pl style handbookpost launch llc · 702.800.2131 7475 w. sahara ave # 103 · las vegas, nv 89117...

PL Style Handbook

PostLaunchLLC·702.800.21317475W.SaharaAve#103·LasVegas,NV89117

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Table of Contents

TableofContents.........................................................................................................................................2

Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3

WhatisthePostLaunchStyle?................................................................................................................3

WhyPLStyle?...........................................................................................................................................3

Grammar......................................................................................................................................................4

Voice............................................................................................................................................................6

MedicalVoice..........................................................................................................................................6

ProfessionalVoice....................................................................................................................................7

EngagingVoice(Activevs.Passive)..........................................................................................................8

WebPresenceMarketing..........................................................................................................................10

P.L.M.P.(akaPostLaunchMarketingProcess)......................................................................................10

P.L.M.P.2.0............................................................................................................................................11

SEO.............................................................................................................................................................12

ContentMarketing.................................................................................................................................14

SocialMedia...........................................................................................................................................14

Style...........................................................................................................................................................19

POV(PointofView)...............................................................................................................................19

SentenceVariation.................................................................................................................................20

AristotleModesofPersuasion...............................................................................................................20

Outreach....................................................................................................................................................21

SummaryofthePostLaunchStyle............................................................................................................22

Appendix....................................................................................................................................................23

BetterWords,BetterVerbs...................................................................................................................23

CTAs.......................................................................................................................................................24

Misc.GrammarThings(titles,dashes,ohmy).......................................................................................24


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Introduction

PLStylen.

AstyleguidefortheInternetandallthingsWebPresenceMarketing.

What is the Post Launch Style? Manypeopleabidetoonestyleoranother,APstyle,APA,MLA,andsoforth.Throughourdiversebackgroundindigitalmarketingandbeyond,theteamatPostLaunchlabored,slaved,andlaunchedastyleallourown,astyledesignedtobetterabusiness’swebpresence.

ThePostLaunchStyleistheformidablemodusoperandifortheInternet.ThePostLaunchStyleisdefinableandnoticeablebutadaptstotheindustrywhileabidingbySEObestpractices.ThePostLaunchStyleisgrammar,voice,andsomuchmore,optimizedfortheweb.ThePostLaunchStyleisforcontentbecausecontentrules.

PLstyleisthecollectionofSEOstarstoimproveyourcontentconstellation.

Letyourcontentsoar.

Why PL Style?

A style made for the Internet.

ThePostLaunchStyleismeantfortheInternet.PLStyleisyourgo-toguidetoallthingswordthingsforcommunicatingyourbrandacrosstheweb.Youneedastylethatincorporatestheseelementsforoptimalwebpresence:

• Voice• Grammar• Blogarticles• Onsitecontent• Adcopy• CustomerPOV• Personaimplementation• Sentencevariation• Andmore!

PLStylewasmadefortheInternet,andInternetpeopleuseit.It’stimetosetthestandardforonlinemarketing.


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Grammar

Isstillimportantontheweb.

HerearesomegrammarbestpracticesfortheInternet.

Grammar less like your Grandma’s.

GrammarinthepasttypicallymeanttheQueen’sEnglish.Whileit’sstillappropriatetousethe“Queen’sEnglish,”otherelementsexisttogrammarthatdeserveattentionandareequallyrelevanttoonlinecontent.Settingandmaintainingthestandard,Internetgrammarhasrulesforqualityassurance.

OxfordComma(Duh)

InPLStyle,we’reallaboutsavingtheOxfordcomma.Itkeepslistsconciseandcontentclear.

HereareexamplesoftheOxfordComma:

• Remembertobringyourcoffee,coffee,andcoffee.• Myfavoritethingsforbreakfastarecoffee,coffee,andcoffee.• Ilovemyparents,Beyoncé,andBonoalmostasmuchasIlovecoffee.

ThisisNOTtheplacetousetheoxfordcomma:

• Myparents,BeyoncéandBono,lovecookingmebreakfast.

