Kevin Voigt

“Did not respond to a request for comment.” Seems there’s a growing trend of companies and sources simply 𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 requests from the media to respond to a journalist’s questions. But – is it wise? In a piece from the Columbia Journalism Review (link below), Paul Farhi cites a It cites a fivefold increase in this trend over the past 10 years. The article delves into why it’s in a company’s best interests to respond to a journalist’s questions. Reasons include: ✅ It allows a source to share their side of the story. “It’s the job of spokespeople to tell the best story about the companies they represent,” says Oliver Darcy of CNN. ✅ Sources can dispute facts before publication and, in some cases, steer a reporter away from publishing it (“Reporters don’t want to publish something that’s not true”). ✅ Working with a reporter can help you build trust and a relationship that brings benefits over time. It's important to remember that building and maintaining a business's reputation is, after all, a long game. ✅ If a company says nothing, it may appear as though it’s confirming a story is correct – and staying quiet or ghosting reporters could lead to even more scrutiny. Often, the 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘵 way to approach a reporter’s request for comment is to fail to respond. While it may be uncomfortable to answer questions, imagine how unsettling it'll be if the story runs 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 the company's point of view represented? ✅ It takes A LOT to get a correction made if the story runs with an error and the company tries to correct it after the fact. Speaking from experience, I can say it’s a 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 more straightforward path to respond to the original request than to try to correct it later. 👉 On that note, be sure to have a media contact listed on your company’s site. The contact should monitor and respond to messages daily. Reporters are often on deadline and need a prompt response to their questions. Side note: I appreciate this story’s use of the terms “earned” and “owned” media, which we don’t see used often enough (although ads, which are also mentioned, fall under "paid" media). #B2BPR #publicrelations #earnedmedia #PRTips

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A great test to see if your copy is too formal is the "comma Mary” test. The test comes from Bruce DeSilva, a thriller author and former journalist. The test: put ", Mary" at the end of a statement. Then read it aloud. If it doesn't sound right—namely, too formal—turn the word-choice dial toward less specialized, more conversational until it feels right. Example: “Undergoing regular cancer screenings is the expert-recommended approach to discovering cancer early enough to optimize treatment options and improve health outcomes, Mary." or "Regular cancer screenings help find cancer early, which is why experts recommend them. Treatment works best then and can help patients live longer, Mary." Which one are you most likely to say to a person? Now, it's no silver bullet; you'll want to go deeper and look at your writing decisions—sentence length along with word choice and order. But the "comma Mary" test is a great tool to judge your copy's readability. And to make changes toward making it more human—if that's what it needs, Mary. Alexandra Howson and I talked shop about voice last year. #writing #storytelling #medicalwriting

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A great test to see if your copy is too formal is the "comma Mary” test. The test comes from Bruce DeSilva, a thriller author and former journalist. The test: put ", Mary" at the end of a statement. Then read it aloud. If it doesn't sound right—namely, too formal—turn the word-choice dial toward less specialized, more conversational until it feels right. Example: “Undergoing regular cancer screenings is the expert-recommended approach to discovering cancer early enough to optimize treatment options and improve health outcomes, Mary." or "Regular cancer screenings help find cancer early, which is why experts recommend them. Treatment works best then and can help patients live longer, Mary." Which one are you most likely to say to a person? Now, it's no silver bullet; you'll want to go deeper and look at your writing decisions—sentence length along with word choice and order. But the "comma Mary" test is a great tool to judge your copy's readability. And to make changes toward making it more human—if that's what it needs, Mary. My friend Alexandra and I talked shop about voice last year. #writing #storytelling #healthcare

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Writing Prompts are a great way to practice writing. Here's one way to do it: https://lnkd.in/gAk8aW5M

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Check out my blog post all about "ing" words. I LOVE "ing" words and use them all the time...then, I found out they are bad! https://wix.to/RRSAr2q #newblogpost https://wix.to/7VeZQI6

