Exercise 1: Writing your story
I’d like you to have a go at writing your general business story. It doesn’t need to be long – short and snappy is better. You can use my ‘story’ example for a gauge on length (it’s 241 words). If you’re unsure, you could always talk to a friend and ask them if they find that angle interesting.
Some points to remember:
- Always thoroughly proofread. There must be no spelling mistakes, odd grammar or typos. Watch your apostrophes.
- Numbers from one-nine are written out in words; 10 and above are written in numerals.
- Never include emojis in copy.
- Be very sparing with exclamation marks. In fact, just don’t use them. Trust that your story is strong and convincing enough without them.
- Be careful with capitalisation. Job titles are lower case. So are a lot of the other words and phrases that people capitalise. If in doubt, I usually refer to the Guardian style guide.
Exercise 2: Create a story around your online course
Now, how about pitching a story around your online course…
- Is there a current news story you could tie it in with – new stats, a new report, a celebrity engaging with your industry?
- Do you have a case study you could share, in an article – build a story around how the type of work you do has helped a specific person (or a handful of people)?
- Is there a story around why you decided to create an online course, that people might find interesting/surprising?