Goats milk chocolates from Chocolats de Caprine

All in the name of feature writing

Feature creature

Sometimes, my occasional forays into the world of feature writing bring unexpected pleasure.

For the upcoming Devon Life Food & Drink issue, I proposed a feature on Caprine de Chocolats, a chocolate maker in Torrington making chocs from goats milk. I felt, in the name of research, the need to test out some of said chocolates, and duly placed an order. A tantalising selection of 12 chocs arrived in the post a few days’ later.

Now, it’s no secret amongst my inner (and outer) circle that I’m a bit of chocaholic. I’m the type that is fine as long as a wrapper is on the chocolate, but as soon as the chocolate is exposed to the air, I am driven to finish it. Chocolate goes off very quickly, you know. But these goats milk chocolates are something else again. Rich, and bursting with depth and flavour. One is enough for a day. Or I might manage two, at a push.

They must have a bit of creative juice in them too, as eating the chocolate led me to think of a new way to approach the article. The words were truly lit up by the taste experience provided by the cacoa.

Learning something new

Feature writing isn’t going to make me a rich woman, unless I secure an interview with Lord Lucan. However, it does give me the opportunity to try things out that I wouldn’t normally contemplate, and discover new things about life in Devon and beyond. Going up in a glider (and flying it for a hairy minute or two); researching all the spooky legends of Dartmoor; finding out what it is that makes people want to play in a brass band; learning about herbalism, taking off in a tiny aircraft and watching people throw themselves out of it (I was tempted).

Some features have led me to new PR clients. I met Amos Lighting when I wrote a piece about lighting for Devon Homes Magazine, and Rusty Pig when I interviewed chef Robin Rea for Devon Life. And over the past few years I’ve noticed that feature writing is making me a better writer in other aspects of my work; press releases, blog posts and even social media posts. I’ve been writing for years, but I’m a firm believer that you never stop learning. Hey, until recently I never really used the; semi-colon; now I’m overusing it; I am.

So what’s up next? Next week I meet the two men behind Christopher Piper Wines – I’m sure I’ll learn something there and be able to amaze my wine-quaffing friends with my in-depth knowledge of the Bordeaux region. Watch this space.

Exeter Magazines – Extra Fun

I’ve been writing for Devon Life from time to time for a couple of years now. Always good fun, I enjoy having the chance to write about a variety of different subjects, from gliding and riding to auctioneers and lady stonemasons.

Recently, however, I’ve had the opportunity to write for two Exeter magazines: Exeter Life and Exeter Living. Exeter Life asked me to write up a visit to Circa 1924 with four different food editors. I’m not a foodie writer so I panicked a little about using the right terminology – there are clearly ways of describing ambiance and food dishes that are not within my usual descriptive vocabulary.

Oh well, at the end of the day it was fine, well illustrated by a photo I took of Devon Life Ed Andy Cooper with a serviette stuffed in his shirt collar.

Exeter Living then approached me to write a feature about Honiton. That was more of a breeze, as I know my local town well, and most of the places to visit, shop, dine and stay. The only problem was the word count was so low that I had a job to cram them all in! Trusty camera to the rescue once again as I ran up and down (and across) the High Street taking photos to illustrate the piece.

Enjoyable stuff. More please!

Blog on!

This was supposed to be a March blog, but it’s taken a while to get round to it. So welcome to my first blog of April.

At a recent digital update seminar organised by CIPR, one speaker spoke of the nBlog 2eed to publish a blog at least every two weeks, and preferably more. You could hear a sharp intake of breath across the room. Who has the time?

Most of us understand the point of blogging. It’s a way of sharing your knowledge.

1. Blogs are good for Google. Each blog counts as a page, giving you credibility (as long as the content is fresh).
2. A well-written blog helps your customers to believe in your expertise.
3. Other professionals like to share the latest blogs – it shows that they have their finger on the pulse.
4. You can link to your blog on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and your business Facebook page – it all helps your profile.

The downTypistside, of course, is that you have to schedule in some time to write a blog, using your own ideas and views, and your own inimitable style.

