by Jim Sweeney | Aug 6, 2025 | Blog
The engineer shifted from foot to foot, stumbled over his words and his eyes darted all over the room.
Yet, the client insisted that this particular engineer be featured in the company video about a new polymer used in artificial joints. So we shot take after take while the poor guy fumbled with a knee joint.
A week later, we sent an initial cut of the video to the client, who noticed that the engineer had been holding the knee joint upside down and backward the entire time. There was no money in the budget for another out-of-town trip to redo the shoot so we edited it so the engineer could be seen only from the chest up. This was a long time ago while working for another agency, but this disaster has stuck with me.
Video is an incredibly compelling medium, but it can be jarring when it’s done poorly. We’ve all seen enough movies and TV to expect good production values and performances to notice when they’re missing.
And they’re often lacking in one of the most common forms of marketing video — the ones featuring a company spokesperson or leader. Typically, the subject appears alone onscreen, often sitting on a chair or stool or at their desk, talking to an off-camera prompter whose voice is not heard. These videos often are used to introduce a new product or service or as an introduction to the business.
Unlike media interviews, these videos are entirely under the control of the client. Done well, they can be highly effective; done poorly, they can give the company and executive a black eye.
Here are some tips for avoiding black eyes – and get the best performances on video:
Don’t force it. Some people, like that engineer, simply will never be comfortable on camera, so don’t put them in front of one. No amount of coaching or reassurance will get these people to relax so find someone who is more comfortable.
Take your time (but not too much). Rushed video is bad video. Give the subject some time to relax on the set and get used to the surroundings. Of course, CEOs often are in a hurry so the crew should respect their schedule.
Use multiple takes. Interviewees often feel pressured to nail it on the first take and that causes undue pressure. Remind them that they’re not live and they can do it as many times as it takes to get it right. Also, most videos are pieced together from the best parts of multiple takes. Most importantly, reassure them that the audience will see only the final version.
Prepare the subject. Go over the subject matter beforehand and share the material with the interviewee well before the shoot so they can be familiar with it. However, be careful that they do not memorize it in order to avoid sounding scripted.
Incorporate the question in the answer. Because the interviewer is unheard and offscreen, the viewers won’t know the question being asked of the subject. So if you ask the CEO, “What was your first job?”, make sure he doesn’t answer, “Waiter.” Instead, he should say, “My first job was as a waiter.” That way, the audience can follow the thread.
Establish a rapport between the interviewer and interviewee. Even though the interviewer will be unseen and unheard in this style of video, they’re the person with whom the subject is talking and maintaining eye contact throughout the video. They are the anchor for the subject. The two should spend a few minutes together before the shoot to get comfortable with each other and establish a link.
Be nice. In most cases, the interviewee is looking for reassurance from the crew, if not overtly, then subconsciously. An impatient or unfriendly interviewer, sound tech or videographer can give off negative vibes that rattle the subject and ruin the interview.
Hire a stylist. I’ve had executives balk at the idea of someone applying a little powder to their brow, but the alternative can be a spokesperson so shiny-faced that the glare obscures the message. Stylists also can advise on appropriate clothing and spot faults, like a crooked tie.
Follow these tips, make sure the knee joint is right side up, and you should get a video that makes you and the CEO proud.
by Jim Sweeney | May 14, 2025 | Blog
The first blog was created in 1994 by a Swarthmore College student who posted his own writing as well as links to websites he liked and thought his readers would enjoy.
Incredibly, that formula still holds up after more than 30 years of the internet. What other aspect of the online world can that be said about? Of course, a lot has changed about blogging (SEO, the addition of video and audio, different platforms, AI), but the objective of expressing your thoughts and sharing interesting things remains fundamental to successful blogging.
That’s true for businesses that blog as well as college students. Blogs have been around so long that they can be viewed as internet relics, like MySpace and Napster, but there is a reason they persist. They’re effective – as long as they’re done right.
