I've decided to add a new weekly feature. Since we all have the attention span of 5-year-olds on Fridays in anticipation of the weekend, I've decided use it as a time to write short posts about a topic that can be digested in a minute or less.
The first topic: Exclamation points
You can always tell when a person is inexperienced in writing marketing copy based on the amount of exclamations points they use. They rely on them, instead of words, to make boring copy more exciting.
- Limit your copy to one exclamation point per page
- NEVER use multiple exclamation points
- Proofread, proofread, proofread - really ask yourself why you selected the exclamation point in the first place and what you're trying to convey.
Happy Friday!
5 comments:
And a happy Friday to you, too (sans exclamation point).
I loathe the exclamation point. It's the curmudgeonly journalist in me, I suppose. And also a kneejerk to the terminally perky development and admissions types who pepper their emails with those little daggers of joy.
The AP Stylebook's punctuation guide offers good advice on the use of that overworked punctuoation mark. "Use the mark to express a high degree of surprise, incredulity or other strong emotion."
"Daggers of joy" HAHAHAHA! Awesome. (And note, I'm using it here to express a strong emotion :-)
Thanks for the advice!!!! I HOPE you have a WONDERFUL weekend also!!!! :)
"Marketing copy" I agree. Conversing on the Web I disagree. I think the "!" is used like the ":)" - and I don't think that's a bad thing, it helps show emotion/intent.
I'm certainly not talking about general conversations on the web here. I'm like the LOL queen in general conversation (bad habit I got into as a kid and there's no way I'm breaking it now) but I would never use that in marketing copy. Two very different things....
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