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(Editor’s Note: Periodically the editors feel compelled to clarify and even correct content produced by this author. Editors have added context after erroneous comments in today's post. Readers should proceed with caution.) People often ask me how I became an award-winning author. (Literally no one has ever asked that.) It required extensive study of Bible commentary and analyzing scripture in the original Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. (But mostly by receiving daily devotional emails from much smarter authors.) This process has revealed to me hidden messages in the Bible. (Only “hidden” in the sense these verses are not typically on Christian wall art. It’s right there in black and white… and sometimes red.) This insight is rare, it’s life-changing, and I am pleased to share it with you here. (While the first two claims are suspect, what the author wrote is, in fact, found here.) I call this series, “Hidden Secrets of the Bible at Work.” Here’s an example: In the gospel of John, Jesus’ expansive ministry has angered the Jewish leaders, to the point where they want to kill him. Yet Jesus remains in the area to follow God’s perfect timing for his ministry. His followers encourage him to go to Jerusalem for a bigger stage where more people can hear his message. And they encourage it with more than a hint of cynicism. “Jesus’ brothers said to him, ‘Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.’  For even his own brothers did not believe in him.” (John 7:3-5 NIV) This reminds me of work. Have you had a plan or project derailed by others? Have so many cooks stirred the pot that you lost control of your soup? Input and collaboration produce strong outcomes. But I think we also need to be careful not to let others divert our plans as they pursue their own agendas. And we shouldn’t feel our work is worthwhile only if it’s seen by a crowd. Eventually, Jesus did go to Jerusalem, but he did it in God’s timing. Jesus was focused on following his Father’s direction, just as we should be. We can start by asking for his guidance. (Huh. Fortunately, he ended better than he started.) #devotional #faith #faithatwork #faithandwork

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#Writing may be a solitary endeavor, but that doesn't mean #writers should toil alone from start to finish. Communities like these provide support, education, and sometimes credibility. Browse this roundup and see if one or two groups might be a good fit for your needs. https://lnkd.in/gMfC7vAX #writetip #writingtip

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If you’re an aspiring writer—someone who, deep down, wants to write but isn’t—you may be carrying around a ball-and-chain belief that the culture has foisted on you… That writing is a frivolous luxury that you can only do after all the “important” things have been taken care of. The sad news is, though… All those so-called important things will ALWAYS be there. And honestly, your desire to write… Until you stop thinking your impulse to write is a frivolous luxury and start believing it’s a necessity, you’ll continue to minimize your impulse to write and you’ll sideline your writing indefinitely. And I don’t want that to happen. Get my FREE "Alchemy of Writing—First Steps to Conjure and Nurture Your Writing Practice" - https://lnkd.in/gvi_cQDj LINK TO REGISTER FOR THE ALCHEMY OF WRITING MEMBERSHIP GROUP—https://lnkd.in/gnWxSuv2 Website: https://lnkd.in/g9hJmZQv Blog: https://lnkd.in/g-6KuTkG Instagram: https://lnkd.in/g7RdwiUs LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/gmrcbT-S Pinterest: https://lnkd.in/gDzyt8hu #writing #fiction #fictionwriting #writingfiction #shortstory #shortstories #short story #short stories #alchemy #alchemyofwriting #writinghelp #writingtip #writingtips #inspiration

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"Show, don’t tell" is said a lot—but it isn’t meaningless white noise. In this first part of a brand new four-part series, we’ll discuss what "show, don’t tell" actually means and how exactly it relates to the strength of your story. https://lnkd.in/e9gix-9 #amwriting #writetip #writingtips

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"Show, don’t tell" is said a lot—but it isn’t meaningless white noise. In this first part of a brand new four-part series, we’ll discuss what "show, don’t tell" actually means and how exactly it relates to the strength of your story. https://lnkd.in/e9gix-9 #amwriting #writetip #writingtips

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The tool I use the most when I would otherwise have writer's block is this: I write down everything I DO know about the project or assignment. Sometimes it's little more than my name, the idea or pitch, and maybe placeholders for "hed and dek." It is a super effective trick at getting started when I am stuck. And I have 5 more tricks similar to that one. https://lnkd.in/ePqjJ6Se

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"She expanded her business tentacles." Could generative AI have written that or was it just creative thesaurus-ing by an enthusiastic writer? My colleague who initially edited the draft thought the author may have used generative AI. At first, I only thought the volunteer writer was perhaps inexperienced. But "tentacles"? Tentacles has such a specific and physical meaning that it's hard to imagine a human confusing it with a simpler word, like "reach." Here's one take on how we might detect text written by generative AI: by its "accent." What "accents" do you think AI-generated text has? (The article compares AI to experienced writers, so I'm not convinced we'd see such a clear difference from work by inexperienced writers.) Edited to add the link! It's also clickable from the comments. https://lnkd.in/gY3SU6Cq #Writing #GenerativeAI

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Pleased to share this reported piece I wrote for International Journalists'​ Network (IJNet) about AI-generated news, search engines, and where it all leaves journalists. #ai #ijnet #journalism #futureofjournalism #ainews #googlesearch #journalismbestpractices #aijournalism https://lnkd.in/eq4eMRP4

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