Gizmodo has a funny rag on a Mediabistro.com tech review writing seminar. They tell you to save your money, and spill all of our precious tech writer trade secrets in the posting, riffing on the seminar’s teaser text. Some of our favorites:
• Tricks to make your review a compelling read
Insider’s Tip: Start with a fond anecdote from your childhood, contrasted with an insulting or adulatory mention of the iPod. See: T; See Also: A.• How to involve real people in a review story
Insider’s Tip: Invent likely-sounding names with likely-sounding color quotes, unless pitching to MIT Technology Review or Wired News. In those cases, make the color quotes from celebrities, whose quotes the media are legally not obligated to fact-check, especially if they are hilarious.