Titles

Titlescanbedifficultifyoudon’tknowwhattocapitalizeandwhatnottocapitalize.Inshort:Nevercapitalizearticlesandprepositions.ThisgoesforH2sincontent.Articleslikea,an,andthearenevercapitalizedexceptforatthebeginningofatitle.Sub-headers,oranythingsmallerthanaH2mustallbelowercaseexceptfortheletteratthebeginningofthesentenceandpropernouns.

HereareexamplesofproperPLStyletitles:

• AComprehensiveGuidetoAllThingsWebMarketing• WhatIsWebPresenceMarketing?• 7ThingsYouNeedtoKnowabouttheUniverseandEverythingaroundIt• HowtoDotheThingsThatOtherPeopleDoButBeBetteratIt

Alsonote:


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• Numbersintitlesarenotspelledout• Numbersinheadersarenotspelledout

QuotationsandSpacing

Morepunctuationtips!Andspacing.InAPstyle,youuseonlyonespacebetweentheendofasentenceandthebeginningofanother.InPLstyle,youonlyuseonespacebetweentheendofasentenceandthebeginningofanother.

HereareexamplesofproperPLStylequotationsandspacing:

• HomerSimpsonsaidtohisconstituents,“Whereareyougoing?Classisn’toveryet.”Butthestudentsleftanyway(withtheirbagsandbooks).Afterthestudentslefttheclassroom,Homersang“MyCounty‘TisofThee”softlytohimself.(Thisisnotatruestory.)

Numbers

SimilartoAPstyle,PLStylewritesoutnumbersonethroughnineandeverythingelse(10andabove)isnumerical.*

HereareexamplesofnumbersinPLStyle:

• One,three,andninearemyfavoriteprimenumbers.• 10millionpeopledisliketheword“chalk.”• 525,600minutes,howdoyoumeasure,measureayear?

*Exceptionsarepercentages,ratios,andmathexamples.

Plagiarism

Dupcon(akaduplicatecontent)isabigno-nowithoutpropercitation.Blatantlycopyingandpastingsomeoneelse’scontentoradoptinganother’scontentideasandshowcasingthemasyourownisagainstPostLaunch’sstandardsandistherebyagainstPLStyle’sstandards.Writeyourowndamncontent.

ProperPLStylecitation:

• Researchershavediscoveredtheanswertolife.It’s42.• Whenvotersdecided11:1thatthewordchalkshouldbeoutlawed,teacherseverywherewere

atalossforwords.• Readallaboutthewayscoffeecanbenefityouandyourcoworkers.


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Voice

Voicen.

Anindividualwritingstylethatcompilescharacter,wordusage,specificpunctuation,andsoforth.

Your voice says volumes about your brand.

Whyisvoiceimportant?InaworldfullofInternetvoices,youhavetomakeyoursstandoutsomehow.So…howdowedothat?First,youneedtodeterminewhatkindofvoiceyourbusinessneedsandthenapplythatvoicetoyourmessage.Everymessage.

PLStylerecognizes:

• Medical• Professional• Engaging(Activevs.Passive)• Clientpersonality(personaandbranding)

CanIuseslang?WhilefrowneduponinyourAPlitclass,it’sallowedhereinthewild,wildweb.Butuseyourdiscretion.Andwhenitcomestovoice,oneofthemostimportantthingstorememberaboutInternetmarketingvoiceis:

Knowyouraudience.

Youcanuseslang,butwouldyourcustomerbasegetit?Doesitisolatethereader?Doesitlookdownonthereader?

ToproperlyusePLStyle,youmustfirstknowwhatyourbusiness’smessageisandwhoyouraudienceisbeforeyoucanspeaktotheminavoicetheynotonlyrecognize,butalsoavoicetheywilllistento.

Medical Voice Avoicespecificforthemedicalindustry.

Medical voice has scientific weight and convention.

Scientificormedicalvoiceisdistinctduetoitsformalandsometimesdrynature.