There is some interesting research on the tactics of blogging: how to use SEO, how long to write, formats, how frequently to publish, even when to publish. Here’s an earlier Amendola post with some interesting research about blogs. That is helpful for the experienced blogger who wants to become expert, but I find the rules for a successful corporate blog are similar to those for being a good guest at a party:
Have something to say
Corporate blogs that simply recycle company press releases and other internal announcements are dull, like party guests who can’t carry on a conversation. No one, least of all a client or customer, feels obligated to read a dull blog. The content should be either interesting, educational, entertaining or some combination of the above.
It’s not about you
The first rule of successful socializing is expressing an interest in others (even if it’s feigned). The party guest who talks only about himself is a boor. It’s the same for companies that blog only about themselves. No one – not even their employees – is that interested in them. Blogs should take a more expansive view of the universe. I don’t mean medical device companies should be commenting on sports and Oscar nominations necessarily, but dealing with tangential topics add variety, demonstrate a wider world view and make it easier to draw in readers.
While there is no exact formula, a good rule of thumb is roughly a 50/50 mix between company content and other material.
Mingle with others
Blogging alone in your corner of the internet while ignoring all the other content out there is like refusing to interact with other party guests.
Acknowledging and making use of other companies’ relevant content is a great way to gain an audience and show off your insights.
This doesn’t mean promoting the competition, just recognizing that you don’t have a monopoly on interesting things to say. If a media outlet writes a compelling article about your industry, you can link to it and offer your thoughts. You can even invite guest bloggers. It’s a great way to build an audience.
Don’t overstay your welcome
No one likes a guest who shows up early, insists on being the center of attention at all times and lingers after the hosts have started cleaning up. In other words, don’t blog too often. It’s only large B2C brands that might need to be out with new material every day. For B2B brands, once or twice a week is fine. That also makes it less likely that you’ll have to post weak content. Just like at a party, you want to leave them wanting more.
There is nothing sadder than hosting a party which no one attends. It’s the same with writing blogs that no one reads. If you’re going to go to the effort of creating and maintaining a blog, be sure to follow the rules for making it interesting. Otherwise, you’ll be eating the cake all by yourself.
by Jim Sweeney | Dec 18, 2024 | Blog
In the days following the Nov. 5 election, former X users flocked to the new social media platform Bluesky. Their descriptions upon arrival made them sound like refugees who’d fled a war-torn country and found sanctuary.
Bluesky, they said, is everything Twitter used to be before Elon Musk changed it to X and turned it into a platform for right-wing disinformation. Bluesky, they rhapsodized, is safe, informative, educational and, well, nice.
The internet could certainly use more niceness, but is Bluesky a place for brands? It depends.
Certainly not if their intent is to advertise because Bluesky does not accept ads and its owners say they intend to keep it that way. Of course, that was Reddit’s policy once, too. According to the company, it plans to charge fees for users who create custom domains on the site and will eventually sell subscriptions for higher-quality video uploads or profile customizations like colors and avatar frames.
But it’s hard to just ignore Bluesky. Its growth has been phenomenal. Since opening to the public in February, it has grown to over 25 million users. Post-election, it has been attracting nearly 1 million new users a day. It has been the most downloaded free app. Naturally, those numbers have drawn the attention of brands.
Its vigorous policing of content and blocking of racist, hateful and offensive material also makes it attractive to brands. Of course, that degree of control will become harder to achieve as the number of users rises.
Some brands (Duolingo, Hulu, Netflix) are posting organically while others like Red Bull and Xbox seem to have secured handles, but haven’t begun posting. Bluesky does not yet have a verification process, so trolls also are snatching up some brand handles, which is an argument for consumer-facing brands to, at minimum, control their names. For now, though, the platform is mostly user-generated content.
Besides the advertising ban, brands face another challenge on Bluesky. The platform lets users design and control their own feeds, which means they can filter out anything they don’t want to see. For users, it means a cleaner experience; for brands, it means fewer eyeballs. They will have to work to earn engagement with users who might not welcome their presence on the platform.
