by Sue Horner | Sep 21, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
(Updated Oct. 3, 3018) Ouch. You Googled yourself and found false and nasty comments about you coming up on page one of search results. You need to take action. If someone has taken the time to smear your reputation, they are unlikely to respond to a polite request to...
by Sue Horner | Sep 14, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
(Updated April 30, 2018) If you run a small business, you want to be found for both your company name and the products or services you offer. At a meeting of IABC/Toronto’s Professional Independent Communicators this week, speaker Ray Litvak shared some tips for doing...
by Sue Horner | Sep 7, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
(Updated Oct. 12, 2022) The fall is as much a time of new beginnings as New Year’s. If you’re a PR or communication student, your new beginnings probably include building your network and launching your career. You can do both by making the most of your professional...
by Sue Horner | Aug 30, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
“What does eponymous mean?” I’m usually your go-to gal for the meaning of words, but this one stopped me. I knew I should be able to explain the meaning, but the question sent me to the dictionary. Good for you if you know “eponymous” is an adjective relating to the...
by Sue Horner | Aug 24, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Words are my business, but I realize that a stunning photo or clever infographic can often make a point faster than plain text. The August issue of my monthly newsletter, Wordnerdery, shares tips for writing effective captions (also called cutlines) that hook readers...
by Sue Horner | Aug 11, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
What’s the best practice for sending an internal newsletter – from the CEO, “Internal Communications,” the head of the Communications department or someone else? That was a question that came up this week. I don’t know of any definitive best practices related to who...
by Sue Horner | Aug 3, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Do you have a positive outlook on life? I usually do (against all odds, you might say), but had never kept a daily journal of positive thoughts until 2014. For my birthday that year, my friend Sheila gave me a blank journal entitled, “Your story isn’t over yet.” It...
by Sue Horner | Jul 27, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
While collecting bits of expressive writing, I also write down words of wisdom about writing itself. Here are a few examples: “John McPhee calls the lead the flashlight that shines down into the story.” – Roy Peter Clark “Ledes are like Japanese haiku. They have to...
by Sue Horner | Jul 20, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Sometimes, it takes longer for people to read your words than you took to write them. I’m talking about the abyss called the “approval process,” which swallows your articles, reports, web copy and other writing that will – eventually – appear in public. This is fresh...
by Sue Horner | Jul 13, 2017 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Do you want to explain something, make a point or reflect or spark emotion? Reach for what I call expressive language, which shows rather than tells. I’m always on the lookout for examples, and here are some appealing ones: “Catherine was his California – she was his...
