by David Tandet
Know your job.
Sounds obvious, right?
But apparently it’s not so clear to some people.
A friend of mine told me about a new writer her firm had hired.
The writer had boundless energy when criticizing the current structure of my friend’s office.
More significantly, the new person asked for a couple of days extension of her first […]

by David Tandet
If you’ve been around a library, bookstore, coffeehouse, or airline seat in the last few decades, you know who Sue Grafton is — “A” is for Alibi . . . “U” is for Undertow.
I saw an interview with Ms. Grafton and she said she took classes to learn about police procedural stuff. That’s […]

 by David Tandet
The real scoop on getting your grant proposal seriously considered?
Use spell check.
That’s not my opinion. It’s straight from the lips of Holly Cole, Verizon’s Director, Government & External Affairs, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.
Ms. Cole gave that advice during a recent presentation at the Ventura County Community Foundation. It was part of her […]

by David Tandet
Did you see US News and World Report’s list of Best Hospitals? How about the Wall Street Journal’s list of the Best Health Books of 2009? Lists are always an efficient marketing tool to position your company in front of the rest. When it comes to healthcare, pharmacology and bioscience, the following reasons […]

by David Tandet
Manatt, Phelps is a law firm that provides personalized care for integrated legal services. After an old friend told me about a presentation she’d made to some attorneys there, I went to their website to find out more.
The narrative I immediately became engaged in was about what it takes to succeed in business. […]

by David Tandet
Philanthropy and public relations have a long history together. When 19th century tycoons were attacked as robber barons, several set up foundations to contribute to good causes — in part to fend off the verbal assaults.
Sometimes the infusion of capital into new works was so great that foundations had to set up their […]

by David Tandet
As director of development for the Alzheimer’s Association — California Central Coast Chapter — part of Sue Murphy’s job involves grant writing that will help advance her organization’s mission. What is that mission? To ultimately eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through research, provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the […]

by David Tandet
Good grammar rocks.
I’m no grammarian.
But I know when to look up the right way to say something.
That’s more than a research exercise.
It’s more true in grammar than any other area: know the rules before you break them.
The “dumbed down” version’s often preferable in marketing.
How many people use “as” correctly these days? So why […]

by David Tandet
When you specialize in a particular type of writing, you’re saying to people, “This is my turf. Hire me for a white paper, a marketing piece, or blog in this particular field and, (1) I won’t have to get up to speed about the basics, (2) I may be able to add some […]

by David Tandet
• “Bullets are nice.” Got that from a client before he clicked off the phone after delivering marching orders for his next newsletter. Very key. Whether it’s bullets or numbers, more paragraphs or subheadings, organization makes the copy readable. It also keeps you on track. Make the points you want to make. Write […]