Politics aside, Bluesky differs from rivals X, Threads and Mastodon in another significant way. It’s an open platform with an API that is accessible to developers, which means any decent programmer can use the same architecture to build new interconnected sites, across which they can share content.
There is also a possibility that Bluesky becomes a de facto platform for liberals and progressives while X continues its conservative MAGA trend under Trump buddy Musk. If that happens, brands and thought leaders would have to decide whether it’s the audience they want to reach and whether joining Bluesky would tag them as progressive, which could cause a backlash (see Bud Light).
Brands and thought leaders that left X over unhappiness with its new direction and objectionable content shouldn’t feel compelled to join Bluesky right away. They can rely on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and, of course, LinkedIn for messaging (see some best practice tips here.) Exceptions might be those who want specifically to reach a progressive audience or to signal their displeasure with the direction of X.
Marketers should, however, keep an eye on Bluesky to see if it continues its growth and makes any changes to be more accommodating to brands.
Below is a quick rundown of some Bluesky features. Keep in mind that the platform is still evolving, and these can change:
- Text posts have a 300-character limit.
- Users can self-label their posts, especially those containing sensitive content.
- “Starter Packs” are curated collections of accounts designed to help users find others with similar interests. One click allows users to follow or block all accounts within the pack.
- Users can customize their feed and viewing preferences.
- It includes an in-app music and video player.
- Bluesky offers custom domains, allowing users to personalize their handles with their domain names.
by Jim Sweeney | Aug 21, 2024 | Blog
I love the NFL draft, and not just because I’m a Cleveland Browns fan for whom the draft offers an annual opportunity to indulge in wishful thinking about next season.
I love the draft because it’s when sportswriters and analysts strain to produce synonyms for words like big, tall, fast, strong, quick, smart and aggressive. And they struggle to find alternative ways to say, “He’s a good blocker” or “He runs precise routes.”
That’s how you get player descriptions like, “positional versatility,” “rare length,” “jitterbug quicks,” “bendy,” “piano feet,” “excellent physicality,” “excels in space,” and “bounding lateral burst.” And those are just from one website.
But my favorite player description from recent draft coverage has to be: “He possesses great length in his arms.”
Think about that sentence for a moment. You know the writer initially thought, “What can I say about this player? Well, he’s got long arms, that’s for sure.” I like to think the writer even typed the sentence, “He has long arms.” But then he fell victim to a common fear among writers (not just sportswriters) and replaced it with that truly awful bit of writing: “He possesses great length in his arms.” The name of that phobia? Fear of a Simple Sentence.
Fear of a Simple Sentence (FOSS) whispers in writers’ ears that short, simple, easy-to-understand sentences will cause readers to think they’re unimaginative hacks incapable of writing sentences with multiple clauses and hard-to-understand terms. It’s the writerly compulsion to be creative when all that’s needed is to be clear.
Consider this example from an NFL draft site: “A hallmark of his game, the palpable explosiveness, permeates through his every move, asserting dominance in gap penetration and providing a perpetual disruptive presence.” Sounds like a paean to one of the lesser Nordic gods.
FOSS is the irresistible urge to embellish, to turn nouns into verbs and adjectives into nouns. It’s the impulse to forgo the clear and obvious in favor of the murky and imprecise. And it results in bad, hard-to-understand writing. It also can produce zombie sentences, which I explore in another blog post.
Here’s an example from the business world, a press release announcing a new hire: “In her new role, Judy will be responsible for connecting consumer insights with brand needs with the right product solution to optimize value of Return on Experience back to clients.”
Anyone know what Judy is going to do? It’s a fair bet even Judy doesn’t know.
