or ‘Get the holiday of your dreams’.

3) Don’t Waste Words

Make your advert as clear to the reader as possible, but don’t write in full sentences. Cutting unnecessary words can reduce your word count and save you money while still conveying a persuading message. For example “Green Chevy, 1978 model, in great condition with only 10,000 miles on the clock” can be reduced to “Green Chevy, 1978, great condition, 10,000 miles.” Short phrases or singular words in a list can communicate your message well.

4) List the Location

This may seem like an obvious piece of advice, but at Community Classifieds we often see great adverts with no location information. Providing a location will help to ensure that anyone who contacts you is interested in what you are advertising. Adding a location ensures you don’t get calls from people who will not be able to pick up your item or participate in your opportunity. This is especially important if you are advertising across different regions.