LOL That’s oversell? Wow, they really are honest!

Industry trades are beginning to use that model, Paula. It’s an attempt for them to stay afloat financially. I work with one regularly that offers some content that includes just the advertisers’ quotes. As it’s not the entire magazine and the content is still general info, I’m okay with that.

It’s when a publication tries to pass it off and unbiased that I would balk.

One of those publishers required writers to give weekly updates about which sources we contacted. I’d email them last (after seeking sources on my own), or call during off hours to leave a message just so I could honestly say I’d attempted to reach them. Occasionally, when I reached a marketing person at a company the publisher wanted to advertise the response would be: “We’ll pass. It would only encourage their sales staff to pester us even more. We’re not advertising with them.”

Several years ago I ran into a very honest client. It was a company that sold pre-packaged baked goods to large cafeterias. They needed copy about their muffins. I suggested a word like “delicious” or “tasty” and their response was, “That would be an over-sell.” That still cracks me up!