Wordstoavoid:

• Proven• Apparently/Evidently


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• Appears

Wordstoleanon:

• Possibly• Potentialresults• Studiesshow• Reportssay• Atpresent• Seems• Mayimprove• Canimpact

Examplesofmedicalvoice:

No:“TheSixPillarsofBrainHealthhasproventobetteryourbrainhealth.”

Yes:“TheSixPillarsofBrainHealthmayhelpimproveyourbrainhealth.”

Professional Voice Avoicespecificforaprofessionalindustry.

Professional voice has a serious and competent tone.

Althoughoftenreferredtoas“white-color”innature,theseriouscadenceofprofessionalcontentcanhelpabusinessofesteemedstaturerelaytheirprofessionalism.Youwouldnotuseslangifyourcompanywantstobranditselfinscholarlyorearnestexpertise.

Unprofessionalwordstoavoid:

• Gonna• Ain’t• Awesome• Freebie• Allcursewords

Examplesofalternative,professionalwords:

• Triumphant• Baffling• Ambitious


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• Aspiration• Innovative• Goingto

Examplesofprofessionalvoice:

No:“Ain’tnothing’betterthanalawyertohelpyouthroughadivorce.”

Yes:“Ourlawyersprovideourclientswithbafflingresults.”

Engaging Voice (Active vs. Passive) Avoicemeanttokeepareader’sattentionthroughentertainingorinformingwhimsically.

Engaging voice is the most common voice—and the most fun.

Contentthat’slesspromotionalandmoreconversational.Talklikeahumaninadialoguewithanotherhuman.Don’twritelikeaKingJamesBible.

Wordstouse:

Prettymucheverythingisfreegame.Exceptcursewords.Thosearestillfrownedupon…forthemostpart.

Active voice vs. Passive voice

Afterwritinginprofessionalormedicalvoice,weallcanfallintobadhabitsofwritinginpassivevoice.PassivevoiceisONLYacceptableinthepreviousvoicesandwhenthesubjectisunknown.

Howtoidentifypassivevoice:


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Shewasattacked(byZombies).Ifyoucanadd“byZombies”toyoursentenceeasilylikethisexample,it’spassivevoice.

Examplesofactivevoicevs.passivevoice:

Passive:Mostthingsinlifeareshapedbyyourviewpoints.

Active:Viewpointsshapemostthingsinlife.

Passive:Duringtheprocessofinvitrofertilization,theembryoisfertilizedinthelabofafertilityclinic.

Active:Duringtheprocessofinvitrofertilization,thefertilityclinicfertilizestheembryointhelab.

Client personality (aka persona)

Everybusinessneedsapersonality.Unlessyourbusinessisrunbyrobots.Personadevelopmentisacrucialparttomakingyourbusinessstandout.

Whatpersonais:

Animageoridentityofpersonorbrand.

Whatpersonaisnot:

Writingstylethatcompilescharacter,wordusage,specificpunctuation,andsoforth.

Howtoapplypersona:

Youneedtoputanactual“face”toyourcompany.Thismeansthecolorsyouuse,thewordsyouemploy,andpersonalityyouembodymustreflectacharacterperceivablebyothers.Buildingyourcompanypersonaiseasy.Applyingittoyouraudiencetendstobetrickierbutherearesomeofthebasicstepstodevelopthepersonaofyourcustomer.

• Knowtheirjoborwhattheydoondailybasis• Understandtheirdemographic(howoldarethey,salary,etc.)• Uncovertheirobstacles(Whatdailychallengesdotheyface?)• Learnabouttheirvalues(Whatdotheyvaluemost?)

Incorporatingthiswithinyourvoiceandmessagecanimpactyourcontentonaninterstellarscale.


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Thisiswhyvoiceissoimportant.Throughtonalityandcontent,wecanshowcaseapersonalityandwhyanaudienceshouldchooseabusinesssimplybythewaytheycommunicate

themselves.

Web Presence Marketing

Webpresencemarketing(WPM)n.

Aholisticapproachtoprovideonlinevisibilityusingevery(andany)platform,tool,orchannelpossible.

Web Presence Marketing is THE marketing choice in the digital age.

