Search
Recommended Products
Related Links

 

 

Informative Articles

Advice for the Theme Park Weary
When you just can’t take another day at the theme parks on your Orlando vacation consider these suggestions: Book a Spa Treatment - What better way to soothe fragile nerves and sore feet than a session at one of Orlando’s resort spas. On...
Baby Advice – Separating Truth from Fiction
New mothers get a ton of advice. Total strangers will walk up to you and give you their opinions on how to get rid of that cradle cap. Your mother-in-law will look at you with disapproving eyes and tell you that she had your husband sleeping...
Conversion Van Camping Advice
Conversion van camping doesn't give you the luxury of life in an RV, nor the discomfort of sleeping in a tent. It can be tough to safely heat a van at night, but it's cheap compared to an RV, and you can go places they cannot. We spent more than 25...
Mortgage Advice.
In the US today more households have mortgages than ever before. In fact the chance of you having or knowing someone who is paying off their mortgage is greater than 50%. You would think that because they are so common most people would have a good...
Stuttering advice and treatments
Apparently one percent of British people suffer from the speech impediment called stuttering. Only people who stutter can ever really know how difficult life can become when you are unable to speak fluently in all situations. This article looks...
 
Google
How Advice Columns Build Loyal Readers

Last year while researching a book on memorable speeches and essays, I stumbled across an ageless writing technique that continues to captivate readers.

Advice articles first appeared several hundred years ago. Some were submitted to papers and magazines anonymously. The question-and-answer format probably appeared a little bit later.

While opinion articles have been around for years, few develop the loyalty and following of advice columns.

Test this for yourself by gathering newspapers and magazines from the last several decades. My guess is: you’ll find the old question/answer columns still ageless and vibrant.

Advice features generate return readers. Why? Maybe it’s because people love to share problems and possible solutions.

Want to start your own “advice” column for a magazine or newsletter? Here are three simple steps to get started:

  1. Survey your readership for the two or three industry issues perpetually discussed.
  2. Find out all you can about those issues, and experts in those areas with whom you can consult.
  3. Prompt questions from readers about those issues, and answer them regularly in a column.

Current popular syndicated features, for


instance, offer advice on personal relationships, do-it-yourself projects, and travel.

In a professional or trade magazine or newsletter, your question/answer feature might cover the history of your profession, provide an open forum where readers share information, or follow a how-to format. That’s your decision.

One lesson I've learned: If I don't know the answer, I generally admit that right away, and consult an expert in the area with more expertise than I. Also, I state that the opinions I express are subjective, and invite others to share their opinions, too.

Bottom line: If you want to connect better with your readers, you must also give them the opportunity to reach you.

About The Author

RIX QUINN wrote the new book "Words That Stick", which offers lots of writing tips for professionals who hate to write. The book’s available at your local bookstore, or Amazon.com.

Rix can be contacted directly at 817-920-7999. His web site is http://www.rixquinn.com

Copyright 2005 Rix Quinn Communications, LLC

rixquinn@charter.net