This isn’t to say every sentence needs to be simple in the vein of “See Jane. See Jane run.” That would be repetitive and boring. In the hands of a good writer, long, complex sentences and similes and metaphors can be glorious. Just read some non-fiction by Tom Wolfe or Gay Talese. But they were masters, and they knew when to ramble for effect. They also used plenty of simple sentences to set up the complicated ones.
Like sports writing, business writing seldom demands long, complex sentences. Even when the subjects are complicated, the sentences should be direct, straightforward and, above all, clear and free of unnecessary jargon. There’s no need to invent new ways to describe commonly understood things; you’re not a poet.
Keeping it simple means your message will be better understood and your busy readers will be grateful for not having to decipher your writing. One good way to avoid overly complex sentences is to read them out loud. If they sound ridiculous or incomprehensible when spoken, they should be rewritten.
Like most phobias, Fear of a Simple Sentence is curable. It just takes practice and determination. So, the next time you want to point out that a lineman has long arms, just say so.
by Jim Sweeney | Jul 10, 2024 | Blog
Hey, want to hear an announcement from my company?
Or,
Hey, want to hear a story?
Which got your attention?
If you’re human, it was probably the latter.
We are hardwired to listen to and learn from stories. From the earliest days of painting on cave walls through Aesop’s Fables and TEDx Talks, stories have proven themselves to be the best way to convey information to an audience. Even business information. Write a memo reminding people to always file their TPS reports with a cover sheet and they’ll ignore it. Tell them a story about the coworker who got fired for forgetting the cover sheet and they’ll remember.
But we largely abandon the power of narrative when it comes to press releases, which tend to be dry recitations of facts fleshed out with manufactured quotes and a corporate boilerplate.
For years the standard thinking on press releases has been to cram as much of the important information as possible up top on the theory that journalists won’t read past the headline and opening paragraph. There is merit to this approach if you’re announcing something truly significant or newsworthy, like a corporate merger or a new iPhone.
But, if we’re being honest, that’s the minority of releases. In most cases, the news isn’t a big enough deal to sell itself. So we, as PR practitioners, need to sell it. And stories are the best way to do it. A compelling story wrapped around a somewhat-less compelling piece of news can make an irresistible package.
Here’s an example: A chemical company wanted to announce a new polymer that would be used to line the surfaces of artificial joints. That could have been a straightforward product announcement, but I wanted to humanize the impact of the product, so I focused on the recipients of the artificial knees and hips, not the polymer itself.
I found Senior Olympics basketball players, each of whom had at least one artificial joint, and shot a video of them playing and talking about how grateful they were for the technology that let them hoop it up into their 80s. It was a step or two removed from the actual product, but it brought home the idea that this polymer had real benefits for people.
For the most part, Amendola clients are B2B and work in healthcare IT, which doesn’t easily lend itself to narrative. However, like with the above example, it’s often possible to bring it to the level of the patients and users of the technology. What does new perioperative scheduling software accomplish? Fewer delays and cancellations in scheduling surgeries, which is good for patients and clinicians. How about a new staffing platform for nurses? It gives them greater flexibility and allows them to earn more money.
Sometimes the narrative can be built around a single illuminating fact. I wrote a press release for a company whose seals were to be used on the Mars Rover. In and of itself, not that big a deal; scores of manufacturers had components on the Rover. What I learned from talking to company engineers is that it is impossible to build a seal that doesn’t leak, particularly in space; success is building a seal that leaks very, very slowly. How slowly? In this case, so slowly that it would take 1,000 years to empty a Coke can.
In the release, I told the story of these engineers working toward this ridiculously exacting specification. And it got picked up more than the dozens of cookie-cutter announcements that went out from other parts suppliers.
Of course, the stories must be interesting and short. They can’t meander and they can’t obscure the news. And they must be relevant. Don’t announce a brand of hard seltzer by telling a story about how a surfer took on a 50-foot wave and then enjoyed a can of seltzer back on the beach. Save that for the commercial.
Most press releases vanish with little notice or impact, like gnats flying into a bug zapper. But tell a good story, and people will remember it.
