Forget global warming and pollution from greenhouses gases….

The pollution I’m worried about is “content pollution.”

There is an overwhelming amount of content created every day on this planet — far in excess of our ability to absorb it.

For instance, self-publishing guru Dan Poynter told me the other day that there are 200,000 books published each year.

That works out to 4,000 new books a week — 800 new books every business day.

With all that content bombarding the consumer, how can we, whether we are content writers or copywriters, hope to grab even a small slice of the reader’s attention?

One writer — and I have lost track of the source — says that content pollution means branding will become increasingly important.

Unable to read and consume information on which to base buying decisions, consumers will increasingly rely on brand preferences.

Yet something seems off here: despite content pollution, the educational approach to marketing — using content rather than sales hype to sell — seems to be growing and working better, not declining.

If it’s true that people have too much to read and not enough time to read it, why is offering a free white paper still a viable marketing tactic?

My office is in the NYC area, and in the mornings, I listen to the Z100 Morning Zoo.

They recently ran a spot asking for help creating a new ad campaign.

And here are the qualifications they asked for: “Can you draw? Know PhotoShop? Familiar with YouTube?”

Huh?

What does all this have to do with the core of successful advertising — a strong, compelling, well-crafted sales message stated in a fresh new way?

This is like help-wanted ads I see for freelance writers where the employer doesn’t seem to care about writing skill or subject matter expertise, but instead says they are looking for a writer who knows how to operate PowerPoint or Excel.

Has what’s important in marketing changed, or are the loonies ruling the roost?

One of the dangers of being — as well as using — a freelancer is that if something happens to the freelancer, the work doesn’t get done.

Case in point: within the last week, my 75-year-old mother was rushed to the hospital emergency room, diagnosed as having had several small strokes, lost vision in her left eye (possibly permanently), and had surgery to remove a benign tumor — believed to be the cause of the stroke — behind her heart.

You can imagine how stressful — and disruptive — all this is to my life and my work.

But like any freelancer, I have multiple projects under contract — projects clients are counting on me to deliver, at a high level of quality and on time.

What would you do if you were me? How would you handle this emergency situation?

Am I bound to let clients know about it? I did. Was that wise or foolish?

Do you think businesspeople understand and allow for “Acts of God” in their dealings with their vendors?

Or is a catastrophic illness or other similar event simply not the client’s problem or concern — a circumstance that should in no way effect what they are buying from you?

Recently, I got “spanked” by one of my subscribers, JB, who objected to the subject line on an e-mail I sent to my list.

It read: “Reading this e-mail could save your life.”

It was literally true, since the e-mail was about preventing a stroke and the 6 early warning signs that you are having a stroke.

“This is a horrific headline,” wrote JB. “I don’t appreciate such nasty tactics. If your skill as a copywriter has degenerated to this level, it’s time to unplug the PC.”

Preventing stroke is a personal issue with me, since I had one years ago — and my mother is in the hospital right now after having a series of strokes.

Other subscribers who wrote me were thankful for the information.

“A friend of mine had a stroke when he was 39 which could have been prevented,” wrote MF. “We never know how long we’re going to be on this earth, but I’d like to think we’ll last a little longer if we take care of ourselves.”

I wrote “Reading this e-mail could save your life” because (a) it was true and (b) I wanted to make sure my subscribers read my warning and advice on avoiding stroke.

Is JB right? Should I unplug the PC?

Or was the subject line effective and appropriate?

If you want to establish yourself as a recognized expert in your field, which is the best option for building your credibility — an e-book, self-published print book, or a book with a traditional publishing house (e.g., McGraw-Hill).

Years ago, at a talk to the NYC chapter of National Speakers Association (NSA), my colleague Dan Poynter said words to the effect that the reader doesn’t care who the publisher is — noting that no one goes into the bookstore and asks “Do you have any Random House books?

And therefore, he concluded, whether the book is self-published or published by a mainstream publisher is irrelevant.

I respectfully disagree, and to illustrate my contention that a traditionally published book gives the author greater credibility and status than a self-published book, a quick story:

When I was in my 20s, eons ago, I was speaking at an event. As I rode to the event with my host in his car, he said — a little snidely, it seemed to me — “So, you’ve written half a dozen books?”

Yes, I told him.

The snideness in his voice grew: “Where did you get them printed? I may want to write a book, too.”

“I didn’t ‘get them printed,'” I replied evenly. “My publishers — John Wiley & Sons, Henry Holt, and McGraw-Hill — handle that.”

His eye bugged out wide in what was unmistakably awe, or at least a modicum of surprise and respect: “Your publisher is McGraw-HILL?” he said enviously.

In my opinion, from most to least prestigious and reputation-building, the ways to publish your book are:

A. Large traditional publisher.
B. Small publishing house.
C. Self-published paper book.
D. E-book.

Right or wrong, when it comes to impressing others, nothing beats a traditional “bookstore book” — wouldn’t you agree?

A local gym recently mailed a postcard to attract new members.

It features a stock color photo of an attractive woman working out, with some brief copy, the closing of which read: “Call today. Summer is comming.”

When I pointed out to the owner that “coming” is spelled with one m, he shrugged it off.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said dismissively. “The picture of the hot chick exercising will pull ’em in.”

I have no doubt that the photo will get people to stop and look.

But is he right about the spelling?

Do people care if there’s a typo on your web site or in your mailer, ad, resume, or cover letter?

Or is concern about proper spelling and grammar an old-fashioned, archaic belief that people no longer have?

In USA Today (2/23/07), wine writer Jerry Shriver recommends a 2005 Barton & Guestier “Bistro Wine” Pinot Noir.

He says: “The fruit is restrained, the texture is soft, and there’s a smidgen of that ethereal ‘Sideways’ character lurking in the bottle.”

Now, is it just me, or is this an example of terrible writing?

To me, it seems meaningless: what specific information does a reference to a movie character communicate to the reader about the taste of the wine being discussed?

It’s even less meaningful if you, like me, haven’t seen the movie and don’t know what it’s about or who the character is.

So Jerry’s writing strikes me as unclear and uninformative.

But I don’t drink wine — or see many movies.

How would YOU rate this little bit of wine criticism by Jerry — good, bad, or terrible?

And why?

Alan Shawn Feinstein, one of the deans of mail order in the pre-Internet era, once ran a full-page ad in the New York Times with the headline:

“Yours Free — My Gift to You.”

But JW, a subscriber to my e-zine The Direct Response Letter, thinks “free gifts” is bad writing.

“Free gifts … is there any other kind?” he asks.

I replied:

“JW, your argument is that ‘free gift’ is redundant — like ‘armed gunmen.’

But, tests prove that in direct marketing, omitting the word ‘free’ and just saying ‘gift’ actually depresses response.

“I teach in business writing classes to avoid redundancy … but I am not sure that’s always good advice.

“The reason for redundancy is that some people need to read a thing several times before it sinks in….”

Where do you stand on this issue of good grammar vs. good selling?

Is “free gift” bad English … or just effective marketing?