Theprocessofmarketingacompany,brand,service,mobileapp,canbeadaunting—time-consuming—process.TheInternet,agalaxyyetexploredsotospeak,isacomplexspaceofopportunitiestonavigate.AtPostLaunch,wetakethetimetounderstandwhatworksandwhatdoesn’twithrespecttoonlinemarketingandadvertising.

P.L.M.P. (aka Post Launch Marketing Process) HowdoesPLStyleapplytoP.L.M.P.?EachelementwillbeaddressedthroughoutthisPLStylehandbook,butwe’llgooverthevitalcomponents.

Blogtemplates:Includetitle,summary/meta,targetkeyword,LSI,image,alttextandcreativecontent.


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Contentcalendartemplates:Includedates,days,titles,meta,wordcount,alttext,contenttype,andblogandsocialcontent.

Reportingtemplates:Days,dates,months,titles(proposedandposted),links,keywords(proposedandused),andcampaigngoals.

P.L.M.P. 2.0 HowdoesPLStyleapplytoP.L.M.P.2.0?EachelementwillbeaddressedthroughoutthisPLStylehandbook,butwe’llgooverthevitalcomponents.

Emailtemplates:Aninformalgreeting,introductionofyourself/companyyourepresent,howyoucameacrossthem,whatproposalyoubothcanbenefitfrom,contentsamples.

Syndicationtactics:Blogcomments,guestblogging(internallyorexternallywithapprovedindustries/sites),socialengagement,PBN,pressoutreach,Stumbleupon,competitoranalysis.


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PLStylemustbeemployedwhenusinganyoftheestablishedsyndicationtacticsorsendingemailsforoutreachandpotentialcollaborationefforts.

SEO

Searchengineoptimization(SEO)n.

Makingownedmediaproperties“delicious”tosearchengineslikeGoogle.

Delicious content needs its garnish: PL Style.

Searchengineoptimization,thoughsometimesmoretechnicalinnature,requiresitsqualitystandards,too.Thosestandardsfallintotheseprimaryareas:

Metadescriptions:Requirethetargetkeywordaswellasstaybetween120and155characters.

Alttext:Musthaveproperspelling,describetheimageaccurately,andincludethetargetkeywordsifrelevant.

Anchortext:Theclickabletextthatconnectstoadifferentwebsitewithincontentfurtherdescribingthetextthat’sbeenanchored.Anchortextmustbepithyandlinktoanactiveonsitepage.(TherearedifferentkindsofanchortextbuttheonesthatshouldbeusedthemostoftenarethebrandedandLSIanchortexts.)


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Backlinks:Backlinksarethelinksothersitesgivetoasite.Theseareusedforcitingasourcebutalsolettingsearchenginesknowthatothersitesfindawebpageorarticleusefulandqualitative.Backlinksshouldalwaysbeusedtociteasourceandneedstobeusedatleastonceperarticletoprovideanarticlewithsearchenginecredibility.

Keywords:Thetargetkeywordswhilementionedinthebody,meta,andalttextmustalsobecomplementedwithLSIkeywords(keywordssimilartothetargetkeyword.)Thosemustbeincludedandmustbecompetitivewithotherarticlesusingthesametargetkeyword.Forexample,ifyou’rewritingablogaboutthebestcookierecipes,youmayhavetohavealongerrecipetoincludeallofthekeywords.Keywordsmayhavestopwords(prepositionsmostly)butarenotnecessaryinthebodyofthecontent.Keywordsspeltincorrectlyinresearchmustbespelledcorrectlyincontent.NOKEYWORDSTUFFING.

URLs:AcreativeagentneedstoreviewtheURLofanarticleoronsitepagebeforepublishing.Notjustforspellingbutthelinkitselfmustmakesenseandnotobnoxiousinlengthorambiguity.

Headers:ThepurposeofheadersisnotonlyforSEObutforbreakingupsectionsofcontentandintroducingcontentandtopicsinanefficientmanner.H2relaylargertopicswhileH3relayssubtopicsand/orthemes.Headersshouldbetrickledthroughoutcontentandmustbeusedmorethanonce.


