Rev Up Readership

January 17, 2008

Start the New Year off ‘write’ with a luncheon that will help you write more readable copy, reach the reporters you count on most, and make your writing sing. Send your associates, your subordinates, YOURSELF! Make a small investment for long-lasting benefits.

A contribution from OC/PRSA, the event’s title sponsor, allows our members and guests to pay a substantially reduced registration fee.

Luncheon Topic: Rev Up Readership

How to draw people into your copy, make your copy more accessible to your audience — even reach "readers" who won't read.

Americans are bombarded with 3,000 messages a day — more than a million messages a year. For writers, editors and other communicators, the challenge is overcoming that information overload to reach your readers.
In this program, you and your colleagues will learn how to use your presentation copy — headlines, decks, subheads, captions and callouts — to pull readers into your copy, make your piece more inviting and communicate to flippers and skimmers. Specifically, you'll learn:

A three-step system for communicating to the segment of your "readers" who spend only 30 seconds to three minutes with your piece
How to create a headline package that captures your readers' attention and sells them on the story
An emerging technique for creative headlines. (Jump on it now while it's still fresh!)
How to apply the formula your readers use to determine whether to read something — or toss it in the trash
How to determine when your headline is too long
The presentation element that many communicators drop — and why to make sure you include it in every piece
Three types of headline packages — and how to choose the right one for your story
How to use a dollar bill to make your copy more reader friendly
Headline foibles to avoid
How to use layers of information to get the word out to nonreaders

WHEN:

Thursday, January 17, 2008
11:30 a.m. - Noon: Networking and Registration
Noon - 12:30 p.m.: Luncheon
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.: Rev Up Readership

COST FOR LUNCHEON (WITH RESERVATIONS BY JANUARY 14):

$30 for members
$45 for non-members
$25 for students

After January 14, we bill for reservations made but not honored and for late cancellations. There is an additional $5 charge for walk-ins and late reservations.

RESERVATIONS:

See below.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Ann Wylie runs a company called Wylie Communications Inc. She works with PR professionals who want to reach more readers and with organizations that want to get the word out.

She is the author of more than a dozen learning tools that help PR pros improve their communication skills, including "Anatomy of a Press Release, Pitch and E-mailed Release"; "Cut Through the Clutter"; and "Art of the Storyteller." Her manual, Planning Powerful Publications, published by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), has been called “the bible” of publication planning.

Ann has served on all sides of the PR “desk”: as a PR pro in an agency, as a corporate communicator for Hallmark Cards Inc., as editor of a nationally acclaimed executive magazine and as a consultant in her own firm.
Her work has earned 40 communication awards, including a Women In Communications (WIC) Clarion and two IABC Gold Quills — the Pulitzer Prizes of business communications.

Now, Ann handles special writing and editing projects for Saint Luke's, Reader's Digest, The Mayo Clinic and dozens of other major clients. She helps such organizations as FedEx, Sprint and Northern Trust launch or improve their publications.

Ann’s popular workshops take her from Atlanta to Amsterdam, from Boston to Brussels, from Hollywood to Helsinki and from Portland to Paris. There, she helps communicators at NASA, Motorola, Nokia, AT&T, America Online, H&R Block and other organizations polish their skills and find new inspiration for their work.

Ann has been designated an "IABC Recommended Speaker" for her top ratings at IABC International Conferences. She serves as the Public Relations Society of America’s national writing coach.

Ann holds an M.A. in journalism from the University of Kansas. In addition to her full-time work, she taught graduate communication courses at Webster University for more than a decade.

NEW LOCATION:
Tustin Banquet Center
721 West First St., Tustin 92780

Directions:

55 Northbound
Exit at Irvine Blvd. / Fourth Street; turn Right on Irvine Blvd.; Right on Yorba St.; Right on First Street. Tustin Banquet Center is on the Right side of the street.

55 Southbound
Exit at Irvine Blvd. / Fourth Street; turn Left on Irvine Blvd.; Right on Yorba St.; Right on First Street. Tustin Banquet Center is on the Right side of the street.

5 Northbound
Take 55 Freeway. North, stay in Right lane. Exit at Irvine Blvd. / Fourth Street; turn Right on Irvine Blvd.; Right on Yorba St.; Right on First Street. Tustin Banquet Center is on the Right side of the street.

5 Southbound
Exit at Fourth Street; go straight to First Street, turn Left on First Street. Tustin Banquet Center is on the Left side of the street just past the 55 Freeway.

RESERVATIONS:

Please register and prepay below using PayPal. Contact our office at info@ocprsa.org with questions.

PayPal is one of the most secure ways to pay electronically. PayPal keeps all credit card information secure and private. Personal credit card data is not shared with the vendor. Pay with PayPal--save money by pre-paying and save time. Note that should you choose to pay by credit card online through the PayPal service, we will ask you to cover the transaction cost (2.9% plus 30 cents).

PLEASE NOTE WE ARE NOT ACCEPTING NEW RESERVATIONS BELOW. EXISTING REGISTRANTS MAY USE THESE LINKS TO PAY FOR THEIR RESERVATIONS.

LUNCHEON: The member cost (with advance registration) is $31:
LUNCHEON: The nonmember cost (with advance registration) is $46:
LUNCHEON: The student cost (with advance registration) is $26:

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