Like everyone else, I often stare at the blank screen waiting for the thunderbolt of inspiration. Should nothing come to mind, I find it a good excuse to make a cup of tea. If the tea doesn’t help, here are a few helpful hints:

1. Think about what you do best and stick to what you know.
2. Search for topics in your area of expertise and read what other people have been writing about. What would you think about their topic – something different to what they’re saying?
3. Don’t plagiarise, it’s extremely unprofessional. If someone has had great original thoughts that you agree with, share them and acknowledge the writer.
4. 4. Have a sense of humour. Most of your readers will appreciate your blog more if you don’t take it all too seriously.

Finally, keep your blog short.Shortstory

Outsourcing social media management – hints and tips!

Although part of what I do is termed ‘social media management’, I still find it fascinating just how many companies outsource this work. I understand the reasons, as I know first-hand what a time-consuming job it can be.

There’s nothing wrong with outsourcing, as long as you find the right person for the task. This will be someone who’s prepared to get beneath the skin of your business, achieve the right tone of voice and find the right accounts for you to connect to. (I managed one account for a while which was taken over by a dedicated sociasocial media management 1l media business. I went back some months later to have a peek, and was dismayed to discover that the business’s Twitter followers had grown tremendously, but on closer look all the followers were spam accounts. Where’s the value in that?).

How many times recently have you heard someone say there’s a clue in the phrase ‘social’ media. Here’s a good definition of social: ‘relating to activities in which you meet and spend time with other people’. On social media, people want to interact with a real person, not an automated tweet. There’s no life in that, and no long-term benefit.

In truth, most social media managers will mix and match scheduled and real time tweets and posts – it’s a tough call to avoid scheduling completely. However, it’s bad practice to schedule a tweet then forget about it as it disappears into the Twitter ether. Similarly on Facebook if someone asks a question about a post, they are much happier if they are answered quickly. Your social media manager must be on the ball to respond quickly should someone engage on one of your social media sites.

By the way, if you outsource social media management, don’t think that you don’t have to do anything. A good social media manager will need to communicate with you from time to time – for example if one of your customers has a question social media management 3needing an immediate answer that only you can give.

Although this blog discusses Facebook and Twitter management, your social media manager could also run Pinterest, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube – whatever works best for your business, as long as they do it well!

The power of a good story

A couple of weeks ago I was chatting away on social media when a company called Barrel Top Wagons (great name) came up in my Twitter feed. They were very excited to have won a Theo Paphitis #SBS (Small Business Saturday) Award and wanted to make some noise about it. Last year, Lyme Bay Cabins had the same success and I’d helped them out with a press release and distribution which resulted in some local coverage and a piece in Devon Life. Lyme Bay Cabins’ owner Gary started tweeting at Barrel Top Wagons to talk to me.

I am always willing to help out a small business ‒ after all I am one – so I talked with Jo Henderson, who co-owns Barrel Top Wagons. She put together some information for me, which was a great starting point, and I tweaked this into a press release.

Barrel Top Wagons Theo Paphitis smlWhen the picture of Jo with Theo Paphitis at a winners’ event came through a few days’ later, we were set fair. I sent the story to my contacts in the regional press and I’m delighted to say the response was brilliant. Western Morning News popped it straight up online and featured the story in the Sunday edition, while Tom at the Okehampton Times took the trouble to email me to say it would be in the next issue. I spotted it in the Express & Echo Monday edition, too, and Jo at Barrel Tops said it was included in the North Devon Journal. (So that’s a ‘yay’ as I’m not yet immune to the thrill of achieving such extensive coverage!).

In truth, this news item was a gift for any PR; the story behind the company is genuinely interesting (read it here) and Jo had given me enough background to make it easy to write a press release that could grab attention. Match the story up with a photo of Jo and the former Dragons’ Den entrepreneur Theo and – well it’s not rocket science is it?

Good luck to the inspirational and ethical Barrel Top Wagons!

Skydives, Terriers and Ice Cream

So the tandem skydiving world record attempt at Dunkeswell happened on June 21, when the great British weather held its own with blue skies and just the right sort of fluffy cloud.