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Content Marketing Thenetworkingsideofmarketing.Itisanunobtrusivemarketingstrategywhereacompanyprovidesadefinedaudienceuseful,informationalandqualitycontenttheyareinterestedin.Therearemultiplegoalsofcontentmarketing,butthemaintwoareasfollows:retainingamarket’scurrentaudienceandattractingnewclientstotheirbrandandtoprovidequalityandconsistentcontentpopularsearchengineslookfor.Content that doesn’t provide value to an audience or a search engine is

crap.

Contentmarketingandcrucial,initialrequirements:

• Minimumof300wordsforallonsitecontentandblogs• Strategicplacementofkeywordsandlongtailphrasesincontent• Mostimportantly,credibilityandquality

ContentmarketingisthenecessaryandcreativelyexhaustingbeastthatwarrantsmostofPLStyle’sattention.We’vebrokenitdownforthemostpartintheabovesectionsbutgointomoredetailbelow:

Inversepyramid:Thismethodisoftenusedinjournalism.Themetaphorisusedpracticallyinwritingbykeepingthemostimportantinformationinthefirstparagraphandpossiblyintroducinganchortextearlyoninthecontent.Supportingdetailsthenfollowthetopicparagraphandsentenceafterwhichbackgroundelementsfillintherestoftheplotholes.

Introparagraph:Introparagraphs,dependingwhetheryouusetheinvertedpyramidornot,mustincludeakeywordandprovidethepurposeoftheentirearticle.Introparagraphsarealsovitaltobringingthereaderinandkeepingthemonthepageorsitelonger.

Paragraphs:ParagraphsinPLStyleshouldbenolongerthanthreeorfoursentences—dependingonthelengthofthesentences.Paragraphs,however,needtohaveatleasttwoorthreedensesentences.Onesentenceparagraphsshouldbeusedsparinglyandtoemphasizeapoint.

Closingsentence:Shortandsweetwithaclearcall-to-action.Don’tdelaytheCTA!

Calls-to-Action:Short,clear,andvariousphrasespointingareader/usertodosomething,e.g.Buynow.Contactustolearnmore.Submityoursocialhere.

Social Media Yup.There’sastandardforsocial.Someofthemareobvious(likedon’tbeatroll).


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Don’t be the d*** #who puts a #thousand #hashtags in a 140-character #tweet. #Milliennialisms

Socialmediaisonthemove.Withvisualcontentbecomingtheonlycontentpeoplepayattentiontoanymore,conciseandclearlanguagebecomescrucial.Forthesakeofsocialmedia,we’llkeepthissectionshortandfocusonthemediagiants:

Facebookposts:JustbecauseFacebookismorelenientwiththeircharacterlimitdoesn’tmeanyouneedtogocrazywithalifestory.KeepingFacebookpostsunder140charactersisalsobestpractices.

Google+posts:“PeoplestilluseGoogle+?”Apparently.UseFacebookbestpracticesandyou’llbegood.


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Tweets:KeepyourTweetsunder138characterswithalinktothewebsite.AvoidASMUCHASYOUCANsacrificinggrammarandpunctuation.Wedon’twantnosillysloppiness.

Instagram:Okay,you’reallowedtousemorehashtagswithInstagramposts.BUT,don’tgooverboard.Linksaren’tclickableinInstagrampostsbutyoucanlinkyourwebsiteinyourprofile.


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PLStyle’sengagingvoicestillapplies.

Linkedin:Again,similartoFacebook.Linkedindoesallowhashtags,sortof.Butusesparinglyandintentionally.

YouTube:TitleofvideomustbePLStyle.Descriptionmustbeover100words,keywordrichandusingproperPLStylegrammar,etc.


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Anatomytoagoodsocialpost:

Content

• Cleargoalofthepost.• Makethereaderdosomething(Shareyourideas,etc.)• Askaquestion.• Keepitsimpleandbrief.• Don’tbesale-sy.• Includea#ifrelevant.• Tagrelevantindustriesorpages.• Becleverorinspirational.• ALWAYSincludealinkANDanimage.

