See Your Name
in TAS Trader
By Peter DeHaan
The tag line for
TAS Trader is “By the TAS Industry…For the TAS Industry.” This
means that we want our content to come from people who are part of the
telephone answering service industry. Usually we are able to meet that
goal, but not always. To fully reach this objective, we need your help;
let us share your TAS news and articles with the industry.
Here’s how to make that happen:
The Basics:
First, there are two options: news and articles. News items are
up to 110 words in length and are ideal to announce mergers and
acquisitions, significant business milestones (such as twenty-five,
forty, fifty, sixty, and seventy-five years in business), new hires and
promotions, expansions, new locations, and so forth. Articles
are 300 to 700 words long and are a great way to share your ideas,
opinions, successes, or “learning opportunities” you’ve encountered
along the way. Sometimes, a news item will become an article. Such is
the case with this month’s lead article, LaVergne’s
TeleMessaging Celebrates Fifty Years; it was just too
interesting for a short news item.
The Key:
Write about what you know. The result will be an interesting and
informative piece that will resonate with readers. It doesn’t matter if
you’re not a writer. We can tweak your work; our goal is to make you
look good! Although we prefer organized submissions, with complete
sentences and proper punctuation, we can work with whatever you
provide. The key is that you need to submit it.
Avoid Hyperbole:
The more spectacular the language in your writing, the less believable
it becomes. Words such as “leveraged,” “solutions,” “unique,”
“revolutionary,” “leading,” “cutting-edge,” and “world-class” are
overused – avoid them. Exaggerated copy, unsubstantiated claims, and
self-promotion push readers away instead of drawing them in. When
hyperbole obscures the message, communication doesn’t take place.
Use the Third Person:
Writing objectively in the third person gives your piece increased
integrity and greater trustworthiness; it is more credible.
First-person content is never acceptable in news items – it comes across
as self-serving, bragging, or unnecessarily introspective. Writing in
the third person generally works best for articles too. The exceptions
are firsthand commentaries, how-to pieces, and experiential accounts,
which are best written in the first person.
Proof Your Work:
Spell-check and proofread your writing. It is nearly impossible to
catch your own mistakes; you know what you intended to write, so that is
how you read it. Ask someone else to proof it. We will go over it too,
which leads to…
Expect to Be Edited:
Even the most experienced writers have their work edited. This can be
for many reasons. A common one is length, another is style, and a third
is content suitability. Sometimes a piece is given a different slant to
increase interest.
Timing:
If you desire your news to be in a specific issue, get it in on time;
sooner is always better. The lead-time for TAS Trader is longer
than you might imagine, so follow the
due dates.
Submit It:
Once it’s ready, just email a Word file of your news or article to
info@tastrader.com. Then look for it in an upcoming issue!
Peter DeHaan is
publisher of TAS Trader and
Connections Magazine.
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