Having been commissioned to write a feature about skydiving and the event for Devon Life, it was on the cards that I would be jumping myself. In the end that didn’t happen but I did get the chance of a truly exciting flight up to 15,000 feet with one group of jumpers. Sitting next to the pilot, Aussie Tom as we cruised around above the clouds, I turned to watch the intrepid folk leap from the plane into the blue. A little part of me breathed a sigh of relief that I could stay sitting next to Tom while they plummeted out of view! On landing I hung around to watch them all travel back to the ground safely. In small 3 total, 281 jumped, beating the record by 30.

Many were raising money for charity. I interviewed some of these, and there were some amazing stories. I spoke to the mum of a young man who was killed in a road accident at the age of 24. Five brave people were jumping to raise funds for the charity she’d set up, called PAULY. Having a son myself, I had tears in my eyes. I can’t imagine anything worse than losing a child who has his whole life before him. (For more info on the charity click here)

Terrier racingVery different was another feature that Devon Life asked me to cover. Terrier racing takes place in the East Devon village of Yarcombe every year, in August. I don’t live that far from Yarcombe yet I’d never heard of it. I drove over and had a chat with a lovely farming couple, John and Barbara Salter. John was involved right at the conception of the race day in the 1970s, and forty years on is the only surviving member of the original team.

This is a great community event (I love community events!) attracting thousands of visitors from other villages and holidaymakers who come along every year. There are six races with a mixture of dogs, a 10p tote, and lots of fun to be had. This yeIce creamar race day is on Saturday August 2. I’m hoping to go along with the family, and on the way I am dead set on stopping for an ice-cream from the Otter Valley Dairy who make such delicious-sounding concoctions as Ginger and Butternut Squash and Devon Rice Pudding with Raspberry Jam. All made from milk and cream from their own Pedigree herd. Yum!

And now for something completely different – skydiving?

News last year that I had been commissioned to write a first person article about gliding made my friends fall about with laughter, as they all know about my fear of flying. What would they make of the call I received today from Devon Life magazine mentioning the word ‘skydiving’? I have to admit to a moment of general clamminess. My brain went into overdrive wondering if there was any way on earth that I could possibly throw myself out of a plane (without the aid of sedatives, see my recent Blog).  

Luckily it transpired that having to experience the ‘thrill’ of skydiving was unlikely to be a requirement on this occasion. This particular article is likely to be about the charity work carried out by my local skydiving club, which is laudable. I know a little about this already as one of my neighbours has Multiple Sclerosis and did a sponsored tandem jump last year. She loved the experience, whereas I was more than happy simply to hand over sponsorship money whilst keeping my own feet firmly on the ground!

So watch this space for further news. If I’m offered the chance of a jump, I can tell you now I’m 99.9999999% sure I’ll turn it down….

Feature Creature

One of the areas of my work that I enjoy most is when I have the opportunity to write a feature article.

I wrote many hundreds of feature articles for heating and plumbing magazines when I worked for Nu-Heat Underfloor & Renewables in Honiton. If that sounds a dry subject area, well actually no, it really wasn’t. The challenge was always to give life to underfloor heating pipe, heat pumps, solar panels and antifreeze, and I do love a challenge!

Now, however, I can have a bit more fun with what I write about. It’s usually up to me to come up with an idea and then work out the best way of seeing it through. This caught me on the hop when Devon Life commissioned an article on gliding for January’s ‘Try Something New’ spot. From a first person perspective….

I’m known for my dislike of flying although I have flown around the world, to China, Singapore, America and many places in between. However, I generally take Diazepam to keep me from opening the door and jumping out!

So gliding was the last thing my friends thought I’d ever do. And I knew I couldn’t fall back on sedatives as I wanted to remember every detail so I could write about it from a clear perspective. In the end I approached the flight rather like a ride at Disneyland, which I do happen to enjoy, and it turned out to be a great experience. Soaring silently above Broadhembury and waving at my friend’s herd of cows was something new indeed.

I’ve just submitted my next feature to the magazine which this time required my feet to stay firmly on the ground as I wrote about Dartmoor’s myths and legends. A very different commission, with lots of really interesting research to do.

That’s what really floats my boat, I guess. Finding out about another subject, getting my head around more ideas, culture, language – and making it all interesting to read about.

The challenge of the press release is to keep it succinct, web copy usually needs to convey information, a tweet is tiny! The challenge of the feature is to be something that the reader really wants to read to the end. I hope I succeed!