Images

• Findrelevantimages.• Don’tuseanythingoffensive.• Uploadseveralonestousemorethanonce.• Researchnewpicturestouseatleastonceaweek.• Usethesameimageyouusedforyourblogpost.

CTA


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• AvoidsayingthesameCTAoverandover.• Avoidusingtermslike“blog”or“website”unlessabsolutelynecessary.• UsenewandengagingCTAs(Discover,educate,etc.)• Useasenseofurgency.• KeepyourCTAclearandconcise.• Usecolonsforthelastsentenceofyourpost.• Usecolonswithashort,clearCTA.

Style

Stylen.

Adistinctappearanceorpresentation.

Content’s dressing gown.

StyleinPLStyleisprettttttysimple.Everypersonhastheirownstyle.Everywriterhastheirownstyle.Everybusinessmusthavetheirowndrawerofstylefromwhichtopull.

POV (Point of View) Whenwritingonbehalfofsomeoneelse,youhavetobecarefulaboutwhatpointofviewyouuseinyourmessaging.WHOissharingthemessage?Justyou?Yourwholeteam?Or,areyouputtingsomeoneonamission?

AcceptablePOVs:

• Third-personplural• Firstpersonsingular• Firstpersonplural(TheRoyalWe)• Second-personplural(implied)

Examples:

• Webelievethatwebpresencemarketingisthenumberonesolutiontoimproveaclient’sonlinesuccess.

• Ilovewritingaboutmyselfbecauseit’smyopinionthatI’msharingonthispointandnotnecessarilythecollective’s.

• YoumustreadthiswholehandbooktoreallygetahandleonproperPLStyle.


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Sentence Variation Subjectverb.Subjectverb.Thosesentencescanbecomedulltowriteandtoread.PLStylelikestovarysentencestokeepthereaderengaged.Hereareeightsentencevariations.

• Preposition–Thereare150prepositionsintheEnglishlanguage.Usethemtostartyournextsentence.(Withthat,let’smoveontothenextsentencevariation.)

• Pastparticiple–Pasttenseverbsthattypicallyhavethe“ed”attheend.(Exhausted,shewrotethisexamplehalf-heartedly.)

• Presentparticiple–“Ing”verbs.(Talkingsoftly,sheexplainedtheuniverseandallitssecrets.)• Subordinateconjunction–Youusethisoneallthetime.Youjustdon’trealizeit.(However,here

aresomesubordinateconjunctions:although,since,because,etc.)• Subject/verb–Iamthesubject.Theverbistheaction.• Simile–LikegazelleacrosstheplainsofAfrica,herfingerflewacrossthekeyboard.• Appositive–PostLaunch,awebpresencemarketingfirminLasVegas,recentlyreleasedanew

stylebookmeantspecificallyforthewebandeverythinginit.• Adverb–Incidentally,HoldenCaulfieldlovedadverbsalmostaslittleasStephenKing.

Aristotle Modes of Persuasion Inrhetoric,theartofeffectiveorpersuasivespeakingorwriting,nonewasmoreinfluentialthanAristotle.Inwebpresencemarketing(andguiltybyassociation,contentmarketing),persuasivewritingiskeytoconvincingaudiencestotrustyouonatopic.

Aristotle’s Modes of Persuasion in PL Style is meant for enticement. Thepersuasivewritingcomesinhandywhenyouneedtoansweraclient’sobstaclebetter—andmoreeffectively—thanacompetitor.Hephilosophizedthreemodesofpersuasionforeffectiverhetoric.Thethreemodesarelogos,ethos,andpathos.Logos

Thisispersuasionbyappealingtotheaudience’ssenseoflogic.Anexampleofusinglogosinmarketingwouldbeusingstatisticsorevidencetogivevaliditytoaproductorservice.

“Inthe35yearsofsailingtheseas,I’veneverseenabeautifulmermaid.”Ethos

Thisispersuasionbyappealingtotheaudience’ssenseofhonestyorauthority.Anexampleofethosinmarketingwouldbehavinganexpertoranofficialinhisorherrespectivefieldstatinghisorheropiniononthetopic.


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“PatrickMcVegan,ahealthguruinveganismandfitnesstrainer,statesaveganlifestylecanhelpyoulosemoreweightandmakeyoumoreenergetic.”

Pathos

Thisispersuasionbyappealingtotheaudience’ssenseofemotion.Anexampleofpathosinmarketingwouldbepresentingheartbreaking,romantic,orhappyimagestoprovokethefeelinginpeople.

“Thinkofthechildren!”ApplyingAristotle'sModesofPersuasion

WheneverapplyingthesemodesofpersuasiontocontentmarketingorWebPresenceMarketing,creativeagentsmust:

• Considertheaudience(e.g.medicalaudiencesappealtomoreethosorlogos)• Considerthetopic(e.g.atopicondogswouldappealtoaudiencesthroughpathos)

Outreach

Outreachn.

Theactofreachingout.

Content worth writing must be worth sharing.

BuildingrelationshipswithothercontentcreatorsacrosstheInternetisnotessentialtocreatingbacklinksanddomainauthorityforawebsitebutalsocriticalforcollaborationandopeningthedoorsforpartnershipsandmeaningfulconnection.Theoutreachtosimilarcreativeagentsinsimilarindustriescreatingsimilarcontentisthatfinalsteptoextendingandoptimizingawebpresence.

Andyes.Evenyouroutreachhastoreflecttheproperstyle.Yourbranddoesn’tchangewhenyouchangeplatformssoneithershouldyourstyle.

EmailWhensendinganemailtoabossofabrandoracontentcreatorlikeyourself,yourvoiceandstyleshouldstillreflectthecontentyouproposebecausethewayyouintroduceyourself—thefirstimpression—willhelpdictatewhetherornotacontentexchangewilloccur.Anatomyofanoutreachemail:

• Casualgreeting(usefirstnameifprovided)


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• Giveaquickintro(whoyouare,whoyourepresent)• Introducebrieflywhyyou’rereachingout(complimentwhereyoucantoshowyoudidyour

research)• Offersomethingofvalue(attach/linkablog)• Tellthemwhatyouwantandwhytheyshouldcare(bringintheirmissionorhowyourgoalsare

similar)• Concludewithcontactinfoandwhenyoulookforwardtohearingfromthem(timelinesset

expectation)

SocialSincesocialismorelaxinnature,don’tgocrazywiththetoneorlengthoftheoutreach“DM”ofFacebookmessage.While,ingeneral,theperimetersofanoutreachsocialpostmaybesimilartotheemail,dependingontheplatform,youmayneedtobeevenmoresuccinct.Anatomyofasocialoutreachpost:

• Complimenttheirworkrelevanttoyourindustry(notethepiecespecificallyandwhyyoulikedit)

• AskaquestionorgiveaCTAtoyourownpiece(don’tforgettolinkit)• Keepitsimple(overtpanderingwillonlygetyouignored)

Outreachshouldbedoneoftenbutshouldneversupersedeyourongoingeffortsinternally.Ifyoudon’thaveasolidcontentcreationsystem,voice,andstrategy,itwon’tmatterthatyoureachoutbecauseyourhouseisbuiltonsand.

Summary of the Post Launch Style

Nowyouhaveit.LanguagefortheInternetandsomerulesthereof.Butremember:


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PLStyleisnotmeanttobearulebook.PLStyleisalaunchpad.PLStyleisforthosewhomaketheInterneteveryday,laboringawayatkeyboards,smartphonesandtabletstomaketheirpresenceknownandheard.PLStyleisthecommunicationtooltoconnectyouwithyouraudience,yourcustomer,andothers—justlikeyou!Sharewithyourfriends.AndstaytunedmonthlyforPLStyleupdates,tips,andtricks.AbouttheAuthor(s)

AnneE.:LikescoffeeandSuperman.

Angela:Neveragreedtodothis.

Appendix

Better Words, Better Verbs Don’tsettlefortheeasyword.Pursuetherightone.

Noisy Deafening,boisterousOften Frequently,continually,Checkout Discover,uncover,learnPretty Resplendent,beautiful,alluringOpen Transparent,unequivocal,patentPainful Excruciating,agonizingPale Ashen,pallidPerfect Flawless,consummatePoor Destitute,penniless,deficient,haplessQuick Brisk,swift,expeditiousPowerful Compelling,cogent,commandingQuiet Hushed,tranquilRainy Drizzly,pouringRich Lavish,prosperous,opulentGood Superior,substantial,benefit/beneficialSad Dejected,woebegoneScary Frightening,spine-chillingSerious Consequential,momentous


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Sharp Keen,cutting,distinctShort Diminutive,LilliputianSimple Elementary,unpretentiousOld,old-fashioned Ancient,antediluvian,antiquated,archaic

CTAs AstrongCTAstandsoutandcompelsareadertotakeaction.

Discover Learn UncoverCheckout Book SeeRead Understand FindoutStudy Look SignupCall Visit RegisterFollow Gather NoticeKnow Appreciate TeachFamiliarize Take NoteGive Reachout HollerRequest Schedule PlanPrepare Develop Outline

Misc. Grammar Things (titles, dashes, oh my) AssimilatedbelowaresectionsandmiscellaneousthingsthatwerenotaddressedintheabovesectionsofPLStyle.

Titles

Alltitlesshouldbeinquotationsunlessinthetitleismentionedwithinaquotation.TVshowsandmoviesdonotrequirequotationsbutbooks,shortstories,andpoemsdo.PublicationsliketheNewYorkTimesandonlinemagazinesdonotrequirequotationidentifierseither.

Examplesinclude:

NetflixhasstreamingdowntoaT.JustlookattheirsuccesswithDaredevilandtheiradaptionof“Daredevil:TheManwithNoFear.”

Time,dates,andstates

SimilartoAPstyle,timesshouldbedictatedina.m.andp.m.withthecolononlyusedtoidentifyifthetimeisnotonthehour.DatesandstatesarealsosimilartoAPstylewiththeexceptionthatyoualwaysspelloutthecityandmonths.


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Examplesinclude:

• OnThursday,November26,Thanksgivingstartsat5:15p.m.inLasVegas.• WhattimedoesyourplanelandinDallas?Monday,January15,2017,at9p.m.?

Punctuation

Commasarecommon.Butwhataboutthoseotherkeysonthekeyboard?Let’stalkaboutthat.

• Nospacingbetweendashes(seriously—like—nospacekeyhere)• Ellipsesareonlythreeperiodswithnoextraspacing(fordramaticeffect…)• ExclamationpointsbettermeanyouaresoGOSHDARNexcitedthattheonlywaytodescribe

thisexcitementisthroughthatpunctuationmark(oneshallsuffice)• &shouldonlybeusedifit’spartofclient’sbranding/name• @onlybelongsinTwitterhandlesandemailaddresses(lazinessisnotanexcuse)• Parenthesescanbeusedtorelayinformationthatisnotcrucialtothesentenceasawhole

(almostlikeaninnerdialogueescaping)• Asterisksareusedforclarifyingpurposesonly• Thepound/hashtagsymbol(#)onlybelonginsocialandtalkingaboutsocial• Downwardslashesareallowedbutshouldbeusedsparingly(sparingly/occasionally)• Semi-colonsmayonlybeusedCORRECTLY(butdon’tbeasnob)• Bracketsareusedforchangingaquotetomakemoresense(“[She]saidthatIcouldeather

lunchoutofthefridge”)• %USEIT• Punctuationusenotmentionedheremustbeusedwithdiscretion(^~>)

E-commercerequiresthehyphen.Internetisalwayscapitalized.

pl style handbookpost launch llc · 702.800.2131 7475 w. sahara ave # 103 · las vegas, nv 89117...

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